Phoenix Children's Hospital and Mayo Clinic have teamed to treat children with congenital heart disease as they mature.

In a new collaboration, PCH is sending its young adult patients to Mayo for further treatment. To date, six of PCH's patients have been treated at Mayo.

Congenital heart disease is a birth defect that occurs in nearly 1 percent of the population. With improved diagnosis and treatment, 85 percent of those patients will survive into adulthood, but will require lifelong cardiac care, Bob Meyer, president and CEO of PCH told the Business Journal.

Because PCH has a long-standing bone marrow transplant program with Mayo, this was a natural extension of their relationship, said Meyer.

PCH and Mayo are also considering the possibility of joining in a similar heart transplant program for children, in which pediatric patients would be treated at PCH and adult patients would be treated at Mayo.

Dr. Victor Trastek, chairman and CEO of Mayo Clinic in Arizona, told Business Journal that this is an opportunity to show the health care industry how collaborations are better for patients than unnecessary duplication.

"We're exploring as many different things as we can that make sense for the patient and for the two institutions."

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For more information:

"PCH, Mayo join forces for heart patients," Business Journal, 07/06/2007