Palo Verde Cancer Specialists 5601 West Eugie Avenue, Glendale, AZ 85304

"Although I had to wait due to things happening that changes our day, I knew they take excellent care of your details and truly care. Thank you all! Have a blessed year."

"Dr. Langford is so great! He listens! and I love that there is a lab right there; major, major convenience. And when I had to have a bunch of stuff scheduled, Justin got everything right around me too! And I'm so sorry I can't remember the girl's name that drew my blood, she was awesome too : )"

"I was quite surprised with thefriendliness and professional courtesy to myself and to other patients coming in and out. The office was decorated with a nice Christmas spirit. My doctor, Dr. Langford was very nice. He asked me a lot of questions about why I was there. When he was finished, he took my up front to visit with A very nice lady. (I think her name was Melissa) She was talking on the phone and was trying to get an emergency appointment for a patient at the same time making arrangements for me for a follow up. I looked around the office which is quite large and saw that people were working and conversing with each other and getting the job done."

"**Overall Review: 2 out of 5 stars** **Doctors:** 5 out of 5 stars **Staff and Policies:** 1 out of 5 stars **Specific Feedback:** While the doctors at this practice are excellent, the staff and policies are very disappointing. I have called the office multiple times and the person on the other end of the phone has always been dismissive and unhelpful. One of the most concerning things is that the practice does not have a plan in place for postpartum women who may experience complications. This is a very important part of patient care, and it is unacceptable that the practice does not have a system in place to support these patients. Another policy that is problematic is the rule that no children under 18 are allowed in the office. This is especially problematic for pregnant women and women who have just given birth. Newborns have very weak immune systems, and it is not safe to leave them with anyone in their first few months of life. The practice should create a separate waiting area and procedure for patients with newborns. **Main Takeaways:** * The practice should develop better policies to treat and take care of all patients in a fair and equitable manner. * The practice should ensure that patients are treated with urgency and compassion. * The practice should create a separate waiting area and procedure for patients with newborns. **Recommendations:** * I would recommend that the practice conduct a patient satisfaction survey to get feedback on the staff and policies. * I would also recommend that the practice develop a training program for staff on how to provide compassionate and patient-centered care. * Finally, I would recommend that the practice create a separate waiting area and procedure for patients with newborns."

"I was scheduled to go to this location yesterday for my first appointment. I was very recently diagnosed with breast cancer and I am very uneasy about this whole process. The lady I spoke with initially who helped me schedule my appointment and get all of my referrals in line was great. (I believe her name was Judy) After doing research on Dr. Hakkar, I was more confident in the care I would receive and looked forward to the appointment. Fast forward to yesterday. I live approximately 40 minutes from the location in traffic. I gave myself 45 minutes to ensure I arrived the requested 30 minutes prior to appointment time (4:30pm). I HATE being late. I work as a patient account manager/office admin for 5 medical clinics so I understand the importance of patient promptness in arrival and the inconvenience caused when they are late. As I was driving to the appointment, I ran into an accident and a slowdown. My GPS time projected I was going to run behind and now would only be 15 minutes early for my appointment. I immediately picked up the phone to call the clinic to inform them of the situation and that I was on my way. The girl who answered the phone was very nice, but I think she was new and put me on hold several times to ask questions. I was then transferred over to a lady named Daniella (or Diana maybe) who informed me that if I was going to be late and didn’t have the paperwork completed that they would have to cancel my appointment. She didn’t know if the doctor would wait. I was shocked. She had a tone from the moment she answered the phone. I then stated that I would still be 15 minutes early and would be more than happy to take my paperwork into my room and complete it around the doctor. She said she would ask the doctor. I was upset at this point and started crying, my frustration obviously rising. When the receptionist came back to the phone, she said I can come now. I asked her if this is common for how they talk to/treat their new patients with a new cancer diagnosis? Because if this is indicative of how my treatment will go in dealings with the receptionists than I would rather cancel the appointment and receive my care elsewhere. She stated I can “come now or you can go somewhere else”. I told her to go ahead and cancel the appointment. She said “OK, SOUNDS GOOD! BYE” A patient should never be treated the way I was yesterday. I don’t care how good a doctor is or how reputable an organization is, if the people who answer your phones speak to patients like they are disposable trash that is what your organization becomes. That is the person we have to speak with and deal with on a regular basis, not the actual provider. The medical clinics I work in would never cancel an appointment of a patient who was still going to be 15 minutes early to their appointment. We accept them up to 10 minutes AFTER their appointment time and reach out to them at their appointment time if they have not checked in. Things happen that are out of our control. We are in the business of compassion and care. I think your representatives could use more training in these areas before you lose more potential patients. *I did not receive the new patient paperwork before my appointment. Ironically, it came today with a business card attached to it. It asked that I arrive at 4:15pm for my appointment. What a joke......"