Rhoda Estrella-Itchon, MD

Really, this office does not even deserve a star at all! This doctor refused to take my appointment for the second time. This office does not practice patient care. All they want is the insurance reimbursement. Who cares about the patients? What a concept? They are a doctor’s office.
I was sick with 103 degrees Fahrenheit. I called them and ask for an appointment. Whoever answered the phone said that I haven’t been at their office for a long time and I need to re activate my record/​insurance first. Okay. I said-​I am very sick. They can’t give me an appointment unless they can bill the insurance. I went to the urgent care. No problems there.
Another bad scenario: My 18 year old daughter came home from College. while home she became sick with the flu. I had made an appointment with this doctor’s office and when she showed up at the office she was turned away because her insurance card didn’t state that their doctor’s office is the primary physician for my daughter. No suggestion of where to go. They just told her that they cannot see her because she is UNBILLABLE! My daughter sat in her car at their parking lot sick crying and called me. WHERE IS THE PATIENT CARE?
I called her previous doctor and they immediately directed me to the nearest urgent care center where my daughter will be readily accepted without any problem.
SO, if this doctor’s office cannot squeeze any money out of your insurance, no matter how sick you are, they will not care for you.

I had a very good experience at the Doctor’s office .
Very friendly staff, and the Doctor took her time to listen to my health problems .
I am very pleased I have chosen Dr. Rhoda Estrella as my primary physician.

BAD BAD service. was referred by E. R to go back to my primary physician I’m in great pain and comfort the soonest appt is in 15 days or go back to the E.R.wow unbelievable we pay 1k a month for this? 1 star is too many. changing doctors! ASAP

I was a patient of Dr Estrella for about 6 years. I have a chronic condition and was always able to get in and see her. I walked in to make an appointment for a symptom of my medical cond, the receptionist asked me to hold on and she left the desk for a min and came back and took me right in to see Dr Estrella. While I may have wait long periods in the waiting room on my other visits, it was well worth it as the care I received from the Doctor and her MA’s was wonderful. I have new insurance, bad plan, few Doctors take, and unfortunately the Doctor does not take. I am getting sub standard care from my new Doctor. Unfortunately this has effected my health negatively and I am having problems more often. As soon as I am able I will be switching back. Fingers crossed…

I no longer have to endure the wait at this doctors office or the rudeness of the girls working there. I would also put off needed appointments because you needed hours for an appointment only to spend 10 minutes with the doctor. When I called to make appointments for my kids I was usually directed to go to urgent care. Even professionals at urgent care commented on how many of doctor Estrella’s patients they see. Very sad.

RUN NOW…
I would never recommend this place at all, it took me 45 days or more to get an appointment. The elevator was broken, and no signs indicating this, I went up the stairs and saw they didn’t lead to a third floor, I went to a different office and asked how to get up stairs, they led me to a crazy staircase area,
Finally arriving, I had faxed over my documents and provided a flash drive with my medical files for their records, I then waited about 2 hours to see the doc. I had a horrible experience. They have to many clients for only 1 doctor and they don’t have a Physician Assistant to help. Service is so slow… most staff is rude
Their contract forms contradict what they have in the window, the front desk was rude. I paid for a form on top of my co-​pay; and was given a prescription sheet that had a note on it, I said that wouldn’t do, I paid for a letter? They replied we will fax it to you in a few days, they knew in advance the reason for my appointment was for this note, they were not prepared. Additionally I paid for services not rendered at that time, many things are new to me, I’ve been with Kaiser for many years and was applaud by this treatment. Oh and I pay for my insurance, I’m not through the state.
As this family doctor was not an obgyn, I have to be referred out, and that it would be another 30 – 60 days, wow are you kidding me! They have to contact my insurance, in order to see who im am going to be referred out to, I’m sorry that sounds very odd to me, and I have to wait 7 – 10 days just to hear back and see where I am going for my next appointment.
This service doesn’t work for me, I don’t see the doctor for more than 15 minutes. I have never waited that long to see a doctor. And the front desk lady is rude, you know the one who answers the phone, ya she’s horrible. Oh and to mark it better the doctor text messages while in my appointment — that is horrible in customer service.

I have been a patient of Dr Estrellas for quite sometime and here is the honest truth: Yes, the wait time is undesirable sometimes, however, i would rather wait for someone who will spend time with me and try to understand my needs rather than someone who wants to come in for a two minute prescription writing fest without wanting to listen and HEAR me. I am fully confident in her abilities as a doctor when it comes to myself and my children.
She is caring, sensitive, understands my needs and the needs of my children. The staff is calm, and professional and has a vast understanding of the office.
Unfortunately we live in a community where there are too many people and too little doctors. Dr. Estrella is the only provider in that office. She does not have a PA, or nurse practicioner, there is no other doctor. You get her. That to me is worth a wait.

Im here at the office presently waiting for the doctor to see me. Its already been 1 hr and 50 mins. I wonder how much long I have to wait.

I totally agree with the other reviewers. I would put off needed appts since I knew I’d have to wait AT LEAST an hour! Why she doesn’t get a physician’s asst is beyond me. They didn’t even take credit cards until just a few months ago. Oh, and they finally joined the 21^st century and got computers. I’m not sure, but I think it’s because doctors are required to due to prescriptions (or something). And forget having just about anything taken care of — when it was time for a refill I learned to start calling a week ahead of the due date.
I finally had enough and found a gem of a doctor, Dr. Bach Nguyen, on Ivy Street in Murrieta. I never wait more than 10−15minutes, if that.
Oh, another fun fact about Dr. Estrella is that she frequently takes 3 week vacations or time off with no back up doctor. That was the last straw for me! I asked what I should do if something came up (I have some serious health issues unfortunately) and the answer is to go to the ER or Urgent Care. Seriously. I am SO thankful for my new doctor (who I need to add on here as he’s wonderful) — I just regret that I didn’t do it years ago!

Well where to begin… I have never been to a Dr. office that treats you bad! I am finally writing a review because others should know before choosing this Dr. Last time a few months ago I had an appointment at 10 am got there 15 mins early and waiting in waiting room for 2 hours! before getting called back then had to wait in room for another 25 mins before Dr came in… then she was in a hurry and would not address any of my concerns and said she can only address the one issue I scheduled the appointment for WHY IS SHE A PRIMARY DR THAN!!! I was so mad to wait 2.5 hrs for no answers. She wanted me to schedule another appointment for next week to address my issues because she was just to busy! Well let me just say Urgent Care took care of the issues she did not and I was in and out in less than 1 hour with a prescription. HMMMMMMMMMMM!!! Then just recently first appointment got there 10 mins early door locked. Opened door 3 mins after my appointment time, First signed in 20 mins after apt time called back, Dr came in 10 mins later. Even being the first one you get the same treatment… AND you wonder why they can’t be on time. A lady in waiting room said I have been coming to her for over 10 years and it has never changed expect 2 hours minimum! Not a way to treat your patients really surprised they are in business!

To be honest, never even saw her. Made an appointment for a yearly physical — appointment was several weeks out which was daunting, but I can only change my insurance once a month so I figured what the heck.
Showed up that day, waiting room is completely empty except for me. I showed up early because I was instructed to show up early as a new patient, waited in the waiting room for 20 minutes, only to be told she wasn’t there at all that day (no mention of emergency — she just «wasn’t in» that day…) and no one bothered to call me ahead of time or let me know once I arrived.
At that point, I was able to change my primary doctor and you bet I came home and did that.

The staff is SO unprofessional!
My parents and siblings have been seeing Dr. Estrella for about five years now. I have been seeing them for about one year now.
The first time I tried to make an appointment they didn’t have any available appointments for about two weeks. It was no big deal. It was just a check-​up office visit. When I got there, it took about an HOUR to be seen by the doctor. Dr. Estrella is a very nice doctor and she’s very thorough. HOWEVER HER STAFF IS SO INCOMPETENT! They do not know how to schedule people appropriately. After my appointment, Dr. Estrella left without giving me a prescription I asked for. I had to wait another 30 minutes for that prescription which was consulted in the back hallway (not in the privacy of a room).
In mid-​August 2011, I tried to make an appointment because I had been coughing for two months that my husband was worried for me. (I’m the kind of person who wants their body to fight off infections by itself, which is why I suffered through two month of coughing.) They told me I wouldn’t be able to be seen until mid-​September. I was coughing for two months already and had to wait another month to get an appointment! I didn’t make an appointment at that time. They advised me to go to urgent care if I couldn’t wait that long.
One week later, I coughed so much that I vomitted. I went to urgent care the next day and waited about 5 minutes before being seen by a doctor who told me I had bronchitis and that if I waited any longer that it could worsen to pneumonia.
I called Dr. Estrella’s office to get a referral so my insurance would pay for it. Her staff told me that usually Dr. Estrella would want to do a follow-​up appointment after I was finished with the antibiotics. I made an appointment for early September. FUNNY HOW MY FOLLOW-​UP APPOINTMENT IS ONE WEEK BEFORE WHAT MY ORIGINAL APPOINTMENT WOULD HAVE BEEN!
In October, I got a bill from the urgent care I went to saying that I owed $ 85 for my office visit. I called Dr. Estrella’s office about my referral. THE STAFF NEVER SUBMITTED THE REFERRAL AUTHORIZATION TO MY INSURANCE! I was furious! I could have seen them for about $ 12 copay, but since they didn’t have any appointments and then screwed up, it is now $ 85.
They submitted it and told me when they got an answer from my insurance that they would call me back. They never did. I called a week later. Apparently, the paperwork was messed up in the fax and was re-​faxed, but they never followed up after that.
Eventually, my insurance approved the referral to urgent care and they gave me confirmation numbers for that (which I gave to the urgent care I went to). With this whole ordeal, I realized it’s not worth it to keep this doctor if her staff will screw you over with their incompetence and unacountability.