'Mayo Clinic' documentary seeks to spark health care conversation

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - The world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, came from humble beginnings. After a deadly tornado tore through the community in the late 1800s, Dr. W.W. Mayo, a country doctor, and his two sons created the hospital with the help of Catholic nuns.

The Mayo Clinic is the subject of a documentary by filmmakers Ken Burns, Erik Ewers, and Chris Ewers. The film is called The Mayo Clinic: Faith - Hope - Science.

At the Mayo Clinic, money does not play a role in how a patient is treated, according to the filmmakers. Chris Ewers said the clinic puts a patient's needs before everything.

Erik Ewers said that when making the film the biggest surprise to him is that the hospital really lives up to its reputation.

Dr. Mayo, his sons, and the nuns envisioned this type of care from the beginning 150 years ago. They laid the foundation for a medical center that now treats more than a million patients every year from around the world. Whether you're the Dalai Lama, Sen. John McCain, or a janitor—everyone is treated the same.

The filmmakers hope the documentary will spark a national conversation about ways to improve healthcare.