Is the Mayo Clinic worth going to?

Not About Food
1

The Mayo Cinic consistently holds a top ranking for hospitals. Is it actually better than others?

2

I have no personal experience with them however, those that I know that visited for a plethora of reasons at different locations sing their praises.

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3

Depends on what you are going for, who you can get an appointment with, and what your other alternatives are.

I know folks who have gone for specific doctors or studies and it gave them peace of mind that they went. I’m not sure they’d say they got better care (or diagnosis) there than at home.

But healthcare varies wildly, so it depends on the things I mentioned up top.

4

You should ask your own doctor, and/or other healthcare professionals, not us.

We don’t know you, what or why you are considering the Mayo Clinic, nor really care about you in general the way a licensed medical professional would.

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specific medical “facilities” are known for their “expertise” in specific medical conditions / diseases.
that is a real, difficult-to-dispute fact.

bottom line, you don’t need the Mayo Clinic for a cold.
more “extraordinary” illnesses - yes, if the disease/illness is their forte.

such facilities are often moniker-ed as “research facility” - so if they are fortuitously hot-on-the-trail of a particular affliction - yes, they may be of ueber-infinite value.

my father was diagnosed with esophageal cancer, by a “I can’t believe it country horse doctor.” his daughter-in-law worked as a research tech at Fox-Chase, and precipitated an immediate consult . . . not the usually "we can see you in 9 months . . . "

esophageal cancer is rarely discovered in an early stage. his was.
they threw the whole book, chapter and verse, front and back cover at it.
and told him/us in plain language: this is the entire arsenal.
if it works, you’ll be fine, if it comes back, there’s nothing left we can try.

in four years, nine months . . . it came back, having metastasized to uhm, “everything”
and he did not make it to five years survival.

basically, is such a place worth it? depends.

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As someone who has a ‘medically complex’ existence, any particular faculty as good as the skills and knowledge of the team overseeing your case. Not every institution is the right choice for every problem. Mayo may have a department dealing with muscular dystrophy. Carnegie Mellon might be the best place for liver cancer. (I have no idea what institution might specialize in what sort of ailment. Those are just random examples).

My particular cardiac problems, for instance, meant that the general cardiologists and facilities in Marin County (a very modern and well staffed place) were not suitable for me. My case was transferred to Stanford, which had one of the foremost surgeons in the country that dealt with issues like mine. That I’m here indicates that was the right call.

Ask you primary care physician (or whoever referred you to Mayo) WHY they did so. They should be able to answer you in reasonable and understandable terms.

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With that name, how could it NOT be? :upside_down_face:

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Agree with all the above - including the naming :smiley:

The Mayo clinic also has a very unique way of doing business, which, in my only somewhat informed opinion, is “worth it” if you have a condition that fits that need. Their staff (doctors, et al) are paid a fixed salary, so seeing more patients doesn’t “earn them more money”. This can mean much more time spent on each patient. In addition, part of their model, is to bring together a team of disciplines for their patients. This means your nursing team, cardiologist, endocrinologist, and oncologist all meet weekly to discuss your progress/treatment plans/etc. This can reduce a tremendous patient burden of trying to keep all their doctors “on the same page”. If something new develops, that team can pull in a different specialist for consultation - and they all meet together.

Healthcare and what is important to a person with their healthcare are very personal decisions. But I respect their model of care a lot.

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Thanks, everyone for your input. Local healthcare (Canadian, btw) is great for some things, extremely poor for others, so I am gathering information on other potential solutions.

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My husband and I have no experience with Mayo, but we’re well aware of its reputation. If you @jammy have a complicated health situation/history, it’s well worth it to be seen at a teaching hospital (eg, Mayo). Teaching hospitals will see more complicated patients and thus may have more expertise in those cases than a community hospital (not that community hospitals don’t provide excellent care and that Mayo will necessarily be excellent).

Best of luck @jammy. Our dear friends just moved from Greater Boston to Toronto and I believe at least he still sees his US doc. Good healthcare is so important and yet so difficult to find these days.

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That’s a good point. I will see how much is possible here. Thanks for the good luck. In our system, I’ll need it.

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FWIW- I spent a little over a year living in Vancouver, BC, in the public health system. I had absolutely ZERO issues. My unusual case was noted by my Primary Physician who IMMEDIATELY got me not just to a cardiologist, but the highly specialized group with a clinic that focused on my specific issues.

I can’t tell you how many phone calls it took to get that far any time I moved or changed physicians here in the states.

I’m sure Canadian health care has its own share of ridiculousness, but I’d happily trade the bullshit and the $$$$$$$$$$ for something that is around no matter my employment status.

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My mom. Same cancer. Not stage IV at diagnosis. Hopkins. She didn’t survive a year. This was years ago.

I’d look to see what the facility … or the docs … specialize in, minimum.

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