Surgery Godfather
Chapter 852 - 758: Neurosurgery belongs to Orthopedics

Chapter 852: Chapter 758: Neurosurgery belongs to Orthopedics

Yang Ping continued discussing the case with John Ansen, his pencil never stopping.

It was as if he activated fast motion mode, the pencil moved very quickly, and soon, over a dozen anatomical diagrams illustrating the steps of the surgery were completed.

All doctors looked on in amazement, even John Ansen was dazzled by the level of drawing proficiency.

With just a pencil and a stack of white paper, he created so many exquisite anatomy diagrams in just a few minutes.

The surgery hadn’t even started yet, and his mastery of medical illustration had already won over most of the Mayo Clinic doctors, who were crowding around each other, hoping to get a clearer view, some reaching out, hoping to get one of the hand-drawn diagrams for a closer examination.

John Ansen had no doubts about the feasibility of the surgery; back when he was in Shanghai, that had been a surgery no other doctor in the world could handle, yet Yang Ping did it with ease. At the time, the patient suffered cardiac arrest multiple times during the procedure, but Yang Ping seemed to have anticipated it and calmly conducted the rescue. After successfully reviving the patient, he continued with the surgery, his courage and masterful surgical skills completely conquering John Ansen.

Now John Ansen worried whether the eye replanting surgery required the assistance of an ophthalmologist, and the experts at Mayo Clinic suggested having one present.

"Do we need assistance from an ophthalmologist?"

John Ansen asked tentatively.

Yang Ping shook his head, "If it’s not required by law or procedure, let’s avoid it if possible, they probably don’t have experience with this kind of surgery either."

Mayo’s ophthalmology was very strong, but they had never performed an eye transplantation surgery; they had only done similar surgeries in animal experiments. Real human surgery was limited to just a few dozen cases of artificial bionic eye transplants, which greatly differed from genuine eye transplantation.

With Yang Ping’s affirmation, John Ansen no longer dwelled on the issue. In John Ansen’s eyes, Yang Ping was like a god.

So, whatever Yang Ping said went unquestioned; in front of Yang Ping, John Ansen lost his ability to doubt.

After all the details of the surgery were settled, John Ansen scheduled the operation for the next day.

In the remaining time, John Ansen, as the host, took Yang Ping to tour the Mayo Clinic, which was Yang Ping’s first visit to the institution.

After Yang Ping and John Ansen left their seats, the dozen pencil-drawn diagrams they left on the desk, like the works of a top-tier artist, were eagerly snatched up by the surrounding doctors.

They had never seen such beautifully hand-drawn anatomical diagrams before; although just black and white sketches, they were so lifelike and three-dimensional.

Skulls, muscles, blood vessels, nerves, brain tissues, eyes, ears, noses, and so on, each was beautifully crafted, truly collectible art.

The entire surgical process was laid out in just a dozen diagrams, more vivid and straightforward than a verbal description.

Those who managed to grab one were smug, and those who didn’t were very disappointed. Some even tore a diagram in half in their eagerness to secure one, completely losing the decorum and poise expected of a world-class hospital.

It wasn’t hard to understand, as these hand-drawn diagrams were unsurpassed at Mayo Clinic and beyond the skills of any neurosurgeon, with such beauty and speed.

John Ansen guided Yang Ping and Robert through each building and floor.

Mayo Clinic or Mayo Clinic Medical Center was the previous Chinese translation; the new and accurate translation is "Mayo Clinic International".

"Mayo" implies skilled and compassionate healing, while "Clinic" suggests protection and assistance. The term "Mayo Clinic International" embodies the idea that compassionate and virtuous healers provide skilled treatment and help to patients.

The one who chose this name must have a deep understanding of Chinese culture, either Chinese or an American like Robert.

This hospital, ranked number one in the United States, has a history of nearly 160 years. Besides Rochester, Minnesota, Mayo Clinic has branches in Florida and Arizona.

Rochester, Minnesota, a small town of just over 100,000 people located in the cold and remote northern United States, would be equivalent to an 18th-tier small county in China. Yet, because of Mayo Clinic’s presence, its airport boasts a runway capable of accommodating the Airbus A380 superjumbo jet, as political figures and wealthy individuals from around the world like to seek medical care there.

In the hearts of doctors worldwide, Mayo Clinic is a holy place.

Unlike my country, the top hospitals in the United States are mostly private, and Mayo Clinic is not a public hospital but a private one. It initially grew from a clinic, which is why its English name still includes the word "clinic."

This private hospital is unique in its management model; it operates under a board of directors system. However, the board is not government-led or dominated by a consortium but is run by the hospital’s doctors.

That is, the doctor group at Mayo Clinic are the true decision-makers, deciding who sits on the board through voting and also determining the major policies of the hospital through voting.

As a private hospital, Mayo Clinic follows a salary sharing system. Every doctor has a fixed salary irrespective of the number of patients seen, prescriptions made, surgeries performed, or tests completed.

This decouples doctors’ income from treatment fees, ensuring their decisions are independent and pure, free from external influences like money.

You might wonder, with shared salaries at Mayo Clinic, would it foster a group of slackers? After all, salaries are fixed regardless of the amount of work done, so everyone could just coast along. Without a strong work ethic, Mayo Clinic might soon close down.

Yet under this system, not only did Mayo Clinic not close, but it has also exceeded $15 billion in annual revenue, becoming the hospital with the highest annual income and profitability in the world.

Of course, Mayo Clinic receives significant social donations every year, which also form part of the hospital’s income.

Thus, Mayo Clinic’s income comprises two parts: business income and social donations. It receives no government funding, and the donations it receives each year are just a few hundred million dollars, a small fraction compared to the $15 billion revenue, showing that donations are a very low proportion of the hospital’s income.

So, never think that Mayo can survive on donations alone; a few hundred million dollars in contributions are almost negligible.

Also, don’t assume that Mayo is always doing charity. Where does this annual income of 15 billion US dollars come from? It all comes from patients, mostly income from medical services, such as surgery fees.

The cost of medical care at the Mayo Clinic is extremely high. For surgical inpatients, expenses above one million US dollars are quite normal. For departments with high technical thresholds like neurosurgery and cardiac surgery, just the surgery fees amount to several hundred thousand US dollars. The total cost of hospitalization can be two to three million US dollars, which is considered normal. If it involves complex, high-difficulty major surgeries and an ICU stay, then don’t be surprised if the bill reaches tens of millions of dollars.

Without high-end insurance, an ordinary person stepping into Mayo means bankruptcy. However, high-end medical insurance is not affordable for everyone; it’s exclusive to the wealthy.

There are also some ordinary Chinese citizens who come to Mayo in admiration of its reputation. Generally, they sell their houses to raise funds and prepare fully before they can come to Mayo for a once-in-a-lifetime experience of world-class medical services.

As they chatted, they arrived at the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetes, which is one of several departments ranked first in the entire United States.

"They were the first in the world to isolate glucocorticoids and won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1950. They were also the first to isolate thyroid hormones, the second hormone ever isolated in human history; the relationship between insulin and diabetes was their discovery, and likewise, they were the first to treat diabetes with insulin—these are their masterpieces," John Ansen introduced this prestigious department.

It turned out they were the pioneers in insulin therapy for diabetes, making it no longer a terminal illness. Medicine progresses step by step through such passionate innovations.

In ancient times, diseases like tuberculosis, diabetes, and tetanus were terminal illnesses, and appendicitis and dystocia were equally life-threatening.

After visiting so many departments and both consultation and inpatient rooms, Yang Ping noticed many differences from back home. Nurses wore uniforms of deep red or dark blue-green with short sleeves, without caps.

Doctors seeing patients all wore suits and ties; female doctors wore suits or dress suits. He didn’t see any doctor wearing a white gown while seeing patients, nor any doctors in T-shirts, collarless shirts, jeans, or shorts.

Here, all medical appointments were made in advance; there were no walk-in registrations, which means without paying for an appointment, it was impossible to see a doctor.

After the tour of all departments, John Ansen took Yang Ping to visit the operating room. As an expert invited to guide the surgery, Yang Ping’s visit was unhindered.

Finally, John Ansen led Yang Ping to visit the Fisch Family Sculpture Garden on the west side of the Gonda Building, where the Mayo brothers’ bronze statues were located.

The correct understanding of the name of the sculpture garden should be: This sculpture garden is named after Fisch, in commemoration of the Mayo family.

The sculpture garden was constructed with a donation from the Fisch couple to commemorate Old Mayo, the founder of the Mayo Clinic, and the Mayo brothers, who greatly expanded its prestige.

In front of the Mayo brothers’ bronze statues, John Ansen invited Yang Ping to take a photo together.

---

Meanwhile, in the Mayo Clinic Department of Neurosurgery’s Doctor’s Office.

"How can Dr. John Ansen’s mentor be so young? He looks like he’s in his twenties," someone expressed their doubt.

The muscular doctor said, "Asians, especially those from China, appear younger than people of the same age. To be John Ansen’s mentor, he must be around fifty, although he looks to be in his twenties."

Yang Ping’s youthfulness was also a surprise during his time performing surgeries in Germany, where Europeans had thought he knew the secret to eternal youth.

Now, Americans couldn’t believe that Yang Ping, who was not even thirty, could be John Ansen’s mentor. The American medical training system is completely different from our country’s; one cannot directly enter medical school after high school. Instead, one must graduate from an undergraduate degree in science or biology to apply for medical school. With four years of undergraduate studies and four years of medical school, totaling eight years, all doctors must have at least eight years of education before graduating with an MD degree.

Some people work for years after their undergraduate studies before applying to medical school, which makes them older. Thus, doctors under thirty are almost nonexistent in America.

"Fifty years old? But he looks so young?"

The gray-haired doctor was quite vexed—he was also over fifty but appeared so much older.

It’s the same everywhere; envy can be killer.

"You can deduce that he must be over fifty based on his clinical experience, which exceeds John Ansen’s," the muscular doctor said, relying entirely on his imagination, and everyone believed what he said.

"Why haven’t we heard of him before?" another tall, thin doctor asked.

Encouraged by the attention from the others, the muscular doctor was quite proactive, "Many Chinese doctors specialize in surgery without publishing papers, appearing low-key and mysterious."

"I just found some of his papers, including in the journal Science and others. Each one is in a top-tier journal, but it seems all his papers are related to orthopedics," one doctor expressed a different view.

"Oh! Is that so?" the muscular doctor felt a bit embarrassed.

"Why would he write orthopedic papers? Could it be that in China, neurosurgery is a branch of orthopedics?" asked another doctor, holding half of an anatomy diagram.

Different countries have different sub-specializations within professions. For instance, in America, spinal surgery is a branch of neurosurgery, whereas in our country, it is a branch of orthopedics.

"That’s right, their spinal surgery belongs to orthopedics, and brain surgery might also fall under orthopedics," the muscular doctor said, nodding to show off his knowledge.

With that explanation, everyone finally understood.

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