Mitch, thanks for the note.
I am not sure if you are aware of the fact that I served on the faculty at Mayo Clinic for a number of years in the early 1990's. In fact, I was awarded Faculty of the Year Awards in the Department of Ob/Gyn in 1990 and 1992. I have remained in practice in MN, ND, WI, MT and AK and have worked in scenarios in which Mayo Clinic has "developed" a presence (particularly in MN and WI) and I am very aware of the manner in which Mayo has worked in those settings. While I am the first to recognize the fact that for many diseases Mayo Clinic is the best place for patients to go, I am also cognizant of some significant negative impacts Mayo has had on medical facilities outside of Rochester. My experience with patients whom I have referred to other departments at Mayo is that they are automatically enrolled in processes in which they receive invitations to donate to the Mayo Foundation or other programs at Mayo. These experiences are the foundation for my sincere belief that Mayo is not the benevolent organization that it purports to be.
I would have preferred to deal with this via pm, but feel that your post demands this public response. I would be happy to discuss this privately, if you wish.
It is with these thoughts in mind that I encourage pilots to work through AOPA's BasicMed portal.
Randy