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Denied Internal Medicine Appt
I was so relieved when I spoke to the initial admissions secretary on the phone. She said I would apply to internal medicine & they would coordinate all of my out of state visits over the many specialties that were necessary. Yesterday, I was told that I was being denied an appointment.
This was the end of the road for me. I have multiple specialists at home, but nobody looks at the full picture for a cohesive treatment plan. I keep getting sicker over 8 years. My rheumatologist stated that, in order to get multidisciplinary care, I'd have to travel to Mayo Clinic. My neurologist says my case is too complex to be treated by community physicians.
I'm truly devastated. Can anyone recommend where they've gone to next after being rejected by Mayo?
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@jatantum
I understand how that goes. I’ve been turned down several times. It’s not personal, they are overwhelmed most of the time.
The Cleveland Clinic is another choice. I know there are others, but I just can’t remember right now.
I wish you the best.
@SusanEllen66 has a point. General internal medicine is a very busy department. They receive more requests than appointments available.
@jatantum, it sounds like you self-referred to Mayo Clinic to request an appointment. Since your rheumatologist and neurologist suggested Mayo Clinic for you, I recommend asking one of them to make a physician referral on your behalf.
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5 ReactionsThis.
When you get a physician referral they generally include necessary medical info. If you have medical history through something like MyChart they should have access to that also which may include x-rays, MRIs. etc.
My referral took abou a month to make it through and they already had a treatment plan when I arrived.
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4 ReactionsMy elderly mom went to Mayo for a pancreas issue which finally resolved after three years.
A couple of years later I tried to make an appointment with a Mayo Jacksonville cardiologist and was told they were very back logged in cardiology and not scheduling in that department. They did recommend a cardiologist in Orlando. You didn’t mention which Mayo campus you called. Perhaps a different location or ask for a referral?
Things in Rochester have changed since COVID and not for the better. Yes ideally you would be assigned to an IM provider who would then look at everything and refer you out to any specialists you needed to see.. basically coordinate the care and then bring you back to go over everything once you had seen everyone. They do not do continued care like your home provider, only those initial assessments. You should have been provided a reason for the denial. Sometimes it can be insurance related or maybe paperwork wasn't what they needed.
Have you gone out online and signed up for a Mayo clinic account and obtained a mayo clinic ID number? If not, do that.
You can also ask your primary care at home to make specific referrals to the specialty you need to see. So lets say you know you have a cardiac concern or problem , have your provider send a referral to ancillary services for you to see cardiology. Once you see cardiology, you may be able to get an inhouse referral to general internal med from them, or at least referrals for other department based on what they feel you need. Dont give up, there are ways to work around the broken system.
There are also scheduling things that can play in. the calendars open up bits at a time and so when they say there are no appts , in a week there could be etc.. Biggest hurdle is getting your foot in the door. Once you do that , it gets easier. But there are a few tricks to getting your foot in the door , especially if they keep slamming the door on you! lol
Having said that, there are also other places to be seen. Depending on where you live and what is wrong Mayo may not be your best choice. Im a retired nurse and have done a ton of patient advocacy and we ourselves use Rochester because we are 4 hours away, but unless its your closest option or what you have going on falls under one of their specialty areas they excel at, you may have better options closer to home.
Every system has their own protocols for being seen.
I feel like the referral should come from their primary care preferably internal medicine.
I've noticed a pattern where Referrals to GIM from Rheumatologists tend to get denied more often. That can happen with other specialties as well.
I think with staffing what it is , that if they see you are already established with a specialty at home they are less likely to pick you up in GIM , and feel you should just refer to that specialty at Mayo perhaps.
Just my take on it from what Ive seen. A lot has changed since COVID and the availability and flexibility just isnt there.
My husband has been a Jacksonville FL Mayo Clinic patient for years and even with his cardiologists and urologist he has never been able to get an appointment with an in-site Internal Medicine/PCP because they told my husband they are no longer taking “new” Medicare patients even if he has been seen by other specialists in house. I understand if they do that to patients who are not members of the clinic but for members who frequently go and see specialists there is not right. Medicare doesn’t pay physicians too well. Anyway my husband had to get an outside PCP/Internal Medicine. Unfair for patients who already are members of Mayo Clinic.