Great Lakes Cardiovascular

I was impressed with the professionalism, caring nature, and efficiency that I encountered while receiving my first stress echocardiogram here. I made it known that I have a severe phobia of needles so they worked with me so that I wouldn't get the IV during the ultrasound of the heart. They made it clear that I'd have to do it if they couldn't get good images, but luckily they were able to get some without it, for which I am grateful. Since it was my first time receiving one of these, I didn't really know what to expect but the two women that conducted the tests for me were explanatory and caring the whole time. The worst part was only the sandpaper they use on your skin so that whatever they have to hook you up to sticks to your skin, which made my skin sting quite a bit at first, but it went away pretty quickly. My whole appointment took no longer than about 50 minutes. Check in was also easy and I didn't have to check out. All in all, for my first time receiving one of these tests, it was swift and easy.

Cannot get anyone to answer the phone here. Have waited 30 minutes, no answer started over, 25 minutes, no answer. Once again 20 minutes. Someone answered. They gave excuses. This is not how to run a medical practice. Management needs to wake up here and resolve these very important issues.

Had to wait two months to even get an appointment. Receive a call the day of my appointment and they canceled it. Now I have to wait another month and a half to get in.

The doctors are fine but the attention to detail is lacking. I have activated my portal several times only for it to lock me out over and over again. It is impossible to contact anyone in the office. If you call you'll be caller number 25 and if you wait you'll be disconnected. The email on their website doesn't work, and neither does their submission form. One time I drove 45 minutes to go to the office to have an issue resolved as I had no other way of contacting them. I waited 30 days for them to contact an EP to schedule an appointment for me without success and it took me three days to contact them about it. This wasn't the case a year ago. The level of care is good, but their management is horrible. I hope this review does some good and they fix these issues.

If I could give zero stars I would. 1st Holter monitor test in October 2023, took them 4 tries to get it to "work" before I left office. I returned it promptly and was told the results would be sent to the referring doctor within 1 week. Weeks later, I had follow up with the referring doctor and they never received the results. I went back in person to Great Lakes in OP and inquired what and where were my holter monitor results. At first, they couldn't even find me in their system. But eventually, I was informed that "oh, we were supposed to notify you there was a problem with the test and downloading the data. Noone contacted you? Huh?" This was many weeks later. So in December 2023, I got another holter monitor put on. Returned it promptly and still no results. It is now February 23, 2024. It is impossible to get anyone on the phone. After about 8 minutes and 26 seconds, you will be disconnected and start over again. When you finally do get a voice on the other end (hours and days later), they promise you that you will receive a call back because they have sent an Urgent Message to the powers that be and you should be receiving a call either that afternoon or early in the morning next day to address your inquiry. That call never comes. Since I am not dead yet, I assume my results were okay but if it would have been a family member one with afib or another who has had a triple cbag, or another with anxiety, they might not have been this lucky. I still do not have results but was told there shouldn't (not that there won't be, but shouldn't...) be a problem if I go in person to pick them up Monday, February 26. Since from the get-go it has been 100% utter incompetence I doubt I will leave Monday with my results. I will never go back. If you value your health and even if the Orchard Park location is close to you, please please go somewhere else. Since attention to detail is non-existent, I do not trust them interpreting test results, nor performing the tests, nor following up. It's been 5 months of inexcusable incompetence so far. 1 simple test should not cause a person so much angst. God forbid someone needs results quickly or has an urgent medical condition that needs attention to detail.