Healthcare staff very competent and well trained. Timely, attentive, and informative on the matters that count.

Very knowledgeable and truly cares about his patients I have been seeing him for 10 years. read more

I had a procedure done back in May. Dr. Smith was amazing. And Miss Mary explained everything so good. The staff was really nice and friendly. read more

Scheduled a procedure for 0645. Called the day before to reset for 0700. Arrived in parking lot at 0640. No one unlocked the door until 0705. Signs everywhere about COVID with old and outdated CDC recommendations. Signs stating "masks are mandatory," yet the staff is wearing their masks on their chins. . Everyone in the waiting room is wearing their masks on their chin or under their nose. This is the same doctor that left my mother , a cardiac patient , in the hospital for two days without checking on her. Reconsider this place for care. Not recommended read more

I'm posting this so maybe it won't happen to you! My first visit (and last) to Athens Gastroenterology in July, 2021 was with Margaret Brown PA. I was referred to this office by my Rheumatologist. I arrived for my appointment and was taken to an exam room by Kayla, Ms. Brown's nurse or medical assistant (not sure of her title). Ms. Brown came in, never making eye contact. She advised me that she did not receive my records from my Rheumatologist. I advised her she could get my recent lab work from Lab Corp. Kayla came into exam room with a paper and Ms. Brown advised her that was not the lab work she needed so Kayla left the room. She returned with several pages of lab work and Ms. Brown began reading it. She asked me a lot of GI questions. She stated she was concerned about "my" lab work because it reflected a lot of abnormal results. I spent almost one and half hours (1 1/2) hours) with Ms. Brown reviewing this lab work while she created her diagnosis and what tests she would order based on the lab work. She advised me that I was bleeding internally, from somewhere, but she did not know where and wouldn't until I had an upper and lower endoscopy, which she ordered. She put me on a prescription for a health issue she felt needed immediate treatment. I was upset, experiencing a lot of anxiety, and angry, angry because if my lab work was so bad and it reflected so many negative results, why didn't the physician who ordered it call me immediately? She added to my anxiety with all her concerns about what the lab work reflected was going on inside my body. Not once during this appointment did Ms. Brown make eye contact with me. She was solely focused on the lab work and her laptop she was entering all this information into. At the end of our appointment I asked her for a copy of the lab work because I intended on contacting the physician and ask them why they had not called me, when they had the lab work for a month by this appointment, and catch the issues and report them to me. I left her office so upset, scared and so full of anxiety about what could possibly be going on inside my GI tract and how I could be bleeding internally. I walked around for almost two hours trying to calm myself. When I got home I kept thinking about that lab work. Later in the evening I finally pulled myself together enough to look at it. I was reviewing it and looking up every test that had an abnormal result. It was pages of lab work. At the end I happened to notice the lab work was by a Cancer Center. Why would my physician order lab work from a cancer center? Oh no, do I have cancer and he didn't want to tell me yet? Then I looked at the person who ordered the lab work and did not, and have not ever seen that provider. Then I noticed the date of birth.....it was for a 69 year old (I'm 61) and then I finally saw the name.....it was a male (I'm a female)! This lab work was for a 69 year old male cancer patient. Now think about it, how bad do you think his lab work was? How bad do you think the diagnosis Ms. Brown was making based on this lab work? HOW SCARED DO YOU THINK I WAS? How many HIPPA violations occurred here? The next morning I called and spoke to Kayla. I asked her to look at the lab work, as she got to the name, she started laughing and said, "Oh, I see it, this isn't even your lab work!" I was even more upset by her attitude and advised her I wanted every bit of this visit removed from my record. So, what happened? WELL, neither Kayla, who picked up the lab work from the fax machine and brought it to Ms. Brown, nor Ms. Brown who received the paperwork BOTHERED TO CHECK THE NAME AND BIRTHDATE to confirm it was MY lab work. I spent 1 1/2 hours being diagnosed from a 69 year old male cancer patients lab work. I really want whoever is taking the time to read this to not only think about how I felt during that 1 1/2 hours but what could have possibly happened to me when they were performing the endoscopy and colonoscopy on me, BASED on the bloodwork of a 69 year old male cancer patient??? read more

Today was my first visit. Everyone was friendly and helpful. I won't meet Dr. Smith until the next visit, but I was very impressed with nurse practitioner Mary Dotson. She conducted a thorough interview and exam, took time to understand my problem fully, and gave me some excellent practical suggestions for improvement. The questions she asked, for example if I had experienced difficulty swallowing, showed that she had a good grasp of the likely causes for my problem, even though the endoscopy will tell us more. She's a delightful person, easy to talk to, and clearly very experienced, with not only a practical background in nursing but also a doctorate in nursing practice. My initial impression is that the staff takes the time to do things right. read more

Dr. Gregory Smith has been my GI physician since 2002. His office used to be in a tight rental space, but since 2006 he built a beautiful office that looks like a ski resort. The décor is very warm, inviting, and comfortable. Dr. Smith is one of the few doctors I know who is passionate about what he does and isn't in it for the money. In fact, I have learned that he volunteers his time to health clinics for those who are financially challenged and to educating medical students interning at his office in addition to donating to several organizations. How many doctors do you know that contribute to their community? Dr. Smith is very personable with a great sense of humor. Sometimes he has to get on to me because he truly cares about my health and I can be a little stubborn about following doctor's advice-- which is why I have to keep coming back. His nurse practitioner, Mary Dotson, is also wonderful and easy to talk to. They have tag-teamed to get to the "bottom" of my digestive problems and have helped me find ways to manage my care/treatment. I would probably be at least 99% better if not for my own stubbornness in eating things I know I'm not supposed to eat. For the most part, I have been met with friendly staff from the moment I walk through the door to the time I check out. I can't tell you how often I have gone to a doctor's office and the staff was horrible to me--I don't pay good money for bad service! When it comes to my health, I don't "call around" for pricing--I go by word of mouth regarding the QUALITY OF CARE. I had heard good things about Dr. Smith, tried him out, and have been with him and his office ever since. I REALLY appreciate the EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE and HEALTH CARE I receive at Athens Gastro Center. I highly recommend them. read more

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