Usually, the way things work is that you’ll see the main provider/team who will coordinate your care, and when you have the evaluation, they’ll determine what other consultations or tests need to be done and put in orders for you to schedule those appointments. That’s probably why GI told you to wait until you get there; in the more high volume departments with more demand, you have to have an internal order (or get an appointment through the outside referral or appointment request system) to schedule.

You are correct that it is extremely difficult for planning purposes. For GI, I can tell you from my experience getting into GI at Rochester, it was a no-go. The person on the phone sounded like he was trying to stifle a scoff, because I guess it’s a high volume department. But things could have changed.

I don’t know if there’s much to get around it though. You might be able to schedule the appointments while you’re there, or you might have to return, or they may do telehealth.

You could try contacting Pulmonology and ask how long they think you may need to stay. If there’s a nurse or coordinator or other team member who reviews cases before you get there, you may be able to ask for an order for a GI consult before you go. But not every department is set up like that. It may best to call Pulmonology and ask if there’s anything you could do.