Alliance Cancer Care Arizona at Casa Grande

"I hate to make this negative review, but as a doctor myself, I think the way Alliance Cancer Care treats cancer patients is quite inexcusable. My wife set up an appointment for my 86 yr. old mother, who has stage 4 cancer, and the scheduler confirmed that they accepted Medicare. My wife explained that my mother was currently on a set cancer treatment, was visiting us for an extended period from out-of-state, and was only in need of a pet scan to see if the cancer had progressed (which her regular out-of-state doctor requested we do). The scheduler took my mother’s Medicare info and contacted the out-of-state clinic for records. Then, two days before the appointment, Alliance called and stated that a “financial consultant” would be speaking to us prior to the appointment. This made me suspicious about whether or not they actually accepted “Medicare Assignment” (which is the name for the original Medicare-approved agreement whereby the clinic-doctor agrees to charge the patient only for costs mandated by the government). My suspicions were confirmed when I took my mother to her appointment. The receptionist told me that there would be a $24 co-payment. Clinics who accept “Medicare Assignment” should not charge a co-payment. The patient is only responsible to pay their yearly deductible and 20% of the bill (Medicare pays 80%). When I questioned Terri, the financial consultant, on this added fee, she was evasive. I asked her to confirm that their clinic accepted “Medicare Assignment.” She replied that she had no idea what that meant! Clinics that accept original Medicare have an agreement with the government and should know this term. After I explained to her what it meant, she still would not confirm that they accepted my mother’s Medicare plan. Instead, she started discussing payment plans for treatment. It became obvious to me that the clinic cared more about selling their treatment services and collecting cash up front than assuring the patient’s Medicare/insurance was in place. Patients need to be careful and ask questions about their Medicare, because doctors and clinics who are not under the approved agreement can still say they accept Medicare, but they will tack on extra fees (up to 15%) and make the patient pay upfront for services. Due to the evasiveness of the financial consultant, I had no choice but to cancel the appointment. If the staff (who are hired specifically to represent the doctor’s objectives) can be illusive about the clinic’s role in Medicare (or any other financial matter), then I am left to wonder if other misrepresentations are being used on the patient once they make it past the financial consultant and face the doctor."

"Dr Arcelara is very attentive to patient needs and adapts when necessary as with me. I was diagnosed with colon cancer but had a heart attack which required a stent - my treatment was adjusted to take account of this and I was taken to the ER with blood infection, Dr Arcelara came to check my progress several times and is obviously very caring. He is highly regarded by all in the hospital without reserve. I like him a lot."

"Stay away if possible! Staff is always rude! They have lost my labs and blame Sonora Quest. Staff is always gossiping about patients with instead of working. I can be the only one waiting for labs and they will still take 30+min. They run late for appointments. Today my provider was not in and no one called to notify me. They assumed I’d like to be seen by someone else. The front desk clerk didn’t check me in despite the information being clearly written. She was too busy giggling about a problem patient. She offers for me to speak with her supervisor who doesn’t come out. I left a note for the person to call me. Very doubtful..."

"I am so pleased with alliance care center. They have been extra helpful from the beginning . Even before I went in for my first appointment they offered assistance with insurance and financing. My first appointment was educational and they explained everything in great detail. That made me feel comfortable. I liked the respect the medical staff had for each other .The atmosphere in this care center is a great clue to the feeling and compassion of the employees. I am and the community is so lucky to have them in Casa grande ."