Mayo Clinic Mn How Long And How Much?

[2manyfurkids]

Hi,

I have an appt in Neurology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester,Mn at the end of April. They say the average stay is 5-7 days and it is very expensive. Obviously, you have to pay for a hotel but what about medical expenses. My insurance covers 85%. But, 15% of thousands of dollars or more can add up very quickly! We don't want to be paying them off for years and years. As much as I want a definitive diagnosis, I'm concerned about the expense. What sort of tests do they do? Can anyone give me an idea of cost? Are they more expensive than regular neurologists and hospitals? Thanks, Karen.

[kayjay]

Hi - I was there for 5 days in August. I just now paid the rest of my bill. They are not more expensive than other hospitals (actually things were less because I was not an inpatient) also they eliminated tests that I did not need ( for example I didn't need the tilt table test because my heart went up during another test).

I don't think you will know how much it will cost until you are done. I will say that for me it was money really well spent. I came home with copies of everything and I am not planning on going back. I feel like my local dr can help me now.

I had to pay for co pays and my insurance would not pay for blood pressure monitoring... They said it was not required. I tried fighting this though the insurance commission but ended up having to pay for the test myself.

Good luck to you. I am glad you are able to go I think you will find that it is money well spent.

[potsgirl]

Congrats on making the choice to go to Mayo. I don't think you'll regret it. They have a great system, and you'll have all of your appointments in the span of a week or so, instead of stretching them out for months with different doctors in different systems. All the doctors work together at Mayo for you.

I was there last March and I had to pay up front for scheduled tests because we weren't sure my insurance would pay anything at all. We paid about $9,500 up front (pick yourself off the floor, now) but in the end my insurance covered all but around $800 of it (They do their estimates high, just in case - you won't have to do this since you have insurance that will pay). If you ever want to know the cost of a particular test, just go to the billing area and they can look it up. I passed on an echocardiogram because I knew I could have it done cheaper back home (I also have heart issues.)

Your hotel can get expensive, but there are tons of hotels to choose from, because basically Rochester is the 'town that Mayo built'. You will see many, many patients around the city. We stayed at the Kahler and then moved to..I forget at the moment, if you want to know, PM me..which are connected to the main Mayo building where most if not all your appointments will be held. They have an underground system so you just walk from your hotel right to your appointment desk. Extremely convenient, and the places we stayed were suites so that we could buy our own food at a nearby grocery, and I could nap without making David's (boyfriend) life ****. We thought it was worth it.

There are plenty of other hotels in the city and on the outskirts that are cheaper, but then you need to drive in every day, or some of them will have a shuttle. Usually these rooms are not suites, however. One more thing - Rochester will probably still be pretty chilly at the end of April, so bring warm, comfy clothes. I pretty much lived in my sweat pants and cozy shirts/sweaters. Offices can be chilly, so bring a sweater, too.

Hope this helps at least a little. Sorry so long-winded!

Good luck, and let us know how you do.

Jana

[shadesofgrey49]

I highly recommend Brentwood on Fifth hotel. Had a fridge and microwave and kitchen sink with eating area...I don't know about you, but eating frequently is very important for me. This place was cheaper than the fancy ones, but comfortable and functional for people like us.

[momdi]

Totally agree with potsgirl. If you can swing it, stay in one of the connected hotels. Save your energy for your medical stuff, not for schlepping back and forth. WE were told that time estimate as well, but ended up having only 2 days of tests. So we stayed a total of 3 nights. I think we stayed at a Residence Inn, so we had a suite. Michael brought his cat. The 2 bedrooms were "priceless".

Unless things have changed a lot from 2006, my advice is to get every question answered before you leave. Their information was absolutely invaluable to us in giving new understanding to Michael's form of POTS (high norepinephrine) but once you're out the door, you're done. It's a place for a megadiagnostic work up, not for continuity of care, in our experience.

Michael was seen by Dr. Low, the head guru there. Dr. Goodman, who used to be Michael's doc at Mayo Scottsdale has moved back to Rochester. They're both good in their own way.

Good luck. Hope you find something helpful there. You can pm me if you have any specific questions.

[potsgirl]

Hi Momdi~

Yes - it was the Residence Inn we moved to after being disappointed with the Kahler Inn. To be fair, the Kahler was hosting a ton of kids that were there for March basketball state finals, and it was just too much noise and running around for us. We loved the Residence Inn, though. We were scheduled to be there for 3-4 days, but ended up staying 9 nights, including the weekend.

You're so right about getting all of your questions asked - I kept a list I started a couple weeks before we went last year - but I saw Dr. Goodman (the first time in Scottsdale, right before he moved back to Rochester - are you in AZ?), and whenever I've felt the need to call him, he always returns my call that same day. He was quite good. I've heard good things about Dr. Low, too.

Karen, please let us know what you decide and how your trip went. Be well!

[2manyfurkids]

Thank you for all your responses. Looks like I'm gonna go. Can't put a price on your health, right? Will let you know how it turns out. Thanks again, Karen.

[Kitsakatsa]

Just a warning. Mayo balance bills with full liability. This is what snagged me when I went to Rochester.

That means that while most hospitals accept the insurance max amount and then issue your percentage of what you pay from the maximum allowable charge, Mayo issues your percentage from what they bill to the insurance company.

For example. Hospital A bill comes to $5,000. They bill the insurance company and the ins company says that the maximum allowable charge for services is $4,000. The hospital accepts 80% of $4,000 from the ins company and then issues 20% of $4,000 as a bill to the patient. The copay is thus $800

What Mayo would do in this situation is accept 80% of $4,000 from the insurance company- then bill you for the 20% PLUS the $1,000. I asked them if they make any exceptions and they said that they never make exceptions.

So- call your insurance company and know exactly what your preauthorization is for. Find out what you ins company generally pays of the submitted claims and then you will know what to plan on.

Also, might be helpful but maybe not. We had a hard time getting from Minn to Rochester because of lightening closing the flights. Apparently happens alot. The affordable hotels were full and there were absolutely no rental cars. We were panicking. Luckily my brother the ace traveller was with us. If this happens to you, go out to the shuttles and have them radio in to their lobbies to get a hotel reservation. You will skip ahead of everyone on hold for rooms. If you get stuck without a rental car (have to drive into Roch instead of flying), call the U-haul locations. They have rental cars that go with the U-hauls and no one ever remembers that. They will rent those cars out. Just thought this might be helpful just in case. You don't want to miss your appt!!!

[masumeh]

I was very nervous about going to see a specialist in Iowa last summer. I just wasn't sure it would be worth it, if I paid thousands of dollars just to know a little bit more about my disorder. I almost canceled the trip because I was downhearted about it, thinking I'd spend more money and get nowhere--AGAIN. But I went anyway, just because I felt like I needed to do and try SOMETHING.

It was SOOOOO worth it! I paid in total (hotel, food, transportation, testing, consultation) around $3,000 out of pocket and I don't have medical insurance coverage of any type. But it was worth it, and I got "reimbursed" with my health back and a renewed ability to work and earn an income for myself and family. Not everybody who goes the distance for better medical care ends up recovering from their disease, but I did, and I think the mere chance of it is worth the effort. We had several years of various efforts, various doctors, and seeking out the best person to advise on my particular case. It was all worth it. I have my life back now. I couldn't have "figured it all out myself".

Even if I didn't get the great health results that I was fortunate enough to end up with, I think it would have been worthwhile because I'd always have wondered otherwise: If I had tried harder, could I have recovered? Just knowing that I've done my part and done my best means a lot, regardless of the outcome in my health.

Good luck!

Oh, I forgot to add that UIHC worked with me about the cost. They had scheduled several tests (costing several thousand dollars) that were unnecessary because I had brought original films with me, and when they understood everything I had (I sent it to them in advance) they were able to cancel those tests and use my films instead. They answered all my questions, but it took a lot of phone calls before I found the right person who had actual numbers rather than roundabout estimates. Mayo should be able to work with you about costs, and tell you up front exactly how much various tests will cost and which tests your doctor has arranged for you. It might take a few phone calls and following-up on your part.

Again, good luck!

[potsgirl]

Masumeh,

I think the bills vary by insurance company, don't they? I know it works the way you describe it if you only have Medicare with no supplemental insurance, but my insurance paid around $6k, and I only ended up paying a little less than one thousand.

You're certainly right about being able to get costs up front, and you can always turn down a test you know you can get back home or that you already have results for, which is nice. And making your reservations in advance is great advice.

Weather can certainly play havoc on flights, but I don't think it's that common. I'm from IA/MN, and have flown quite often back to both states and never had an issue.

***In fact, Karen, another option for you would be to fly into DES MOINES, IA, and rent your car and drive up from there. It's an extremely easy drive of about 3 hours, and you may get a cheaper fare going into Des Moines than Rochester. I'll bet your rental car would be cheaper to, since Rochester up their prices to a 'captive' audience!

Cheers,

Jana