The other reviewers are correct: the staff here is rude and unprofessional…read more
When my mother originally called to make her first appointment, the person on the phone was rude and demanded she bring physical medical records. When my mother mentioned no other specialist had ever asked for this, the staff member snapped, "How do you expect the doctor to know what's wrong?" We showed up for that appointment only to find she wasn't in the system at all. Staff repeatedly told us, "He is not here. He is on vacation. He will be back in 3 weeks." Because they kept saying "he," and her primary care doctor specifically referred her to Dr. Christian Gonzalez, we were led to believe she would be seeing him today.
Today, June 30, my mother went inside first while I parked. When I walked in, I asked the receptionist on the right to join my mother. This receptionist was polite, asked my mother's name, and asked the staff behind her what room my mom was in. No one replied. She told me to sit and wait. Absolutely no one made any effort to follow up, knock on a door, or try to take me to my mother. I only got in because my mother eventually opened the waiting room door herself to look for me so I could speak to the doctor. When I asked why I was left waiting, staff made an excuse about doors being locked and not being allowed to ask.
Once inside, I realized the doctor was female. I asked my mother if she spoke Spanish, and my mother said no. This office failed us in three major ways today:
They switched my mother from her referred doctor (Dr. Gonzalez) to a non-Spanish speaking female doctor with zero advance notice.
The staff member tasked with interpreting for my mother was in a terrible mood and gave her an attitude.
The front desk made no effort whatsoever to bring me to my mother when I arrived.
When I asked to speak to the office manager, they acted like they didn't hear me. A rude receptionist sitting on the left side of the desk abruptly asked if we needed to make an appointment and motioned for us to step right in front of her, clearly just wanting us out of the front desk area. My mom pointed to the girl who was writing something out for us. The rude receptionist asked that girl if she was helping us, and the girl confirmed she was writing up a test that needed to be done.
That left-side receptionist was beyond rude. I asked again if there was an office manager or supervisor available, and was told "no" by the girl who was doing the writing. I insisted there has to be a medical supervisor or someone in charge, and again, she said no. I asked about a woman I saw dressed in office wear, but that lady stated she was the medical researcher.
By the time we went to the front to get the next appointment date, the rude receptionist had suddenly changed her tune. Once outside the doctor's office, my mom reiterated how poorly they behaved and how she wished I had been there to talk to the doctor. That is when she told me about the attitude of the staff member who was writing the prescription and translating. My mother had to tell her, "If you're in a bad mood, I'll just wait for my daughter to come here to translate," which finally got her to drop the attitude.
On their website, they claim "SWCA is built on a culture of empathy," and list their Core Values as:
Be a good human
Be professional
Do the right thing
Work together
No excuses, get it done
It looks like their staff needs to have this plastered on the walls throughout their office, because they did none of this. I have already filed a formal grievance with our insurance company.
