It is frustrating, but not really a red flag. I went through this with my pdoc and with my husband's pain specialist, both of which have been fantastic doctors and there have been no problems once we got beyond the initial intake. You really have to get in and meet the doctor before you really decide if it will work or not. Had we rejected my husband's pain doc because his intake person was hard to get hold of initially (come to find out she had been on vacation), we would have rejected very high quality medical care.