When I saw these reviews, I wanted to steer clear, but decided to go since she works with my referring doctor. Dr. Astarita was sweet, but her practice is a hot mess. I should've found a different hematologist.
I would NOT recommend going with this hematologist.
I am in the process of collecting my records from past doctors to get my history for an upcoming specialist appointment. For all the other doctors, I simply went online and downloaded my records. She's the ONLY one who doesn't keep online records.
When I called to request the records, I stated what I was calling for in English, in a very obviously American accent, and the lady proceeds to speak to me in rapid-fire Spanish. To which I responded, "I am speaking English. English, please." She switched to English, but her English was so poor that I could barely make out what she was communicating. She even switched back to Spanish again at another point.
I'm sorry, this is a medical office and accuracy and communication are very important. To have someone in a patient-facing position who can't even communicate with the English speakers is ridiculous and insulting to your non-Spanish speaking patients. Anyone in a patient-facing role should be required to speak a sufficient amount of English to conduct the business of their role.
That's not the only issue. In response to my request, she said I needed to make an appointment to get my results (mind you, this is from labs from 2023).
This seemed strange so I decided to call back to speak to main person who transferred me to her. But when I called back, she picked up the phone. I kept asking her to speak to the first person and she refused, maybe she didn't understand me. I don't know.
So, I told her I was calling because I wanted to find out why I'm being asked to make an appointment when I am simply requesting records. She went on in her broken English to basically scold me about "never, never" following up with them. Like, seriously, she was going on and on, saying "never" like 10-15 times. I don't know what her issue was.
I explained that I didn't get called back to the office (in which case you assume the results didn't show any issue). And she continued to go on and on. Basically saying it was my responsibility to follow up. I ended up having to hang up because she wouldn't let me speak.
All of my current doctors have been with the current times in terms of modern record-keeping and quality patient service for at least the past decade and a half. They follow up with you and/or schedule follow up appointment before you even leave. You can track your care online. Dr. Astarita's office has abysmal patient services and care management is 0/10.
If you want to deal with aggressively rude staff that may or may not speak your language and have your healthcare fall through the cracks, this is the place to go. Now I'm just hoping that my results didn't show any cause for concern. Fortunately, I'm seeing a highly rated specialist next week. I'm never not listening to reviews again!
Avoid like the plague. read more