Dr. Degenhardt and his staff were very efficient and professional. He spent about 45 minutes with me (new patient -lots of medical history) and seemed genuine and caring- hard to find in the medical field today! I highly recommend this doctor if you have rheumatology needs. read more

Dr Den Stephens is the most caring, compassionate doctor I have ever had. He listens to what you have to say. I know other patients left reviews that the staff is rude, but I have had no issues. read more

The doctors here are exceptional and deserves 5 stars. The frontline staff answering the phones, scheduling and in charge of ensuring that patients are scheduled and seen in a timely manner are straight up rude, disrespectful and dismissive. I've been a patient here for about a year. My original referral took well over 3 weeks to process. I was out of work due to my Lupus and unable to return until I was seen. I had to call the Clinical Manager, Michael, just to get on the schedule. This is after 6 calls (2x a week to the front desk) They do not answer the phones at all, never ever. You must leave a message and pray that they decide to give you a call back in 24 hours. There is no such thing as an urgent care appt if you are in acute pain or having a flare, you'll likely need to just go to the emergency room or an urgent care location where you risk them not understanding your condition and will likely not listen. Oh wait, you can call each day and hope they have a cancellation, they will not call you if they have a cancellation even if you are in desperate need. The other option is that you wait for over a month for an appt to be scheduled. I was scheduled for an appt that was scheduled a month out but it was during the snow storm. There office were closed the entire week. They cancelled all appointments and requested that all patients call to reschedule!? I've never heard of this. Typically, if the dr's office cancels, they will call you to reschedule. Not at Coastal Rheumatology because are not going to go out of their way to do their jobs. I've had my condition for over 10 years and understand and know what treatment I need when things get rough. I relocated to this area and learned how horrible the health systems truly are. Savannah has a terrible hourly workforce issue. The people do not desire to do their jobs let alone do a good job. They prefer to ride the clock, do the minimal amount of work and clock out. I've observed them when I am waiting for my appointments. I seriously wanted to see if they are in fact that busy. They are not; they are in fact that lazy and it reflects very poorly on the doctors and does not prioritize patient's need and patient's care. When it comes to patient care, I feel sorry for the doctors in this practice who have such a terrible staff representing them. Sadly, there are very few practitioners of this field in this area. This is just a place I will have to endure unless we decide to move elsewhere or take the drive to Jacksonville like many other people do. Best of luck, be firm, patient and consistent; just know that you'll have to fight the frontline workers in order to take care of your serious health issues. Once you get past them, you'll receive excellent care from very knowledgeable doctors. read more

I am 76 and have been seeing Dr Stephens for more years than I can remember. Dr. Stephens is perhaps the best Doctor I have ever had the pleasure to be treated by. I had a very difficult time finding the best medicine to help with my condition without having to resort to narcotics. Dr. Stephens stuck with me until we found the correct method to relive me of constant pain. He listens in a way few others have, not acting as though he "knows-it-all" (even though he may). Patience is his virtue! Living with chronic, nagging, pestering pain will weigh heavily on a persons mind and adversely effect their ability to lead a happy, productive life. I recommend Dr Stephens to anyone who wants a physician who is willing to actually listen to, not just hear, their patients. For not giving up, or treating me like the idiot I am, and finding the way to control my pain without addicting narcotics, I will forever be grateful to Dr. Dean Hugh Stephens! read more

I have been seeing Dr Stephens for years. He is undoubtedly one off the finest men/physicians I have ever has the pleasure to deal with. So much so, in fact, that I sent my mother to him! While transitioning from one infusion medicine to another, I had a negative reaction and he immediately had the ambulance called and sent me to the hospital. He then called me consistently over the next several weeks to be certain I was doing better. This office always follows a professional standard of treating patients and I have never had an issue with any of the employees. I highly recommend this office. read more

Seeing all the 1* REVIEWS I JUST HAD TO SAY SOMETHING POSITIVE ABOUT THIS OFFICE. We have been going to Dr. Degenhardt for 2 years. Lately, some new concerns emerged and we met with a P.A., Vanessa. What an excellent job. She diagnosed the issue, provided new medications, some that would offer immediate relief and some that were long term. She also altered the time table when we told her about a scheduled Covid vaccination shot. Vanessa was sharp, on the ball, and had a great personality I know from experience that it is the negative reviews that most people make an effort to leave. Reading all these negative reviews, I just had to add a positive. Don't hesitate to go to this office!!!!! read more

My interactions with Coastal Rheumatology have been totally frustrating. I am a physician myself. My request to change physicians within the practice was repeatedly denied. A patient's right under original Medicare to choose their provider does not apply in this office. read more

Let me start this review by stating that Dr.Petty is an incredible doctor,and I have never had a doctor listen to me and spend as much time with me as she did. My complaint is toward her staff that is doing ill by her and her fellow colleagues. After an appointment on a Thursday afternoon where I was told I would be referred to a hematologist,I did not hear anything from either Dr.Petty nor the receiving office. Come the following week,I left ONE voicemail per day with HER nurse,and they did not have the decency to call me back and let me know the status of my referral. After ONE week and TWO days (mind you,I've had an increase in pain,symptoms,and all around misery since I cannot take any steroids until I get in with new doctor) coastal Rheumatology decided to grace me with a phone call that they had "just learned that the receiving fax machine was the wrong number." She decided to argue with me that my tone on my last voicemail would not be accepted,which is fine if you can't empathize with people who are sick. Maybe coastal Rheumatology needs to refresh on their communication skills with patients because had I received a call back out of my five voicemails (4 of them were nice) then maybe I would have understood that they actually were doing their jobs. Instead I had to sit here for over a week,covered in swollen lymph nodes and agonizing rash,without a call or update of what was going on. Dr.Petty will not waste your time,but her office staff definitely will. read more

They are the worst of the worst. Without question, they have the rudest and most unprofessional staff I have EVER experienced. They seem to go out of their way to harass and annoy their patients. Avoid all all costs. read more

Dr Stephens is the absolute best doctor, of any kind, that I've ever been to. He cares...he listens and he makes things better. Blessed to have him as my doctor for the last 10+ years. read more

Dr. Dean Stephens and staff (office & infusion center) are incredible. I drive an hour to get to them and I'm never disappointed. I always receive timely, professional and friendly service. I truly believe Dr. Stephens saved my life. When I first visited 5 years ago, I was miserable. My quality of life was awful and 4 previous doctors were of little help, I'd almost given up hope. Dr. Stephens listens, evaluates and adjusts my treatment plan accordingly. I feel so much better and I credit it to his care. I refer everyone I know to him, including my son. A special shout out to Christy, Christina, Shana & Amanda for the support and care. read more

I was referred to this office before Thanksgiving after being wrote off work for increasingly worse symptoms and lab work. I waited three weeks before calling to make sure the referral was received and that there was nothing else needed from me because I know how busy that a physician office can be. To which I didn't receive any call back for weeks after calling a few times a week and leaving a message each time. I finally after a month received a call back after a semi stern but polite, to the point voicemail. I was told that everything was received and on the physicians desk with nothing left to do but wait. Fast forward to the almost two month mark. I begin calling again for an update to not receive any calls back until I once again become frustrated and upset leaving another pointed message. I then get a call back saying there is nothing to report, still waiting on the doctor to review. I begin looking for other places. Finally get a call back last week to which I was unavailable and called back within 24 hours to no answer. I then call the front desk and speak to an unapologetically rude and unprofessional lady who didn't identify her name. I explained what was going on and asked if they could schedule me since I had been approved to a snarky remark and dismissal. We hung up and I immediately Called back to get her name just in case the standard of care continues to be less than subpar. I asked the new lady on the phone for a first name of the employee and I could tell she didn't want to be in the middle so I asked her to transfer me to the other staff member which was not her either. I never got her name but what I did get was a very nice office manager to which I apologized for her having to hear my frustrations but I wanted to advocate for patients that need their care. My experience has been nothing more than frustrating and has added stress. The doctors may be top notch but I didn't get that far. I can not speak for all of the staff because I'm sure there are some great people but there were a few that need to re-evaluate what they are doing because one day they may need care and I hope they get better care than I was provided. Take initiative, learn from your mistakes and remember people are sick and stressed and need your support, empathy and most of all communication. The public can be difficult but that is a part of healthcare I know from experience. I recommend going elsewhere. read more

Dr Petty is a wonderful MD, very kind and through. The office staff however does not care about what your situation is, only if you can pay. Wouldn't accept some money down on a lab bill (that I received 3 days earlier in the mail), wanted over half the amount. Drove an hour to be seen for the appointment, only to be turned away because I couldn't pay over $250. read more