Heart Rhythm Society, board certified electrophysiologist

This is a followup to an earlier post of mine. I called Kaiser and asked for the names of all the electrophysiologists that they had on staff, since the cardiologist with whom I have an upcoming appointment is not an electrophysiologist.

I went to the HRS website and typed in names, with no results.

Admittedly, I have not researched these people beyond my going to the HRS website, so if anyone could steer me to what other websites might be helpful in order to find a local EP, or to find out more about the following people whom Kaiser says are EPs, I'd appreciate it.
EPs, according to Kaiser, San Diego area: (This does not include anyone who may be at the San Marcos location)
Joseph Blatt
Lalani Gautam
Brant Liu
Pierre Aoukar

Just for giggles, still on the HRS website, I typed in my zip and selected "within 50 miles" and came up with nothing.

After my appointment with the cardiologist early next month, I plan to call Kaiser Member Services and request a second opinion, specifically to see Dr. Natale, as I hear he's out at Scripps in La Jolla.

I'd appreciate any input you-all may have, or if I'm going about this the wrong way, I'd appreciate the guidance.

Thank you!
Sue

Hi Sue,

If you go to healthy.kaiserpermanente.org or if you already have a Kaiser member page you can punch in the Doctors name and find out all the info about them.
Schools, internships, date medical license was issued, any specialties and the dates of specialty certification and what facilities they are allowed privileges at

Good Luck!

SueChef,

It’s often a daunting experience trying to find an EP to folllw you that can handle the whole nine yards of EP treatments you might require over time, and particularly with the EP having a high degree of excellence across the board. The numbers of EPs that can truly fill that strict definition of ideal doc to partner with, especially when you include being an excellent top-tier choice as an AFIB ablation EP, and not just mainly a skilled clinical EP of which there is a much wider pool to choose from around the US and world, is a very tall order indeed with only a relative small number of EPs then to select from.

That is why it’s most often a better approach to search for two great docs, a flexible open-minded and well regarded local of regional ‘clinical’ EP to follow your every day kind of arrhythmia related concerns and symptoms who is not necessarily a top level AFIB ABL EP too, while also then applying a highly discriminating criteria to your choice of who will be your AFIB ablation EP when, and if, the time comes to guide your heart’s care from beginning to end of an expert ablation process.

Most often, unless the Afibber in question is lucky enough to live near a universally renowned Persistent/LSPAF (Long-standing Persistent AF) maestro ablationist, that single most critical choice you will likely ever make in your AFIB history can have the biggest single impact on how relatively easy and rewarding, or challenging and frustrating, your future experience (or better yet, lack thereof) with the beast is likely to be.

Typically, most folks will need to be willing and able to travel for 5 to 6 days total for an AFIB ABL with a truly elite level high volume comolex arrhythmia ablation specialist who essentially does only cardiac ablations and closely related procedures, and who rarely if every dies the typical list of medical more common procedures required of a typical local clinical EP who has to at least be proficient, if not elite, at performing such frequent procedures as Cardioversions, TEEs, Pacemaker, ICD and CRT installs etc etc, ... it’s not possible to become and maintain a high level of performance in addressing the most complex cases of Atrial arrhythmias unless the EPs practice focuses almost exclusively in doing just those kind of highly skill-dependent ablations nearly every day!

I’m going to post this initial portion of my reply above, SueChef, and will try to come back later today to finish It off to hopefully give you a fuller picture. I have to run now this Saturday morning having been gone all last week to LA for the International Symposium on Left Atrial Appendage Conference and am as busy as a beaver catching up with myriad issues including more appointments with my retina specialist this week and simply do not have the time to finish this reply just yet...

Cheers!
Shannon

Willow Lee and Shannon,

Thank you so very much for your helpful and specific info!

Unfortunately, I've been having some computer problems and have not been online too much because of it.

Shannon, your help and guidance is stellar! Gosh, there is so much to learn!!!!! BTW, I have a retinal specialist, too! My original guy was the eye specialist for the Blue Angels, but then he retired. I liked knowing that part about his background! My new retinal specialist is also really good (but no connection to the Blue Angels), and I hope your appointments will go well.

Sue