Cardiologist

I had a follow up with my cardiologist Dr Dhiraj Warman.  My Ep wanted me to follow up for PM only to wait an hour and half and only see the nurse practitioner.  Had my pacemaker put in on May 20th.  I made appointment after the PM only to find out was trumped by a root canal.  Found out my cardiologist is a dentist as well.  Couldn’t figure out why when my stent was placed he was no where to be seen.  Never got discharged by him in person only by phone with the nurse.  Both times seen by the nurse practitioner.  Decided it was time to find a new cardiologist will see him on Wednesday.  Last time I actually saw him was in October.  Got a phone call in March I needed a stent.  Over many years I have always had excellent cardiologists but this was a first for me.  His dentist office is literally one door down from his other profession.

3 Comments

No one can be in two places at once

by Gotrhythm - 2022-06-27 14:40:30

Nurse Practitioners are excellant resources for doctors and for patients too. They are able to take over routine needs like pacemaker checks which helps the doctor but they are often better at explaining things and taking the time to listen than the docs are. Not neccessarily a bad thing for the patient if they are the ones doing the discharge.

But to have to stand in line to get a pacemaker, not behind the emergency heart case, but behind the root canal? No. That's unreasonable.

On Pacemaker Club we talk a lot about learning to advocate for yourself. That means learning to ask good questions, giving the doctor good information about what's going on. Speaking up when we really need to be seen by the doctor. 

Sometimes the only way to adocate for ourselves is change cardiologists

 

Cardiologist/Dentist

by Marybird - 2022-06-27 15:35:22

KayTerry, I looked up available information about this cardiologist/dentist, and see he seems to be duly licensed as both an MD (with board certifications in cardiology)-interventional cardiology, and as a dentist. I thought you were kidding when you posted that, but it's right there. From the information on the Florida licensing sites it seems this gentleman's dental qualifications may have preceded his education and training in cardiology, but it sure looks as though his aim is to keep his hands in both the practice of cardiology and dentistry.

The online patient reviews for this doctor as a cardiologist seem for the most part to be highly complimentary, so if you can go by reviews his patients seem to be happy with his services ( though I take both goodand bad online reviews withthe proverbial grain of salt). I don't see much mention of his reviews as a dentist. 

He might be a fine cardiologist, but I'd still have to wonder about the overall availability of a practitioner who divides his time between two different types of patient practices. While I have no problem at all seeing a competent nurse practitioner (or a PA), I wouldn't care to see them exclusively without ever seeing the doctor because he is too busy, either with his dental practice or with procedures because he's backed up and behind, not having enough time to do a good job with either his cardiology or his dental practice. I'd also wonder about his availability to his dental patients- the dentist we go to will see his regular patients with an emergency ASAP, but I doubt this guy could do that. It kinda sounded from your comments that tjis cardiologist is using his nurse, and/or nurse practitioner to fill in forhis ongoing nonavailability, and if you are having to cancel appointments because your cardiologist is off doing root canals, that wouldn't sit well with me for very long. It seems to me that the practices of cardiology and dentistry ( especially in a location as rapidly growing, like where you are located) are each labor-intensive and demanding enough to keep a practitioner busy without having to do both at the same time. I'd think that the demands of cardiology might mean the doc couldn't develop the experience to be a great dentist, and vice versa.

That's just my thoughts, I'dprobably find another cardiologist who works in that field full time, and a dentist who does the same

Troll?

by AgentX86 - 2022-06-28 13:49:09

Nope, I too looked up the information with what was given and sure enough, it's true.  It just goes to show you that truth is stranger than fiction.  No one could make this up.

A lawyer/doctor, sure.  An economist/doctor has a podcast on the Freakanomics network.  Yes, these exist and are mostly dealing with the leagal or economic aspects of medicne rather than practicing but this proves that anything is possible.

Anyway, he wouldn't be my cardiologist.  I'd be afraid he'd extract my heart.  He couldn't possibly be proficient in both.  There is too much literature in one field to keep current.

NPs or PAs don't bother me at all. Most checks are routine and that's what their job is.  As a first consultation? No, I want to see the boss to evaluate my condition to see if routine is what's needed. Though, I don't think my cardiologist's office has either.

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