Am I doing this right? Preparing for my first appointment at Mayo

I would ask who sent you to the appointment? Appointments usually start with you filling out a form or two. Then you will see a Dr, PA, or NP and they will ask you how you are doing. You must have had one appointment with someone who has now sent you for an evaluation. In that case, they may have preliminary info and want to see you to find out more about you. Have you had a blood test yet? Not sure why you saw a Dr. in the first place.
Let us know. Do something you like to do. Replace the worry.

I’d be nervous as well, but having been seen at two different campuses and with different departments coordinating my appointments, I’ve found that some are more organized and communicative than others.

Are you being seen at Rochester, or another campus? Which department is it? Maybe others who have experience might be able to share.

Have you created your Mayo Clinic patient portal account? You may be able to see more detail there, as well as if they’re holding appointments for you.

I’ve had a similar situation with just one appointment, but I did know the name of the doctor I was scheduled with. I have been scheduled with a few departments that for some reason didn’t display the name of the provider. It was just generic, but when I called the department directly they were able to tell me who I was scheduled with.

In both my experiences, I had an evaluation with the “lead” provider who was coordinating my care and depending on the outcome of that appointment, they put in orders for consultations with other providers and testing. Then, those appointments were scheduled for me. In my first Mayo experience at Rochester, it was very organized. It may be different now, but they told me they tend to schedule things farther out if they know it’s needed and takes longer to schedule. But other things like labs and x-rays and departments that typically have open appointments, they schedule as needed. That kind of made sense to me, but the department who saw me also appeared to do a deep dive into the packet my doctor sent with my referral. They used information from it to pre-schedule relevant appointments.

Years later, my second and more recent experience at Jacksonville was very much not like that. A handful of things were scheduled but the department who was coordinating my care didn’t do advance review of my records or chart for the purpose of scheduling my other appointments in advance (I wish they did, because I had a lot of problems with scheduling). I received a slew of orders and referrals after my evaluation, but most of the responsibility of scheduling fell to me. It has been really frustrating. And that seems to be “normal” practice for that particular department.

I guess this is a long way of saying I think it depends? It doesn’t sound too unusual based on my experience. But that doesn’t mean it’s not disconcerting. I didn’t like it.

You can call the department and ask—there’s usually a phone number listed with your appointment information. In many cases they can kind of explain the “system” for how they schedule or may be able to connect you to a nurse or someone else who can explain. I’ve had experiences where I wasn’t given the most helpful or reliable information, but you still have time before next week to try calling. If you’re traveling for care, I’ve found it does require a leap of faith. It can be very disconcerting and frustrating, but I hope your evaluation goes well and you’re able to get a lot out of it.

Have you had an opportunity to set up a patient portal on the Mayo Clinic app? You may need to contact (by phone) and see if you have a medical record number set up. You should be able to go into the app and see who the provider is that you would be seeing.
Hope that someone else has had your specific experience and can verify this.
Patient appointment guides (PAGs) have, in past, been sent out, but the process changes and each department has its nuances.

@katelynbirmingham

Every department is different. Tests and additional appointments may be added after first meeting with provider or some may still be in process of being scheduled.

As others have suggested, you can always call and ask if any additional test are being ordered or if that will be decided by provider after appointment.

I see you had posted in June about a GI evaluation appointment, did you have that evaluation or is this your first appointment?

I didn’t emphasize this in my original comment, but I’ve had two appointments that were scheduled and only the time, date, and “with your provider” was in the appointment, so there wasn’t even a name at all. I thought it was really strange. One of the times I called the department, and they were able to tell me who I saw.

It seems different across campuses and/or departments as far as degrees of preparation/information.

Hi @katelynbirmingham, you have received some great tips from members and Mayo Clinic patients. Perhaps you've called the department to find out more.

In can be a leap of faith to put one's trust in Mayo Clinic's patient-centered care. It operates like no other institution. With your initial evaluation appointment scheduled that physician will be your main provider and will arrange any additional appointments as needed such as, testing appointments with other providers, etc.

As someone who likes to prepare (who wouldn't, right?), here are some discussions that you might find helpful as you prepare for your appointment:
- Your Tips on How to Get Off to the Best Start with a New Specialist
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/your-tips-on-how-to-get-off-to-the-best-start-with-a-new-specialist/
- First Visit to Mayo Clinic: How do appointments work? What to expect?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/new-internal-med-patient/
- Mayo Clinic Patient Portal: How do I find it? Do you use it?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-portal/
As mentioned by others, it is a good idea to sign up for the patient portal. You'll find it useful in the coming days and while you're on campus at Mayo Clinic. It's easy to sign up for the portal. You can also get personal help to get set up with Mayo's Concierge Services:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/minnesota/concierge-services
By phone 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday: 507-538-8438
Email: concierge@mayo.edu

You can also contact Mayo Clinic's free Concierge Services beforehand or while on site to answer any questions about accommodations, shuttles, things to do, etc.

Which campus will you be visiting? Is this your first time at Mayo Clinic?

Definitely set your Patient Portal. I'm astounded at how rapidly the Summary, Notes and Test Results appear after appointments within each dept. My first visit, they requested I send MRIs, Xrays, CTs when I first reached out. Based on their review of those, my case was sent from Vascular Neurosurgeons triage team to Neuro Endocrine triage team. These teams evaluate together & determine best plan of attack at your 1st visit. In 1 day, I had PET molecular-level scan, met w a member of that truage team in the Endocrine Dept, who had set up meetings w blood draw, urine sampling, vascular neurosurgeon, otorhinolaryngology dept head (who was accompanied by 4 residency students & other drs) a vascular surgeon and a geneticist, all done in less than 4 hrs, all questions answered completely to our satisfaction. Based on all the info gathered, they scheduled a full body CT scan w contrast the morning we flew home! and the results were available b4 we even headed to the airport. I'd suggest u might ask about possibility of virtual visits; we live 1,600 mi away, so had a virtual w the Endocrine Dr a wk later, & flew out again 2 wks later for more tests & met w kidney dept. Have a virtual scheduled in a couple wks for further explanations/ discussion w member of kidney team, expect another visit to be scheduled for barrage of blood draws, scans, and likely meet w anesthesiologists and hopefully have surgery.
The first time we went for blood draw, we walked into amphitheater with 50+ people waiting, less than 40 min b4 my next appt w drs. At home, we'd've said we'd come back tomorrow... or later than that. They have 3 doors, phlebotomists come out and call name over intercom every min or so. I was 25 min EARLY for my next appt!
Is important to be active vocal participant in my visits, and the research I've done upon discoveries at each appt has facilitated my Plan for treatment. Mayo definitely has Gold Standard down to a science; wondrous how every single person involved, from receptionists to lab techs to nurses to residencies to surgeons, ALL are up to date at each of the visits even if back to back in multiple depts. Best wishes to you as you go forward!

@katelynbirmingham
You don't post why you are going to Mayo? Did your primary care doctor refer you? Did a specialist refer you?

Are you going in for a physical? What is the evaluation for? You will meet with the appropriate doctor who will do evaluation and then refer your to specialists if needed and order any tests needed for the evaluation. Some things can be done on same day and some you will need to come back.

Normally for first time coming you don't get a named doctor but once your appointment is confirmed it should show who you are seeing. Have you been told about Mayo portal? If you are going to have Mayo Clinic be your primary care facility once you see a primary doctor or specialist then that specific doctor will continue as your specialist or doctor. Many times though you may need what they call a Acute visit and that will be with a doctor or specialist with first appointment available.

I have been a patient of Mayo Clinic Jacksonville since 2006.

as it gets closer, things start appearing in your portal.