@dribbles

This is where I was in 2023 before I tried Tulsa Pro, nurse practitioner of one of the Mayo Rad Onc docs just kept saying on don't worry every time I asked to schedule me with proton. Then it became clear there were no appointments on their Hitachi Proton system available, but she was going to put me in a cyberknife kind of treatment. It was a big step down I felt, I had specifically seen him to do proton and they were just farming me off to lesser stuff.

I learned you have to look at Mayo a differing way, and it isn't critical of academics or the way medicine is done, Mayo is kind of unique in the world. So first priority are going to be high cash paying overseas fly-ins, from oil rich nations, or elsewhere, they pay super high cash. Second but close to first, are a study they got tons of money to run, and you fit exactly the middle of the study. Not on the edge of a study, you are like made for the study. Mayo gets lots from those grants, but they still bill your insurance, so like double pay for them. After that are basic Americans with BCBS or good Medicare plans, and who don't fit exactly the middle of a study we just need something soon, they don't have to do tons paperwork insurance preferred - but for them is single pay, one insurance payment basically.

It is just a reality. Even though I requested, wanted, really made it clear 100 times in 2023 that I wanted proton, they could not schedule me.

Not long ago they bought the Varian Probeam (very good proton system) since I was there anyway. So maybe it helps, but that priority list I have still may apply. Just be aware.