Difficulty seeing/communicating with oncologist

Posted by dpat212 @dpat212, Sep 18 8:53pm

Wondering what the average wait time people experience in getting their oncologist to see them or call them back after new scans. My dad is at a "top" cancer institution and after a recent PET showing new metastatic disease, we have been calling/messaging non-stop for an appointment. His oncologist hasn't even called to discuss the results and it's been 3 days since the report was released and we saw it on the portal, we had to call the office non-stop to get an appt, and they gave us a visit in 1 week (nothing sooner). We need to start treatment (he is on none) and it feels like they have no urgency on their end. This is typical for what we experience with him even as established patients of 3 years and we've reached a breaking point. Is this what others experience?

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Profile picture for Arvind Natarajan @malebreastcancer47

I work on the insurance and normally before any new procedure or treatment is started, you need a pre-auth. No provider is going to rush into a treatment without first consulting with the patient, sharing options, then getting a pre-auth and starting treatment. Otherwise if treatment is started and pre-auth is denied for whatever reason, your provider will stop the treatment or suggest a different treatment.

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I have very good insurance I was able to go out of state and get excellent care, why will my doctor at home not give me the same care Is he under pressure form his hospital only hospital in town, to give infusions.
I don't understand it! he will not follow the protocol from my out of state doctor, she says he is in charge she can ask him ,but not make him do the right thing, This is the same doctor that when He first saw me wanted me to go to hospice I am still alive 10 months later.
Is it because he considers me too old I am 85 years, I am not allowed to change doctors I have been trying since August I was told you cannot switch doctors even though I told ombudsmen he does not care for me as a patient, He even said to me at an appointment when ever I see him he said to me you don't want to see me any more.

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i meant not to give infusions or injections I knew they are expensive , I had no trouble getting them out of state

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Chiming in, I don't think it's unusual. Like others, I will intentionally schedule any scan a few days before my appointment with an oncologist so that we can go over during the appointment. I get the best response from a nurse practitioner or patient coordinator on the team, I never hear directly from the oncologist. You may want to switch institutions if it's bothering you a lot. I have found that it's the individual provider that's most important than the name of the institution. I went to a top name for surgery but did not care for the oncologist there. I like my oncologist the best at a commercial practice because she's very tied into clinical trials and new treatments, which fits my approach.

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Profile picture for Arvind Natarajan @malebreastcancer47

I work on the insurance and normally before any new procedure or treatment is started, you need a pre-auth. No provider is going to rush into a treatment without first consulting with the patient, sharing options, then getting a pre-auth and starting treatment. Otherwise if treatment is started and pre-auth is denied for whatever reason, your provider will stop the treatment or suggest a different treatment.

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@malebreastcancer47
Will the Doctor let you know that you are receiving a different treatment because the pre-auth was denied.
I have had that experience with drugs I was told what the doctor prescribed was too expensive.
I was upset when I was denied the latest treatment for cancer ,especially when you are depending on the doctor to give you the best treatment
Why will one oncologist give the latest treatment and another will not ,is that Doctor under pressure from the insurance company.
I say that because when I went out of state for treatment I received the most up to date treatment. makes me wonder why my doctor would not give me that treatment , why did I have to travel out of state.
Do state of the art hospitals have most clout over insurance companies

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