Klafter Mark J DO — Local services in Pine Castle

The doctor I feel is very Thorough, knowledgeable, patient, kind, and gives the impression that he is there for you so you can get better. It did take me a long time for someone to call me back for an appointment the first time. I went to the office maybe the almost end or middle of March and had to go back The beginning of April. I had some issues where I have certain medical diagnoses which restrict me from a normal MRI machine . The MRI service told me that due to those exceptions. My doctors office would need to do a prior authorization before they could do my MRI. I had never heard of this before so I made sure and asked. Do you want me to call the doctors office or the insurance? They said the doctors office. I’ve worked in pharmacy for almost 20 years and I know for a fact prior authorizations regardless if it’s for medication for a medical supply or service, they are all done through the prescriber. I called the doctors office and for about six minutes I went back-and-forth with Teresa and she kept saying how they never do that. They need to schedule it for you. They don’t know what they’re talking about and after a while of back-and-forth she said please hold and let me see if I can find out. Almost 10 minutes later Evelyn answers the phone and she just says hello. This is Evelyn. I had not spoken to this person today yet. I said I’m holding for Teresa. She said I was told to answer the phone. How can I help you. The correct way to do that would be to say hello. My name is so-and-so. I was told by so-and-so to answer the phone to further assist you how may I help you? Makes sense? Good. Today is April 10 have not heard back anything regarding that check or verification that she was going to do . Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call at 4:33 PM. I missed it because I was working, I stepped out two minutes later and made the phone call and this. Message was saying that the office is closed and that they are now on service. Why would you ask me to call back now? If you are on service? I left a message with the on-call physician. Did not get a call back in the next morning. I had to call three times leave a message the first two on the third attempt someone finally answered. They transferred me to the administrator of the office Jamie . Like I said, I worked for a doctor’s office before and worked very closely with my office administrator, and she behaved well above the minimum standards of common decency. This person stated that she was helping the office staff make calls and that is something that she never does so that’s why she did not leave her name on the answering machine because if I called back, she would not be the one that I would reach out to and she had no answer as to why you would leave a voicemail asking somebody to call back when your phones are already on service. I will definitely be looking for a new Neurologist, because I am already depressed and anxious as it is that I have to go to a neurologist and live in St. Cloud and drive all the way to downtown Orlando to see these people. The doctor is fabulous, but if I have to deal with that office staff one more time I don’t think I’ll be able to hold off an anxiety attack. These people...

Scheduling a first-time appointment here is nearly impossible without multiple attempts. I left several messages with the secretary’s office—no response. The electronic messaging system requires a referral just to have my request reviewed. While I understand procedures, I was willing to provide my medical records upfront. Despite submitting my most recent appointment notes, medication history, and exam reviews, it still wasn’t enough.

When I called another extension (office manager/coordinator), she insisted on a referral even after confirming receipt of my records (the physician did not see it, she claimed it would not be enough). I also explained that my insurance does not require referral, thinking that this would help in anyway, but she was unwilling to assist. As someone relocating, I need to secure my care to avoid running out of medication and triggering a migraine crisis, yet I received no support.

All the necessary information was provided—I simply needed an appointment to at least get on the waitlist while I worked on obtaining any additional referrals they required. Instead, I was met with unnecessary roadblocks, making the process impersonal and inefficient. I cannot speak to the physician’s expertise, but the scheduling system and staff lack the compassion and flexibility that patients in pain need. I cannot recommend a practice that treats patients this way. If this is their first impression, I have deeply concerns about the support and care I would have received if I ever needed further assistance or...

My family member had a referral to Dr Klafter for chronic headaches he'd been experiencing for years. Dr. Klafter reviewed his referral and said because he had facial pain another doctor would be more appropriate. The wait to see the other physician is 8 months.

Cluster headaches cause severe pain on one side of the head, accompanied by symptoms such as nasal discharge, or red or tearing eyes. Exactly what my loved one has been experiencing.

He went to a neurologist at Lakeland Health System, not the one to whom Dr. Klafter referred him, a couple of weeks later. This neurologist diagnosed him as having cluster headaches in one visit.

Why Dr Klafter didn't recognize his symptoms as such and agree to see him makes me wonder if he is a specialist in Cluster headaches. Very...