Advice for financing visits to Mayo Clinic in Rochester

Posted by pearsontaylor33 @pearsontaylor33, Sep 18, 2020

My husband has been dealing with an illness for a little over two years now with no diagnosis. His primary care is gathering a team of doctors to come up with our next steps. He has had countless blood tests and scans but still no solid answer as to what is causing him to be so sick. His doctor mentioned that the Mayo Clinic could possibly be our next step if their team cannot come up with any answers. We live in Georgia and are in our late 20s. My husband has not been working so we are a one income household. We are worried about what to do if we do indeed have to visit the Mayo Clinic. Do we pay for costly flights and hotels back and forth? Do we get my husband temporary housing (like Airbnb) if he is being seen in Rochester? We have also considered moving to Minnesota because we do not know how long it will take to get a diagnosis or how long the treatment may be once we get said diagnosis.
Any ideas on how we should go about this would be helpful! We are trying to plan ahead but are stuck on ideas about how to afford this. Thanks in advance to advice, ideas, or input you may have!

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Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Sep 18, 2020

@pearsontaylor33, do you live in Georgia the state or Georgia the country? If you live in Georgia, USA, you could go to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville Florida. This would reduce the travel cost.
The Mayo Clinic Concierge Services can help find budget accommodation options etc. The concierge service is free. You can contact Concierge Services by email, phone, chat or in person during business hours:
* Phone: 507-538-8438
* Live Chat: https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide
* Email: concierge@mayo.edu

I know that there is Charitable Lodging available in Rochester, MN. There may be something similar in Jacksonville as well.
— https://www.experiencerochestermn.com/mayo-clinic/hotels/charitable-lodging/

You may also wish to look into Charitable Care and Financial Assistance at Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance/financial-assistance
Might the Florida campus be an option for you?

ZeeGee | @fourof5zs | Sep 20, 2020

@pearsontaylor33

I live in the SW part of Georgia USA. It is a good drive for us.. 5-6 hours to Jacksonville Florida.

Colleen has given great information. You will have to call and ask about the temporary housing. I know they have it for some patients, but do not know the requirements. The Mayo Clinic, no matter what facility, will try and get your tests and doctor visits done in a very timely manner. How many days depends on how may tests are needed. Right now with Covid-19 still being very prevalent in places it might be difficult to get an appointment, but try .. try hard to get an appointment. It is very important when you call to have information on hand to answer the questions you will be asked. What are symptoms, when they started, test that have been done.

ZeeGee