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Thread: Insurance Woes

  1. #11
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    Oh man MOM!!! We just were having a friendly chat!! LOL! If the pot's not boiling, then nothing's on the stove for dinner...HUH!? Anyway, we are friends...stereotypes aside...hehe, ya gotta love a good reactionary commentary...some people let it slide, some go after it, some don't get it, and, sadly, most just stay within their own little worlds where it's safe...
    Knowing how to think empowers you far beyond those who only know what to think. -NdT


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    So back to the Medicare and Mayo question, how is it that everyone praises Mayo's cost-controls and holds them up as an example?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Sangye View Post
    So back to the Medicare and Mayo question, how is it that everyone praises Mayo's cost-controls and holds them up as an example?
    Part of their cost controls are related to the 'high cost' of the kind of work they do...expensive stuff. I could see that I guess. They are incredibly well organized throughout most aspects of their medical efforts including insurance and financial help. Mmmm, other than that...not sure...I do know they are incredibly thorough with all that we've had to deal with them. Medicare, then, would come under those efforts. I don't see where their handling of Medicare the way they do is 'across the board' thus making them exclusive to some. Since they have higher costs than say Banner, a popular and larger system here in AZ, and Medicare picks up percentages of what it sees as definitive, there's always a bit left under the financial carpet to clean up. And, as said earlier by drz, they do run 'assistance' programs which seem pretty non-discriminatory in that they have paid for all kinds of medical needs, large and small.
    Knowing how to think empowers you far beyond those who only know what to think. -NdT


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    Quote Originally Posted by Sangye View Post
    So back to the Medicare and Mayo question, how is it that everyone praises Mayo's cost-controls and holds them up as an example?
    The main thing is all doctors are salaried, not having any incentive to inflate their earning by unnecessary tests or procedures to run up your costs to increase their income. Sort of like the difference between dealing with a salesman on pure commission or one on a pure salary if you could find one. The other is their supposed coordination of services between departments to reduce any duplication or unneeded overlap of services which keeps costs down.

    Their history and initial philosophy by the founding Mayo's was also to give every patient the best possible care regardless of costs. And they did so in their early days. I think they have had to compromise on that some but they still do many great innovative and life saving things for many people on a charity basis since many rich donors have and do donate many millions each year to Mayo. Its history, art collections, and museums also make it well worth a visit even without needing their health care services.

    But they still do have their mishandled cases that you hear about at times and I have sometimes got much better service or care at some of our other fine medical facilities, (like my BAHA surgery) but then no facility is perfect all the time. Your experience depends upon the staff you get and how well they treat you.
    Last edited by drz; 12-13-2012 at 03:31 PM.

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    And, just FYI, Mayo, at their Scottsdale hospital, is now building an advanced nuclear cancer treatment center. It is being built around a machine designed to pinpoint the very cancers and destroy them...I know part of it is laser too. The really neat thing is it's for children with cancer. It will be a 'full service' treatment center. So, yes, they do charge a lot, but they are innovative, specialized (which most of us should appreciate), and give back to the community with their programs, research, and advanced treatments in given areas. I sometimes feel I have to defend them as my original hospital had only an inkling of what WG is, but Mayo pinpointed it within 24 hours, and their staff is now keeping me upright and healthy. Just a perspective...drz and Sangye have not had good experiences with them...I believe they are in the minority.
    Knowing how to think empowers you far beyond those who only know what to think. -NdT


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    [QUOTE=Dirty Don;..drz and Sangye have not had good experiences with them...I believe they are in the minority.[/QUOTE]

    I have had some very good experiences at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. I had a surgery for my Dupytrens Contractures at Mayo once I got in to see the right person. The initial appointment was botched as they gave me a surgeon who didn't believe in the "needle" surgery for Dupytrens. It was a new innovative procedure which few surgeons endorsed or knew how to perform.

    I also had my first ear surgery at Mayo four decades ago and got excellent service when I had problems with it. Back then no other facility around was experienced in doing that kind of ear surgery but Mayo was innovative and pioneering just like they were in my hand surgery.

    I have had excellent service from Dr. Specks for my GPA. Only one time the lab lost my record and kept me waiting an extra half hour but that is no biggey in grand scheme of things. I also believe my survival during my initial treatment for Wegener's and my still being alive today was also closely related to the consultation Dr. Specks from Mayo provided my treating physician

    The negative experience I had at Mayo was the surgeon I saw last fall to inquire about getting a BAHA. He didn't seem to want to do it for me at Medicare rates so he was very discouraging me and they put me off for months even to try complete the evaluation for the surgery so I went elsewhere and got it done in less than three weeks by a surgeon who has also done hundreds of them so on that case I got much better service elsewhere. Some other people I know here have also had an occasional negative experiences at Mayo but then no facility is perfect all the time. There are more cases of where they saved some one's life or treated some one with a very difficult or poor prognosis and the results seemed to be a medical miracle. I personally know two people who are still alive today after their incurable terminal cancers were treat at Mayo.

    They are the largest non-profit medical facility in the world for a reason and that is because of their reputation for excellence which they have earned and maintained through their excellent work.
    Last edited by drz; 12-13-2012 at 04:03 PM.

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