Natale insurance. location and availability

I'm seriously considering an ablation and as I'm in the US, of course I'd to get Natale. I live in San Francisco; does he still practice here?

I'm also in the market for insurance, wondering which insurance companies will cover Natale...

Finally, does Natale have a waiting list?

Thanks for any info!

David



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2018 08:01PM by DavidK.

I believe he does still practice in San Francisco area but there have been some changes recently that I haven't paid attention to, so calling his office in Austin and asking would be the best option. Ditto with your second question. His office can tell you that.

Oh yes, he definitely has a waiting list and it's months long. The last person I know of who scheduled with him had about a 4 month wait.

Thanks Carey...here's what I found out:

Dr. Natale no longer practices in San Francisco, his last day there was March 9, 2018.

His main center is in Austin, TX and he also practices in San Diego and Los Angeles.

Here is info on the respective locations

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Austin, TX Location
Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute at St. David’s Medical Center
35 Frontage Rd Suite 700
Austin, TX 78705
[tcaheart.com]
(512) 807-3150
Scheduler: Raycelle

There is also a "single trip coordinator" extension when you call them apparently for those coming from out of town.

___________________

Los Angeles, CA Location
Cardiovascular Institute of Los Robles Hospital and Medical Center
227 West Janss Rd
Suite 340
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
(805) 852-9100
Nurse: Jackie
Medical Assistant: Maria, both super nice

He is in the LA area (Los Robles/Thousand Oaks) 2 or 3 days month. April 12-13 is full already but I put myself on the waiting list just in case. In May the dates are May 23-25, they are full but will add you to the waiting list. June dates are unknown as he only gives them two months worth of dates at a time.

They have you get CT scans and bloodwork done ahead of time, you bring them to LA with you. You show up to meet him the day before, they look at the scans, etc., and then generally you would have the procedure the next day. Or you can go see him for a consultation one month and have the procedure the next month.

For those paying cash for the consultation part:
Facility fee: $135; EKG: $55; Natale consult fee: $287-387+.
There is a discount on these for paying cash.

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San Diego, CA Location
Scripps Clinic La Jolla
9898 Genesee Ave, 3rd Floor
La Jolla, CA 92037
858-824-5353
Receptionist: Christina
Scheduler: Dorie

He comes to San Diego usually once a month. They said they had an openinbg for April 23 when I called beginning of April 2018, don't know if its still available.

They may or may not have you do a stress test, the nurse practitioner will decide that.

For those paying cash for the consultation part: The consultation runs around $500; its 40% off for cash, but I think the discount applies only if you don't have insurance.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/09/2018 08:27PM by DavidK.

Thanks for the correction about him practicing in SF and for posting all this info. It will be helpful to others. I knew there had been changes to his SF situation but, like I said, wasn't really paying attention.