February 1, 2024

Dr. Gianrico Farrugia
CEO, Mayo Clinic

Mr. Michael Powell
Chairman of Board, Mayo Clinic CEO, National Internet & Television Assn. (NCTA)

CC. Dr. Brett Freedman, Dr. Mark Morrey, Mayo Clinic.
CC. The Star Tribune, Minneapolis
CC. The Post Bulletin, Rochester, MN
CC. Dr. Elizabeth Rosenthal erosenthal@kff.org
CC. LINK: mymayo.us

Dear Dr. Farrugia & Mr. Powell,

I am writing to you today, a patient in 1960, and then regularly since 1995, to express my deep disappointment and puzzlement over the major change of direction that Mayo Clinic has recently taken. I was told that I could no longer be a patient in your primary care department. I had to find other resources. In my recent visit to the clinic, this was confirmed by many other doctors and staff that I talked to. All indicated their respective disappointments, and explanation that it was clearly a 'top down' decision. This new policy away from PATIENT FIRST and INTEGRATED CARE is obviously a huge step away from Mayo's long deserved and esteemed reputation to take into account and address wonderfully the total health and prevention of serious illness of the total person, including all aspects and functions of our bodies and minds and emotions. (Even the spiritual, with the RC anointing service in Mayo's beautiful St. Mary's Chapel. And even with the use of "alternative medical procedures" when carefully researched and relevant, such as acupuncture.) The Good Lord via evolution has made us homo sapiens both INTERGRATED & COMPLEX! As a long-term international businessman, I was always impressed how via the General Medicine doctors who "quarterbacked' my appointments with such insightful observations and timely referrals and scheduling, they coordinated the many specialties within Mayo. Impressive integrating management. But apparently no more!

Please bear with me as I explain my personal experience to make my point. In 1995, my first Mayo "quarterback," Dr. Charles H. McKenna heard my request for a second opinion of an enlarged prostate diagnosed by my local urologist. He referred me to Dr. Joseph Segura, Mayo's preeminent urologist at the time, who acknowledged the enlarged prostate. But also caught a low-grade papillary malignant tumor of my bladder which he expeditiously removed. PREVENTION of more major cancer growth! INTEGRATED MEDICINE!

In 2009 during my physical, I mentioned to my Mayo later primary care doctor, Dr.Kirk Rudysill that I was again having mild urinary discomfort. He committed to "watching it carefully". When my Mayo "quarterback" position seamlessly moved later that year to Dr. Marcella Scalcini, she took up "the watch" and the related medical information, sensed it was time to quickly refer me to another ace Mayo urologist. No, not just a minor issue, but your Dr. Jeffrey Karnes then in early 2010 within the week amazingly diagnosed a Gleason Nine cancerous prostate, and defly removed the prostate and related lymph glands. (A similar preventive, timely move also by Dr. Karnes in time replaced for my wife, Inez Baskerville, her very cancerous bladder with a neo bladder made out of 18 inches of her intestines. IN TIME, mind you!), No more cancer to this day for either of us!

In 2014, Dr. Scalcini, with no complaints from me, observed possible vessel coronary disease, and shortly thereafter, the diagnosis was confirmed and a triple by-pass was done by Dr. John Stulak at St.Marys.. No more heart problems since then.

Again in 2019, Dr. Scalcini learned that I was in severe pain in my right shoulder. She "quarterbacked" me to Dr. Mark Morrey who beautifully did a total reverse replacement of the shoulder. I can still now throw a football to my great grandsons!

I could add that thanks to physicals by my wife's Mayo general Internal medicine doctor, she was referred for her serious back pain to Dr. Brett Freedman, who did two back-to-back miraculous spine surgeries in 2020 on this 82-year-old woman to fully remove her lower back pain. On several occasions, the"Quarterback" referrals to Mayo's Dermatology specialists meant timely removal of young melanoma as well as precancer lesions. One cannot receive such insightful, expert and timely observations and referrals from local doctors without this superb integrating management system.

The point is, Dr. Farrugia and Mr. Powell, with such experience and longtime national reputation for PUTTING THE INTERGRATED and COMPLEX PATIENT FIRST", it is indeed sad and perplexing why this key Mayo Clinic primary care role should be abandoned. As a longtime international businessman, I have always pushed for kaizen. Absolutely. But I do not believe that with Mayo's push for continual improvement and move into even more advanced innovation, genomics, telemedicine and more "industrialized medicine" and research that it cannot still treat us WHOLE BEINGS in a very expert, timely and preventive way. Nor do I believe that Mayo does not have the resources to continue to recruit highly trained though scarcer general practicioners and to absorb some short term lower revenues from an ongoing primary care practice. Not only will it save lives, but in the long term, will it not be far more financially responsible both for the patient and the nation?

Please reconsider this move away from your core values. Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,



David D. (Dave) Baskerville

davebaskerville1913@gmail.com
mymayo.us
PO Box 1298
Madison, WI 53701 USA