My adult medicine doctor, Scott Paparello, is great. The difficulty with Acton Medical Associates is their really dysfunctional phone system. It's so bad I've been thinking of going elsewhere. I've had the caller queue to just begin speaking with a triage nurse, even in the morning, be up to 11 calls ahead of me. That could be a 45 to 60 minute wait. They say just use the online portal, but the portal is only good for non-urgent contact, with Rx requests taking up to 3 business days. AMA needs to hire additional triage nurses and add one or more phone lines. read more

Horrible quality of care. Doctors arrive 20+ min late on multiple occasions. Then they act like you're them a favor. Horrible admin staff that can't handle even simple tasks like refilling prescriptions and referrals. If you have a grievance they always without fail try to blame you the patient. I hope this business gets shut down permanently. read more

I am having a severe back pain and left a VM with the Nurse's station on 7/1. NO follow up was done, no letter of recommendation was made. on 7/9 - I called and after 15mins holding, I got to speak with the same person I had spoken to. I insisted for a Specialist referral and this person and he hung up on me. This is absolutely unacceptable. I wanted to speak to a nurse and this person completely disconnected. This is horrible and should be stopped with the patients when they are reaching out for pain and other illness read more

Make sure you don't ask any follow-up questions during a wellness visit with kids or they will bill you and your insurance company for a SECOND APPOINTMENT and charge you a co-pay for annual physical/well visit. I really wanted to support a small health care system but I've never experienced such dirty billing tricks like I have at Acton Medical. read more

Horrible pcp Sarah Taylor unable to change apparently. One NASTY PCP. Horrible half assed medical care Days waiting for prescriptions called in. Excuses lies and runaround Don't use this practice if you value your health and peace of mind. Definitely do NOT recommend read more

If I could give zero stars i would. At one point I was without insurance because i was in grad school. I asked the nurse practitioner if we could take cost into consideration for my care and she replied "there are two options I can give you my expert medical advice, or you can leave" The administrative staff is rude and unhelpful. read more

The pediatric department of Acton Medical is great, but the adult medicine department is horrible. My first adult medicine doctor was great, until she became the head of the adult medicine department or whatever, then she became very busy and was pretty much dismissing me. Then they put me with another doctor who was awesome, but she left Acton Medical quickly after I started seeing her. So then I asked if I could choose to see a doctor in the practice who was taking new patients, and they said I couldn't, and they just put me with some random doctor. And when I needed to see him because I was having difficulty walking, he basically dismissed my symptoms and said they were all in my head. Thankfully though he was out on vacation when I really needed to see him, so they booked me with another doctor who had an appointment slot available, because she was awesome. She immediately said there was actually something wrong with me and started referring me to specialists to help me. But when my actual doctor I was a patient of came back from vacation, he said the specialists I was referred to wouldn't find anything wrong with me (but they did!). And other things went down with him that I don't need to explain here. So I asked if I could switch to another doctor who's taking new patients they said I couldn't, so that's when I said I'm done with this place and left Acton Medical completely. And in between all of this that went down with my doctor, I was seeing their social worker they have to help me deal with the health issues I was facing (and am still facing) and she started overstepping her boundaries with me. So that's another reason why I left Acton Medical. read more

Acton Medical has no concern for the Medicare patients. They bill however they want and not what the patient insurance covers.

Kept getting conflicting reminders of an appointment -- half were reminders of my appointment as a telehealth visit interspersed with reminders that told me to pre-register and check in at the front address when I arrived (complete wit address and a "click here for directions" button. Finally reached a human who told me that "that's the way the system works". Unacceptable - been using Acton Medical since soon after I moved to town in 1970. read more

The type of care, and quality of care has always been great at this facility, as well as their other satellite locations. I have been going here for many, many years, and after my doctor retired, I had the unfortunate responsibility of having to pick a new doctor, after having a primary care doctor I loved! After a breast cancer diagnosis in 2010, and subsequent surgeries and follow ups, I was able to finally pick a new associate, and then I did not have the same camaraderie with my first pick. I then quickly picked a new doctor, who had just joined the team. Dr. Christine Brown has been wonderful since day one, and I feel very lucky to have a wonderful primary care doctor again, who is so compassionate about her job. Whenever I need an appointment, the staff is always helpful to accommodate and fit me in. The nurses are professional, the wait times in office have gone down and actually got better, and the system seems much more streamlined for care. I am a happy patient, because of my care here, and I hope others will have the same great experiences that I have had, even under sickly circumstances! read more

It just isn't like it was when I had dr OH for over 20 years ,we can't choose our own drs ,just assigned them and told that's it or move on , nurses are still great ,I'm trying to decide to stay or go , to much of a hassle to leave so probably just suck it up read more

STAY AWAY from this practice! They assigned me Dr. Erin Maxfield. I scheduled for an annual physical. I waited 45 minutes (60 minutes if you include the 15 minutes extra time I allotted myself to fill out paperwork) to be seen for maybe 15 minutes where all the Dr. did was listened to my lungs, didn't even check my reflexes or look down my throat or anything! I asked about getting a pap or have my arthritis mucous cysts looked at and was told to go back to my GYN for the pap and my Orthopedic specialist for the cysts. She didn't even want to look at them and then I was charged for a diagnostic visit (not covered by my insurance) instead of an annual physical (covered 100% by my insurance)! Tried to dispute it and it was her word against mine! read more

This used to be such a good practice. Now it's just awful. I've been a patient there for 25 years and have finally thrown in the towel and decided to switch to another practice Don't event think about trying to do ANYTHING over the phone. It's easier to get through to the DMV. My wife had a bad pain in her side. They had her do an ultrasound. They never contacted her with the results. When she finally got through, her Dr. was on vacation. She called back, the Dr. had left the practice. They closed the case and she hasn't got her results 3 months later. I don't have a good rapport with the Doctor I had there. I never worried about it much, but now that I'm a bit older I decided I really needed someone I could communicate with better. I finally got someone to call me back about switching doctors. They told me they couldn't do it. I said it was serious enough an issue for me that I would likely look for another practice. Politely, not threatening. I was told "good luck". No concern at all about how a poor rapport with your doctor is a serious issue. No discussion or question about might else might be done, what my concerns were, etc. Just "good luck". Some good doctors and staff, but lots of arrogance throughout and as an organization, the convenience of the office apparently comes before the needs of patients. I advise you to stay far, far away from Acton Medical. read more

This place is just a plain shame and if you want good quality healthcare go elsewhere... I've been coming here for over ten years and I've finally gotten tired of the horrendous customer service and will be going elsewhere. Let me list some of my reasons: 1. I'm not impressed by the quality of Drs I've seen here. 2. There are constant problems with the medication refill phone line and it always serves to take several calls for them to get my prescription out to the pharmacy. 3. They have a ridiculous scheduling system that makes it difficult to see your primary care physician. 4. Billing always seems to get messed up. I'm ready to pay when I get there but for different reasons on different occasions I have to wait for them to bill me which is very inconvenient. 5. Their online relay health connection stinks. 6. There's always a n extremely long wait to talk to someone on the phone. Wait time almost always exceed 15 minutes. 7. After finally getting through to someone yesterday and asked for a refill on a prescription that I've been out of for over a week now I still don't have a prescription and no one has called me back to let me know why!?!? It's been over 24hrs. 8. I called to speak with Public Relations Kim as she responded to this review and no one there knew who she was. I called in twice and my call was transferred to nowhere and just hung up.... Good grief. I'll be dead before I get my medication refill.... I know there are a few other reasons why I hate this place but I can't think of them this moment. The only real positive I can say is that I've always had very positive experiences with their nurse practitioners. They are always friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. They are why I've stuck around as long as I have. read more

Lately, in the past few years, it's become the worst it's ever been. I've been going to Acton Medical since 1978 and am appalled at how terrible the service is now. When Dr Knights was around it was running like a finely oiled machine, those days are well behind them now. Phone wait times are through the roof. Just trying to speak with a nurse, most days, is impossible unless you're willing to be on hold for a minumum of 25 minutes (on a good day). When you do finally get through to an actual human they're at times rude and condescending. Not all but some. It took me over 3 weeks to get one prescription refilled! Getting an appointment can be an easier task, most the time, but once at the appointment then you have to contend with arrogance on the part of the doctor. The information shared has a tendency to fall on deaf ears also. I'm presently looking around for a better medical office even if I have to travel further to do so it'll be worth it to be rid of this sadly deplorable business. In the 45+ years I've been going here I could never have imagined it becoming the mess it is today! Very sad indeed. read more

I've been going here for 10 years, I've never had any issues. All dr's I've met with have been knowledgeable and personable.

I am a Acton resident for over 20 years and Acton Medical is my go to place for medical needs. I have the same PCP for all these years. But the facility and infrastructure became the worst one recently. You will hardly get an appointment if you need, the only alternative is to go to the nearby urgent care or emerson hospital emergency. Acton Medical phone wait times to get a nurse for an appointment takes you to the roof. Probably, they are taking too many patients that they can't handle. From patients perspective, they are the worst to approach. I give them absolutely zero rating. read more

It feels impossible to reach my provider when I need them. I tested positive for covid yesterday, and tried calling them. Was on hold from1:30-3:00 PM, and the conversation I had with a nurse lasted less than 5 min. I was told I would be called back by a nurse practitioner regarding Paxlovid and still have not heard back from the practice a day later. Now I'm stuck on hold again. The Docs themselves have always been great in person, but I get the feeling this practice is severely understaffed. read more

I agree with many who have noticed that the office service provided has noticeably deteriorated. Consistent 40+ minute wait when you call. For them a "feature" not a "bug" as they don't want to pay people to talk to people. They want you to use the web site. Physicians scheduling out many months so it's so difficult to have a consistent care provider. I am a retired physician and I can honestly say that I would not work there. Full stop. How we greet patients is just as important as how we treat patients. As far as I can tell, they practice within the standard of care. It's simply unpleasant, including, I am sure, for the poor overworked people they put on the phones. If it wasn't, they would not be as short and rude as they sometimes are. read more

Just got dumped after being with this practice for 38 years. (My long-time doctor retired; the newly hired doctor I was assigned to abruptly quit--which I discovered when I arrived for an appointment that was scheduled months ago. The letter from chief of medical staff said, in essence, "you are on your own." Said letter was addressed to "Dear Patient." I realize the primary care situation is bleak right now but this seems so incredibly callous) read more

Acton Medical Associates, PC - "Dear Patient" letter from Acton Medical - Pediatricians Near Me - Acton, Massachusetts

Having my previous review removed, I want to rephrase myself. The primary care and the quality of care is lackluster. The offices are decent but personalities are more bitter than sweet. Think wisely when seeking in the healthcare industry. read more

Been going for 20+ years and its always been easy getting an appointment with my primary care doctor of one of the specialist. Always a short wait in the office as well. The have onside lab and XRAYs so you don't have to travel around. Lots of new doctors recently arriving as well. read more

43 minute wait time to talk to a nurse human on the other end when I was sick. I realize COVID has made office is busier but I just came from another office that I was using for years and this never would've happened.... bordering on bizarre. Longest I've been on hold with any office or company in my 60 years. And I'll take down this rating if it changes in the near future. read more

Acton Medical Associates, PC - Wait time to speak with a nurse when you're sick. - Pediatricians Near Me - Acton, Massachusetts

"I recently visited my primary care physician Dr DiMartino and was shocked by his dismissive and patronizing attitude toward my health issues. It felt like stepping back into the 1950s, where my concerns and symptoms were scoffed at, rather than addressing them with the modern medical understanding and respect they deserve. I left feeling unheard and demoralized, and I would not recommend this physician to anyone seeking compassionate and contemporary care. Id been to him more than 8 years and finally fired him I do not miss his smug and arrogant demeanor. read more

Whomever answers the phone there at Acton Medical and then hangs it up should be fired. Better hiring practices need to happen. On behalf of another provider trying to communicate regarding coordinating patient core, they are incompetent to communicate and pick up the phone. This company and medical practice is extremely inefficient and patients needs do not get met because they do not pick up the phone. read more

Although they do have some good providers, if you have a choice, do not go to the Acton office. It has taken me 6 hours to have them get a correct prescription over to my pharmacy. There have been multiple screw-ups. Every time you call them you are directed to the nurses station (even for non-medical questions) where you are placed in a queue that takes an hour or longer for them to answer. Several calls to them, it still isn't straightened out. So frustrating. If you like waiting endlessly on hold in a phone system, you will love this place. I have been a patient here for over 20 years and the customer service has significantly degraded to the point where I think I have to find a new place. read more

My PCP provider Dr. Louis Berk at Acton Medical Assoc is probably the best I've had in my 55 years. Yes, administrative hoops @ the practice can be frustrating, but show me any medical practice that isn't burdened with such in today's age. Once you learn to navigate their portal system and are established as a patient, it's not onerous. read more

It seems that Acton Medical does not really want to be in the urgent care business. I made a simple request for Saturday assistance with changing a wound dressing and was told it was "not urgent" and therefore they would not help me. As a further insult, the nurse told me to "find a friend". Their Value of Service needs to be re-examined. I have been a patient for over 40 years and have never been treated like this. read more

I have tested positive for COVID and have been unable to get through to anyone at Acton Medical...I waited 20 minutes for someone to pick up and then the switchboard shutdown. The Harlow patient portal is a nightmare! Despite the fact that I have written down my password the patient portal refuses to recognize it. I called the technical support line and still wasn't able to log-on. I've tried to reset my password without success. I would like to be prescribed a monoclonal antibody to help with my COVID symptoms, but can't get through to anyone. Communication with medical stuff must be made easier. I have been a patient at Harvard Atrius, MGH, and Emerson and never experience this frustration. Sarah M. read more

I've been going to Acton Medical for years and have never had a problem getting through when I call. Now, it's a nightmare. 1.5 hours holding to speak with someone. Have called twice now after 8am and the answering service comes on. Called at 8:15, it just rang and rang, finally someone answered. Called to change information, goes right to voicemail twice. Emails are never answered and if you're lucky and they are, it's snotty answer. It's time to look somehwere where they care about their patients. read more

This office is a manager's nightmare. It took 4 months and three visits to get a physical from a nurse who could answer no questions. I still don't have a report. I spent hours with their IT to get their patient portal to work. It doesn't. After many conversations with staff about the procedures of the office, I can defintively say they do not care about patients or outcomes. (They don't spend money improving their patient systems. They do spend on collection infrastucture) They care about collecting money. They have no idea how often their systems fail because they don't want to know. I haven't seen 'my' Dr. in four years. Why must we have PCP? read more

Compassion for patients is SO LACKING at this practice. If any one, or two, of these things had happened, okay; medical practices are busy, sure. But EVERY single interaction with AMA is a battle, and/or requires an extensive wait time. Who has time for this?? The CEOs are obviously too busy building their "empire" (four locations now), they've completely lost sight of the patient experience. And they don't want to spend the money to hire adequate staff to answer the phones; the folks I talk to are often abrupt, but to be fair they're no doubt miserable bc they're dealing with cranky people who have been on hold for far too long. I have been a patient of AMA for over ten years, and oh, where to start..... In no particular order: 1) Me: called AMA with a semi-urgent situation. At first, my call wasn't even picked up, just got a busy signal. Re-dialed, repeatedly. My call was eventually answered but I was on hold for over 40 minutes, while hearing recording a that said, "Your call is important to us" (Hmm, I think not), and "Due to covid-19, wait times may be longer than usual" (covid has been around for over 18 months now.....). Sigh. 2) Me: waited and waited for my new prescription medication to arrive via ExpressScripts, that's what I normally use and what my doctor and I discussed during our appt. When it didn't arrive after two weeks, I contacted AMA and was told it had been called in to my local pharmacy. Me: "Doctor X said it would be sent to ExpressScripts." AMA: "So you don't want it called into CVS?" Me: "No, Express Scripts, as in the past." AMA: "So you'd like us to resubmit this prescription to ExpressScripts?" Me: "Yes. Yes, I would." Sigh. 3) Voicemail from lab: "Please call us to schedule your labs, thanks." Me (calls back): "Hi, I'm calling to schedule an appt for my labs." AMA: "Oh, you don't need an appt; here are our hours, just come in whenever." Me: "Okay, will do." Voicemail from AMA: "Hi, I'm calling, AGAIN, to schedule your labs. Please call us back." Me (calls back): "Hi, I'm calling because I guess I am required to make an appt for lab work?" AMA: "Oh, you don't need an appt; here are our hours, just come whenever." Sigh. 4) Me: "Hi, I think I have an appt on August 5, but on Healow (AMA online portal) it doesn't appear. Can I just confirm that I have an appt on August 5?" AMA (aggravated): "We know, some appointments aren't appearing on Healow. It's a new system. We're asking everyone to be patient." Me: "Sure, no problem, understandable. I could have written it down wrong on my end. So just checking before I take time off work to go to the appt." AMA: "Yes. You. Have. An. Appointment. Then. Is. There. Anything. Else. I. Can. Help. You. With?" Me: "No, thanks so much for your kind assistance." Sigh. 5) Me: has quasi-emergency situation, goes to AMA in-person for advertised Saturday hours. AMA: "There is no doctor on-site at the moment." Me: "But you advertise Saturday urgent appointments?" AMA: "The doctor is not here. If you feel this can't wait until Monday, please go to the ER. Otherwise, please call the office on Monday during business hours." Sigh. When I can actually get through the gate-keepers and speak with my doctor, or a PA, they are great. Clearly the administrative team is focused solely on profit margin. I'm currently making arrangements to leave this practice, and my advice is to avoid AMA at all costs, unless you are looking for layers of bureaucracy and very long wait times. read more

I have been with a doctor I really like at Acton Medical for about 11 years. The last 1.5 years I have needed 2 same day appts. for things like recurrent bladder infections... ( I currently have end stage cancer w several surgeries etc.). I have had a super difficult time getting the only 2 appointments I have needed in 19 months. I called Friday early and they could not squeeze me in anywhere- with anyone- that day for something that likely just needed antibiotics. The condition got a bit better but lingered and so tried again early today on Monday ( 7 people ahead in queue) and was on hold for 30 minutes. Then tried 2 hours later and sent to nurse station for appointment with 10 people ahead in line which would be at least an hour wait. I am just so disappointed as over the years have rarely had anything but physicals. My doc said at last visit to go thru the portal to get an appt. so will try that now... read more

The admin staff are horribly disorganized and it falls on the patient. Appts booked are never entered leaving patients to have to argue with office staff...who are incredibly rude. Doctors and nurses are fantastic, but being able to see one even after scheduling an appt is next to impossible. Look elsewhere for medical care. read more

i called their administration number on the website so i could get their fax number . the woman one the phone was flippant and rude. i was surprised but added extra cheer to my voice cuz i needed the fax number. she explained if i didn't know the doctor i was trying to reach i couldn't get a fax number. ... okay so then look up what doctor is attached to the account you're the one who works there? or just give me literally every fax number you guys have tf. i don't get it. then after i finally got a fax number out of her and thanked her and she hung up on me mid sentence. rude. why have admin staff if they don't want to do their admin duties. read more

I went to Acton Medical Associates today. The doctor I saw basically told me I was lying about my accidental fall and the hurt I feel in my chest. I will NEVER VISIT ACTON MEDICAL AGAIN. Patricia Duncan read more

We have had a great experience with the pediatrics department as well as adult medicine. A physicians assistant is always available if the doctor isn't. We've been able to get same day appointments multiple times. We were having an emergency and they managed to find us a spot the same day that we registered. Dr. Travassos in the pediatric department is amazing with my teen. The phone wait times are not bad, and I usually get right through. Highly recommended! read more

I found it difficult to reach a provider with their primitive email service. It took several emails to get a simple prescription refill. Their COVID policies were onerous in the extreme. I always felt rushed during my appointments. I found information that I was given demonstrably false after a short internet search. I'm glad I switched to another doctor's office - they are MUCH better than Acton Medical. read more

I would like to preface that the reason I have two stars is because I am rating both the pediatric department and adult medicine. FIVE STARS: pediatrics unit of the acton office. Dr. Werner is AMAZING! She listens to all concerns, asks many questions and LISTENS to the answers. Her "bedside manner" is wonderful; my daughter is totally at ease with her. I wish she could be my doctor. ZERO STARS: the adult medicine at the littleton office is ATROCIOUS as was the doctor I saw, Dr. Aggerwaal (unsure of spelling). She is, quite possibly, the worst physician I have ever seen. All she talked about was my weight. I had mentioned it as a concern, that I wanted to lose some, and she went on to say I should do Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. When I said I wanted to discuss a good menu plan I could follow at home and not use the fake food associated with those programs, she asked if I had the money for a personal chef because that was what I needed then. Very sarcastic. She also told me my concerns were psychomatic, that there was nothing to do about any of the things I brought up with her. Her nurse was rushed and not pleasant AT ALL. The lab technicians were unprofessional and rude as well. I have huge veins- no one ever has issues tapping my veins (and I get a lot of bloodwork done), and I left bruised (that has NEVER happened to me anywhere). Additonally, it took over an hr and a half to get me in. The receptionists were talking about "giving it" to a nurse they disliked. Oh, but the drug rep was shown right in, and asked if he brought donuts. Nice. I have also called and left a msg with the nurse station twice around obtaining some paperwork, and no one has called me back,yet their policy is allegedly to return a call in two hours. I will never return to the Littleton office or to the adult medicine part of this practice. However, the Acton Pediatric unit and Dr. Werner are top-notch. read more

I am perplexed by these bad reviews. Frankly, as someone who has worked on the other side of a medical office counter, I think it's a bit silly for folks to expect to be seen immediately as if other patients aren't also due time and attention when their concerns or questions might run long, for doctors not to book out in advance, and to not have some patience with customer service folks. People are difficult to deal with, and these folks have to deal with many people who are not feeling well, who are often navigating a tangle of insurance and stressed out, and who are probably snapping at the CSR because of it. I always give the benefit of the doubt with customer service folks, especially in healthcare - it is NOT an easy job! And in my experience, I most often get what I give as far as how I am treated. As for my medical experiences, I've been an Acton Medical patient for almost my entire life, and I have had very solid experiences with them throughout - especially of late. Dr. Natalie Cohen has developed a solid and trusting doctor-patient relationship with me, making meaningful notes about our conversations so she can follow up next time, never making me feel like she is in a rush, asking about and making suggestions for the health of my whole self, and truly listening and making me feel like she is honestly invested in my well being. She's a rare breed these days when many other doctors have made me feel like they just needed to check off the boxes and get into the next exam room. read more