Mayo Clinic of Irkutsk

Thursday we arrived in Irkutsk as scheduled.  We went to the "Diagnostic Clinic" in the afternoon.  In the foyer, a machine dispensed a pair of shoe covers in a transparent egg for 5 rubles (about 15 cents).  Everyone was putting them on, so we did as well.  Security then led us to the elevator to the director's office and we were quickly led in and introduced.  He is a man of about 50.  He spoke a little English, but Gala, our interpreter helped immensely in translating our discussion of what his clinic did.  It is an outpatient clinic of several stories with primarily internists, but also a few surgeons (two gynecologists and two urologists).  People with insurance or private pay patients come here for rapid, complete diagnosis.  The director prides himself on the rapid turnaround of radiology images, lab tests (including pathology slides) and procedures, trying hard to complete at least 90 % of the patients' needs within one day.  In addition to his medical degree he has a management degree and uses sigma 7, "lean technology", and other industrial efficiency techniques.  Despite the application of industrial methods, the clinic appears patient-friendly.  The electonic medical record is designed to have laboratory results and radiology images appear instantly when they are done.  He gave us a tour of much of the clinic.  He apologized for his 0.5 Tesla MRI saying it would be updated soon.  The clinic was begun with a loan from the Japanese government; much of the equipment is from . . . Japan!  They have a small English language website http://en.dc.baikal.ru/   Above the director's desk is a photo of him shaking hands at the clinic with Vladimir Putin.  Below is a picture of me shaking hands with him.

Jim, Gala, and I then went to a sporting goods store to buy me a stocking hat and both of us thermal underwear for the ice fishing trip.  We finished the first day with dinner in the faculty dining room before finally getting to bed.