Coordinating Cancer Care and treatment between Mayo and local doctors

@jjevitts, great question. I added it to the general Cancer support group as well. Here is a somewhat related discussion on the same topic:
- Where To Get Chemo? At Mayo or my local cancer center? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/where-to-get-chemo/
- Question on Chemo: How often? At Mayo or locally administered?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/question-on-cemo/
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I'm tagging a few members who get cancer care at Mayo Clinic, but do not locally, like @hrhwilliam @auntieoakley @loribmt @naturegirl @pjebp @annejacobsen @mugs24cancer @jackiehill7 @rioa21 @svevere. They can share how they coordinated their treatment, care and follow-up.

As for where your treatment is administered, you may have options available to you. As a Mayo Clinic patient, you can choose to get treatment at Mayo Clinic. Or you may prefer to return to your home state and get treatment at a hospital more local to you. Your Mayo Clinic team will work with your local oncologist.

Do you have a local oncologist? Have you been seen for an initial evaluation at Mayo Clinic?

I am from western Nebraska and was dx with stage 3C rectal cancer in 2007. I chose to have surgery in Rochester at the Mayo. My cancer care team there told me I could get chemo anywhere because it was just medicine. However, for radiation treatment, I needed to be at a cancer treatment center. So, they helped me find a dr near my remote hometown to help with chemo and I chose to go back for 6 weeks of radiation in Rochester. I rented a short-term furnished apartment there for that 6 weeks. Things worked out perfectly. 16 year survivor! Best of luck in your decisions and treatment!

I had Ostomy surgery last week at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. I live in SC. My oncologist and radiologist are located in SC where I live. Now that the surgery is over my local doctors will continue to treat me. My surgeon has been in touch with my local doctors throughout.

Hello @jjevitts my husband had his initial consult at Mayo before he received a single treatment for advanced multiple myeloma. They helped us find a doctor in our state, and we still see him 13 years later. He did the initial induction chemo coordinating with the Mayo team. Then back to Mayo for stem cell transplant, then passed back to our local doctor for follow up. Then back to Mayo for another transplant then back to our local doctor again. My husband continued to follow up with Mayo annually until the trip became a burden for him.
This was so seamless, and so amazing. We were very grateful that we have a local doctor willing to coordinate with Mayo. The first local doctor he saw was not interested in seeing him if he even went for a second opinion, I am so glad we decided he wasn’t the right doctor for him.
I am a bit of a mama bear, and I can’t imagine the last 13 years ever happening without the amazing teams he had treating him.
You are in good hands, don’t be afraid to ask at Mayo, if there are doctors in your area they have worked with. We travel an hour to see our amazing doctor because we live in a tiny rural community.
May I ask, how far you travel to get to Mayo, will you need follow up at Mayo as well as continued treatment locally?

@jjevitts Hello, again. You’ve received good advice and feedback here. While I received my initial consult for surgery (endometrial cancer) at Mayo Clinic and chose to continue my cancer surveillance at Mayo, it is very possible to coordinate care between Mayo and closer to home. I chose not to do that because I live in such a rural area. Had I been closer to a medical center with comprehensive cancer care I would have chosen to get my cancer surveillance care at home.

This is a question to ask your doctors at home and if you do choose to go Mayo then ask your doctors at Mayo.

Good morning@auntieoakley,
Thank you so much for your response. I’m so glad your husband has gotten the excellent care he needs and deserves.
We live in Michigan also in a rural area. I’m still waiting to heat back from Mayo. I know they have an excellent reputation and maybe a bit difficult to get into.
Again, thank you so much for the information, it is greatly appreciated!