Klapholz Ari MD

I found that Dr. Klapholz is a great doctor. Compassionate and caring (rare these days) who was concerned about my issues, listened and spend a good amount of time with me. I am well on my way to feeling much better. I have already recommended the good Doctor to a co-​worker who will see him. Highest possible recommendation.

One of my doctors recommended this guy to me so I decided to see him. He may be intelligent but he sure doesn’t hire intelligent people. I just spent 30 minutes going around in circles in their ridiculous phone tree. Ten different people got confused and transferred me to another person who either got more confused or simply hung up. Five of them asked me my name and date of birth and said, «I’m sorry but you’re simply not in our system.» I finally had to give up.

Dr. Klapholz is a GREAT doctor and his assistants in the office are very nice and helpful; however, getting a prescription refilled or getting a new prescription after switching insurance is a NIGHTMARE.
The two times I’ve had to get a prior authorization called in have been truly the worst time sinks I’ve ever experienced. Their phone wait times are very long to start with, the answering service is unhelpful, and you have to *constantly* follow up with them to make sure prior authorizations and prescription refills get done. If there is a problem on their end, they simply will not call you back!!!
After calling Dr. Klapholz’s office a dozen times and having 5 actual conversations with them over the past week and a half, my prior authorization has still not been *initiated* from Dr. Klapholz’s office. I am very frustrated as this is not the first time it’s been impossible to get something crucial done related to a prescription. I certainly will be switching doctors, which is a shame, because I really valued Dr. Klapholz’s opinion and services, but I can’t continue to sink hours into trying to get a prescription refilled.

He’s a great doctor. We used him for a sleep issue that had been going on for a year, and he successfully solved the issue with just one office visit and a few follow ups by phone. His diagnosis and treatment method was right on.
He also is a very nice guy!

A DECENT SLEEP LAB, A MEDIOCRE DOCTOR:
When I underwent a sleep study at Klapholtz’s Sleep & Pulmonary Associates of NY, I couldn’t fall asleep. Thus, Klapholtz could only guess if I had sleep apnea.
No sleep study = no scientific diagnosis.
A year later, and much wiser, I now know that good medical practice would require that Klapholtz tell me to «come back another night», and try the sleep study again.
Instead, not having a sleep study to refer to, Klapholtz «guessed» that I had apnea, and prescribed an auto-​pap for me, basically sight unseen.
The AutoPap machine would try to auto-​detect my apnea (if I had any) and then try to find a pressure (from a very wide range of pressure) that would attempt to reduce the number or severity of apneas I suffered.
By no means is this the diagnostic or therapy of choice. If it was, there would be no need for sleep labs, or sleep technicians.
I used the machine for two nights in a row, each time waking up gasping for air.
The machine Klapholtz prescribed without testing me was over-​pressuring my airway, a risk when an unthinking machine tries to deduce what will work for you.
I instantly returned the machine, and tried to discuss the possibility of another sleep study with Klaphotz. He was curt and arrogant, insisting that I didn’t need another study. At the time, I didn’t know enough to rebut him.
Frustrated with Klapholtz, I tried another local sleep lab, Sleep Disorders Institute of NYC.
There, I did sleep, and SDI successfully diagnosed the exact parameters of my disease (I had severe sleep apnea), and prescribed a pressure designed to precisely match what I needed. The medical director at SDI, Stephen Lund, is the polar opposite of Klaphotz; he is unhurried, carefully considers his options, and is quick to admit when he has made a mistake.
Now armed with a correctly calibrated CPAP, I am one of the lucky 50% of apnea patients who haven’t given up on their therapy, and, today, a year later, I am using my CPAP religiously.
Of course, if I had let Klapholtz manage my care, with his astonishing ability to diagnose patients without running a study where they actually fall asleep, I likely would’ve been one of the unlucky 50% of patients who gives up on his therapy, which can have serious consequences.
The parent facility, New York Cardiovascular Associates, has some great people on it’s staff, but from my (admittedly single snap-​shot) perspective, Klapholtz is not one of them.
Fortunately, there is a fantastic forum called CPAPtalk (Google it), where you can educate yourself, talk to veteran CPAP users, and even some expert sleep PSTs and MDs. I learned an enormous amount there, and I recommend it to all those who suffer from sleep apnea.

i have been with this doctor for many years, and recently, after a visit, i tried to reach him because i had a few additional questions. it was impossible. he will not use email. messages go ignored. when he did return a call and got my voice mail, he simply greeted me and left no useful information. i left at least 6 messages. i was never able to get answers to my questions following the visit. if you need to talk to your doctor after your visit, you are in trouble with this doctor!

I think I am one of the few «sane» people that comes to the Sleep & Pulmonary Associates of NY.
I don’t know why, but I hate waiting in the waiting room with bunch of crazies and some looks really dirty — I feel dirty sitting around with the questionable people, since I am a germaphobe.
None of the less, I really like Dr. Klaphoz — he’s really nice and so is the lady who runs the tests. I forget her name, but pretty damn cool.
They have the latest machines and unlike the other doctor that I’ve been to… they have a nose pincher. Pretty high-​tech I told the lady and she laughed like I was joking. I really wasn’t joking — considering the other facility, the assistant had to literally hold my nose with her own very hands.
The front desk assistant could be a bit more friendlier though, but other than that… I totally recommend.