@lewin No, I don't live in Minnesota. I traveled to Mayo. It is a 5 hour drive from my home. It was well worth it. I did travel back for a 6 week follow up and a one year follow up after the spine surgery. Some of that could have been done remotely by getting X-rays and sending them to Mayo. I did that at the 3 month follow up and mailed in X-rays. I also had ankle surgery at Mayo for a fracture, and I did go back when it was time to remove the cast. I also had the hardware removed from my ankle a year later, and I had the stitches taken out by my local doctor, so didn't return to Mayo for only that.

Mayo does take a lot of insurance, and you can check if yours is accepted at
https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance/insurance