Raleigh Foot & Ankle Center

"My visit with the doctor went smoothly - a very quick diagnosis and a recommendation to use a brace. Neither the Center nor I knew if my insurance would cover the brace, in case it didn't I asked how much the brace cost so I knew my maximum exposure and was told ~$60, of which I would need to pay about $30 up front. Based on this info I decided to proceed. When I paid my $30 the lady told me that once the insurance was processed I'd probably get a refund. When I received my bill I was surprised to see that the brace was not $60 but was in fact $200! I would not have proceeded had I known it was so expensive. Fortunately, my insurance covered more than $100, but even with that there was still money outstanding. If the brace had been $60 as I had been told, my insurance would have covered it 100%! When I called to explain this, I was bounced from 1 billing office to the main office to another billing department, which then took more than a week to contact me. No one showed any sympathy for the miscommunication or any flexibility on how to resolve the issue. I feel that I was given misinformation that led me to take the brace and no acknowledgement afterwards from the office. So if you go, be very careful to confirm the actual costs or you could be in for a big surprise like I was. Thanks for the offer to talk to office manager but I've called 3 times and cannot get through. Left message on voicemail and with front desk but no return calls. How many times should I try to get through?"

"We recently took our 16-year-old to Dr. Douglas Smith for an infected ingrown toenail, and we couldn't be more satisfied with the care we received. Dr. Smith demonstrated kindness, patience, and took the time to thoroughly explain the procedure. We were impressed not only by his expertise but also by the polite and helpful attitude of the entire office staff. We are grateful for the excellent service and will definitely be referring Dr. Smith to our friends and family."

"The entire staff at Raleigh Foot & Ankle are respectful and very helpful. I have seen Dr. Murray, who is fantastic and has answered all my questions regarding geriatric foot problems with sensible and truthful options options. Steve has offered his expertise regarding best shoes for my feet and has suggested types of shoes which would benefit balance and strength. Karen, in the salon area, has a great personality, is gentle and skillful in what she does. I don't dread going to the salon. It's a pleasure to be a [patient at Raleigh Foot & Ankle."

"My poor review is not in relation to the doctors. The doctors have given us fantastic service and guidance and have made us feel confident and comfortable with their care. The support staff though, has been unprofessional and we do not trust anything they say or do anymore. When we asked to get the manager’s information to make a formal complaint we were told to speak to the doctor. The doctor is not the problem though - so since they refuse to give us management’s information we will have to complain here. The nurse who we’ve seen in the past with Dr. Dougherty called us the day before my husband’s appointment to ask if it could be moved up since there were multiple openings. I was with him and heard this whole conversation. My husband was being seen for a follow up and stated that because of his arrangements with his work, that’s what time he needed to keep - 4:15pm. The nurse became aggressive after that and said that he had to be there at 4pm not matter what due to paperwork and if he didn’t show up at 4pm he’d be counted as late for the appointment. My husband said he’d try. He received the appointment confirmations - email and text for his 4:15pm appt. Now - we’ve been to this office on 3 previous occasions and have never been threatened like that. We went ahead and printed all the paperwork, re-filled everything out, and brought it with us for his 4:15pm confirmed appt. When we arrived we were told his appt was at 4pm, to which we informed the front desk of phone call from the nurse and that we now know the nurse moved up the appointment without our consent even after we confirmed 4:15pm by email, text, and verbally. It was at this point we asked to speak to a manager and were told we have to speak to the doctor. THIS IS NOT OK. A managers name and contact information should have been provided immediately, the nurse should NOT have moved the appointment without consent just because he was mad my husband declined the earlier time, and the doctor should NOT get the brunt of the complaint when it has nothing to do with him and his job. This situation was disgustingly unprofessional and is not the first poor experience we’ve had with the support staff. This office manager needs to do better and be available to patient concerns with poor experiences."

"I would not recommend this office!!! I arrived to my visit 15 minutes early and upon check-in the staff didn't seem to be able to find my appointment. I was given no text, or email reminder about the appointment so there was no confirmation number that I could find. After a couple minutes the front desk person found my appointment. I was taken back to a room after about 15 minutes of sitting once my paperwork was handed in. Once in the room, the initial nurse was very friendly and asked the normal questions. She left and I sat there for 1 hour 15 minutes without anyone coming to check on me before the doctor cam in. ONE HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES after my scheduled appointment time!!! Once the doctor comes in, he makes small take for about 2 minutes and spends about 30 seconds looking at my foot. He suggests a cortisone shot to help with the pain and a foot brace to help. Told him I didn't really want a cortisone shot and that I would see how it feels in a couple days. No real examination, no x-rays, just a quick glance at my foot and he was gone. I joking said, so I guess no playing soccer for a while and he said I should be able to play with the brace. I could barely walk without crutches and he is telling me I'm fine. Nurse came back in with the brace and stretches to help with the plantar fasciitis and sent me on my way. Had to pay $30 upfront for the same brace that you can get on amazon. Not sure how much they actually charge for the brace as I have not seen an actual bill, just emails and texts saying that I owe them money. Speaking of billing, you get messages and emails saying you owe them money with no actual bill to look at or reference to see what was charged, what insurance covered, etc. I have reached out via email, phone, and text and have not gotten any response back other than more emails asking for the money that is owed. There was one email that said my billing statement is in my patient portal, which is not accessible. I have tried to get help with the portal but again, no response. I guess I will have to in person to the location an see if I can get an actual bill to see what is being charged. Overall, I would recommend going to another provider and most definitely will not be coming back here."