Hi @johnpais1, Mayo runs things in an extremely efficient and streamlined manner, and it's very different from how other medical centers are run.

At home, I was used to seeing a doctor, having them order a test that would take weeks to complete, and then having a follow-up with my doctor many weeks after that. Then if you needed to see a specialist or different doctor, it would take another few weeks or months.

At your first Mayo visit, you will see your primary doctor. They will ask what medical conditions you are trying to address, and they will ask how many days you are there, for instance five days. They'll then schedule tests and other doctor appointments and try to fit as many in as possible during your visit. Mayo has the bandwidth and uses a scheduling methodology that enables them to easily do this.

And if you have any appointments set in the future (i.e., past the week you are there), you can be a "checker." You go to the department of the doctor you are scheduled to see, and tell them that you want to be a "checker." If any other patients cancel or no-show, and an available doctor has the proper skill set for the condition you need to be seen for, they will give you that person's appointment. Checkering has worked extremely well for me in the past... I'd say that I have experienced at least an 80% success rate, even with getting in to see doctors I already had a relationship with.

I actually leave this Sunday for Mayo - Rochester for GI surgery on Tuesday. When I was at Mayo late last August, I met with my GI doctor and we decided that I was now a good candidate for the surgery. We then scheduled testing during the same week to confirm this, and after the testing, I had a follow-up with my GI doctor, and he also had a thoracic surgeon along with a thoracic surgery PA come to the appointment. (How many people can say that they've been in an exam room with two doctors and a PA at the same time?)

We reviewed the test results and decided to do the surgery. We knew that I would have to take some medication for at least six weeks first to repair my esophagus. They pulled-up the surgeon's schedule on the computer right in front me, we figured out his and my availability, and we picked a date. We then planned my pre-op tests and appointments, too. So, everything was planned in just a few minutes.

They make it sooooo much easier and less time consuming that it's much, much less stressful.