I saw Dr. Santa Maria for the 2nd time in November 2025. She referred me to a specialist with some urgency. I saw her hand the paperwork to staff, and heard her say I needed the auth. For weeks I called staff re: authorization, & each time staff knew nothing. Finally reached the individual responsible for auths & she took care of it. There is extremely poor communication in this office. I phoned to make appointment early Feb 2026 to get urgent referral to opthomologist for acute eye problem. Staff looked me up in computer after asking several questions only to find out " She isn't here anymore ". They did not refer me another doctor & would not tell me if Dr. Santa Maria was practicing elsewhere. I changed PCP same day. I still haven't received notification that she isn't practicing. Staff were zero help! read more

ABSOLUTE WORST PATIENT EXPERIENCE EVER!!! OR LACK THERE OF!!! I assist my 76 year old Mother with all of her medical needs as she is no longer capable of addressing them on her own. My Mother had an in-person appointment today, at 2:15pm, which was set MONTHS ago to establish a new primary care physician. Setting up appointments has been extremely difficult due to insurance coverage and limited availability of physicians who are accepting new patients. We were happy and excited to finally have landed one! ..Or so we thought.. We received a phone call from Dr. Joanabel Sta Maria's clinic clerk today at 10:41am, the morning of the appointment, informing us that the doctor was not going to be in clinic today for undisclosed reason(s). We were offered to either reschedule or keep the appointment; however, if we keep the appointment, it will be via telephone call instead of in-person. Okay, so we opted to keep the telephone call appointment. Also, the clerk mentioned if we were to reschedule, my Mother would need to get lab work done prior. (Why they asked of this the day of, I do not know!) Fortunately, I told the clerk my Mother recently had lab work done in February this year. But, unfortunately, the clinic did not have access to them. The clerk then asked for me to contact the other organization and have the lab results faxed over. Okay. So I called the other organization on my Mother's behalf only to be informed that processing and sending medical records takes time and may not be done the day of. As a medical organization, Dr. Joanabel Sta Maria's staff should already have been aware of that process! Luckily, I was able to access my Mother's medical records online, print them and PERSONALLY drive and drop them off to the clinic so the staff can conveniently scan them into their system for Dr. Joanabel Sta Maria to review remotely. So, I get to my Mother's house, and we waited for Dr. Joanabel Sta Maria to call. After an hour and 10min had lapsed, we still hadn't heard from Dr. Joanabel Sta Maria. I called the office to inquire if and when we were going to get a call. The clerk said, "Yes, she will still call. It just takes time because she is very behind. You know, some people take longer to talk." So we waited..and waited and waited some more. After 4 hours of no call, no show from Dr. Joanabel Sta Maria, we finally gave up. This horrendous experience has left me with disappointment and distrust in Dr. Joanabel Sta Maria. She is unprofessional and uncaring. I made the mistake of not reading up on her MULTIPLE reviews, of which speak similar content as to what my Mother had experienced today: that Dr. Joanabel Sta Maria is a flake and unreliable due to multiple last minute appointment cancellations. I loathe people who waste other people's precious time! Today was an entire day wasted waiting on a so-called medical professional who could not care less. Such an inconvenience. DO NOT, I REPEAT A MILLION TIMES, DO NOT SEEK CARE FROM THIS SO-CALLED DOCTOR! I would rate her a zero if I could! read more

The doctor doesn't want to see patients in person. The office is near impossible to get a hold of

Dr Sta Maria's receptionist, Kristine, is so incredibly RUDE and UNPROFESSIONAL on the phone and in office. Her tone consistently remains high-pitched and AGGRESSIVE. Here's a tip: Do not take it out on patients if you hate and are not good at your job. You're still in a patient facing role! Asking for services or medical orders that are legally within your rights shouldn't feel like going to a war with a wall. It reflects poorly on Dr Sta Maria to still employ her but definitely aligns with the level of care she provides. If you ever want to see your doctor in person, look elsewhere. Something always comes up and in person appointments will either get cancelled or moved to a phone call. I'm not confident she actually sees patients anymore? But continue to get that check at the detriment to the patients expecting to see you I guess. read more

WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER!!! Kris the front desk lady is extremely rude. Don't go to this office if you need to file for disability because they will rip you off! Charging $45 per signature is insane! I filed for disability in the past with other doctors and I never have to pay a single dime. Front desk never picks up the phone! I have tried every single day for 2 wks and finally someone picked up the phone. I have to keep calling the office just to get my disability paperwork done. Dr Sta Maria (now her last name) is a joke! She never showed empathy or care for her patient. I am now switching primary doctor. My entire experience is a total nightmare!!! DO NOT CHOOSE THIS DOCTOR. read more

RUN, FAR away from this woman who is the worst excuse of a human much less a physician. My father went code blue under her care and unfortunately passed away shortly after. But when he was just admitted, she was telling us to say goodbye and didn't even want to give him a chance. His condition was actually improving but the staff under her supervision screwed up. Apparently, she's a board member for Regional and that's how we got her as the hospitalist. And on the day of my father's funeral, I had to call her office during his service because the funeral home could not reach her. She had weeks and yet she still had not signed off on his death certificate so we could have him cremated. I would give her a negative ten if I could. As someone else mentioned, a zero star would be generous for her. I would stay away from Regional as well. read more

Worst service by the receptionist Stacy. she cancel my appointment 15 minutes before, I was literally in the parking lot when she call me to cancel on top of that she is so rude, she don't let you talk. This is the 4th time that happen to me in the past year. I try to reschedule my appointment to my most convenance and she try to give me an appointment when the office is closed. Dr Cepe is been my doctor for over 20 years and now I'll have to look for another doctor because I never want to come back read more

Wonderful doctor & staff. I know u get overwhelmed but you ladies in the front are so sweet & kind to me. Any issues ? I ask it may take a bit but they really try there best. I'm so happy to find my new doctor Thank u all read more

Se Cepe is been my doctor for over 20 years, she is a real professional unfortunately her stuff is the worst. The always call me 15 minutes before my appointment to cancel. Stacy her receptionist is so rude, she don't let you talk and she keeps interrupting you. She ask if I wanted to reschedule my appointment and I said yes on Monday. She said just to make you happy I'll give you an appointment even if doctor is not in on Monday at the time you are available. From now on I'm going to a different doctor and never come back read more

Giving this office a star is being too generous! These idiots are incompetent and I'm dropping this doctor for sure! I was there on 4/25 to go over my blood work test results and to mention some concerns I had. I was informed that I needed to see a cardiologist but needed a referral. Okay fine... put in the request to my insurance company for a referral. I was told to wait two weeks for the approval. Now going on week 3, I called the office last week on 5/9 and the receptionist told me she would check on it and call me back. I gave her 3 business days to return my call. I believe the time frame of 3 days is sufficient enough for her to research the information. Come to find out the referral process didn't even start. Still, no call from the office.... I called today 5/15 and the same idiot asked me the same question last time which meant she never followed through with the research! I'm here sitting idle waiting to see a cardiologist about the heart condition and these incompetent people are taking their sweet time. I am highly disappointed in the unprofessionalism I experienced with this office. read more

My Ratings: Quality - 3 Stars Price - 4 Stars Location - 3 Stars Service - 2 Stars Speed - 1 Stars My Opinion/Story: Sad to say but the quality of service from Dr. Cepe has gone down. I used to like seeing Dr. Cepe because it was easy to schedule appointments with her. But lately, it seems like I had to request it a month before. It's really impossible for me to do that because DUH! I don't know if I'll be sick a month from now. Whenever I want to schedule an appointment, I could never get the date and time I need because she's either on vacation, not available or there's no appointment for that day. I can't rearrange my work schedule just to accommodate theirs. The receptionist remains to be rude and mean. Sometimes she'll surprise me by offering a suggestion but usually comes out sarcastic. Whenever I do get an appointment there, there's no such thing as appointment. I still end up waiting 15-45 mins because the doctor took someone in who was in a wait list. Sorry to say but I found myself another PCP. read more

Dr Cepe is professional. The old lady / hag receptionist has to go. Very unpleasant. I even once asked her " why are you always so mean?" read more

As a patient, I guarantee that you will be treated poorly. Front office staff will schedule you but will also schedule other folks in close order. Once the Dr gets tied up, you are basically screwed. Don't get me wrong, they folks working there and even the doctor have good talking skills but it ends there. They will say nice things but their professionalism is severely lacking. If you want human care, don't visit Cepe because they'll treat you like cattle! My family and i have visited a lot of doctors, and so far, Cepe is the least professional. She doesn't treat you like a patient, but more like a body for insurance claims. My suggestions is that she get a partner to cover her excessive load, or schedule less patients (or provide more time for each appt). That way she is not in a rush to get you in and out, and also, to calm down, examine you thoroughly, and make you feel like you are being looked at and treated. Common business sense right? But then again, Doctors, some of them at least, are not good business folks. read more

I did not have a good experience after the second visit and more with this doctor. My clients were not given notice when running late (they have mental health symptoms), and certain procedures that could have been done at the same appointment were postponed to the next appointment. I am wondering if she wanted to fill her schedule in. She also prescribed medications for certain clients that were not necessary (in my opinion and facility staff's opinion), however we still followed the "doctor's orders." I have switched my clients to another medical doctor for better medical care. read more

CHOOSE ANOTHER OFFICE! It's a bad sign when your first interaction with the office is with an extremely rude and snarky receptionist. My boyfriend was trying to make an appointment to get his physical done, and the woman fired back at him (for no reason, I must add), with an annoying tone telling him that the only date was two weeks from today, and she even had the nerve to spell out "t-w-o" as if my boyfriend couldn't understand her. It's funny, my boyfriend just recently graduated from Stanford with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, and this pathetic woman has to channel the negative energy in her life towards insulting potential patients. My boyfriend did absolutely NOTHING except ask for when he could get his physical done and if he could possibly get it done on an earlier date because he had some extreme concerns, and the woman even HUNG UP ON US. Do not go here. read more

This review is from my moms experience with Dr. Cepe. All I can say is that Dr. Crepe is very unprofessional & not very caring for her patients. My mom needed to get surgery for her Colon Cancer which was discovered in October 2014. My mom finally got her surgery done 4 months later. WTF!!! We are talking about Cancer here! Every time my moms calls her office no one would answer the phones & a message would come on stating that if you need urgent help that there would be a fee. A fee for answering your patients calls??? So we decided to just go to her office one day since they weren't answering the phones to find out that they where open & just weren't answering incoming calls. No Bueno!!! Your a professional so be professional Doc!!! One time she told my mom to go to regional hospital to schedule a test & when we got to regional hospital they told us that Dr. Crepe is suspended from that hospital. How comforting is that to hear. I'm in the health care field myself so I know my rights & I'm definitely calling DHS to report her & my moms experiences. If Dr. Crepe is your doc then be aware & please report any wrong doings or any concerns that you might have. This is not how your suppose to threat your patients & anyone for that matter. I give her -5 stars if I could!!! I know she's going thru personal stuff but that should stay personal when your @ work..... NO excuses!!! read more

If I could give Dr. Cepe 0 stars, I would. Whenever I am sick, I cannot get a hold of anyone from the office to make an appointment. The phone just rings and rings and rings. If no one answers, you will get a voicemail which doesn't even take messages. What's up with that? There have been several times when someone answers the phone, but before I can say anything "Dr. Cepe's office, please hold." I have been left on hold for so long, that I have to hang up and try calling back only to get the answering machine or another "Please hold." I was so frustrated about not being able to make an appointment that I called Dr. Cepe's cell phone number although the answering machine states to only call during an emergency. I was in excruciating pain when I called the doctor and left her a voicemail on her cell. She didn't return my call, but answered my phone call when I called again later on from a blocked number. She then was extremely rude and not helpful at all. Another thing: She has these young medical assistants/receptionists that look like they could be in high school. They have no phone etiquette skills whatsoever, are rude, and extremely unprofessional. The last time I was seen at the office, I had an appointment scheduled for 2:00 which was during the regular office hours. I get there a few minutes early and notice another patient waiting outside the door. They asked when my appointment was and said they had been waiting a while outside while the girls were inside laughing away. 5 minutes past my appointment...Although I knocked and the receptionists could see that patients were outside, they just looked over and continued to giggle amongst themselves. The only thing I would say that is good about this office is that it is clean and in a new clinic. Other than that, I would strongly recommend going to another physician. Who wants to waste their time trying to get a hold of a unreachable doctor? I've reported this to Blueshield and Physicians Medical Group. read more

DR. Cepe is very nice, i never had any problems w/ her. However the receptionist is awful, very rude and unfriendly. i would consider changing doctors just for this reason :( read more

I am very picky of the doctor's I choose, so I am so happy that I found Dr. Cepe. She is very professional, and patient with me. She will stay and answer your questions and concerns, regardless of the situation she is in. What I mean by that is, she is extremely busy with so many patients. She cares for them and needs to get to them as well. She will take care of you to the best of her ability (which is very high). She just does not have the luxory to sit around and drink coffee with you. She cares for all her patients, and must get to them to take care of them, just like she took care of you. She is so highly recommended that I am sure that she receives new patients all of the time. I have never had a problem with getting an appointment. Naturally as in all doctor's office, there is a cushion wait time. Sometimes it's a minute, at the latest, it has been 10. Once you get to the Patient Room, you may have to wait another 10. I rather wait, than have Dr. Cepe (or any doctor) briskly rush through. If you want good service and to be taken care of, I highly recommend Dr. Cepe. She is very caring, and WILL take care you you and your family. Dr Cepe's Staff has gotten a bad rap. I see that some people have complained about thier professionalism and/or sensitivity. I think a lot of patients that come in have the 'Mommy I don't feel good' Syndrome. Meaning, they are super-sensitive, and want to be overly catered and 'babied' when they call or come in. Dr Cepe's girls run a professional business, not a Roomper Room Sesame Street Barney Daycare. I have never had a problem with any of her staff members. If fact, they all have been kind to me. Parking lot is huge. The new office location is nice as well. read more

I love Dr. Cepi she has taken me in even though I didn't have insurance and I thank her dearly for that!

Dr. Cepe is a very good doctor, caring and thorough. I give her 2 stars because her office staff is incompetent. Case in point: we asked the office assistant to change our phone number. Next appointment we showed up for they informed us that the appointment was cancelled and they tried to contact us. We checked the number and it was the old, now disconnected number. We asked them to update it again. Next time we came, we checked on the phone number... still not changed. This happened for 6 visits and with different people on staff! How hard is it to update a phone number? Apparently, TOO hard for Dr. Cepe's staff. Also, it is very difficult to reach them by phone. I don't think they have ever picked up when we call. To me, that's just bad patient service. read more

Not a very pleasant experience. It takes SO LONG for the receptionist to answer phone calls. Honestly, if you're lucky they will answer. If not, good luck trying to reach her office and get an appointment. The wait in-person is pretty long too because there's so many patients crammed in one day (or thats what I feel). And the waiting room is small so some people end up having to stand up while they wait for their appointment. My experience with this doctor wasn't as expected, I recently switched from a pediatrician to this doctor and the change wasn't for the better. I feel like she doesn't want to get personal and allow the time to get to know the patient more. Its more of that she wants to find the quickest solution when there wasn't really a full consultation to tell all my symptoms. Also, on my followup visit I had to go through the process of going through new patient paperwork and questionnaires AGAIN because apparently the first time I was there "they didnt save my profile correctly." How unprofessional is that. read more

If i could give this place a zero i totally would. My poor grandma has been going to this doctor for awhile now and before my grandma who doesn't drive would get a ride to go to her appt then when she gets there they would cxl her appt (they did this 3-4 times). Bad customer servic. Tried bringing in my grandma again and they cxl 3 consecutive times because there was an emergency, don't they have an on call MD? People take time off from work to go to their appts and they always cxl last minute. And they also never pick up their phone. BEWARE OF THIS DR'S OFFICE! Such a headache! Definitely not coming back here. read more

Damn, my insurance won't cover it. It turned out that this visit cost me $233. Even without insurance, it was a lot more than I was expecting. They took a culture of my throat ($60) to see why I was sick even though I didn't feel like I needed it. Just the meds. read more

I find Dr. Cepe and her staff very professional and courteous. She has been my primary care doc for over 3 years and has been a great doctor. I get reminders about tests that I should have like colonoscopy and several times I have had issues that needed to be taken care of quickly -- gall stones and I was immediately seen and referred to a surgeon for surgery. She always answers my questions and the office is very clean and well run. read more

This review is for my husband a patient under Dr Cepe. Its been 4 years since my husband is seeing her.Dr cepe is very fair and thorough but the Front desk receptionist are not up to the point that never a time pick up the phone to answer you especially making appts.It seems that your phone call to your Doctor is not important.You can leave several messages as per instruction but unfortunately got blown by the wind.You might be lucky to receive a return call after weeks or months or never. I feel sorry for the patients having similar experienced same thing with my husband. This is not acceptable and it will create more medical issues by delaying services.Yes we can go to ER only for Emergencies. read more

I almost did not see Dr Cepe b'cuz of the bad reviews. Really?? Must hav been a different Dr Cepe. and what office did the go to? Her staff was very professional and still friendly and caring. The primary care I had prev. was Bradford Perkins. We were not a good match-up. Dr. Cepe saw me within a week from initial call. Even tho' I was late for appt. my wait time was almost none. She listened to me. Read the MRI report and prescribed the right RX. And as far as her front office staff, they are 5 star rated as well. I hope Dr Cepe all the best. read more

I love Dr Cepe but never can get through to make annaul appt. I've left several VM and did not hear back. Finally after 2 weeks of trying I got through to a live person and was immediatley put on hold for 10 minutes. At that time, I hung up. Unfortuntely, I am going to have to look for another Dr....really too bad read more

shes been my doctor for two years. and i only saw her once. i dont have problem with her but the receptionist she have in there was rude and such a snob. everytime i was trying to make an appointment they will put me on hold for more than 10 minutes. the last time i go there they have a substitute doctor for dr. cepe. shes ok but then the receptionist was not being heplful to her. i know their pretty busy in there but its not an excuse to be rude. read more

I saw Dr.Cepe about one month ago, I called and got a same day appointment which is very hard to get at any other office so I get . there at 245 I'm one of the first patients to be seen that Tues, the girls that work there are very nice help full and no what they are doing all of a sudden it starts getting crazy busy and what seemed one patient became 10, very chaotic waiting area..Doesnt end there, The girls are managing to keep everything running smoothly( the girl in the front for being young can handle a lot in her plate, she seemed almost like an octopus a lady walks in walks to the back and Dr.cepe immediately. turned her 100% attention to the her..After Dr.Cepe saw the waiting area full..all you could hear was them gossiping in her office i got so upset i left...I sadly took my anger on the poor girl that did my blood pressure but i was so upset. I might have just gone in on a bad day but regardless. Dr cepe should attend to her patients and gossip later. Just feel real bad for those poor girls! read more