First appointment in Gastroenterology: When do you get you itinerary?

I have my first appointment scheduled as well. I believe you get your itinerary a week before your visit.

Hello @elsa308 and welcome @kasey78 since it was the bad old days for us, I’m sure things are changing all the time. We had our first appointment and we checked in two hours early at the main desk. We were given our itinerary when we checked in.
I am really glad we went early because it was certainly a warm and at the same time overwhelming and very positive feeling when we entered the Gonda building in Rochester.
We sat down and looked at our itinerary and quietly teared up with that feeling that we were finally in good hands with my husbands cancer.
I pray you have the same feeling and get the same care we returned to there for several years for care and follow up. It always felt amazing when we walked through the doors.

@elsa308 and@kasey78

Scheduling additional appointments and tests will depend on the individual, provider, and medical information you have already shared with Mayo. Sometimes you will be scheduled for tests before you see the provider, other times you meet with the provider first, who determines what tests need to be done.

The nurse call prior to your first appointment is probably to review medications and allergies, so the information is up to date before the appointment. set

The patient portal is the best way to view your scheduled appointments. Sometimes, when you check in for your first appointment, the desk attendant will review any scheduled tests.

Also, you might want to check out this discussion about preparing for an appointment with a specialist.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-do-you-prepare-for-an-appointment-at-mayo-clinic/

I would call back and ask what to expect. Mayo is very good about scheduling appointments for all in one day. You may not get the exact itinerary ahead, but you'll wanna know if its a full day or over two days. I would also ask if you should plan to stay over night.
My first appointment was a full day seeing 3 different doctors in different departments. Then I returned 4 days later (the next week) for scans and two more doctors. I live and 2 hours away so I was okay with two full days a week apart. I know patients who travel much further or fly in who prefer two days in a row. Mayo may be still putting your itinerary together. But you may want to tell them your travel plans as well.

@auntieoakley
Thank you, I am coming from Peoria Illinois. I have evaluation with hematology in June. SO far when appointment was made scheduler didn't have much information said evaluation is about 2hrs but could change. I am nervous but I am so hopeful that i will finally get answers/ diagnosis. I definitely feel like I am in the right hands.
Thank you again

Get all your history and lab data in order. If tests are on EPIC records they will have access to the results
I arrived a day early and walked around campus to get familiar with locations and timing. Nice food stops en route using sub and skyway. Enough attractions to keep a companion occupied for 2 days.
I had to avoid alcohol and caffeine for 3 days.

I have been told by several knowledgeable people "Mayo has it's own way of doing things", and boy, were they correct! I had a wonderful NET team at UIHC in Iowa City, IA. I followed up with the team every 6 months and did not find the travel time (about 5 hours) particularly onerous for approximately 2+ years. Eventually, it became apparent that the drive time was becoming harder to take, and it was suggested by one of the doctors on my team that perhaps I should consider moving my care to "closer to home". After deciding to transfer my care to Mayo I quickly learned that the Mayo certainly DOES have " ... it's own way of doing things".

Scheduling has always been challenging. I receive an itinerary via Mayo's Patient Portal. Being a "list" person, I immediately put the appointment schedule (date and times) in my calendar and if needed, make a hotel reservation (Hope Lodge in Rochester not available for a one-night stay). Then maybe a couple of months later the Patient Portal informs me I have a new message and learn the dates and times for my appointments have changed.

After a couple of appt changes I finally called Mayo to ask what in the heck was going on? I was told the first 'itinerary' was basically a place holder and that it was normal to have dates/times (mostly the times) modified up until much closer to the exact date. I found this very frustrating from a 'list' person's perspective, from having to change hotel dates, etc. I have learned to now to just put the date in my calendar and wait to make any hotel reservation until MUCH CLOSER to the date (this also narrows hotel choice due to lack of availability). I was getting sick and tired of having to change all the appt times every time it was revised - most times the date didn't change, but it has.

So, my bottom line to you: Check your Patient Portal often because things change and that's one of the ways Mayo does things differently. No need to be nervous - it will all work out, 🙂 I hope things go well (good?) for you, 🙂

I stay at Homewood Suites when I visit Mayo Rochester and they always tell me to book an additional night beyond what I am scheduled for at the Clinic because it is easier to cancel a day once I check in than it is to add a day once I am there if appts get added for an additional day beyond what was on my original itinerary. Don’t forget to make your hotel reservation directly with the hotel on the phone and ask for the Mayo discount. My experience is the general reservation number has no idea what the Mayo discount is.

Has anyone seen Dr. Adil E. Bharucha? I was just assigned to him and anxious because I’m seeing bad reviews on him.

@elso308: First of all, kudos to you for making it in to Mayo Clinic Gastroenterology! This is also one of the specialities I treat with at Mayo Phoenix and I must say I've been very pleased. I was also assigned to a specialist there when first referred from oncology and have been quite pleased although I must say most of my interactions since my initial intake in January of this year and one follow up later that month was with the doctor; the remaining communication has been with his team mostly via the portal and one sigmoidoscopy but I have remained confident in the care I've received under his guidance. I know his team have kept him advised and current in my response to treatment and will all my questions that he provides answers to via his competent team.

As far as reviews, I've learned that it's hard to place a great deal of emphasis on them, especially those that are only reflected in stars with little to no supporting objective data. Sometimes these are based on dissatisfaction with billing, office staff miscommunication/failure to resolve their issues (occasionally from prior locations) or dissatisfaction with what the individual would have "liked" to have heard vs. what the medical history dictated needs to be done. I've also read that it takes about 40 positive reviews to make up for one negative review, and that people are often more inclined to write a review when they're disgruntled than when they're pleased with how their interactions and/or treatments are progressing.

My suggestion: when you go for your appointment go as prepared as possible with having provided your most current medical history and have questions written down - which the doctor may even address while speaking to you during the intake so I've personally found it's best to let them lead the evaluation before I pipe up with my concerns as they frequently hit upon them. If not, ask at the conclusion and be prepared to write the responses and sign up for the Mayo portal so you'll have complete access to the full visit notes, all your completed and upcoming labs and care plan. You'll also have the opportunity to submit any follow up concerns to the care team. This guide ought to assist: https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/how-to-make-the-most-of-your-appointment.

Best of luck! When is your appointment?