Does your GI office respond to your needs?

If I call my gastroenterologist office in the am and leave a voicemail to my doctor's assistant, then I'll get an answer the same day. Late afternoon calls are usually next morning responses. Never had any situations where I was unsatisfied with answers or had to wait longer.

My current GI is amazing about responding via the on-line portal. My past GI was HORRIBLE. I would have to call multiple times and if I missed his return call it would be another day or 2 before I heard from him.

Each doc in the GI practice I go to has a patient coordinator. I talk to her if I need rx's renewed or to tell her how I'm doing or to schedule my annual scoping. If I was in pain they'd want me to come in. They can't give you a new prescription or anything like that without actually seeing you. It's too big a malpractice risk.

Overall I've been very happy with them and my doc is great about calling me back when he has a few minutes.

My GI doctor is really good about calling me back same day I leave a message. His nurse has even contacted him about me while he was on vacation and he got back to her, same day. I don't always agree with everything he says or does, but I have no complaints about his response time.

With the er, I personally avoid it at all costs. Because they will just give you some pain meds, fluids, and SOMETIMES if you're lucky they'll actually do an ultrasound or cat scan to make sure nothing dire is going on. But the majority of the time they will just tell you the pain is ulcerative colitis related and send you on your way with a $1,000 bill or more! With no tests other than a simple blood test.

I have however gone to the er if the pain becomes unbearable, because I am in need of immediate pain relief. But unless they send you off with a script for pain meds, you'll be in the same amount of pain within 4 hours of leaving.

I always talk to the patient coordinator for my GI first, then she leaves a msg for my GI and he will call me back. He seems to be going into semi-retirement so is only in 3 or so days a week. So if he isn't in he won't call back till he's back in the office. But he is always the one to call me back, and he'll help me over the phone if he can. If what he gives me doesn't help, then he'll have me come in to see him sometime in the next few days.

My previous GI office would just have me go in and see a physicians assistant, who would never be able to help. The GI himself would always be booked for at least a month or two. Which is why I stopped going there.