Neurologist appointment at Shands in Gainesville!
 

After primary care referral review (2 weeks) I was advised the first available appointment with a neurologist would be 5/21/2024!!!

I worked very hard to control whether to gasp or laugh out loud. I asked what one could do to appeal for an earlier consideration...adding my name to their cancellation list was offered.

When pursuing a need to see a medical provider one does not expect to be offered something over 6 months away.

It is somewhat a concern that a medical provider would not think twice about offering such a lengthy wait.

I was just not prepared for such long lead times.

Makes the 2.5 hour ride to Mayo in Jacksonville look more and more acceptable.

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Wow.

Sounds like you must be on one of those Medicare Dis-Advantage plans. Sorry to hear it is taking so long. Almost like living in Canada it would seem.

Nope. Conventional medicare + supplement.

I asked if I were paying (not ins)......no change!

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There are stories of folks in Canada having to wait 3 YEARS to see an oncologist.

Assume there are some Canadians on this board; I would be interested in your take.

Well if you were in the VA system that wait could be 8 months or longer in some states. Consider 7 months a bonus.

Private practice oncologist 3 month first available initial appointment, that was because we worked at the facility, and received perks with office. If just off the street, 6 month first available appointment.

I'm just asking, but isn't Shands a teaching hospital and part of the University of Florida, which is a public university? Aren't appointments based on the priorities of the medical school mission to teach medical students?

Yes, you are correct that Shands is part of U of F and is a teaching hospital. However, I'm unaware of the priorities for getting appointments and there isn't one system for all teaching hospitals. Unfortunately, it's going to take some work and phone calls to find a timely appointment with a neurologist and maybe a drive as well. Your health is worth it!!!!

No, teaching hospitals (attached to Medical school or not)has private, and owned physicians.
The medical students, residents or fellows, have nothing to do with priority of appointments. They get experience when you enter the picture, right behind the attending.

The only time students have some control of appointments is at cadaver lab, and none of the cadavers have an issue with long waits

I am an established patient of them I have had three brain surgeries through that dept I could not get in to see anyone until end of march next year for a issue but that’s not happening. It has nothing to do with your insurance at all. They busy, so do what everyone else is doing and wait if it is deemed an urgent need they will get you in.. they did for me.

Wow! My wife was diagnosed with cancer by a gynecologist. That office called an oncologist's office and we got a call back for an appointment before we even got home! The appointment with the oncologist was less than a week later. This all happened in NC. Veterans deserve much better service than that!

You and everyone else!
 

Surprise surprise we all waiting, make that trip to mayo if you can get in.

I am from Canada and when I had cancer 7 years ago, I went from diagnosis to full and successful treatment in 7 months. Yes, our health care system has issues (much like the US is facing), but everyone has health care here. I left the hospital with a 0 bill like everyone else in my situation would. Sure higher taxes and longer wait times for some things.

There are about 5 million new citizens in the United States and most of them have not had any medical care their whole life so they are in need of medical care.

I share your pain - I’m looking for one now. Might need to be less picky of your choice of neurologists. Just pick one of the ones that have Healthgrade reviews of 2 stars and received their medical training from some third world country. Find plenty of them. Has the OP checked some of the better 3 star non-teaching hospitals across the state? Or check the hospital ratings and settle for one that has a 2 star rating like The Villages or Leesburg. (Maybe our local and state government might put more emphasis on how to make it attractive to bring quality healthcare to Florida?)

Sorry - not sure if this includes our newest “immigrants” from warmer climes that are predominantly settling in our Southern states who may receive “free” access our healthcare facilities. Please elucidate.

Please remember to schedule your medical emergencies for when the snowbirds are leaving instead of when they are flowing in. But seriously, North Florida Regional is just a few miles down the road from Shands and has been good for us.

Ridiculous
 

You only wait in Canada for elective surgeries (as you do here). To say otherwise is simply untrue.

Sorry Billethekid, this is quite normal when you are in an HMO or health plan requiring a referral.

Try Dr Geliga in Leesburg

Believe it or not, you are lucky. I had to wait for 2 years! Just got seen this past August. Frankly I was surprised that they still had me down for an appointment. I was on the cancellation list too, never received a call.

Not citizens.

I was wondering where these 5 million citizens came from. Maybe there was there a huge birth boom that I missed hearing about. I thought there might have been a birth boom in 21, since people were forced to stay home in 20, but it seems like it was more of a baby blimp than a boom.

Sorry this is happening. I waited 5 months for my Neurologist appointment in Gainsville. I asked to be placed on the waiting list and stayed there until my appointment this past August. I would guess that if this was life threatening, I would've been seen earlier, but don't know that for sure. It was 5 months waiting time for a Villages Neurologist as well. So two different practices had the same wait time.

I think that's exaggerated, but Covid made a huge damper on healthcare wait times. A lot of doctors and nurses have burned out. Hopefully the next generation comes up with innocent and zealous ideals as to what the profession can offer them.

Same experience trying to get appt with neurologist in Pompano Beach/Ft Lauderdale.
 

It took me 6 months to get appts with a neurologist and rheumatologist in Ft Lauderdale a couple of years ago, with primary care referrals. I had blood clots and weird issues with my legs. It took only days to get an appt with an orthopedic guy. It seems part of the problem with the neuro/rheum guys is that they treat people for life, so they have very few appts available for new patients. Once you get that first appt, you are able to get treatment as needed. In my case, after 6 months, nobody could figure out the issues and they finally luckily resolved themselves.

The referral is/was the requirement of Shands....my insurance does not require one!

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Kinda judgy..."Medicare dis-advantage plans". Those plans work well for a good number of people. I don't have it because of a prior illness, but with Medicare and a supplement, I had to wait 3 1/2 months for a Cardial MRI. Both Shands and Orlando Health were booked out till then.

Ask for Dr. Solomon and your challenge.
 

You might try asking specifically for Dr. Solomon, excellent Neurologist. Also, I spent 2 years trying to find out what was causing my challenges of feeling unsteady, my body and sight uncoordinated, sitting at a light in my car and feeling light headed. Anyway, after 2 years I found the problem and the therapy solved it. If you have these kind of symptoms and would like to discuss, let me know.

You have no idea how Advantage Plans work. My husband and myself have been seen immediately when it was needed.
Have had several illnesses and have had top of the Line doctors too. Cancer, radiation, back surgery and now shoulder replacement. Choose to go to doctors outside of the Villages most of the time. Includes Dental, eye glasses, hearing aides,
meds, OTC meds and vitamins, transportation and more. No copay for primary or Specialists.
So before you bash something you know nothing about, do some research.

My appt. With gastro Dr 11/18. Received call they need to reschedule April 30… shands is a joke !!

Good Luck with getting an appointment at Mayo in Jacksonville.
 

Mayo in Jacksonville is not taking ANY new patients or even put them on a waiting list for all departments. I have been trying for a year to get in to see a neurologist.

Has nothing to do with the type of plan you’re on.

You gotta be full of it ..
 

Shands is a joke?? Really ?? Because you fill your diapers and need a consult ?? I have only thanks for shands they saved my life. I was flown in spent 4 hours getting resuscitated by the neurologists so no they not a “joke” never mind the 2 months in a coma at shands. So your comment that they are a “joke” is the real joke..

We waited more than 6 months many years ago. Not unusual. Once you're in, it's much easier to make regular appointments. The UF neurologist also recommended we keep our local doctor. Make the appointment. You won't regret it.

I've been working in a hospital oncology department for most of the past 40 plus years. Things are far worse post-COVID than they have ever been before. Many people got COVID burnout and left the profession. Long appointment times are the result of insufficient staff, and I don't see that changing for a while. We (hospital) gross more than ever before but lose $2M/month largely because of the cost of travelers (contract nurse, etc.). It's not just physician availability, but the staff needed to support them that limits access. Ever walk into a restaurant, wait for a table, and when being seated see lots of empty tables? Same thing, too little staff to handle table vacancies. Rest assured that we ALWAYS take emergent cases as a priority, but non-emergent cases can take a while. No one is trying to do anything other than the best they can do under the circumstances. Be kind. Feel free to look towards other areas, states, etc. to get care if the worry you feel is too much.

Community care
 

If the VA can’t see you for over 30 days , my VA , James Lovell federal hospital, , will provide community care , you can see a private doctor or hospital of your choosing, in your community. and the VA will pay .

The very best way to get an appointment at Shands is to have your doctor send a referral to a doctor at Shands. Almost instant reply.

United Healthcare in the Villages, for me, is the best. I never have had a problem seeing my doctor or his PA. When I needed a Urologist, one was booked for me within a week or two. When I needed a prostate biopsy, one was scheduled within a week. Same for a bladder biopsy. Finding a Radiologist or Oncologist? Done within days. Radiation therapy? Scheduled in less than a month. Getting a total knee replacement? Mine was done within 6 weeks. My routine appointments with any of the doctors never was more than a ten minute wait. I can't say enough good things about the healthcare either in Santa Barbara, Sharon Morse, or Brownwood Advanced Care. If anyone is having problems with their medical care, then maybe they should consider changing doctors or changing medical coverage.

Medicine & Math
 

I worked in healthcare for over 40 years, including in Gainesville at UF. Neurology, in particular, is a specialty with severe physician shortages.
Plus, consider where you live. There are nearly (according to the last figures in 2022) 80,000+ people in TV. Considering that current Alzheimer's Foundation data says 10.9% of people over 65 have some degree of dementia (thus are probably seeing/going to see a neurologist), that means 8,720 people (just in this area, not including the surrounding areas served by Shands/UF) need appointments. Consider a solid exam takes an hour (initial visit, at the least) plus testing, etc. as a Neurologist you will most likely see 8-10 patients per day. Let's set it at the max - 10. That means to serve 8,720 people (with a 210-day working year - 4.5 days per week, 48 weeks - that's a "high figure" but we'll use it), you would need (8720/2100) 4 to 5 neurologists just to see these patients - that doesn't take into account tumor/cancer patients, Parkinson's, head injuries, nerve/spinal issues, headaches/migraines - and on and on.
It's a supply/demand situation, frankly, a 6-month wait in this area is not uncommon. Put yourself on the "call if someone cancels" list and keep the appointment. Good luck and I hope they give you a call, but understand UF Health Neurology is top shelf.