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Mayo Initial Consult for Canadians?
I’m in Canada, deeply worried about my mom. She would prefer the comfort of home and family, but I am checking into her best medical options overall. So, at this point I was wondering about phone or virtual consultations. For example, can Mayo go over medical scenario, to give direction, as to whether they believe they might be able help, more than local healthcare. We don’t have a lot of money, but would consider finding the means to travel to a Mayo clinic, if it could be life saving. If a satellite consult is available, how do you go about getting one? What is the cost generally? Does anyone know what tests should be done ahead of time to get the best advice etc. If this is not the correct forum, where might I find the answers to these types of questions? Thanks for your help and input.
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Welcome @prairigrl3, You're asking good questions. Allow me to bring @grandpabob into this discussion. He, too, is from Canada and was treated at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. I believe in his case his provincial insurance covered the cost of his visit and subsequent treatment of CAR-T therapy for lymphoma because, at the time, it was not available in Canada. It is now available closer to home in major cancer centers in Canada.
Mayo Clinic may offer the services you are looking for, like a virtual consultation with your mom's oncology team or a second opinion. The best way to find out is to contact Mayo Clinic. You can get started by filling out the online form found here: http://mayocl.in/1mtmR63
Fill out as much as you can. This will initiate a phone call with the right coordinator for patients from Canada. During that phone call with the coordinator you can ask all the questions you're asking here.
Mayo Clinic also has an online Cost Estimator https://www.mayoclinic.org/patient-visitor-guide/billing-insurance/price-estimates
May I ask what type of cancer your mom has been diagnosed with?
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3 ReactionsHello @prairigrl3 - as Colleen mentioned I am from Canada (Manitoba) Car T was not yet available in Canada at the time is why I was referred to Mayo Clinic. I was 62 in 2018 when I had the treatment. My understanding is that patients now for the most part get referred to a Canadian centre that offers Car T. As I was referred to Mayo, the bulk of the treatment costs were covered by the provincial plan. When all was said and done, we were out of pocket for about 8K in U.S. funds. This was mainly for some travel costs and 100% of the accommodations and a few medications. Feel free to reach out if I can be of more help.
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3 ReactionsI'm in Alberta, Canada, and I've just started down the path with setting up an initial appointment with the Mayo in Scottsdale regarding my mother's metastatic breast cancer. Of course, we're concerned about costs, so I'm also very interested in the experiences of other Canadians.
@prairigrl3 I was able to get initial help through the Mayo Clinic Information Service that they operate here in Canada. (You can find the number if you search for "mayo clinic international patients.") They'll point you in the right direction, and they gave me advice about what records to collect etc. They do *not* give any medical advice at all, but I found them especially helpful right at the beginning. You may have found most of this online already, of course.
Regarding the initial process, here's what I've been told: The Mayo will assess the information you provide, and then provide a response saying whether or not they think they can offer something. There is no charge for this initial assessment. If the Mayo feels they can provide treatment, it's at that time you will start talking dollars.
But, although the above is definitely what I understand to be true today, I sure it's advisable to confirm it.
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