Drs Klimas/Rey patients ---- recent scheduling problems?

[SOC]

I have had an unbelievable amount of trouble scheduling my phone appt with Dr Rey this month. Everything that could go wrong did, and I still don't have an appt.

Anybody else struggling with scheduling since the switch to NSU?

 

[Marg]

I have had an unbelievable amount of trouble scheduling my phone appt with Dr Rey this month. Everything that could go wrong did, and I still don't have an appt.

Anybody else struggling with scheduling since the switch to NSU?

Yes, I have faxed a release for my last testing, they were suppose to have been sent but it was at the time of Hannah leaving and all that so I let it go. I thought I could just call, Hannah always sent what I needed. I knew the results but my doctors here wanted to see them. I have faxed the release twice. I called again today, the woman said she would call Miami and let me know if they got the faxes. She did not call.

A bill came for the office visit..we paid the day of my visit by credit card. My husband called billing and told the story after 1/2 hour on hold. The woman said she would look into it. He called again today and the billig department was out of the office.

I don't know what is going on. I never had trouble before. It looks like they are in a mess, hope not!

I will call again tomorrow.

The first time I faxed a test, they said they did not get it. I called and Dr. Rey answered, not Nova.I faxed again, she must have been standing by the machine, she got it and the latest tests I was sending there.

My husband and I can give you all a voice tour of the beautiful sounding campus and largest Library in Florida at Nova we have been on hld so much. LOL

I have had an unbelievable amount of trouble scheduling my phone appt with Dr Rey this month. Everything that could go wrong did, and I still don't have an appt.

Anybody else struggling with scheduling since the switch to NSU?

 

[SOC]

My husband and I can give you all a voice tour of the beautiful sounding campus and largest Library in Florida at Nova we have been on hld so much. LOL

Lol! Me, too.

Okay, at least it's not just me. It appears that Nova and the local office are still struggling with their communications -- in a major way. Ah, for the days of Hannah! Oh well, they'll get it straightened out eventually. Dr Rey is such an outstanding doctor and has gone out of her way to help me, I wouldn't change for anything. I'll remain a patient patient.

 

[Marg]

Yes, that is what we have to do. It is maddening though. I will never leave without my latest test tests again, I saw how busy and did not know what as about to happen. I wonder if others got a bill from Nova.that has been paid. We had visions of them sending out to everyone. LOL

 

[HTree]

Yup, same here... Yes, miss Hannah! and Yes, Rey is wonderful,. we shall try to be patient patients (Um, isn't this STORY OF OUR LIVES though, really? what's a little more patience with this disease? )
Here's to Patient Patients!

 

[Marg]

Today I spoke with a real person and not put on hold at all.. I told her I had faxed the request to release my last tests three times.. She said she would tell them, in other words call Miami. I should have asked to speak with someone in Miami. I wonder if they would put me through.

I think there is just a lot of turmoil with all the changes. I should ask how far an appointment has to made ahead too. I am due to go in the spring. I am curious how I am doing now but it has only been 4 months.

 

[maddietod]

I asked Dr. Rey about making my appointment for March, because I want to go to the Ft. Lauderdale office if it's open. She said (a) the office is supposed to be done at the end of October; (b) she doesn't believe it because so many inspections are required; (c) I can wait until December to make the appointment, but don't wait until January.

 

[SOC]

I asked Dr. Rey about making my appointment for March, because I want to go to the Ft. Lauderdale office if it's open. She said (a) the office is supposed to be done at the end of October; (b) she doesn't believe it because so many inspections are required; (c) I can wait until December to make the appointment, but don't wait until January.

So are we all being seen at the Kendall ofc at this point? I was hoping to go the Ft Lauderdale ofc for my next appt, too. Perhaps I'll delay until December also.

 

[Hope123]

They've definitely been having problems and I would suggest when you see the docs/ office staff to tell them in person politely. If they don't know what is going on, they can't tell Nova staff where exactly the issues are. I've had the back-and-forth about appointments and actually got billed $1000 for someone I did not see and for services not rendered to me. I am awaiting a callback.

 

[November Girl]

I want to make an initial appointment for next February. Are all the docs moving to NOVA? Is 305.595.4300 still the right number to call to make an appointment?

 

[maddietod]

No, November Girl. They are opening a second office in Ft. Lauderdale, and keeping the office in Miami. That is still the right phone number.

 

[November Girl]

Thank you Madie. I just called, and didn't spend too much time on hold. They are not scheduling for next year at this time, the agent told me to just keep calling back. To be honest, I'm not sure if they're scheduling for 2012 yet. It was hard to tell if they were fully booked, or just not making appointments yet. Her terminology was not in the least clear, and when I tried to clarify, she repeated the same answers.

She said there was only one office, but I don't remember if she said it was the Kenwood office or NOVA. I guess I'll try again in mid-October.

 

[Mellie]

I have been a patient of Dr. K since Feb 2011. I called to make an appointment last Friday and was told Dr. K is not seeing patients anymore.

I found the person on the phone to be curt, unfeeling, with no knowledge of how alone we as CFS patients already feel. I fully expect that Dr. K would feel bad about that - but I should have been informed if my doctor was not going to see her patients anymore.

I don't know if this is true - I have asked someone in the Miami area to check into it for me as I live on the other side of the US.

 

[Marg]

I have faxed a request for release of my records three times. A couple weeks ago I had a call from Edwardo, he is an intern working in the Miami office. He did my physical in May. He said he would try and get my last tests from the U of Miami, wonder why they are not in my file. Nothing yet!

I asked Edwardo about appointments and he said not making 2012 yet. He said Nova would be open in January. He said I could go either place.

When the news of Nova broke the first I read was that Dr. Klimas would be overseeing everything so not sure if she will be seeing patients. I like Dr. Rey too so that does not matter. I guess we will have to wait amd see. Both doctors seem to be in both places now, wonder if that will be the case. Well one place or the other or so it seems.

I attached a report of a study that will take place in Birmingham to Dr. Rey's e-mail address. I wrote a short note asking if they thought I should try and get in the study. Nothing yet on that, probably too late now. It was only for 140 patients at 10 locations. It seems two doctos at UAB are having very good luck treating EVB with three things...90% cure rate so far. According to them the EVB virus can live in the nerve endings. They are quiet about what the drugs are but think one is Acyclovir. I seem to remember that they have treated 3,000 but that seems like a lot. Interestingly, one doc is a virolgist and the other a surgeon. The story is posted somewhere in PR but have read more since.

In the meantime the U of Miami has called me about couples study that we signed up for when we were there in May. A computer picked which group by the questionaire we filled out and we got stress management. I wanted that one. YAY! I have had my saliva in the freezer since June and now they want that and more. Someone left a message today about hooking up a camera to the computer. I think I will let my husband handle that. LOL It is not Skype, he said video phone. The study goes on for 9 months and I think meet online once a week. There are four patients and their caregivers, think husband and wives. It should be interesting but nine months is a long time as we gals know. LOL

 

[Koivy]

I am a new patient trying to schedule an appt with Klimas/Rey. Since I live on the opposite coast, do any of you know if I can get my blood drawn where I live, instead of flying all the way to Fl?

Also, I called and the person who answered the phone wasn't very nice..quite condesending and arrogant! He said that Dr. Klimas has already moved to Kendall and has been there for a while. Does that mean she is all done moving and settled in? Does she only have one clinic now? I tried to get more details but he just insisted that she has already moved.

Thanks!

 

[maddietod]

When I went in August, they drew a few vials of blood at the office, and it was picked up at noon to be taken immediately to the lab. (I also had blood drawn at Quest Labs when I got home, for more routine tests).

There are tests that apparently are only done at U of Miami, and they want or need that blood to be extremely fresh.

They've been at the Kendall office (Miami) for quite a while. All of the recent discussion about moving concerns an additional office in Fort Lauderdale. That's a much smaller, nicer airport, so some of us are excited to go there instead of Miami. Hopefully that will open in early 2013, and they will also work out of the Kendall Avenue office.

Madie

ps sorry he was awful to you! I think the answering service is contracted with NOVA.......certainly not directly with Drs. Klimas and Rey.

 

[Marg]

The first and second visit I had my blood drawn in Miami, Dr. K did say she liked it fresh. The last time Hannah sent me a kit to overnight it, she said it was time to see waht was going on. I got it to FedX late in the day. It was much nicer to find out the results while I was there. Dr. K was fine with it. I do think she would want it drawn there the first time at least or maybe all the time.

I meant new office open in 1213 according to Edwardo. I plan to call in January and see how things are going.

I never did get my last testing so I don't know if that means they will not release it or what. I will never leave again without it. I can tell my doctors here but they want to see it.

I do not understand why we cannot speak to the Miami office. It would be a lot easier. I have not accomplished a thing calling Nova.

I wonder if the answering service, is thjat and that only. I have spoken to at least 5 different people.

 

[SOC]

I am a new patient trying to schedule an appt with Klimas/Rey. Since I live on the opposite coast, do any of you know if I can get my blood drawn where I live, instead of flying all the way to Fl?

Also, I called and the person who answered the phone wasn't very nice..quite condesending and arrogant! He said that Dr. Klimas has already moved to Kendall and has been there for a while. Does that mean she is all done moving and settled in? Does she only have one clinic now? I tried to get more details but he just insisted that she has already moved.

Thanks!

The blood for immune testing at U of Miami needs to be very fresh. That testing is not available elsewhere as far as I know. So, I think you need to get those labs there. Dr Rey sent me home with lab requests for most of the other tests to do at my home lab. I don't believe they can request labs until they've seen you, though.

I have not had good experiences with the NOVA scheduling. I think they really don't understand how Drs Klimas and Rey work yet and they're not communicating well. I expect it will get better over time.

My understanding is that Dr K is not seeing patients at this time because she is working on setting up the clinic at NOVA. I suspect the person you talked to at NOVA doesn't understand the details of the transition.

It's crazy now, but Drs Klimas and Rey are worth putting up with some confusion -- for a little while.

 

[Koivy]

Thanks for all the replies. Ok now I'm even more confused, as I am not familiar with the area and the move and all of the different clinics. I thought that she had a clinic with U of Miami as well as a private clinic in Miami (the Kendall location), and now she's planning to move to NOVA in Fort Lauderdale. Do I have that correct? I apologize for needing some more clarification, but I guess my brain fog isn't working well....plus there's all these different locations, like I didn't realize the Kendall office meant Miami. But if she hasn't moved to NOVA yet, why is NOVA answering the phone? So confused....

Is the smaller airport the only reason why some of you want to see Dr. K/R at Fort Lauderdale? Or will the clinics be run differently? Such as which insurances they take and such?

I am hoping that I am well enough to travel, but even so, it will be a huge push and take a tremendous toll on me, maybe cause a permanent worsening. I don't want to fly across the country and to be completely lost and have all the wires crossed. From where I'm sitting (basically call them several times, getting different information from different people who answer the phone, and never ever getting a call back to actually schedule), I am worried that the place is a mess and the trip ends up being worthless.

Thanks so much again for all the info!

 

[Marg]

Doctor Klimas had a clinic at the U of Miami. When she opened her own new Kendell clinic Dr. Rey took that over the U of Miami office.. Now Drs. Rey and Klimas are partners and with NOVA. The Kendell Clinic and the Ft Lauderdale Clinic are both under Nova. I don't know if there is still an office at the U of Miami, have not heard of one.

We will have to wait until it is all worked out I guess.

The intern that called me said January for Nova University. It all takes time.