If you've never been to a podiatric physician (podiatrist), want/need to start seeing one, and…read morearen't sure what the experience is like once you get there, I'm happy to report that I had an outstanding first appointment experience at Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists. The office is set in a relaxing Hill Country setting with free parking shaded by live oak trees. The serene surroundings and organized, clean office, conveniently situated close to downtown yet much less stressful, are exactly what you hope to find in a medical office setting. Also impressive: The online check-in process was made available in advance; the welcoming, friendly front desk staff person helped me find the office after Apple Maps misdirected my navigation; and the attentive medical assistant ensured I felt comfortable and informed before seeing the doctor. Dr. Craig Thomajan was excellent--he took the time to explain everything clearly, answered my questions thoroughly, and his calm expertise put me at ease. I left feeling well cared for and with a clear understanding of my treatment plan. Now that I know what going to a podiatric physician involves, I won't hesitate to return in six weeks for my next appointment. I highly recommend Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists to anyone seeking expert, compassionate foot and ankle care in a comfortable and welcoming environment.

I've been going here over the years for various issues like plantar fasciitis and most recently to…read morehave my teenage son's ingrown toenail treated. We are always treated so well and seen quickly. I'd highly recommend if you need treatment.

Came in after an ingrown became infected. Though the office staff didn't call me back from my VM I…read morecalled the following morning and made an appointment. Staff was nice and can't say anything bad about Dr Valenza (SP?). He was so incredibly kind. He talked to me about what was going on and b/c I have the issue a lot what small procedure he could do right then and there. He talked about his kids and what they do. It just felt personal and nice. Like what it should be when you're with your doctor. So often you feel like just a number and I didn't feel that at all.

I saw Dr. Valenza for an infected (super gross) ingrown toenail. His staff was so friendly and…read morehelpful in scheduling, going above and beyond to fit me in quickly because I said I was in pain. The office is very nice and clean and I saw the Dr. right away. Dr. Valenza was fantastic! Super nice and explained everything very thoroughly and in terms I could understand. He took care of my infection and I was in and out in 45 minutes. Definitely recommend!

Posting on behalf of my girlfriend who was treated terribly at this clinic…read more She arrived and was immediately treated incredibly rudely by the front desk staff even though she was being polite and just asking questions. She has a Cigna PPO plan and was berated by the staff for not having her physical insurance card. Who the hell carries a physical insurance card? Every insurer has digital cards with the information on it and it's the exact same thing. When she said she has her digital one they responded by telling her "We don't do no extras around here anymore, no money left after COVID." So being able to type the member ID off of a digital insurance card is considered an extra? Never in my life have I EVER seen somewhere with this level of rude and frankly disgusting behavior. Horrendous office with horrendous staff. The doctor's who operate this clinic need to look at their staff and policies and figure their stuff out because this just isn't right.

The office manager is very mean and aggressive. They lost 2 customers today due to this woman's…read morelevel of unprofessionalism. I reported her to the Dr. and he just made excuses for her. This is not how I want to be treated anywhere.

Dr. Romero is the best! He listens to you, explains the course of therapy, and is very polite and…read morethorough. Zero complaints from me, and I'm difficult to please.

Watch out! checked outdoctor that is slow to respond and ineffective treatments proposed ,…read morediscouraged physical therapies, 3 months for follow up . Bad note taker and no research as to root causes. Treatment plan was insufficient and had no timeline provided or anything other than ice stretch and ineffective imeds. Relied on Cortizol for the only relief. Seems like he's in it to perform surgeries and doesn't care if it's not getting him that dough. Stay away

I injured my knee by jumping down off a wall and wound up with lots of pain and swelling. After…read morewaiting for it to heal on its own for a couple of months, I went to see the orthopedist and get x-rays and an MRI. Nothing broken or torn, just badly bruised. I wound up working with Joe for 7 months with weekly visits. He started out slow with some strength and flexibility routines and added more strenuous exercises as time went on. PT works and you have to trust the process. The care I received was excellent. I now work out 5 days a week and my legs are stronger than ever.

I injured my knee over a year ago. I had a round of physical therapy at another place. It was…read moresomewhat better when I was done. Still my knee hurt and got worse over time. Finally - an Austin Sports Medicine Orthopedist recommended Physical Therapy. Yahoo! This place is great. From day one, I was 80% better and the improvement is continuing and it has only been 3 sessions. Andrew is so good. He listens and really knows his stuff. No cookie cutter physical therapy here. Highly Recommend!!!

They just want your money. I was told that my follow-ups would be as needed, that I could still get…read moremy prescription refilled. This was not the case. Nothing about my condition has changed in the two months since they saw me last. The severity ebbs and flows. I have had follow ups with them multiple times over the course of 6 months. I take my Meloxicam as needed, not daily. They don't do an exam at my follow-up, just ask me a few questions. The clinic staff is friendly (why I gave two starts instead of one), but I'm not going to pay money for someone to smile and be nice to me and not provide any medical care, other than calling in a prescription.

SHADY BILLING PRACTICES - ZERO COMPASSION - AVOID THIS PLACE IF YOU VALUE BEING TREATED LIKE A…read moreHUMAN I had to leave this review after my recent experience with DIRECT ORTHOPEDIC CARE (DOC) -- and I wouldn't recommend this place to ANYONE, especially if you're dealing with chronic conditions, post-op recovery, or have limited income. I WAS CHARGED A $50 NO-SHOW FEE For an appointment I was NEVER properly reminded or confirmed for. I rely on a case manager to help manage my care, and there was: NO confirmation call NO reminder text before the appointment NO follow-up prior to the visit Instead, I got a "You missed your appointment" text AFTER THE FACT. When I raised this issue, DOC leadership -- particularly PAIGE, Director of Operations -- doubled down. Even after reviewing records that showed I wasn't receiving reminders, she coldly cited "company policy" and refused to waive the charge. I PAID THE $50 UNDER PROTEST -- this was NOT a legitimate or fair fee. I've had FOUR SURGERIES IN UNDER A MONTH, with a MAJOR SHOULDER REPLACEMENT scheduled for 8/26 -- and this is how they treat patients who are trying to manage complex, ongoing care? ABSOLUTELY SHAMEFUL. ************ And before someone from the social media team replies with the usual copy-paste: "We're sorry to hear about your experience, please contact us to discuss this further...". DON'T BOTHER. That's not a real apology -- it's a PR-APPROVED DEFLECTION that helps no one and fixes nothing. SHADY BILLING PRACTICES - ZERO COMPASSION - AVOID THIS PLACE IF YOU VALUE BEING TREATED LIKE A HUMAN I had to leave this review after my recent experience with DIRECT ORTHOPEDIC CARE (DOC) -- and I wouldn't recommend this place to ANYONE, especially if you're dealing with chronic conditions, post-op recovery, or have limited income. I WAS CHARGED A $50 NO-SHOW FEE For an appointment I was NEVER properly reminded or confirmed for. I rely on a case manager to help manage my care, and there was: NO confirmation call NO reminder text before the appointment NO follow-up prior to the visit Instead, I got a "You missed your appointment" text AFTER THE FACT. When I raised this issue, DOC leadership -- particularly PAIGE, Director of Operations -- doubled down. Even after reviewing records that showed I wasn't receiving reminders, she coldly cited "company policy" and refused to waive the charge. I PAID THE $50 UNDER PROTEST -- this was NOT a legitimate or fair fee. I've had FOUR SURGERIES IN UNDER A MONTH, with a MAJOR SHOULDER REPLACEMENT scheduled for 8/26 -- and this is how they treat patients who are trying to manage complex, ongoing care? ABSOLUTELY SHAMEFUL. ************ And before someone from the social media team replies with the usual copy-paste: "We're sorry to hear about your experience, please contact us to discuss this further...". DON'T BOTHER. That's not a real apology -- it's a PR-APPROVED DEFLECTION that helps no one and fixes nothing. DOC HAD EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THIS RIGHT -- AND FLAT-OUT FAILED. ************ They clearly care more about nickel-and-diming patients than actual healthcare.

Dr. David Loui is awesome. I have worked in the medical field for over 30 years and have had 13…read moreortho surgeries along with five other surgeries, and by far Dr. Loui has the best bedside manner I have ever come across. Not only did he have the best bedside manner, he did not push surgery on me until after a couple of months with my foot not getting any better. When Dr. Loui and I agreed that it was time to bite the bullet and do surgery, I had two options with two completely different prices. Dr. Loui suggest the cheaper of the two options, which I am glad I did. He is not at all about how much money he can make off his patients. Which is really good to see. At every visit, I was always brought back on time. I never had to wait. The front desk and the x-ray tech were all awesome. Book with Dr. Loui, and you will not be disappointed. I forgot to mentioned. My husband, usually never goes to my appointments with me. However, after my husband met Dr. Liou the day of my procedure, my husband came with me to every appointment afterwards just to talk to Dr. Liou. That is how much my husband liked him.

I have been very impressed with Dr. Liou. He carefully listens to questions and provides clear and…read moredirect answers. I first went to see Dr. Liou about an ingrown toenail that was causing me pain. Dr. Liou clearly and concisely told me what could be done to solve the problem. In the past, I had seen a couple of other podiatrists and when I asked them about ingrown toenail options, I felt like I received long winded needlessly confusing answers. This caused me to lose confidence in their ability to solve the problem for what I assumed must be a common relatively simple procedure. Dr. Liou explained how, after deadening the area, I could have a small portion of the side of my nail removed to take out the embedded portion of the toenail. If I wanted the procedure to be permanent, then they could apply a substance to prevent regrowth of the removed portion of the nail. To evaluate the process prior to a permanent removal, I had the portion temporarily removed to better confirm what it would look like with a small portion of the toenail removed. I also wanted to see if Dr. Liou was as skilled at performing the work as he was in explaining the process. Dr. Liou was very skilled and quickly performed the procedure. Frankly, the the four shots to deaden the toe, were the worst part of the process. Those shots were more painful than I was used to (and I have had a LOT of shots). Given this, I told Dr. Liou that in the future I would prefer it if he started with just one shot, then waited a couple minutes for that to take effect, prior to giving the other three shots. If you prefer just getting it over with all at once, the good news is that the shots do not take that long. Dr. Liou also helped me with plantar fasciitis. I received an injection and some shoe inserts which provided quick relief. What I found particularly extraordinary about Dr. Liou, was how he rose to the occasion when I had an appointment to see him after being rendered completely mute from a neck surgery which resulted in a paralyzed vocal cord. Since I suddenly could not talk at all, I was wondering if I should cancel this appointment with Dr. Liou due to the difficulty of communicating. I decided to keep the appointment and typed out my questions for Dr. Liou and handed them to him when I arrived at the office. I could not even speak to explain why I was handing him something, so I had to depend on his good will to actually read my document and respond to my questions appropriately. He was AMAZING. He did not miss a beat for what was a strange situation for both of us. He answered every question on the sheet, even though I was helpless to correct him if he missed something since I could not talk. Fortunately, I have had corrective procedures since then to help me talk, but I am so grateful and impressed as to how he handled this situation. I think it says a lot about him since many doctors skip over questions even when you CAN talk to insist on getting an answer.

I visited Dr. Urukalo today in her new office. I am a previous patient and for seven years she has…read morebeen the most kind and compassionate practitioner. I am extremely proud to recommend her without reservation! Everything about her relocated practice reflects her commitment to providing her patients the best and latest treatment. She is simply the BEST!