Does anyone know of a good Rheumatologist near Jacksonville or in Jacksonville Fl? My former rheumy retired. I saw one at Mayo who was not good, which shocked me. I guess there are doctors who don't listen everywhere.
Hi Deb,
I would recommend Swati Shah at Baptist Rheumatology as a good starting place. I too was turned off by Mayo. That said, Baptist is very good about getting you in to be seen on short notice and are very compassionate (for what it's worth). My only complaint was that it seemed as if She came into appointments as if having reviewed my charts at the very last minute (retaining very little from our prior appointments). So you kind of have to circle the wagons so to speak for the first couple of minutes... That and She has a habit of "going very fast" through appointments. I suppose they can do that, as there isn't much that can be done for Sjogrens patients at the moment beyond first-line medications. On another note... keep in mind that what their staff and business manager have in mind for you (with regards to care plan) is through the filter of whether or not they will be reimbursed fully by your insurer. (They are the reason I had to get Rituximab from Johns Hopkins, as they were afraid of not being reimbursed). Any who... they are pretty good overall. I hope they can offer you help as well!
Thank you for the reply and recommendation Mark. I used to have a fabulous rheumy at Mayo, Dr. Ginsburg. He was amazing!!! He would even call his patients from time to time to see how we were doing. He diagnosed my RA. I never got dismissed by him or the run around like a lot of us get with AI disease.
I got diagnosed a few years later in another town with Sjogrens. We are thinking we might be moving back over towards Jacksonville, so I need to find a new Dr. over there.
It's a shame you have to go all the way to Johns Hopkins to get the Rituximab-:( I hope it is helping you. If Hopkins can get reimbursed, you think Baptist would.....
Hi Deb,
I had forgot to mention, Bowden Eye Associates or Levenson Eye are both great practices with regards to any eye care needs you have while here in Jacksonville. Also, Gerald Cioffi is a DMD that is familiar with Sjogrens and has a dentistry practice in Orange Park. I'd certainly recommend these folks as well.
Thanks again! It's hard to change and I sure wish my original rheumy hadn't retired-:((( They don't make 'em like that anymore!!