Heading East The Mayo Jul 21-31

We went to Coburg, OR to get our mirror fixed (found one in surplus place vs. waiting 4 weeks for a new one); took a while to get it done. Once again enjoyed Eugene and its Saturday market. Started East on/about Jul 21st. Some beautiful driving vistas (no pics from the RV) through Idaho and Montana. After South Dakota the land became pretty flat, as we rolled into Rochester, MN for our first, and eye opening, visit to the famous Mayo Clinic.



Doubt if I can do justice to our experience there. Mayo is famous for its health care, the Rochester, MN campus being about 6 times bigger than the smaller campuses in Jacksonville, FL and Phoenix, AZ.



By way of background, I have had strange itching problems w/o any skin irritation for the past couple of years. What used to be a simple annoyance became more extreme on this trip. Beyond simple allergic reactions there were some serious causes (cancer, auto-immune, thyroid, liver, kidney, etc) that I was concerned about and I wanted the best to look at me, do a complete work up, etc., if at all possible. No one at HH had any idea what was causing this. Getting an appointment here can be tricky; a referral helps; my GP/Internist at HH was helpful; I got an appointment for Sept 27th, but I could try to "walk in" and take my luck (I was told this could take a week before they could see me). GOD was smiling; I showed up Monday morning, 8:00am and was called in at 8:05am. The internist spent a good 45 minutes with me, ordered a raft of blood work, x-ray, electrocardiogram, allergy tests, urinalysis, and a visit w/allergist. All the diagnostic work was done that day, visited the allergist the next day, re-took blood work for three suspicious issues and wrapped up w/ my internist on day three. Verdict: we ruled out major concerns, recommended treatment for more sensitive allergy issues and discussed future concerns. All in all, a great experience.



Both Marlene and I were very impressed w/Mayo. I don't know if it is the nature of the people in this part of the country or the superb and disciplined execution of a mission statement, but Mayo delivers on its verbal promises. Since 1907 they have put the patient first and, in spite of the difficult reimbursement cutting enviroment that exists today, they continue to deliver extraordinary customer service. I don't know about you, but our family has had its share of trying experiences with hospitals, clinics and doctors. Hospital infection rates kill many (HH needs to improve this) (in a hospital bed I am supposed to insure that the doctor/nurse/med tech washes their hands before they treat me?); lab tests get mixed up; communication errors are rampant; doctors don't have time to spend with you; specialists don't talk to each other; emergency services take you to the wrong hospital but are defensive about investigating their mis-steps. It's a concern that many of us share.



At Mayo, they strive hard to be clean, accurate, quick and thorough. Our doctor said he loves it there, is allowed to spend an hour w/patient if necessary. My blood pressure was taken six times, first/last discarded, other four averaged. Allergist tech (not a doc) talked with me about my testing, decided to speak w/doc about specific tests, had the tests changed; how often does that happen? Each time a nurse, tech took my record they asked me my name/birth date as a check that they had right px. Nurse spent good amount of time getting history right so history was relevant for the doc. Hand sanitizers everywhere, including at all the retail stores that line the maze of underground stores in the complex that adjoins the clinic. Lab results done on site, turn around 24 hours or less; pros/cons of treatment discussed at length. Everything very organized, med people very serious about their work.



Patient and their supporters comfort a big deal here; many restful, comfortable sitting areas; many, many, many greeters/helpers everywhere (near the elevators, in the halls); three information booths to help you; pianos for anyone to play (some great players).



Some facts: 1st px 1907 (I am px 7 million plus), Mayo brothers (Charlie and Will) built the clinic with emphasis on "Patient Care, Research, Education". 1916 started the teamwork approach that Mayo is so famous for (why is this so hard for other medical centers to do?) Two affiliated hospitals (St. Marys, Methodist) under their umbrella. A simple concept, executed extraordinarily well over a long time. Now, 32,000 people work in Rochester campus alone; over 2000 docs here, all specialties covered; a full wing to alternative medicine; a full floor for sleep disorders. Over 500,000 px seen last year in all three campuses. At Rochester 1,000 blood draws each morning (they took 14 tubes out of me on the first day). 20 % of their px are from other countries, many don't speak English so what does Mayo do?; they provide 80 interpreters to make it work. And the philanthropy just keeps on coming. 5 year drive just completed (they raised $1.4 Billion). Over 70 buildings in Rochester area affiliated w/the clinic.



Obviously they have found a way to make money; you can't provide this level of service unless you are making money, but they are so far above the level of service we were used to in the medical business that we were very impressed. Let's hope that they can continue to keep their standards high; it is a shining example of what medical care should be.



Sorry to be long winded; couldn't help it.



Below the new front of the new Gonda building, completed 2001.

Bronze statues of Dr. Will and Dr. Charlie, the founders.

Gonda building, 20 stories tall, 10 more to come in the future.

Gonda connects to Mayo, and they all connect to several other buildings, including a subterranean maze to hotels, shops, restaurants. Below is the below street level (subway level) of the connection between Gonda and Mayo building.

Admissions area. When I went in at 7am, Monday, the place was packed, 20-30 admission stations.

Marlene at one of the information booths. Who says service is dead?

If you look close, you can see a man (visiting businessman) playing one of the pianos provided.

Barnes and Noble converted a beautiful old theatre into a store; thought it was a great pic.

Below two musical interludes for your entertainment, all volunteers, px, doctors etc.