We have been patients at Camelback Peds since 2012. Both my daughters have been seen by most of the group of peds. A year ago I would have definitely given them 5 stars but this year I have not been satisfied at all with the care we have received. Our 2 favorite doctors have left the practice, it took 4 office visits for the doctor to finally diagnosis my daughter with reactive airway disease - and I had to be insistant with the office for further examination. On our last well visit, the doctor we saw barely took time to answer my questions and inversed the vaccinations my daughter's were receiving that day - thank goodness I caught that! The last straw for us was this morning, as I called to make a well visit. The person I spoke with on the phone had me repeat my daughter's birthday at least 3 times, her name twice and stated that she was in the wrong file....and then asked me if we were scheduling my daughters 12 year old well visit when it was for a 12 month visit. Clearly distracted. I did not schedule as they are pretty busy when we need to be seen and I was given a quick and "thoughtful" (sarcasm here) thank you and hung up on. I feel like we are now just a number instead of actual patients. Very unfortunate. We will be taking our children elsewhere from now on. Good Luck Camelback Peds and a word of advice-train your scheduling staff a bit better on proper ettiquette. There is still a finesse to customer service that clearly your staff has a lack there of. read more

One of the most important things (my take) about writing a review is to be objective and keep your emotions in check, as they tend to hinder your message. For that, I will do my very best, because I am not really happy with any of my visits, here. While the doctors are outstanding professionals and human beings, the supporting staff is not so "supporting" at all! When my wife and I came for the first time to the clinic's Meet and Greet" while she was pregnant, we were extremely excited. Not only is the clinic a five minute drive from our home, but we were fascinated with the pediatricians. Dr. Scharf is very good with people; and as a doctor, he knows what he's doing. The front desk staff? Wow! I do not understand, how an institution is not concerned about the customer service. Working on the field for most of my youth, I grew very respectful and appreciative to those who are passionate about such an important part of the business. The staff here are extremely careless, and sarcastic. It would be very unfair for me to generalize and include the complete front desk staff, as there might be one of them, whom is usually very nice, mostly all the time. We have visited this clinic about 4 times or so, and we have to always wait almost one hour to be seen. The doctors seem to always be late. Always! While, we understand when they are with another baby, they have to take their time; therefore, they are not to be blamed, but those doing the scheduling. Which, brings us back to the how incompetent their "supporting" staff is. Time management from their staff et al, is nothing short of flawed. I hope one day the PA's et al, take time of their busy schedule and read these reviews that are hurting their business so much. As for us, the patient's parents, we can always find another staff, with not only the skills and care to tend to our babies well being, but also, a customer service staff that is pleasant and happy with what they do. My ¢.02 read more

I was a patient of Dr. Appely as a child. And now my children see her. Over the last 14 years we have seen all the doctors here, and they are excellent! Each doctor is very different. I appreciate the diverse personalities of the team. In fact we live in Peoria and drive 20 miles to take our kids there. That is a testament to the quality of this group of pediatricians. Yes, they are busy. Get to your appointment early. Yes, they do get booked. They are that good. read more

I have been coming here for three years, and I just have to say I just love this place. They are always able to make room for us if there is a urgent need, they are very accommodating for working parents, the staff is friendly, and the doctors are wonderful. I don't even worry about which doctor or P.A. I get during a visit. I have never had a bad experience here! read more

Everything about this practice has been a dream so far. I transferred care here after I felt dismissed and brushed off at my kid's other pediatric office. The very first visit Dr. Apley ordered blood work and we found out the next day my kid has some type of immune deficiency. Since then I've seen Dr. Alexander and Dr. Strupe (?), too and they have all been awesome. They are respectful to me, playful and attentive with my child and incredibly thorough. Other awesome perks of Camelback Peds include: the most awesome phlebotomist (my 16 mo old hardly even cried!), my FMLA paperwork was filled out same day, and the nurses were super knowledgeable about my FSA/health account where most dr offices get super confused and make me pay in advance. I can't say enough about their service, their care and their office procedures. I'm so grateful I found them! PS. My mom took me there when I was a kid, and loved the practice just as much. Dr. Apley and Dr. Alexander were my doctors too. I wish I'd listened to my Mom sooner when she suggested I try them out! read more

Unresponsive when needed the most! Likely we will go back to urgent care while simultaneously seeking another pediatric group who actually care. Here's the background: We had to take our 1 year old to the urgent care where she was diagnosed w/ 2 ear infections and pneumonia. We were instructed to follow up with our Ped the following day. We called twice to speak with a dr because our girl wouldn't take her antibiotics and we were seeking alternatives. We never received a call back despite being promised one. Without antibiotics our daughters is deteriorating but the clinic doesn't respond. read more

Between our two boys, we've seen all of the docs here (even the ones that have left/retired) and we love this place. They do a great job squeezing in sick children for an appointment, and both Dr. Struble & Dr. Scharff have bent over backwards to help our boys when they were ill. Having a good pediatrcian is important to my family, and we have loved our experience with Camelback over the last 3 years. read more

I LOVE this place! All the staff and doctors are so nice and I think your in good hands with whoever your with. I've seen a few pediatricians and they were all great, but Crystal ended up being the best fit for us and she is Amazing. She cares, is very considerate about being on time, and at the same time also spends time to always make sure everything is alright and to answer any questions and concerns you may have. However, because how great she is she does book out so you have to plan ahead. I'm so happy I found Camelback Pediatrics and hope to bring my son for many years to come! read more

SO. MUCH. BETTER. We've loved Dr. Struble from the get go, but the office staff made us consider a new pediatrician. They've cleaned house and gotten a whole new front office staff. They are friendly, responsive, and just plain personable...MILES better than the previous staff. We LOVE LOVE LOVE Dr. Struble (ask her to share her Poop Detective book). read more

I liked them at first, Dr. Scharff is a very nice man. Things were going good until my daughter was about 5 months old. I brought her in one day because she was tugging at her ear and she was breathing a little funny. One of the docs, can't remember her name, rushed through our appointment and said nothing was wrong with her. I took her to Phoenix Children's E.R. that night and it turns out that she had bronchiolitis and and ear infection. More recently my daughter came in for a double ear infection, she was prescribed antibiotics and I left them out on accident. I called Walgreens to get a refill and they told me the doctor would have to approve it. She approved it but then my insurance said it was too soon for a refill. I called my insurance and was informed that the doc's office needed to call and get an override. I called them back and relayed the info and not even 60 seconds later Polly (a nurse) called me and said it wouldn't be covered because it was my fault that I'd left the medicine out. I asked her if she even called them and she said "no I just know they won't". If I was naive I wouldn't have called Express Scripts myself but I did. The lady said that my plan allowed a replacement refill and it was approved immediately. I called back to let Polly know that maybe she should check first before telling a parent that and the lady at the front desk acted like I was annoying her and rushed me off the phone. Linda, the lady who answers the phone 90% of the time acts like she works in a call center and has a quota she must reach for talk time. She talks super fast and rushes you off of the phone. I know it's a business but these people do not REALLY care about your children and they herd you through the office like cattle. I called and left a message for the office manager and what do you know, two days later and still no call. Hmmm. I will not be taking my daughter there anymore!! Guess that'll make more available room in the waiting area. :) read more

I am appalled at how this place operates. The staff are rude (the woman who sets appointments gave me attitude on several occasions), the doctors come and go because they don't give them enough time to see and get to know patients. They book infant and toddler well-visits 10 minutes apart. That is not enough time to check out an infant and administer shots. I would give "0" stars if I could. I have been trying for 3 weeks to get my 18 month in for a well visit and shots. They have NO appointments and cannot accommodate around my working mom schedule. read more

I have been taking my kids to see Dr Nania since they were born. She is a wonderful doctor who helps me manage my children's health proactively. My daughter has asthma and it is a very aggressive, she often is perfectly fine during the day and then at night will take a dramatic turn. Dr Nania has saved us from many dreaded hospital visits by making sure that we are stocked up on all her medications even if we are there seeing her about an unrelated issue. She will even ask about my other kids and both nieces who all go to her on my recommendation. Love the office and nurses as well. Great doctor's office!! read more

I LOVE Dr. Campbell. we have been taking all 3 of our kids here for 9 years the staff is amazing and very "on top" of my kids needs. i am a nurse and my husband is a physician and we are very picky about our doctors. Camelback peds. is way above expectations!! read more

Dr Struble is wonderful! I am a nanny and have cared for lots of kids. With that comes a lot of experience with pediatricians. Dr Struble tops them all! She never rushes, answers all of your questions plus some, and is extremely devoted to her patients. She has a great memory too! She is a mom too that can relate to all of your feelings as a parent and will never take any question or issue lightly. read more

I had been going to Camelback Pediatrics since my daughter was born. She is 11 months old. Initially I really liked the place because they were able to get us in right away when needed. I have had 2, inexcusable, bad experiences and have since decided to no longer take my daughter there. To be fair, Dr. Alexander is phenomenal. I REALLY like him, but the practice he works at is terrible. Bad Experience #1: I had taken my daughter to urgent care on a Friday because she developed a really high fever (103.5). The doctor told me that she was probably fighting a viral infection & to watch it because it could be a urinary tract infection. She said if my daughter wasn't better by Monday to take her into our regular pediatrician. Her high fever continued so I took her into Camelback Pediatrics and saw Dr. Scharff on Monday. He decided that it was a good idea to get a urine sample & we had to do it via catheter. (My poor lil baby!) He told me that if we didn't hear back from them by 2pm the next day to call in to get the results of the urinary analysis. Sure enough, we didn't hear anything by 2pm so I called the office at about 2:20pm. No answer. It was the Tuesday before the 4th of July which fell on a Wednesday this year so the office had closed early!!! I called the after hours answering service & they said to call back again & they'd page the doctor again if they didn't call me back within 45 minutes. I did this FOUR TIMES. Finally the person at the answering service told me that they had talked to the doctor being paged and were told that the doctor did not have access to lab results from home. Okay, fine. Why couldn't the doctor call & tell ME that the first time I had her paged??? The doctor on call was Dr. Apley. I have seen other negative reviews about this pediatrician as well. Most people know that if a urinary tract infection goes untreated it can become a kidney infection which is quite serious. My husband and I decided to take out daughter to Phoenix Children's Hospital since her fever was still really high & the pediatrician never got back to us with the test results and we'd have to wait until Monday to get them. It's unbelievable that an office would close early a day before the holiday without making sure all patients had been given their test results. Especially one as potentially serious as my daughter's. It was double bad that the doctor on call didn't have the courtesy to at least call ME back the first time she was paged and tell me they couldn't get the results for me. Unbelievable. So my daughter ended up getting a catheter again because of their irresponsibility. Bad Experience #2: I was recently out of town and my daughter got a really bad diaper rash. I tried different diaper rash creams and nothing seemed to phase it. Friends of mine had told me that their pediatricians had prescribed diaper rash creams that cleared it up quickly. So on Friday morning, I called the pediatricians office & put in a prescription request at 8:30am. Since I know how they do things, I called back at 4:30pm to check on the status of my request. The lady told me that they hadn't gotten to it yet, but to call my pharmacy after 5pm to check to see if they got it. Sure enough I call the pharmacy at 5:45pm and no prescription was called in... The pediatricians office closes at 5pm and it was a Friday. So basically they left me out of town, for an entire weekend with a baby with a horrible diaper rash. I called in on Saturday morning just to make sure they perhaps didn't get it submitted until after office hours & nope, no prescription. That was the final straw!!!! I am done with them. read more

I have been with Camelback Pediatrics for too many years. Why we have stayed is beyond me. Dr. Apley is only in it for the $$. She's cold, and rushes through every visit. The office staff is terrible. I'm so glad we switched pediatricians . read more

I have been taking my girls to Camelback Pediatrics for almost five years. I only have amazing things to say about this place! I refer all my friends with kids to Camelback. The office is clean, but also old school - no toys for kids to all play with and get germs all over, the doctors all have an office in each wing of the patient rooms and over all just a cool vibe. The staff is always friendly and welcoming. I usually don't wait more that 15 minutes to go back, which for a doctor office lets be realistic, is amazing! We see Dr. Alexandar and he is super caring and not "medicine happy." If your kids are sick he will prescribe something, but doesn't seem to jump the gun in issuing meds or pushing vaccines. If you want to delay shots a bit he is totally cool with your decision. When I have sick child they are always able to get me in that day and I really appreciate that. For well checks you will need to schedule those in advance, but I would prefer that than not being able to get in a sick child. Take your kids - sick or well they will take great care of them! read more

I received a bill for a missed appointment and called multiple times and left multiple messages to try and resolve the issue with no answer or call back. After a few months of trying the billing line I had to schedule my 2yos well visit and was told that she cannot be seen by the doctor until the no show fee had been paid. I tried to explain to the billing department Conroy (first attempt) and Sheila (second attempt) (both were extremely rude and unprofessional) that I had not received any reminders or messages. I was told they had an advanced phone system that records everything including the supposed phone call made to my phone and leaving it a message. Since the office manager never got back to me I'd like to ask her this question now... if your phone system is so advanced and able to record the message left to my phone, why is it that not a single phone call of mine and message left have been returned? I have noticed other reviews with the same issue of the staff not allowing children to see patients without paying the no show fee. I'm not sure if this phone system can be used in the court of law to prove that a reminder call had been made. I also don't believe that it is ethical for a sick child to be turned away by a doctors staff because of a questionable fee. I will be reporting them to the Board of Medical Review and I encourage anyone who has experienced this same problem to do the same. read more

I would highly recommend Camelback Pediatrics. This place was recommended to me by a friend that works in the neonatal unit at St. Josephs, and a different friend that works at Phoenix Children's Hospital. WHAT AN EXCELLENT PLACE! I have seen a few of the doctors, and they have all been very friendly and personable. They calmly answer all of my questions, and explain things very clearly. My son is an infant, and everyone that handles him at this office always manages to get a huge smile out of him. The office is divided for sick and healthy patients, and there is also an infant room, to keep the babies away from the germs. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a pediatrician. read more

We love Dr. Gnagi! The staff here is wonderful and always prompt for appointments. We have been bringing our baby here for the last 4 months and are extremely happy. I would highly recommend. read more

I am conflicted about this one. The doctors have been great for the most part. I do think that sometimes I am given advice that is pretty "one size fits all" instead of considering my son's individual needs. However, I get that the doctors only have so much time and they are likely going with the "one size fits most" and relying on the parent to sort it out. Fair enough. However, office staff is terrible. They are rude, dismissive and not friendly at all. Last time we were there I asked if the staff could get some medical information for me and was told, "Eventually, I don't really care." What does that even mean?? Yes? I have asked to set up follow up appointments and was told (when there in person) that they were too busy and just to call them later. Seriously? I saw the reviews here and chose to go there anyway. Frankly, not many medical offices I have been to have a super friendly staff and I figured I would give them the benefit of the doubt as the doctors get such great reviews. The reality is that the office staff is a huge part of what makes a doctor's office work and run well, or not. We are seriously considering going to a different pediatrician at this point. read more

Can't imagine how they could do things better here. Been coming here for over 8 years. By now have seen every doc at least once since they cover for each other, and we have the utmost respect for each one, they are all awesome. Patient, kind, don't make you feel rushed. Like that the waiting room separates sick and well kids. You just get the feeling from each doc that they truly enjoy what they do. read more

Worse staff ever! Very rude, disrespectful, and staff that doesnt know what they are doing! How do u schedule an appointment before knowing what the appointment is for? Why is it that im waiting in the office and they tell me they dont know if they accept our insurance?? This will be our LAST visit! The office manager, who did not introduce herself, but has pneumonia, was rude and was not trying to mend the situation, instead inflamed it by walking away from me. read more

Our children have been relatively healthy since birth, thus most visits to Camelback Pediatrics have been preventative in nature. Unfortunately our experience with this practice is overall negative due to the difficulty of communicating with the office. Faxes are lost, messages routinely unanswered for days, as one person here pointed out, sometimes the wait time on the phone to make an appointment is 10-20 minutes. Camelback seems to have too little resources to provide quality administrative customer care in addition to their overall good pediatric care. Some may find that the medical side of pediatric care is most important, but I find that in terms of competency, most family medicine doctors seem to be the same, the difference is in the ease of getting routine things done like scheduling, appointment wait times, friendliness and attitude of the office staff, access to nursing staff for simple medical questions, and ease of obtaining copies of vaccination and medical records...all of which seems so difficult at Camelback compared to the new practice we are with. I would also like to comment about Dr. Apley who I see has been mentioned in several reviews. In our experience, Dr. Apley has done a wonderful job treating our kids. We dealt with several ear infections one year and saw Dr. Apley for most of those urgent visits. She is matter-of-fact physician which I prefer to the chit-chatty ones considering how little time we have in the examination room to discuss real issues. Dr. Apley always understood our concerns and respected our decisions for treatment actions. We moved and we are no longer with Camelback Pediatrics. read more

I love Dr. Apley but the office is horrible. You can't get anyone on the phone, I've had to request prescriptions several times before they are filled (repeating ones my child has had for years, not new ones.) Finally, don't ever take any of their referrals. They sent my daughter to the worst orthopedic surgeon I had ever seen. Recommendations: Review or at least know about your referrals. Just looking them up on the web and giving a name, does not work. He wasn't even a pediatric one, but a geriatric one! Get a new phone system, I tried from 4:40 - 5:00 to get through but all I got was "thank you for calling Camelback Pediatrics. Please view our web." Seriously? What web? Your webpage is worthless. Most doctors have interactive webpages you can view your own files, pay bills, leave messages etc. I hope you really take these recommendations to heart. I've only go there because I love Dr. Apley, but this is not the way you would want your office run. And yes, I have complained before, but obviously, nothing gets done. read more

I have been taking my daughter to Camelback Pediatrics since she was about 4 months old. We started off at Scottsdale Children's group and left after a several very bad experiences with Dr. Katherine Lichtsinn. Since the switch I have seen almost all of the Doctors at Camelback Pediatrics and they are all wonderful! Very nice and caring staff willing to listen to parent concerns. Most recently I had the pleasure of working with Crystal Osterneyer who is new to the practice. Crystal definitely knows how to work with children and is able to make them feel comfortable in a scary situation. Her exam was very thorough and she sought out a second opinion from Dr. Apley on something I had a concern about. I really admired her professionalism and how she was able to put my daughter and me at ease. Thanks Camelback Pediatrics for your consistently great service! read more

Love, love, love Dr. Struble and Dr. Apley. They've both been great. They listen and give me way more time than I've experienced elsewhere. The waiting room blissfully does not have toys that I have to try to keep my kids off of for fear of sickness and is clean, though I'd prefer more separation for sick and well-visit waiting areas. Our pediatrician in DC had separate rooms, so I guess I got spoiled. The cost of care is ridiculously exorbitant. $100 flat (10% copayment) to tell me my child had vertigo from large ear wax clumps that they flushed with water. Should've seen that coming when you're mere blocks from the Biltmore. Like the many other reviews, I dread dealing with the office staff in ANY way. They're rude, they yell my contact info across the waiting area, the appointment-setter talks so fast I feel like I'm getting brain-whiplash trying to keep up, and the worst part is they hold your ID until after your appointment so you don't skip out on your payment. "Welcome to our practice. Let me treat you like a common criminal," does not make a good first impression. But I can honestly say I've never, ever been to a doctor that does have friendly, helpful, or kind office staff so maybe I just need to accept this kind of behavior as the new norm and move on? At the end of the day, I take my kids there for the AMAZING doctors, not the staff, $, or waiting room so that's what keeps us coming back. read more

Have two kids (6y & 2y) who have been here since they were newborns. The Drs and PAs are great and really care, the office staff has changed over the years and I remember a time where they were pretty rude & one time they made me leave my license while we were being seen which I 100% do not understand... We have always had Cigna PPO and now Blue cross PPO which are both good insurance plans. Luckily they are a lot better now! Really sad Dr Alexander retired, he was the best! read more

In my opinion, what's important about a physicians' office is the quality of the physicians. In that respect, I have only very good things to say. We have seen a few of the doctors for well child visits as well as for sick visits. We have found the doctors to be personable, knowledgable, and professional. They take the time to answer questions and don't seemed rushed. Their office is not perfect (though no office is perfect). Sometimes it can be difficult to schedule a regular check up as they are busy. We have requested an after hours call that did not get answered on the first call. The front desk staff, however, have only been courteous, as have the medical assistants and nurses. I have read the negative reviews on this site and have had a very different experience. read more

Terrible office staff. I have been trying to get them to fax my medical records for the past two days and I keep calling just to be sent to voicemail. Very simple request and can be done within minutes. I've been going here since I was 7 (now 21) and I get treated like this by someone who is likely my own age. Annoyed to say the least read more

It is unfortunate the circumstances some reviews are experiencing. I was fortunate to find Dr. Struble when re-locating in the Valley. She is a wonderful physician and always responsive. I find it hard to believe that she didn't get back with a parent with a sick child...without there being so sort of miscommunication...but don't fault the parents for the concern, especially a new parent. It is a tough and terrible flu/winter season. It's hard to be a physician right now...there is a lot of need and I know they are working very hard right now because of the sheer volume of illness this season. Hope others have the same experience I have had... read more

Dr Struble has been my kids pediatrician and she is the best. The office is truly calmer with the new staff.

I've been going to this practice for years and always feel like my kids are loved and well taken care of by every doctor I've seen. I have had to wait at times for my appointments, but I never mind because I know my kids will not be rushed through their appointments. Thank you Camelback Peds for loving my kids! read more

All the providers here are amazing! Each one has such a unique personality and way of caring. We have had appointments with pretty much all of them and they're all wonderful. We recently needed to see someone fairly quickly and we were able to get a same day appointment with Crystal. She was new to us and it was a blessing we saw her. She is so caring and attentive, we can tell she truly cares for our child's well being as she would her own family. Over all this is a fabulous practice and I would highly recommend. read more

WE LOVE CAMELBACK PEDIATRICS! My son has been consistently sick since the day he was born, sometimes with stuff that is very scary! Camelback Pediatrics is so wonderful to us, but more importantly to our son! He loves going and loves his Dr. Struble! I worry all the time about my son and his health, if I am ever unsure, I just call or go in and they are so accommodating and awesome! When my son came in barely breathing, they didn't hesitate to take us back IMMEDIATELY! We left on an ambulance that day. It made me realize, the occasional wait we may encounter is most likely due to a child who needed immediately, severe, and LONG service. They are wonderful, front staff and the doctors, I would recommend them (and have) to anyone!! read more

I have been going to Camelback Pediatrics since I was a kid (woo hoo, I feel old). Now my own children go there as well. We primarily see Dr. Alexander who is extremely knowledgeable and has a great bedside manner with the kids. He gives great medical advice and is there to listen to parent concerns. The nursing staff I have never had a problem with, I know there are a few Doctors I would rather see than others. Linda is a fast talker when you try and make phone appointments. I would like to say I would find a practice closer to home/ work that I would trust, but our family has been going to this practice for close to 34 years, it is too difficult to chose something else when I know they are great! read more

We've gone to this office since my oldest was born, 8 years ago. Dr. Scharff is both of my kids primary care physician and he's amazing. So knowledgeable, calming and fun for the kids. We moved to south Chandler years ago but would never consider changing doctors and drive 45+ min without issue. When Dr. Scharff isn't available we're always able to get an appointment with another Dtr. or PA and they're all wonderful! read more

I love Camelback Pediatrics! I went there, my sister and little brother all were patience. When I was pregnant this was my first and only choice, even when doing my hospital maternity tour they knew the facility very well and the doctors. We have always had great experiences and all the staff has been great. I've read some reviews regarding insurance and I did my research with my health care provider when I was pregnant so I knew what to expect from the beginning. I think that is my responsibility as a parent and a consumer... everyone is different and has a different view but I don't fault the facility for that. read more

The doctors seem great!! The staff is pretty mediocre...from the person who answers the phones, to the people you meet at the front desk, to the nurses that give your kids shots...I never felt like we were in a super kid friendly environment when we visited their office. I liked the doctors we saw (Dr. Alexander once and Dr Nauth-Otello a few times) but ended up switching to Scottsdale Children's Group for the friendlier staff (they go over and beyond with their family type atmosphere) and more kid friendly environment (colors on walls, toys and books available for the kids, stickers and lollipops, cartoons, etc). I understand that it's not all about the environment, but the environment definitely gives an edge when you like, respect, and trust all the doctors. read more

I only gave this practice 3 stars because Dr. Campbell is AMAZING! She's never in a rush and asks how things are going; she genuinely cares. The practice is terrible- the people that answer the phone rush you, the people that check you in are rude and the PA's are just there for a paycheck. We've been going there since my daughter was born in May. They saw us quickly but the care is lack luster. She had 4 month shots today and we saw Dr. Scharff. He's too weird for me, borderline creepy and a bit too rough with my 4 month old. We left and the scheduling window said "call for next appointment". We called Mesa Pediatrics and won't be back to Camelback. read more