Lone Tree Family Practice

I have been going to lone tree family practice for last 6 years or so. I was seeing Dr. Linares and then a PA who is now no longer in their facility (from past 3 years or so). Both were very good and responsive to patient needs and concerns. Since i could not get appointment with Dr. Linares I had scheduled with another PA. The PA who do not return phone calls and sends her medical assistant to attend her calls who has no clue of what she is talking about. The medical assistant is very rude on the phone and argues a lot to a patient. How worst could it get. As a patient when you call you expect to know details of your result and not to be yelled or argued at. Not sure whats going on in this facility.

Well, well, well. Welcome to medicine in the new millennium. This is it folks. What you see is what you get. I rarely review medical practices or individual physicians. As a Registered Nurse, I am a very good judge of competency, patient care practices, patient advocacy, etc. If you are looking for stellar performances in all of those areas I mentioned, you should just move on. For starters you are not going to be that care at LTFP. As a matter of fact, you will rarely get that care at most in and out family practice offices. This is the new blood. The medical staff on hand here is young and under a lot of constraints, not only by the insurance companies, but by the heads of state of the practice. Most, if not all medical offices staff are M.A.‘s or medical assistants. These individuals are unlicensed care providers. Yes, unlicensed. Any mistake an M.A. makes, is the responsibility of the licensed medical provider. The M.A. works underneath the auspices of a licensed care provider. Plain and simple. M.A.‘s have very little education and training to say the least. Depending on the state regulations, M.A.‘s can perform basic functions like take vital signs. It seems as though the M.A.‘s at LTFP also take the patient’s initial report in the exam room. I don’t agree with this. Most M.A.‘s have bland personalities and weak personal skills. They are essentially robots. The M.A.‘s always check my weight which is a waste. The patient stands on a scale wearing shoes, pants, jacket, etc. So much for an accurate weight measurement. LTFP has really gone down hill since Dr. Linares, and Dr. Cedars decided to focus on Concierge Medicine. I believe when this happened, the practice fell apart. The office is now overseen mostly by P.A.‘s, and a lot of them. I rarely ever see Dr. Linares and Dr.Cedars. They technically are supposed to be there almost everyday. Last I checked, Physician Assistant’s work under the licensure of the MD. The P.A.‘s seem pretty nice, but still seem rushed during their exams, which is surprising. Ten years ago or more, the P.A. would spend at least 20 minutes or more with me. No more! Now its a «minute clinic». Its like an automated carwash. The busier they are, the faster they churn ‘em through. Those days of attention to detail are long gone. Its sad, but true. Today, I was seen by «someone» in the medical field. She told me her name, but not her role or title. She looked stressed and not happy to work on a Saturday. Well lady, try working 12 – 14 hours on a Saturday managing 6 – 8 inpatients. Your office is only open from 8 – 12 like a bank on Saturdays. Don’t sweat it. I was told by the M. A to give a urine sample. I could barely understand her when she spoke to me, because I think her tongue was busy holding a few tongue rings in place. Unreal. By the way, every staff member on duty today was dressed in street garb! That is unprofessional. I gave my urine sample in a paper coffee cup. luckily it said «urine sample» on it. I guess it was a basic UA. I was never told otherwise; which would have changed the way I provided the sample. When the P.A. came in the room we talked for a few minutes. She then gave me an incomplete head to toe exam. Are you serious? I had complaints about my back and skin. Nope. Never looked at my back or asked me to remove my shirt. Huh? Never examined my eyes, ears, nose, throat, glands, lymph nodes, etc. I could’ve and should have stayed home and performed a self-​exam for crying out loud. Side notes: Parking during the week is terrible, almost nonexistent. The exam room I was in today, I don’t think had a sink. Either way, it should, so that when a healthcare provider walks in, he or she can show you their ability to wash their hands or at the very least, use a medical grade hand sanitizer like Avaguard. I gave two stars because the office appears clean, good selection of magazines in the waiting room, and ease of scheduling an appointment.

My wife has been going here for 6 years now. Not a very good experience at all so far. Very disorganized. Not accessible. Recently, they lost the medical record release request form she dropped off at the doctor’s office and never released info to the insurance provider. This caused her almost lose her insurance coverage. Time for a change !

So happy with this doctors office. I am a new patient to the practice and I felt extremely comfortable and welcomed when I first arrived. I came in for a physical. I didn’t have to wait and they saw me as soon as I got there.
Monica Dell Armi saw me. She was the most thorough doctor I have EVER seen. She asked every question relative to my concerns. Monica is extremely intelligent and I highly recommend her to any new or nervous patient looking for a new doctor.

Inconsistent wait times. You can go in some days and get right in, others you may wait up to 2 hours and the front desk staff don’t really seem to care…

In previous practices there were similar front office staff problems: not getting Rx filled in a timely matter; making certain providers called back after requested called in, etc. But here when I «first» became a new patient they all seemed ‘on top of things’. Now, after being a patient for almost 2 years the problems have started! My Rx’s are not being taken care of; they «forgot to call» (oops!); a poor attitude on the phone. Really try to appreciate their job as I was in medicine 27 years. I will give the doctors here Kudos for «listening» and taking the time with their patients and «seeming» to truly care about the whole person. The staff really needs improvement. At least the Front Office staff does!

Dr. Linares is my family doctor. Her partner is Dr. Cedars. I am a Type-​2 diabetic and they provide great services for their diabetic patients. They have a quarterly support meeting bringing in guest speakers, etc.
A good reliable team at the great SkyRidge hospital.