Dr. Nazem W Akoum

When I called to make an appointment, I explained the situation and that I was basically looking for someone who could refill my meds and order an echocardiogram for me. I have been living with AFib for many years and was on a maintenance schedule of meds and annual/semiannual echocardiograms. This was not a complicated case. I wasn't looking for a diagnosis or treatment advice. They said my visit could be handled with a telehealth appointment.Dr. Akoum spent 15-20 minutes talking with me and when I said the main reason for the appointment was to get an echocardiogram scheduled, he said he would order it. When I specifically asked how I would know when to go in for the procedure, he said they would call me after clearing it with my insurance company. He never did this and I got two bill for his 15 minutes - one for a "facility fee of $66 and one for $351 for 15 minutes of service, the bill said appt took 45-59 minutes.

My cardiologist left his practice so I went searching for a new one. I settled on Dr. Nazem Akoum at UW Medical Center. When I called to make an appointment, I explained the situation and that I was basically looking for someone who could refill my meds and order an echocardiogram for me. I have been living with AFib for many years and was on a maintenance schedule of meds and annual/semiannual echocardiograms. This was not a complicated case. I wasn't looking for a diagnosis or treatment advice, as I was already on an accepted protocol that was working well for me. They said my visit could be handled with a telehealth appointment and we scheduled a time - December 10, 2021. Dr. Akoum spent 15-20 minutes talking with me and when I said the main reason for the appointment was to get an echocardiogram scheduled, he said he would order it. When I specifically asked how I would know when to go in for the procedure, he said they would call me after clearing it with my insurance company. After a month, I hadn't heard back from Dr. Akoum, so I called his office to see what was going on. I was told I had to call the people who administer the echo myself (although I had been told they would call me). When I did so, no one answered the phone. When I called back to make sure I had the right number (I did), I explained no one answered the phone and asked if they could help me. I was told that scheduling an echo was up to me and that they couldn’t help me. In the meantime, I got a bill from UW Medicine and paid the $30 copay. I didn't look at the bill, which was my fault. About a month later, I get another bill from them, saying I owe a $40 copay (on a $351.40 bill) When I called to find out what I was being asked to pay two copays, I was told the first bill was for a "facility fee," which was $66.36. I asked why I was being charged a "facility fee" when I hadn't even gone to a facility. They said it was because Dr. Akoum was calling from a UW facility. When I examined the second bill I got, it said my telehealth visit was 45-59 minutes in duration, I said I spoke with Dr. Akoum for less than 20 minutes, so why the discrepancy? They said that time include chart review. But it was clear from our conversation that Dr. Akoum had spent little to no time reviewing my chart and the average time doctors spend reviewing charts is 16 minutes. Dr. Akoum ignored my pleas for help and overcharged me for it. When I wrote to have my copay waived, he refused.

After 2 failed cardioversions to fix my persistent symptomatic Afib, my cardiologist referred me to Dr. Akoum. Due diligence showed that Dr Akoum performs more ablations than just about any other Electrophysiologist in the Seattle area. Despite above-average fibrosis in my heart, which reduces the chances of success for the Ablation procedure, Dr Akoum and his team restored my heart back to strong sinus rhythm. If you suffer from Atrial Fibrillation, I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Akoum. He is a superb doctor.

Dr Akoum should have been a great doctor. But he's doing research and I think this got in the way.

This user rated the provider, but did not write a review

This user rated the provider, but did not write a review

This user rated the provider, but did not write a review