Responsive doctors at Mayo

Hi @margottaylor, I'm not sure I would worry about a low number of patient reviews for a Mayo doctor. Do you think it means that the doctor hasn't seen that many patients? I've been a Rochester Mayo Clinic patient for 40+ years (not so many times when I was younger ☺) and have always been impressed by their patient centered care and working with other doctors in other specialty areas. Hopefully this will remove some of your concerns.

Online physician reviews don’t reflect responses in patient satisfaction surveys
-- https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/online-physician-reviews-dont-reflect-responses-in-patient-satisfaction-surveys/

Mayo Clinic -- Ranked #1 in the Nation
-- https://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic/quality/top-ranked

@margottaylor While patient reviews can help, they are also very biased. Patients can be upset if they are not able to get into Mayo or if they didn't like their doctor's advice and anyone can write a review. You might want to call the neurology department and ask for a recommendation to the doctor who would be best for your condition and you can ask how well patients like that doctor. I saw a neurologist in the spine center, Dr. Bartelson who's area of interest is spine related. I found everyone I saw at Mayo in Rochester to be professional and kind and they were interested in helping me as a patient. Mayo has a reputation for putting the needs of the patient first, and it's in the culture.

John, thanks for your input and the articles. Your and Jennifer’s (@jenniferhunter) perspectives I know logically but somehow my emotional side reacted when reading the review of the physician assigned to my first visit.
As with many on our Mayo Connect blog here I’ve seen many docs, a few of whom have felt cold or unsupportive .... mostly I think because they didn’t have answers, or even treatment suggestions.
I know that nobody can fix my complex condition but I’m hopeful that a Mayo team can be a proactive centralized resource for better insight into it so I can pass that on to my offspring, and inspire me to keep fighting the fight.
I’m a curious and determined person and am willing to try almost anything.
Ok. My appointment isn’t until November so I’m going to give my attitude a jumpstart and, as my sweet uncle would say.... Carry On!

@margottaylor, You have a great attitude. I hope you can update us after your November appointment. I generally get a new primary care doctor every two years as they rotate through the Mayo system. It used to bother me a little but after joining Connect and learning how to be a better advocate for my health it has helped me ask the doctors better questions and to be a little more persistent if I didn't understand the answer or had additional questions. The comfort I get is that each primary care doctor is part of a care team of doctors that work together. At least one is more senior and more experienced which helps if the newer doctor has patient related questions that they can't answer.

When I had my very first appointment, at the Rochester campus, I was assigned a neurologist. I could not have found a more perfect fit! I have been seeing him for almost four years. I personally do not look at reviews of doctors. I want to form my own opinion without it being influenced and formed before I even meet the doctor. I believe that any doctor you see at Mayo will be good. They will have the entire package of knowledge, ability to explain in laymen’s term and an awesome bedside manner. I have seen a neurologist, neurosurgeon and an orthopedic doctor. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for these three individuals and their team members. All I can say is absolutely and without a doubt the Neurology, Neurosurgery and Orthopedic departments ROCK! I believe that you will find the same type of doctor and care at the Jacksonville and Phoenix campuses as well. This may sound silly but every time I walk in the door I can feel “the needs of the patient come first” in the air.

Hello @margottaylor,

After reading your post, I agree with @johnbishop, that your attitude will help you as you seek answers to your complex health condition. As I read your post and saw that you would be seeing a doctor at Mayo I thought you might be interested in a post on Connect about how to approach seeing a new specialist. Here is the link to those suggestions: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/your-tips-on-how-to-get-off-to-the-best-start-with-a-new-specialist/?pg=1#comment-240765. I would be interested in your thoughts about those suggestions.

As John said, I look forward to hearing from you after your November appointment. I hope that you find some of the answers you are looking for!

Thanks for your input. Can I ask what your problem is and how the Mayo Clinic doctors helped you? I have been to Cleveland Clinic, Penn State Hershey, and Johns Hopkins neurologists without any diagnosis or way forward (except for the usual gabapentin, etc. meds that don't really help). I would consider trying Mayo clinic if they had some way of helping. I live in Pennsylvania, so it is pretty far away.

@cwallen9 I was diagnosed with severe ulnar neuropathy in my right hand 9 yrs ago in my home state. Had surgery at that time. Ten months later I had surgery again to remove scar tissue. Each time I would improve and then plateau. No getting better and no getting worse. After another EMG, one of many I have had, it was found I had slight compression in my elbow. Began wearing a hard splint at night to keep it from getting worse. Well six weeks after wearing it, I get rear ended while at a stop sign. This caused numbness and tingling from my shoulder down to my finger tips. So two months later I had a nerve transposition in my elbow. Two years later I began losing the use of my thumb. My orthopedic hand dr was at a lost. He believed there maybe was something systemically wrong with me. He referred me to a top clinic in my home state. Of which they had no clue what was wrong with me. He then referred me to Mayo. After reviewing all my prior EMG results and the one I had at Mayo when I arrived, and the neurological evaluation done by the neurologist, along with a CT scan and MRI, I was finally diagnosed with Chiari Malformation and Syringomyelia. By the end of the week I was speaking with the neurosurgeon and planning for brain surgery. Which was a success. I don’t know how they do it, but the neurologist, that I was assigned, referred me to a specific surgeon and it was a perfect fit. By the time I was first seen at Mayo, my thumb was no longer useful. I was eventually planning to have a EIP Opponensplasty back in my home state. Mayo offered a second opinion. Both drs were in agreement of what needed to be done. I eventually had the surgery at Mayo as my home state dr did not ever perform surgery on someone who did not have normal tendons. The first time tears were shed at Mayo was tears of relief when they diagnosed me. Now when tears are shed there, they are tears of joy and gratefulness. I am truly blessed with all the wonderful care I have and continue to receive at Mayo. I consider my medical team at Mayo members of my family.

Thanks Teresa and others for your encouragement and links to help me prepare for my November visit.
I’ll let you know more when I know more. 🙏🏻

@margottaylor Good evening, You seem to be on the right track and have had two folks with lots of knowledge help with your attitude jumpstart. So..if I may, I would like to share a story. When I was a new teacher, I got in some trouble with the administration because I refused to read the cumulative records on my new students until school had been in session 6 weeks.

The reason.....I did not want to read other teachers anecdotal comments about a student. I didn't want their opinions to get in the way of my making independent observations and evaluations of any student. What a difference that made. When I finally read the previous teacher comments, I was often dumbfounded to find that some of my little "angels" had some condemning remarks in their file.

Called to explain my decision to the principal, I defended my actions and he became a proponent of this "let's wait and see" option. Perhaps we can use that approach with new medical providers. Be safe and protected tonight. Chris