Gravity-
This is a site everyone should visit and study.
"Shared decision making" seems to be the core idea.
We don't live near a Mayo Clinic, but we do live close to two major university based medical systems (Duke and UNC), so we have many doctors to choose from, and we have used that option when we felt a doctor wasn't listening. My wife has had three major surgeries in the last three years and finding the right doctors who would really consider the reasons for our choices was crucial to getting very good care that resolved the problems.
Whenever I visit a doctor I bring a written note stating my concerns and up-to-date information, one copy for the doctor and one for me.