A sputum culture is required to diagnose MAC and the culture needs approximately 6 weeks to grow. I was diagnosed with MAC 2 1/2 years ago and a chest scan in Dec 2022 showed it is twice as bad as it was in 2021. I went from 125 lbs to 97 lbs in six months. I called Mayo five months ago but was told they were booked for 3 months - call back after 3 months. I finally contacted them via online and told I would receive a call from scheduling within 3 days. Great news - they called back on the 3rd day and asked me 3 questions - name, date of birth, and insurance provider. I was simply told ‘we don’t accept Aetna Medicare’ (self pay not an option).