***Most Recent Information for Patients Concerning Dr. Afrin’s Transition posted September 2017***
***Dr. Afrin’s Commentary on Recent Affairs posted on Wednesday, July 26th, 2017***
***Link to message on Dr. Lawrence Afrin’s transition posted on Thursday, July 20th, 2017***
A message from Dr. Lawrence Afrin:
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
“Next month, I will be relocating to join Tania Tyles Dempsey, MD, founder of Armonk Integrative Medicine (AIM), in the process of establishing a new, state-of-the-art medical institute that will focus on diagnosis, treatment, research, and education regarding multisystem diseases including mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). While this new medical institute is being developed, I will be practicing within AIM’s existing office in Armonk, NY, 914-730-7390, www.armonkmed.com. Please note this website is serving for office contact information only while the institute’s new website is in development.
Dr. Dempsey is an expert in chronic disease, autoimmune disorders, and MCAS. She is sought internationally for her knowledge of chronic immune dysregulation. Dr. Dempsey speaks widely and has recently noted in interviews that more than 90% of her patients have MCAS — similar to my patient population. Dr. Dempsey and I will begin working as a team to serve the needs of patients with suspected and proven MCAS. Current information about Dr. Dempsey and her practice is available at www.drtaniadempsey.com or www.facebook.com/taniadempseymd; again, the www.armonkmed.com website is serving for office contact information only while the institute’s new website is in development.
So as to minimize any disruption to the flow of patients interested in seeing me, I will begin working with Dr. Dempsey in September — even before the institute officially opens. As of August 1, I can be reached at drafrin@armonkmed.com.
IMPORTANT: There is no need for patients who previously had appointments with me for August 2017 or later (or who were on the wait list to see me) to call or e-mail. Although such appointments will be pushed back a bit by the transition, all affected patients can rest assured they will be contacted — and in the order in which they were already in the appointment queue or on the wait list — and offered new appointments in the same order. Patients who do call or e-mail before we contact them will not receive appointments any earlier than the order in which they were already in the queue.
Many patients must be contacted; this process will take time, and the patience of patients interested in re-establishing appointments with me is greatly appreciated. If you previously had an appointment with me for August 2017 or later, or were on my wait list, and you have not been contacted by November 30, you are welcome to inquire with AIM past that point. Again, calling early will not gain a patient an earlier appointment.
Also as previously noted, both during and after the transition, I will be happy to continue assisting other health professionals who contact me in their efforts to help patients with known or suspected mast cell disease. The more health professionals who understand under-recognized multisystem diseases such as MCAS, the better for everybody!
Finally, I would like to openly acknowledge that care for patients with multisystem diseases such as MCAS is complex and time-consuming, factors not sufficiently considered by the current health care financing system. For many reasons, my practice, like Dr. Dempsey’s practice, will not be able to directly bill insurance; patients will be responsible for full payment for professional services when rendered and will need to seek insurance reimbursement on their own. Patients with questions about such matters are encouraged to discuss them with AIM staff when contacted and offered appointments.”