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Almost a half-year wait for an appointment.

Digestive Health | Last Active: Feb 25, 2019 | Replies (8)
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@jackiem95

I understand that Mayo has many Medicare patients. However, your CEO has openly stated Mayo's policy of prioritizing private patients over Medicare and Medicaid patients. As you know, for highly sought after specialties such as gastroenterology, there is a shortage of available appointments so obviously that puts us at the bottom of the list. As for adequate care in local areas, I think that is open to debate in many cases. If "adequate care" is available, why would we be trying so desperately to get appointments at Mayo? I have expressed my opinions about this before on the forum so enough said.

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Replies to "I understand that Mayo has many Medicare patients. However, your CEO has openly stated Mayo's policy..."
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Feb 25, 2019

Hi @jackiem95, you are correct that some practice areas or specialties are at capacity, resulting in few available appointments. However, I would like to correct the mis-perception of prioritization of payor types. Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization, committed to publicly funded patients — who make up half the health system’s business.

The 2017 news reports about statements from the then CEO were certainly confusing and upsetting. http://www.startribune.com/mayo-to-pick-privately-insured-patients-amid-medicaid-pressures/416185134/ However, Mayo Clinic stressed the need to increase privately insured patients, but not at the expense of government-insured patients. Appointments are based on availability and patients' needs.

I hear you. No matter which way you slice it, being refused an appointment is a tough pill to swallow.

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