Anyone having a hard time seeing Dr. Cirangle?

Saw a friend over the weekend who had a lap-band done by Dr. Cirangle 5 or 6 years ago (I can't recall how long).  The device slipped, is defective and she needs it removed or replaced. She paid some multi-thousand dollar fee originally for some kind of lifetime service with his office (fills, visits, etc. covered) and clearly isn't getting her money's worth since the office won't even give her an appointment. 

She told me that she has been trying to call for months to get in just to see him and the scheduler won't schedule her.  Back in January, for example, she was told by the scheduler that she "doesn't have his schedule yet" and to call back in a month.  Hello?  She called back in February and was told by same person she still doesn't have his schedule.  How can the "scheduler" not have his "schedule"??  Weird.  It's now April and she still hasn't been given an appointment just to SEE him, it's not even a surgery date but an office visit first.  Sounds like this has dragged on long enough.

Is anyone else getting the run-around by this office?  She is having pain in the area where this device resides, some problems eating and needs the device removed...you would think that info would have prompted the person at Cirangle's office to get the patient in asap but nope.

Thanks for any help you can give.  Is there someone else she should be talking to?  Can't get to Cirangle directly.

Thank you,

If It was me, I personally show up at his office with a copy of my receipt for the lifetime care if I had it, sign in, and wait in his waiting room until somebody spoke to me.  Most of the time that works. They have to tend to  you if you walk in and sign in. If that didn't work i would snap a photo of the sign in sheet and use the words "patient abandonment" with the receptionist.  That usually works. If it doesn't I would get proof that I was in his office seeking care,  and file a grievance  to whoever is granting his license.  and to my insurance company, and see another doctor.  Hopefully just walking in to the office should do the trick. Bring a book...expect to wait most of the day.

What a helpful suggestion.  I will cut & paste and share.  Thank you!

He is now the head of the WLS program for John Muir. He runs a class once per month. She should show up and ask him directly. Go to John Muir's website and look up the time date for his next class.

What a helpful suggestion.  I will cut & paste and share.  Thank you!  I had no idea he was at John Muir too; wonder if she knows.

Is she aware that he runs multiple support groups many times a month that are open to all of his patients?  I have continued to see him every single month and I am almost four years out now.  I call him and he calls me back within 24 hours, usually within one to two hours.  I have also emailed him and received a response the very same day.  There might be some problem with a particular staff member that I am unaware of, but he is pretty easy to track down and he does many conversions from the band so I am not at all sure what the real issue is here.  If she looks at his schedule, she can find him at one support group or anther almost every single week. 

Something sounds goofy about this......Dr. Cirangle is the most accessible doctor I've ever ran across....

I saw him 2 or more times a month during WL and at least once a month since than.......

frisco

sounds like all the advice is good , if she is in pain she should go to his hospitals ER and turn on the water works , and don't leave until he takes care of her , and gets that thing out !!

I had what I thought was an issue with a physician a few years back... turns out, it was a staff member not forwarding my request to speak directly with the Dr, many, many times over.  It got to the point that I was having medical issues, she wouldn't schedule me and finally I wrote a letter stating each time I had called, who I spoke with and what I was told.. in the letter I was very specific to state that I wanted a return call from the Dr. within 5 days or I would file a greivence with my insurance company as well as the governing board over her license.  Wouldn't you know, I got a phone call within 2 hours of my fax (I also emailed, and sent a certified letter).  My physician was VERY apologetic, had no idea I had been trying to get in contact with her... I was scheduled to come in that same day, and wouldn't you know it.... her assistant was terminated.

Thanks to you all for the feedback.  Dr. Cirangle is definitely a well-known and respected doctor so all the roadblocks to see him were odd to her.  She has been procrastinating the last several months out of fear of seeing him because apparently (I later learned) that when she was telling him like a year ago that she thought something was wrong, he was nasty telling her she was "wrong" and even calling her a "failure."  Very odd and totally not cool.  So she had been afraid to call his office back but her symptoms got worse. 

He is now in like four offices each week, including an office in Hawaii so it's a lot trickier to see him now than it was 5 years ago.

She did get brave and went to the office to get an appointment and that finally worked. Nothing has been done yet but hopefully it will soon.

Thanks again.