The Heart Group of Lancaster General Health

Dana Weinstein immediately implied I would probably need to be put on medication, even though this was my first appointment ever with a cardiologist. she didn't have any test results yet and hadn't asked me a single question about my diet, exercise, or lifestyle. When I said I wanted to focus on lifestyle changes first, she was condescending and dismissive, acting as though I knew nothing while she was the only expert. Her advice was also confusing and generic, such as telling me to do 125 minutes of exercise per night, 3-5 nights a week, and to cut out whole foods like red meat, eggs, and dairy, without tailoring anything to my situation. She never offered a realistic plan to try lifestyle changes and monitor progress before discussing prescriptions. The whole approach felt rushed, impersonal, and superior, rather than collaborative or respectful. I won't be returning.

I will attempt to keep this short and simple. 1. Dr. Weinstein is amazing. She hears her patients out and fully listen to their concerns. Extremely compassionate and knowledgeable. She, and the in-person nursing staff that I met, are the only reason I have given a one star. Everything else about the LGH Heart Group is abhorrent. 2. Need an appointment? Good luck! You will be cancelled at least twice and shoved back at the end of the 2-4 week long wait for the next available appointment. They do nothing to remediate the cancellations beside weak consolation of "I know it's frustrating". Absolutely unprofessional and disrespectful of their patients time. 3. Need a prior authorization for a medication? HAH. You won't get it unless you call daily, get tossed around from the nursing, prior auth, and pharmacy department only to leave a voicemail for a call back that you have a 50/50 chance of receiving. It will be a full business week before they even send out the prior authorization to insurance. And the process will be repeated if your insurance denies it, thus making you waits potentially weeks to even try the medication. 4. Do not even consider sending a portal message. The nurses are disorganized and uncommunicative. Your best bet will be to call the nursing line because they will never get back to you on the portal. I had a medication approval, not even the prior authorization, waiting in limbo for days because the nurses simply did not move it forwards to the pharmacy until I had called. My doctor had left notes on my chart with information to relay to me, and I was not told anything until I had called. Most of the nurses I have been in contact with over the phone are rude, curt, and have a sour attitude. I've only asked simple questions, such as drug interactions, and instead was given a 3 minute lecture about not reporting a medication I got prescribed AFTER my appointment with Dr. Weinstein. Some will infantilize you and treat you as if you're beneath them. Overall, the in-person experience with the heart group is wonderful and everyone is down to earth. But once I step foot outside of the office and need to contact them, it is impossible to request anything. If I could, I would go anywhere else beside the LGH Heart Group because of this experience. I have seen 8 different specialist at this point and have NEVER had this horrific of an experience in communication and medication approval. This place needs some form of reformation because it is simply not okay to treat patients like this. Let alone patients who are enduring life-threatening complications.

i have now had several unpleasant experiences with the heart group. it's difficult to get ahold of anyone. they are slow to respond to portal messages if they even do at all. i was told if i had any questions to feel free to ask, and when i did ask via the portal they were not answered and instead i was discouraged from using the portal to communicate and told to call the office. that would be great if anyone would actually answer the phone. more than once i have spent upwards of half an hour on hold trying to get through to someone at the office ultimately to hang up after no answer. i needed an echocardiogram scheduled, and i inquired about this at least 4 times, yet it was never scheduled and i was never contacted about why. the first time i was told it was ordered and i should hear from scheduling within 2 weeks. 2 weeks went by and nobody contacted me. i called back and the person i spoke with on the phone had an unpleasant attitude with me about it until she realized that no one had ordered the echo to begin with and then quickly changed her tone and told me that she would have the order put in and scheduling should reach out to me in another two weeks. i never heard back from scheduling and never got the echocardiogram despite asking about it multiple other times. i was also disappointed with the provider i was seeing, so i was given a new referral for a different provider within the heart group. but the scheduling department is unhelpful, disorganized, and frustrating. today i received a call that they were reaching out to get me scheduled with the new provider, i also received a letter immediately after the call (via the portal) stating that they would be "very happy to help in scheduling this important appointment" and that they care about me and keeping me well. so i call back about an hour later to schedule said appointment and after a back and forth being told there is an available appointment-- wait no there isn't-- wait yes there is-- actually no there isn't. i am finally told that there are no available appointments but i can try calling back sometime in july to see if their new schedule has been posted or not. i clarified that no one would be calling me to notify me when a new schedule had been posted despite the fact that they were the ones who called me first about scheduling today and i was just returning that call, and they confirmed that's correct, i would be expected to call myself sometime in july to find out whether or not a new schedule had been posted yet. mind you this wouldn't even be for an appointment in july, it would be for september at the earliest. when i complained about my frustration with the heart group the first time with all the echo back and forth and expressed that i feel my care is not taken seriously i was sent multiple messages assuring me they take my care very seriously, and yet i still do not feel that's the case.

Everyone is very friendly and very thorough. They do not rush your appointment and answer all your questions.

Our first visit was delightful from checking in to checking out! There was no waiting period either which is very rare these days. Everyone we encountered was cheerful, friendly, professional and so very helpful. Dr Marwaha has the most remarkable bedside manner I have ever experienced and what a sense of humor he has! He took his time and explained everything in terms we could understand. Just a great overall experience!!!