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LAST UPDATED: June 27th, 2023

Mayo Clinic is one of the most respected research hospital networks in the world, with locations in Minnesota, Florida, and Arizona. In addition to providing care for patients and researching the latest treatment options, they also function as a medical school with a vigorous training for the physicians of the future. The Mayo Clinic is 100 percent non-profit and relies on donations and government grants in addition to returns on their investments to run their facilities. Active in their community and online, the Mayo Clinic has an extensive community outreach and education departments, including a comprehensive question/answer resource online which provides helpful information on most diseases.

Top Ranked Companies

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The Good

  • Widespread network
  • Respected medical school and online source
  • Awards and recognition
Named by US News and World Report as a Top-Performing Hospital Mayo Clinic is regularly recognized as a Top-Performing Hospital by US News and World Report. In 2015-2016, they are ranked in the top three hospitals for eleven of their departments.
  • Endocrinology - 1st
  • Gastroenterology and GI Surgery - 1st
  • Geriatrics - 1st
  • Nephrology - 1st
  • Neurology and Neurosurgery - 1st
  • Pulmonary - 1st
  • Urology - 1st
  • Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery - 2nd
  • Ear, Nose and Throat - 2nd
  • Orthopedics - 2nd
  • Cancer - 3rd
Mayo Clinic has consistently held similar rankings for the last twenty years for their care and facilities. Solid Research Facility Mayo Clinic has several research centers and programs which are designed to discover the etiologies of various diseases and find cures or proper correlations to create proper prevention protocols. For a complete listing of the current centers for research, patients should visit Mayo Clinic's research page for more information. Widespread Network The hospital network is available to over 120 million people in their insurance plans nationwide. During 2015, Mayo Clinic treated over 120 million people, coming from all fifty states and 143 countries. Mayo Clinic operates hospitals in Minnesota, Florida, and Arizona, with partner hospitals around the country. Comprehensive Online Information Anyone who has performed a search on a medical condition realizes that Mayo Clinic returns top results regularly. Their online health information is one of the most comprehensive health resources available and has won over 60 awards since 2001. Respected Medical School Mayo Clinic's medical training programs includes 273 residency and fellowship programs. The doctors who graduate in their programs are accustomed to treating complex illnesses and in nearly every available specialty.

Total Income

Mayo Clinic publishes their financial reports online. Reports are available for 2011-2015, with 2013 being absent. Mayo Clinic has shown increased income from donors, grants and investments. Total revenue (in millions)
  • 2011 - $8.3182
  • 2012 - $8.8439
  • 2013 - missing
  • 2014 - $9.671
  • 2015 - $10.315

Donor Communication

Donors are sent a confirmation of their contribution for their income taxes and those who include their email address receive communication from Mayo Clinic about current happenings with the hospital.

Awards

Mayo Clinic recognized as a DiversityInc Top Hospital and Health System each year since 2011. The hospital is measured on its talent pipeline, equitable talent development, CEO/Leadership, and diversity of its suppliers. 2013 - Top Hospital for Hispanics by Hispanic Network Magazine. Mayo Clinic is recognized for their efforts to provide the Spanish-speaking population care in their own language. Several of their physicians have been recognized for their individual achievements. Mayo Clinic is regularly recognized for their contribution to digital healthcare with the comprehensive internet resources on diseases, symptoms, etc. Since 2001, Mayo Clinic has received over 60 awards recognizing their excellence in providing information to the public online.

What Customers (Patients) Are Saying

For as many who are reporting negative experiences with Mayo Clinic, there are many thousands more people who have been treated and had positive outcomes. Mayo Clinic patients are often those who have been diagnosed with serious and complex medical conditions, and the care received at Mayo Clinic involves a team of doctors. This is a frustrating time for patients, and the hospital has been recognized by many for their empathy and the ways that their staff approaches healthcare, as the team approach is one of the more important aspects of care at Mayo Clinic.
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The Bad

  • Transparency with administrative expenses
  • High percentage of income goes to salaries
  • Negative press

Administrative Expenses

In 2015, Mayo Clinic spent $6.371 million on salaries and benefits according to their financial statement. The company does not disclose the salaries of their top administrators online or in their financial statement. Becker's Hospital Review reports that in 2011, the top administrators each earned over $1 million. High Percentage of Salaries to Income When looking at Mayo Clinic's financial reports, it is clear that one of the first and largest expenses is that of salaries and benefits for their employees. It is important to remember that the employees working at Mayo Clinic include doctors, RNs, LPNs, and other certified medical professionals, which are among higher-paying jobs. These professionals receive a salary + benefits package with is often below the medical industry average. Difficulty Finding Financial Information Online Mayo Clinic's website is filled with information, which is almost too much to digest. There is a sizable difficulty in finding information online about the company's financial records. Although it is there, it is not easily found. The Review Team was not able to locate financial information for 2013 online. Mayo Clinic's financial reports do not separate their expenses for others to see what falls under services and supplies. It is difficult to ascertain the exact percentage of income to their program costs.

Fundraising Expenses

Mayo Clinic does not disclose the percentage of their budget which is dedicated to fundraising. They do state that their fundraising cost is 8.5 cents per dollar received from donors.

Program Percentage

Mayo Clinic offers several figures which without further explanation, do not make sense. The Review team was unsuccessful in getting information about the inconsistencies from hospital representatives. On the company's financial statement and background publication for 2015, there is an entry for "Services and Supplies" which is not clear as to what these include. For 2015, this figure was reported as $2.621 million. With this figure, Mayo Clinic spends 39% of their revenue on their program costs.

Accessible Financial Information

Mayo Clinic publishes their annual reports and comprehensive financial statements online, but they can be difficult to find. For some reason, there is no information for 2013. 2011-2012 and 2014-2015 are available, but require some effort to find.

Negative Press

Most of the complaints about Mayo Clinic are from disgruntled or frustrated patients. Frustrations of patients are frequently about the billing and collection practices of Mayo Clinic, with several stating that they were refused care until they had paid their bill. Press coverage about Mayo Clinic is generally positive.

What Customers (Patients) Are Saying

When it comes to a person's health or the health of one of their family members, one wants the best possible care. Because Mayo Clinic has developed a strong name for themselves over the last century, many people expect a certain level of care. The hospital's status as a not-for-profit institution seems to have caused some confusion for many who seem to expect that their care will be free of charge. This is simply not the case and many complaints stem from the hospital's collection practices or refusal to see patients who have large outstanding medical bills. While it seems harsh, the reality is that the facility cannot maintain their current care if no one pays for it. Mayo Clinic offers a small relative percentage of charity care, but this should never be assumed to be automatic or available to all patients or their families. Prospective patients should be prepared to pay for their portion of services or seek assistance before receiving medical treatment. There are reports of patients being misdiagnosed or even being treated by non-doctors when they expect to see a physician. These reports, while tragic, are not exclusive to patients of Mayo Clinic; they exist throughout the medical field and in doctor's offices and hospitals every day.
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The Bottom Line

Mayo Clinic is widely considered the gold standard of healthcare, has been accused of bait-and-switch practices by disgruntled patients. This is unfortunate, because Mayo Clinic operates a dynamic and high-quality hospital and research facility for patients. They strive to work within a fiscally-responsible framework, investing excess revenue to strengthen their offerings in the future. Mayo Clinic is a good option for those wanting to give to a charity with goals to serve the underserved and maintain quality medical care for those with complex medical conditions or multiple co-existing conditions. The Review Team recommends that those who are interested in learning more about giving to Mayo Clinic carefully review their site or talk to one of their representatives over the phone for more information.
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2.6

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10 Reviews

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Audrey Mitchell Managua, MN

Mayo Clinic is a great online guide to any questions about your health. They have trustworthy information and the money that is donated goes to great uses of research and helping others.

4 years ago

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GDC Port Orange, FL

Their website states: “At Mayo Clinic, every aspect of your care is coordinated and teams of experts work together to provide exactly the care you need. What might take months elsewhere can often be done in days here.“ Should say, “If you get in, you’ll probably only see one doctor who will examine you and test you the same way you have been examined and tested by the doctors who referred you to Mayo. Then when, as with previous doctors, standard examination and testing don’t reveal the exact cause(s) of your disabling chronic pain and other symptoms, they’ll stop looking! Oh, and be sure you have plenty of money and the best insurance because money precedes “healthcare” at The Mayo Clinic.

4 years ago

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Alicia Holman Gilbert, AZ

They do a lot of great things for a lot of sick people, but it's so difficult for the average person to get in to see a doctor. The wait is usually so long that someone has to go somewhere else. The employees seem to be overworked so they don't have time to want to help someone find the information they need to help find the right doctor.

6 years ago

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Megan Momenee Crawford, CO

They won’t see me- I told her it was life and death. She said “I don’t know what to tell you, see a local doctor”. And this is after I told her I’ve seen 5, including specialists. When you submit and get denied for lack of availability, they don’t let you request again for 6 months. My question was “so people who are very sick request appointments, get denied, and have to suffer for another 6 months?” Her response? “Yeah, basically” I am incredibly unimpressed at how little they care for the health of people reaching out who can’t live their lives because of health problems. No one there cares about anything except the money they get from filling the 12 week schedule. No waitlist, no help, no compassion, no actual healing for those who may actually be dying. Literally: screw this place. I don’t care if they have the best doctors, they are awful to potential patients. The ones scheduled and paying….that’s another story. Healthcare is supposed to be there to fix the ill. They are not.

1 year ago

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Melinda Unknown , IA

I moved to Minnesota (MN) to go to Mayo for a rare form of blood cancer. Where I'd lived, the doctors didn't know how to help me. During the shutdown in March 2020, Mayo abandoned me and all their patients even though the MN governor said that the chronically and severely ill were to still get care (the other health systems in MN didn't do like Mayo). When Mayo reopened, I was told they wouldn't give me the care they'd promised and I would die as a result. Mayo has a reputation among the locals (laymen, doctors outside of Mayo, and gov't officials alike) as only caring about profit. Because they shutdown totally and "had to" take care of poor people with Covid-19, they lost a lot of profit for 2020. My insurance didn't pay well, so they decided to let me die. When I complained, Mayo retaliated by permanently banning me from their clinic. So I complained to the state and was told by the MN Dept. of Health (MDH) that Mayo's actions were "morally wrong," but legal under MN law. They can abandon patients, neglect patients even if they hurt or kill them, and ban patients permanently. I was told by MDH that Mayo was known for turning away patients and neglecting them; especially if they had gov't insurance like Medicare. When I talked to the Office of the Commissioner of the MN Dept. of Human Services, they told me Mayo is known for arbitrarily banning patients. No one I've met in the last 11 months in MN likes Mayo and I don't blame them. I moved over 2,000 miles and spent money I didn't have for nothing. Stay away from Mayo unless you want to waste your time and money and risk death from neglect. They're horrible. Their ethics really are in the toilet (as doctors outside the Mayo health system have told me).

3 years ago

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Steve Spooner, WI

This complaint is about the Mayo Clinic in Rice Lake, WI I have a cyst on my back that has gotten infected. I made an appointment in early August to have it removed by Dr T B. Within 30 minutes of the appointment, while I was driving to Rice Lake from Spooner, a nurse called to say that the Dr could not make the appointment. I was mad but I rescheduled for 8/22, the next time the Dr was in Rice Lake. I drove again to Rice Lake and within 40 minutes of the appointment a nurse called again to say the Dr was unavailable. I asked to speak with an administrator. I was handed off to a nurse named Brianna who was not an administrator. Immediately she tried to talk over me and tell me that sometimes Dr's are called to emergencies. The conversation started to get heated as I realized nothing was going to me done about my issue. She exhibited a bad attitude throughout. I am still looking for someone who can actually make an informed decision about what to do for wasting so much of my time.

5 years ago

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Sara Lageman Lageman

My son goes to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota. That place is great. I have not ran into a nurse or doctor that didn't have a smile on their face and is willing to listen to you and help you out the best they can!

4 years ago

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Rachael Dial Oswego, IL

Mayo Clinic will deny you without telling you, refuse to give a reason, and then lie about it. They had the wrong department review our case on multiple occasions and then tried to claim they had communicated with us. They were caught being dishonest several times, including when they would get back to us, previous communication, and records from primary cares. They also admitted they were too lazy to read through our doctor's records and just denied us instead. Of course that was after first trying to deny they had received said records in the first place. They are greedy liars.

1 year ago

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Sav Flo Salt Lake City, UT

My sister was admitted to Mayo Clinic and unfortunately the doctor that saw her didn't have the best bedside manner. The doctor also said that they couldn't do anything that would be of great help to her and that she was crazy, even though it was very visible something was physically wrong with her.

7 years ago

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Makayla Manus Gulfport, MS

The Mayon Clinic is such a great place to give to. I donate and it's not that much to give. It helps them discover so many new things. The employees are wonderful.

4 years ago