How long can I expect to wait to be called for the ablation schedule with Dr.Natale?

Hi, I wonder if any of you have had experience with scheduling an ablation in Austin with Dr.Natale. I had my initial appointment with him January 29 and he ordered an ablation, and the first I heard from the scheduler after I had called and messaged the office, was on Friday March 1, only I couldn't take the call as I was in an appointment and now my calls and messages have not been returned, it is actually causing me quite a bit of stress as I can't plan anything and have been walking around with my phone glued to my side and am too scared to put it down, this as been this way for more than five weeks. I don't care if the ablation is next year, I just need some kind of time frame to work around. It is actually making me not want to bother having one, or to go else where. I am also having issues getting hold of another clinic about an order for a loop recorder which would be an alternative to monitor me, only it has been two days so I am not fretting too much about that one- is this normal to be left hanging like this? would appreciate hearing other's experience with scheduling, especially with this office, thanks

Who is the scheduler whose call you missed? (You can send me a private message if you don’t want to post their name) You should be able to contact them—have you tried going through Norma? Scheduling is not done strictly first come first serve as there is some triaging done so that the most urgent cases will be done first. This is to say that there can be a wait time of two or three months depending on his schedule. When you do speak to the scheduler they generally give you a choice of quite a few dates to choose from. You can also ask to be on the cancellation list, but then you don’t have a lot of time to make your travel arrangements.

Thanks, I don't know who it was because instead of pressing call back I accidentally deleted the message, but they were offering me a date on April 9, and in my medical notes it said follow up consult March 29 pre ablation, but apparently the scheduler must schedule both, this is why I am confused. I am not taking blood thinners yet, so I need some warning plus i am doing a long haul flight this month and don't want to start the day of a long flight as have never taken thinners. Thanks!

Call TCAI and ask for Norma. That's probably who it was.

oh, maybe that explains it as i have been directed to someone else by the other staff thanks

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Fuzzyduck
it has been two days so I am not fretting too much about that one- is this normal to be left hanging like this? would appreciate hearing other's experience with scheduling, especially with this office, thanks

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Can't speak to Natale, but unfortunately quite normal with my ep and a lot of doctor's. New, more customer oriented business models are slowly being introduced, but the key word is slowly. Please don't stress and stay glued to your phone although that is easier said than done. See if you reach the office via email or "MyChart"? That's what I find works best with scheduling issues, etc.

Jim

Thanks Jim, I haven't had much luck with Mychart messages but thankfully I now have an email I can try. I think just knowing some kind of time frame helps!

I don't think you're going to be able to use a MyChart portal until you're actually a patient with them, and I don't think that has happened yet. Typical wait times for a procedure with Natale are 3-4 months, though that seems to vary a lot. Some people get in much faster, but I think you're safe looking at that as a likely timeframe. Just talk to Norma and she'll get you set up. She's the scheduler for patients coming from out of town so she knows the system and how to work it.

Thanks Carey, I am an established patient and have an order for an ablation, and the notes say to follow up end of March prior to the procedure and i missed one call from them to schedule for April but they didn't call back and i can't get a response. I'll see if I can be put through to Norma, thank you!

Oh, it turns out I was given the name /number of his old scheduler and not his very new scheduler (if I hadn't deleted the voicemail by accident I would have known!) Once it was figured out they were extremely helpful!!

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Fuzzyduck
Oh, it turns out I was given the name /number of his old scheduler and not his very new scheduler (if I hadn't deleted the voicemail by accident I would have known!) Once it was figured out they were extremely helpful!!

I am glad you got this resolved. I need to schedule an appointment to go over the results of a 7 day heart monitor in a few months. I was going to call the scheduler I always worked with. Are you comfortable giving me the name and phone number of his new scheduler? You can always do it through a private message. That would save me some time!