No appointments available at Mayo Jacksonville

I am sorry to hear your experience.

I have been a patient at Mayo Jacksonville since 2006. When I first went there, they only had one building, Davis. They did not even have a hospital. Since then, dozens of buildings have been built along with an outstanding hospital.

With that growth came patient growth and of course came the issue with appointments. I feel sorry you can't get in early enough. I am a patient of the Director of Electrology and Pace Clinic and on my 3rd ICD/Pacemaker. But have been seeing him since 2006. He told me I am his longest patient as still kicking at 77. But I have noticed he is getting old just like me.

If you are really set on Mayo, have you considered Rochester or Phoenix? If you can be treated there you become a patient of Mayo and thus if you live in Jacksonville area you would be considered a Mayo patient.

I know when some test or procedures were not available at Mayo Jacksonville, they offered me to go to Rochester.

There must be a great number of 'centers of excellence' available, albeit with some travel and expense. Have you tried Cleveland Clinic. One of the best EPs in N. America is Dr. Pasquale Santangeli. I don't know that you can see him much sooner, but it's worth an inquiry. Or, Dr. Andrea Natale at the Texas Cardiac Arrhythmia Institute in Austin, one of the top 3 or 4 EPs on the planet, judging by the enthusiastic fan base he enjoys.

That's odd. It was so quick and easy for me.

After my second cardioversion on February 2nd, my cardiologist suggested that I consult with an EP, so that weekend I went online with the Mayo Clinic and answered a series of questions and was given an appointment with an EP in Jacksonville on February 11th. After visiting with the doctor then, I have scheduled the PF ablation procedure on March 12th.

Wow, that is odd. The on line questionnaire route is what I did. I'm going to look into this. Thanks for the info. Would you share with me the doctor's name with whom you were able to get an appointment? Many thanks. PF ablation is exactly what I am seeking.

On a side note, when I was diagnosed with Afib in December 2024, I contacted Mayo in Phoenix in January requesting an appointment. I went to Mayo because I surgery their previously and they had my medical history. My Patient Portal was still active as was all of my insurance and contact information.

After providing EKG, Echocardiogram and blood work I all I received was a kind of a form letter that said that they did not feel a need for an appointment. Told me to contact them if things got worse. Or words to that effect.

If it were me, I would make inquiries. But that aside, and I'm the type of personality where I gotta know, and then I gotta understand....if you know what I mean....so that I can stew over what might be coming or prepare to make a choice between two or more options presented for me to mull over...get my ducks in a row...I would want a useful running diagnostic to show any PROGRESSION of the disorder. So, I would purchase a smart watch, if I didn't already wear one with the capability to measure an ECG, or get a Kardia Mobile for a few bucks, and use it every time I felt off...or could tell I was in arrhythmia. You go to your next appointment waving three or six sheets of paper from a printer showing what you downloaded from either device so that your specialist can see, for him or herself, what has been going on when THEY weren't looking.

I live in SW Colorado (Mesa Verde National Park is my front yard) and it is actually easier to get to Denver than it is to get to Phoenix, so I have tied into the University of Colorado Health System. Since I am a plane ride away, UC Health has agreed to a virtual video appointment. I have a Kardia Mobile and as I acquire more information through more lab tests, I have a direct line to make sure that the information gets to UC in a timely manner. The UC Heart Health facility is certified in all of the latest ablation capabilities as well as the Watchman capability (not that I would need that). I see a cardiologist that is local (local being 40 miles) but he tends to be disposed to doing nothing and just living with Afib. So he is just another data point.

The only issue I have with the Kardia Mobile is its sensitivity to spurious electrical and electronic signals. I can get different readings as I move around my office and the rest of my house. It does tend to show a higher pulse rate then the blood pressure unit that I have.

@gloaming

Thank you so much for you input I really appreciate it.
I have a loop recorder implanted in my chest. It sends a report to my cardiologist every night. Because I am not privy to the content of the transmitted report, I purchased a KardiaMobile six lead. I use it one or more times a day. I also have a fitbit watch which generates a-fib warnings and real time paulse that is pretty accurate. I take BP once a day.

My problem is not lack of information. Just lack of access to a Mayo appointment.

Thanks again

I think that the different EP's at Mayo have different symptoms that they're looking for to treat.

I believe that the online appointment form uses AI to match potential patients to physicians. In my case, I believe that my case was attractive since I have ventricular afib and that's a relatively new use for PF ablation. Also, with my first episode being in December of 2024 makes me a good candidate for the PF ablation as well.

They also want to enroll me in a study where I only take Eliquis post surgery as needed during afib.

After hours on the telephone with Mayo Jacksonville attempting to solve the mystery as to why I was unable to secure an appointment while others with the same diagnosis, were able to; this is what I learned.

I was flat out lied to by the person who responded to my on line application. I was told unequivocally, that there were no appointment openings for over 8 months and no list to get on.

I contacted the Heart Rhythm Clinic at Jacksonville directly; kind of an end-run. They were ready to make an appointment, but first I was transfered to a financial area. There, I learned that Mayo Florida does not accept my Humana Medicare PPO insurance. Rochester, MN does, but not Florida Mayo. Go figure. They could not approve me as a patient.

So, all along, the issue was never availability of appointments but rather, for reasons unknown, The acceptance of Humana Medicare Health Plan.

I am very sorry that I began this thread with the heading I used. I was just trying to help others to not waste their time on Mayo Jacksonville for heart rhythm issues.

Along the way, everyone here has been so helpful, and I greatly appreciate your efforts and caring.

This story has a happy ending. Once I learned the truth about my appointment request, I changed direction. I have an appointment At the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, FL, with EP Dr. Marcello Helguera on March 17th. Dr. Helguera performs Paulsed Field Ablations.