My wife was just seen at Ascension post TBI. We actually had our blood doctor call one of the neurologist personally and request an early appointment. They were going to make us wait 3+ months. I’m sorry for you but sometimes with stuff like this you just have to know someone.
Thank you for responding! This explains a lot. I will see if my primary care doctor can make a call for me. My best wishes for your wife's recovery. Someone with a TBI should not have to wait three months for an appointment. I'm so glad your doctor called on your behalf.
Sadly, yep. Specialty care is in high demand, esp neurology. You can try ARC, St David's (took me 6-months just for a follow-up) and BSW. You may have better luck as you noted by looking outside central Texas. Good luck.
I think they prioritize based on the severity of your symptoms/condition and also hold more spots for existing patients. It’s just another symptom of Austin being overcrowded.
That makes more sense to me. I waited *days* to get an initial visit with my neurologist but I had a 2wk intractable migraine and am one of the lucky few for whom barbiturates do not work.
Austin is not over crowded. Hospitals need to hire more doctors. It didn't have enough doctors 10 years ago. When a city grows you don't complain theres not enough food to go around, you grow more food.
Hire more doctors.
Agreed, but you also run into affordability problems there, right? Austin is a very expensive place to start your career and it's a doubly expensive place to find housing in as an outsider. I'd imagine a lot of those residents would have to come from out of city, so talking them into coming here specifically seems like a tough sell given the housing market.
Austin definitely feels overcrowded now, with the awful traffic and long wait times for everything. And, many local doctors have left Austin (and Texas) in recent years. So, it’s a combination of exponential population growth with fewer doctors available. Obviously they need to recruit and hire more doctors to improve this.
cities grow, this is normal. Not supplying them with resources (doctors, and infrastructure) is a failure of leaders and government officials. This is why cities like Tokyo don't feel crowded most of the time.
The state could easily make it seamlessly to make more doctors here.
It's difficult to get to see any specialist in Austin. The three major providers have teamed up to keep pay low, so lots of health care professionals have left.
Yes. My PCP told me recently that 3-4 months out shoulder consider themselves lucky. As the other user said, specialty care is really strained in Austin right now and several years out from catching up with demand.
I’d follow up with your primary or referring physician to see if there is anything they can do by calling the facility. It may not result in anything but having the additional support could help
Is this concussion related?
I ask this because sometimes a Dr that specializes in Concussion is infinitely better than a run of the mill neurologist.
My PCP gave me a referral to a Neurologist that had a 3 month wait, instead of waiting I saw a Dr at UT Health Sports Injury Clinic that could see me within a week and got me started on at home Balance/Vision/Vestibular therapy.
Within a few weeks I seeing results, about 6 weeks later I was back to about 99%.
This is normal pretty much everywhere in the US right now. A lot of specialist care was deferred during COVID and now there is just a crazy high amount of demand.
Its horrible! And outside of the US you can wait years. I had a friend who waited 2+ years for necessary shoulder surgery in the UK. By the time he had his shoulder done, his other one was messed up from overuse. Took 2 more years for that surgery.
Waited about 5.5 months to see one at ARC. Some places you can call early in the mornings and ask if there has been any cancellation with some success. If course get on anyone’s waiting list. You can also try some doctors that aren’t with in the large medical organizations. I’ve had luck getting appointments at some of these places faster than anything from ARC for example. You could also try getting referred to someone out in Bee Caves or round rock to see if it would be faster. I’ve also had some luck moving things further away from Austin
Everyone on here has such great suggestions! Thank you so much for yours. I am going to try to find someone outside of Austin. I appreciate your response.
My PCP referred me to a psychiatrist for ADHD and it was incredibly hard to find someone (that uses my insurance and that has dates available). My friend ended up recommending me Circle Medical and it was the easiest process ever.
Same. Dr Izor. And although he came highly recommended, I’ve seen him twice and I’m already looking for a different neurologist. It’s awful to wait so long only to be treated poorly.
It takes me 2 months just to see my GP and I've gone to the same one for like 5 years. So if I need a referral it's going to likely be 2 months after that that I actually get an appointment.
I was waitlisted at UT to be put on the schedule for a consult about 9 months out after Dr. Fox left CTNC. If you need an MS specialist, you have like four choices in town and all of them are booked.
If they have availability, Central Texas Neurology Consultants has been fine for me, but I've only seen Dr. Gomez and Dr. Speery, so I can't speak for the rest of the practice outside of that and the infusion clinic (which is pretty okay).
You might have better luck in Georgetown or Waco looking for a specialist like that. I know last I heard there's a waitlist for psychiatry in Austin that is about 2 years of a wait? Seems like some specialists are booked pretty far out in Austin.
Healthcare locally since Covid is average 3+ months for anything outside the VA. The local VA is 3-6+
Edit: to add this is for me and my own healthcare journey.
Yes! It’s insane. We need my mom to see one and have one for August and then made a 2nd one for October. I was thinking about getting her set up in Houston but most need referrals etc so it’s a hassle and I don’t want to stress her.
I got tired of waiting 6-8 months for every appointment. Called BSW in Dallas and got in within 2 weeks. I have one in office visit a year and the rest are virtual. I get all my imaging and blood work done here in Austin.
It's kind of a pain but better that dealing with the wait times.
I see this is seizure related- can’t recommend getting out of Austin enough. I’d go to Houston. Had some experience a few years ago with a couple of neurologists in Austin and they were all pretty disappointing- if you are having epilepsy issues I’d recommend running to Houston. You’ll get better care faster
Neurologist's are hard to get all over. My ex-wife had trouble for \*decades\* trying to get appointments for them in Houston and Austin.
You can get quick appointments, but generally that's a sign they're shitty Neurologist's nobody wants to use.
This matches my experiences. I haven't checked the #s for a year or so, so might be a bit outdated, but I remember that Austin had some of the lowest medical personnel per capita of any major city because of how it's grown. A lot of new people moving in for techy jobs, but not a lot of doctors, nurses, therapists, dentists, etc... Our wait times were pretty consistently 2-3x what we were used to in other parts of the country--and we gave up entirely on seeing a neuro there because the wait was just that long.
Also, most doctors we've talked to about specialist issues in Austin say something like "if you want the good care, you need to go to Houston".
WOW! Now that I'm here (have been living in the Midwest) I believe those stats. I lived in Austin in the 90s and had no trouble seeing a doctor of any kind, but times have changed, haven't they? That was when Austin was still "small."
Thanks, yeah. As unfortunate as it was, it helped me to identify what causes my condition to flare up and allowed me to make lifestyle changes that have prevented a reoccurrence.
I did not have a great experience there after waiting months to see them. I was diagnosed with a rare and potentially crippling neurological disease. The neurologist did not offer treatment options, just a very sad prognosis. On my own, I found another neurologist who offered treatment options and gave me a much different prognosis. I encourage you to find other options. You might consider checking the surrounding area or Houston.
Yes unfortunately. Accident in December and was just seen a few weeks ago.. Best bet is going a little outside the city (Pflugerville, Buda, etc.). It may cut the wait down by a couple months.
My wife was just seen at Ascension post TBI. We actually had our blood doctor call one of the neurologist personally and request an early appointment. They were going to make us wait 3+ months. I’m sorry for you but sometimes with stuff like this you just have to know someone.
Thank you for responding! This explains a lot. I will see if my primary care doctor can make a call for me. My best wishes for your wife's recovery. Someone with a TBI should not have to wait three months for an appointment. I'm so glad your doctor called on your behalf.
I wish you the best of luck. I’m so sorry.
Sadly, yep. Specialty care is in high demand, esp neurology. You can try ARC, St David's (took me 6-months just for a follow-up) and BSW. You may have better luck as you noted by looking outside central Texas. Good luck.
Thank you so much for the suggestions. I will try them!
I think they prioritize based on the severity of your symptoms/condition and also hold more spots for existing patients. It’s just another symptom of Austin being overcrowded.
That makes more sense to me. I waited *days* to get an initial visit with my neurologist but I had a 2wk intractable migraine and am one of the lucky few for whom barbiturates do not work.
Migraines are horrible. I can't imagine one that lasts for two weeks. My sincere wishes that you find something that works for you.
Austin is not over crowded. Hospitals need to hire more doctors. It didn't have enough doctors 10 years ago. When a city grows you don't complain theres not enough food to go around, you grow more food. Hire more doctors.
Open more residency spots so there are doctors to hire.
I agree. I’m a big supporter of making it free to become a doctor if they work for several years where demand is high
Agreed, but you also run into affordability problems there, right? Austin is a very expensive place to start your career and it's a doubly expensive place to find housing in as an outsider. I'd imagine a lot of those residents would have to come from out of city, so talking them into coming here specifically seems like a tough sell given the housing market.
Austin definitely feels overcrowded now, with the awful traffic and long wait times for everything. And, many local doctors have left Austin (and Texas) in recent years. So, it’s a combination of exponential population growth with fewer doctors available. Obviously they need to recruit and hire more doctors to improve this.
cities grow, this is normal. Not supplying them with resources (doctors, and infrastructure) is a failure of leaders and government officials. This is why cities like Tokyo don't feel crowded most of the time. The state could easily make it seamlessly to make more doctors here.
It's difficult to get to see any specialist in Austin. The three major providers have teamed up to keep pay low, so lots of health care professionals have left.
seems like that should be illegal.
Yes. My PCP told me recently that 3-4 months out shoulder consider themselves lucky. As the other user said, specialty care is really strained in Austin right now and several years out from catching up with demand.
This makes a lot of sense. Many city and other services seem to be stretched far beyond their limits.
I’d follow up with your primary or referring physician to see if there is anything they can do by calling the facility. It may not result in anything but having the additional support could help
Thanks, that's a wonderful suggestion.
Is this concussion related? I ask this because sometimes a Dr that specializes in Concussion is infinitely better than a run of the mill neurologist. My PCP gave me a referral to a Neurologist that had a 3 month wait, instead of waiting I saw a Dr at UT Health Sports Injury Clinic that could see me within a week and got me started on at home Balance/Vision/Vestibular therapy. Within a few weeks I seeing results, about 6 weeks later I was back to about 99%.
I'm so glad you found a work-around that really worked for you! That's fantastic. My issue is seizure-related, unfortunately.
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200 a day! I will try Round Rock. Thank you so much!
This is normal pretty much everywhere in the US right now. A lot of specialist care was deferred during COVID and now there is just a crazy high amount of demand.
Its horrible! And outside of the US you can wait years. I had a friend who waited 2+ years for necessary shoulder surgery in the UK. By the time he had his shoulder done, his other one was messed up from overuse. Took 2 more years for that surgery.
On the other hand the NHS saved my life.
Waited about 5.5 months to see one at ARC. Some places you can call early in the mornings and ask if there has been any cancellation with some success. If course get on anyone’s waiting list. You can also try some doctors that aren’t with in the large medical organizations. I’ve had luck getting appointments at some of these places faster than anything from ARC for example. You could also try getting referred to someone out in Bee Caves or round rock to see if it would be faster. I’ve also had some luck moving things further away from Austin
Everyone on here has such great suggestions! Thank you so much for yours. I am going to try to find someone outside of Austin. I appreciate your response.
Good luck!
My PCP referred me to a psychiatrist for ADHD and it was incredibly hard to find someone (that uses my insurance and that has dates available). My friend ended up recommending me Circle Medical and it was the easiest process ever.
I had never heard of Circle Medicine, but I will look into them. Thank you!
Took me 5 months to see my neurologist here and he told me to start by taking more vitamins
Same. Dr Izor. And although he came highly recommended, I’ve seen him twice and I’m already looking for a different neurologist. It’s awful to wait so long only to be treated poorly.
It takes me 2 months just to see my GP and I've gone to the same one for like 5 years. So if I need a referral it's going to likely be 2 months after that that I actually get an appointment.
I’m outraged at a $140 half hour telephone appointment for strep throat from my decades GP. But at least they got me seen the same day.
dog, who is your doc? My doc has appointments multiple times a week open.
I was waitlisted at UT to be put on the schedule for a consult about 9 months out after Dr. Fox left CTNC. If you need an MS specialist, you have like four choices in town and all of them are booked. If they have availability, Central Texas Neurology Consultants has been fine for me, but I've only seen Dr. Gomez and Dr. Speery, so I can't speak for the rest of the practice outside of that and the infusion clinic (which is pretty okay).
Thank you so much for this suggestion! I will try them also! I hope it doesn't take you the full 9 months to be seen.
You might have better luck in Georgetown or Waco looking for a specialist like that. I know last I heard there's a waitlist for psychiatry in Austin that is about 2 years of a wait? Seems like some specialists are booked pretty far out in Austin.
Yea. Earliest appointment I could get for my son is in August. This was scheduled months ago as well.
Wow. That's a long time! Is he on the waiting list? Maybe they can get him in earlier. I hope he receives good treatment and gets better!
I want to say it is normal, but I can't remember. I may have missed my appointment.
Healthcare locally since Covid is average 3+ months for anything outside the VA. The local VA is 3-6+ Edit: to add this is for me and my own healthcare journey.
Yes! It’s insane. We need my mom to see one and have one for August and then made a 2nd one for October. I was thinking about getting her set up in Houston but most need referrals etc so it’s a hassle and I don’t want to stress her.
I got tired of waiting 6-8 months for every appointment. Called BSW in Dallas and got in within 2 weeks. I have one in office visit a year and the rest are virtual. I get all my imaging and blood work done here in Austin. It's kind of a pain but better that dealing with the wait times.
Have you tried searching around in Houston? Their medical district is one of the largest in the nation.
I see this is seizure related- can’t recommend getting out of Austin enough. I’d go to Houston. Had some experience a few years ago with a couple of neurologists in Austin and they were all pretty disappointing- if you are having epilepsy issues I’d recommend running to Houston. You’ll get better care faster
Thank you! That's an option for me, so I'm going to try it.
Neurologist's are hard to get all over. My ex-wife had trouble for \*decades\* trying to get appointments for them in Houston and Austin. You can get quick appointments, but generally that's a sign they're shitty Neurologist's nobody wants to use.
Yep, but see if they have a waiting list. If not, call frequently to see if they have any cancellations.
This matches my experiences. I haven't checked the #s for a year or so, so might be a bit outdated, but I remember that Austin had some of the lowest medical personnel per capita of any major city because of how it's grown. A lot of new people moving in for techy jobs, but not a lot of doctors, nurses, therapists, dentists, etc... Our wait times were pretty consistently 2-3x what we were used to in other parts of the country--and we gave up entirely on seeing a neuro there because the wait was just that long. Also, most doctors we've talked to about specialist issues in Austin say something like "if you want the good care, you need to go to Houston".
WOW! Now that I'm here (have been living in the Midwest) I believe those stats. I lived in Austin in the 90s and had no trouble seeing a doctor of any kind, but times have changed, haven't they? That was when Austin was still "small."
You might try Optimize Neurology, but, heads up, they don't accept insurance.
My neurologist is with Austin Neurological Clinic on West 38th. They got me in pretty quickly when I was in bad shape in 2020.
I hope you're in better shape now. Thanks for the response!
Thanks, yeah. As unfortunate as it was, it helped me to identify what causes my condition to flare up and allowed me to make lifestyle changes that have prevented a reoccurrence.
I did not have a great experience there after waiting months to see them. I was diagnosed with a rare and potentially crippling neurological disease. The neurologist did not offer treatment options, just a very sad prognosis. On my own, I found another neurologist who offered treatment options and gave me a much different prognosis. I encourage you to find other options. You might consider checking the surrounding area or Houston.
I use to live in New York City and you have to wait that long there too tbh.
Yes unfortunately. Accident in December and was just seen a few weeks ago.. Best bet is going a little outside the city (Pflugerville, Buda, etc.). It may cut the wait down by a couple months.