I'm one of Dr Villa Forte's patients, and I consider myself fortunate.
I live a little over two hours drive from Cleveland Clinic. Thus, I could get there pretty quickly if a major flare requiring her to treat me would happen.
I realized early on that communication between Dr Villa Forte and my docs at Ohio State was going to be problematic. Therefore, I act as the communications link between them. I get a written "after visit summary" from her. I forward it to my PCP or other specialist when required. This is how I handled getting my rituximab infusions done at OSU instead of driving to Cleveland for them. My PCP orders the monthly labs Dr Villa Forte wants. He posts them to MyChart, and I send a copy to her. This has worked well.
I have only called her office twice, and she has usually responded either by the end of her day (she once called me back at about 8 pm) or the next day. When I e-mail her, she usually responds within a couple of days, and I'm fine with that.
I only need to see her every six months now.
I hope this info is useful. If you have more questions, PM me.
Pete
dx 1/11
"Every day is a good day. Some are better than others." - unknown
"Take your meds as directed and live your life as fully as you can." - Michael Chacey, MD
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