Joseph Ortenberg, MD

My 80+ yo mother has been under the care of Dr. Ortenberg for approximately 10 years. It appears to me that there are times when you have been with a doctor so long - it is not always a good thing. They potentially become complacent. I believe that was my mother's experience. She went to a follow up in Aug 2023 due to experiencing pain. She was sent for testing which came back 'negative' of anything being wrong. But she continued to have the same complaints. She was told 'there is a procedure I could do but I am not ready to do so yet'. She received new medication - when she went to confirm with the pharmacy (on a Saturday) that it was ready she was told it had been cancelled by the doctor's office. When she called the office (assuming that a cardiologist office would have after hours support) she was told to "call back Monday or go to the ER". When she called on Monday, she did not receive a return call until Tuesday. When she expressed that her medication needs had fallen through the cracks, she was told "We have been swamped." Moving forward she continued to have symptoms. She ended up having an attack in public, was taken by ambulance to the nearest hospital where, despite tests showing 'negative' they immediately admitted her and planned to take her to the cath lab the next morning. They listened to the patient and family when the history was shared and nothing continued to improve. She had another attack while on monitors and was taken back immediately. The cardiologist expressed had she gone another week doing the same thing it would have killed her. He was very clear at the seriousness of the situation. She told me after her appointment with Ortenberg she did not feel he was taking her seriously. Dear Dr. Ortenberg - it wasn't in her head and it was her anxiety - nor was it vascular. But she trusted you. The medication failure certainly was NOT in her head and is absolutely disgusting that it even happened but then for office staff to use the excuse of 'we were swamped', seriously? I suggest that you take on only as many patients as you can actually care for and listen to -not as many as will fit in your waiting room. Thanks to the ER doctor and Cardiologist that did not believe it was in our head - we get to celebrate her birthday this weekend and not plan her funeral.

There was very little wait time before beginning the initial preparation to be seen by the doctor. Upon completion of this, an ECG was done and shortly thereafter Dr. Ortenberg entered the room. He was cordial and had prepare for my visit. I am very satisfied with his competence as well as his bedside manner. I asked him to accept me as a patient for cardiac related problems and he agreed. Thank you for the opportunity to recommend Dr. Ortenberg.

I did not have a long wait. Staff was efficient and completed the process timely and I did not wait more than five minutes before Dr came in to see me. He was professional and very kind. He answered all my questions and assured me that I will have a pleasant experience when I do my stress test. He walked me to the desk to schedule my test and two days later, I came back to do the actual test. As usual, it is uncomfortable during the test but the staff were kind and efficient. They made sure we got the testing done as quickly as possible.

The check-in procedure was smooth. I was called back before my scheduled appointment time. The medical assistant promptly went through my meds and got my EKG done. Dr. Ortenberg was also very prompt and his exam was thorough. I have no complaints about this visit to Consultants in Cardiology.

Dr Ortenberg saved my twin sisters life. He is also keeping an eye on me to prevent me from having a heart attack. My husband had a heart attack one year after my sister. They were both saved and still here today due entirely to this amazing staff.