User Reviews

Its the ken burns docu voice that makes me attached to this film about the mayo clinic. i remember when youung, there were people from my neighbourhood who had large heart surgeries at the mayo clinic, and everytime i hear the jingle''my grandma and your grandma, sittin' by the fire, making mayo mayo'' i do recal the same memories.

its said at least a health commercial en masse' tried well hidden into the historical presentation in this documentary, well why not, it covers the expenses and do have a great purpose from every part, as for me this is history lesson of high quality and should be seen even by the competitors of the health industry and insurance companies.

the grumpy old man thinks its a good documentary, and the doolittle stuff inbetween, just chew on it.

(Flash Review)

The nation needs to follow the Mayo's Vision as it truly puts people over profits. Not that profits aren't important but their passion to give patients the best possible best care is refreshing. The documentary does a nice job of blending historical chronology with modern patients health troubles and how Mayo attempted to cure them with unique approaches. Many of the unique or first of a kind cures are showcased. The vision of the original Mayo family is the underlying focus and is very impressive. One of the key factors that is still in practice today are that the Mayo Staff are salaried rather than paid by the quantity of patients or services they provide; needed or not.

I disagree whole-heartedly with a reviewer who claimed this is basically a commercial for The Mayo Clinic. If you've ever lost someone to cancer and lost your hope for the mere possibility that treatment can EVER have positive outcomes, you need to see this film. Though familiar with the Mayo Clinic, I was never aware of the altruistic nature of the Mayo brothers, the Sisters of Saint Mary's Hospital and the early days of medical treatment and the nursing field. The FACTS of this documentary could have been presented to me..... and completely lost on me, but the storytelling of Ken Burns brings them to light in a way that is so engaging and compelling. I never knew the role that race played in healthcare.... or that The Mayo Clinic pioneered the miles of conveyor belts that allowed easy access to medical records..... or the reason why early hospitals were so architecturally refined and beautifully built specimens of structure. My cynicism was released with the knowledge that every physician has a "personal cemetery in the back of their minds" .......and the new mother with Melanoma of the eye, who faced the possibility of voluntary termination of her pregnancy to slow the progression of her cancer but was spared that decision with a revolutionary treatment that spared her baby AND her eye. I appreciated Tom Brokaw's perspective on how clueless Washington is in regulating healthcare--- but the hope for change is spelled out in the opening quote "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." The path to enlightenment seldom happens with the facts being simply delivered..... but with STORYTELLING, like this we can change the world! BRAVO KEN BURNS and everyone who contributed!!

In my opinion, this was an inspiring documentary about how medical solutions for excellent care can be achieved through collaborative efforts and on going education such as shown in this film. I enjoyed the photos and quotes from the three Dr. Mayos. One learns how the Mayo clinic began and how it continues it's commitment to education, social equality for health care, and fast accurate diagnosis and treatments at Mayo (past and present).

I never knew the story of the founding of this remarkable institution. It amazes me that a group of Catholic sisters literally made this happen. Additionally, it was remarkable to see a modern documentary be brave enough to include faith (especially Catholicism) and its fruits so prominently along side cutting edge science, and openly declaring that it was this faith that was the seed that ultimately yielded this scientific juggernaut and the fantastic results they achieve when others fail. Religion and science are both more powerful when they are joined together on the same team. Both have critical roles to play and this documentary tells that story surprisingly well and without apology or qualification. I speak from experience as a faithful Catholic who beat very bad odds in a battle with cancer, which was treated by a similarly gifted group of scientists at Dana Farber in Boston. Kudos to Mr. Ken Burns. I'm so glad I watched this and encourage everyone else to as well!

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). Anything good you hear about Mayo is just hype. I learned that the hard way.

Everyone says, "The Mayo is the best, right?" It may have been at one point. The spirit in which it was created was certainly a giving and collaborative spirit. But the "best" is still saved for the wealthy and the famous first. The Mayo was discovered to be turning away patients receiving medical assistance in Minnesota, even though legally they aren't supposed to be because they receive funding from the state of Minnesota. As far as treating rare diseases goes, I have seven. After getting referrals from five different doctors while I was living in Minnesota to be seen at the Mayo, the Mayo said in a letter that they would not accept me as a patient because I was "too rare." In fact, I'm not allowed to be seen there at all. I went later just to have my blood drawn for a test, not to see a doctor, and they removed me from the roster after I signed in because of the ban. It isn't just me; my cousin's friend had to move to another state to get her double lung transplant for her rare disease because the Mayo didn't want her as a patient. Another friend who actually lives in Rochester was also banned for being rare. They have great success stats if they turn away patients. So the "hope" portion of this is completely false, unless you can hope to be easy, wealthy or famous.

Interesting history but this is essentially an infomercial for the clinic. There are other good collaborative health institutions.

Certainly would have expected better from Burns. Struggles to sustain a thin story for two full hours and ends up coming across as a filmstrip running on loop in a company museum that everyone can safely ignore. Disturbingly blurs the lines between the Mayo brothers' laudable social justice ideals behind the founding of the Clinic and the corporate juggernaut it is today.

The best thing Ken Burns could do is go undercover at his "famed" Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, as an average person with an extremely painful, terminal illness, and average health insurance, then come back and do a documentary on how this hospital has perfected ther way in "getting rid" of patients who aren't extremely wealthy. Shame on you; I loved your previous work but from one who came from The Mayo Clinic in desperation, I will never watch another of your films again.