Patient
I went to Dr. Braastad for issues with high blood pressure (male, ~40 yo, extremely active/triathlete). His proposed solution was to have me take 7 pills a day. When I asked for a referral to Mayo he initially pushed back, but I left his office believing he would be sending a referral for me. A month and a half later I reached out to Mayo seeking updates to find they never received a referral. I immediately reached out to Braastad's office, and they told me he didn't send it because he didn't think I needed to go there and that Mayo 'doesn't do blood pressure cases like this.' I was shocked, but I forced him to send one, albeit begrudgingly. Within a month I went for my first appointment at Mayo, and within a week I had a diagnosis (not high blood pressure and they had me stop taking everything Braastad had prescribed). I understand every patient and case is different, but to have a medical professional refuse to send a referral, not listen to my repeated concerns or look at my situation as a whole, AND waste my time by not telling me that he wouldn't abide my request was beyond the pale.