I just moved to the Cartersville area and needed to consult a nearby endocrinologist in my BCBS network that I could trust and was comfortable with. I read through many websites recommended by Consumer Reports for the type of information that could help narrow my choices. Dr. Francisco Puentes stood out from other contenders. After emailing his practice setting out my needs, Dr. Puentes personally telephoned me to explain how he might serve me as a care giver and again following a second visit to confirm I received my lab reports, which he had emailed. Our visits have gone very well and will continue. I feel valued as a patient, and he is clearly engaged with my needs, asking good questions and sharing helpful information as to his analysis and considerations. I could see that he practiced according to best evidence rather than pressures from the medical industry. I feel satisfied that I have found a knowledgeable and caring doctor who sees every patient as unique. During my visits, I had several opportunities to see that he treats all his patients with respect and understanding, going beyond the usual considerations for providing more care than they would have received elsewhere. I highly recommend this specialist and am happy to have found this high quality of medical care in a small city. read more

Has anyone seen this dr for 25 yrs as I have and suddenly this dr shoves 2 months of genetic thyroid meds and says he no longer accepts my ins .3 yrs ago he did that to me and so I willingly paid out of pocket 185.00 cash for each visit 3x .but this year he did it again .his office wont call to negotiate a price for my co pay so I can continue to see him.has our medical care and this drs ethic get squashed abd means nothing anymore? I called 4x left messages, no return calls . Devoted Healthcare is my new ins .anybody struggling w the same dr. ? ARM read more

DISCRIMINATION: A few weeks ago, I had asked for recommendations on a good endocrinologist in town and it had been recommended that I seek the services of Dr. Francisco Puentes from Endocrine Specialists of Georgia. Being newly diagnosed and currently struggling with glucose issues, I was comforted with the fact that the doctor was right in Cartersville and seemed to have good reviews online. I arrived at my appointment on time and was greeted by the receptionist from the adjoining doctor, who directed me to the sign-in sheet for Dr. Puentes. Upon signing in, I was spoken to by his receptionist (a woman with dark eyes and hair) who spoke to me in Spanish. Understanding that sometimes Hispanics may assume one does not speak English, struggle with English, or prefer to speak Spanish, I told her that I could speak English. I would have believed that at that point, since I did not have need of translation services, that she would speak to me in English. But she did not. Instead, she stared at me blankly and continued to speak to me in Spanish even though I repeated being able to speak English more than twice. She even had the gall to question me as to why we could not speak in Spanish. I was genuinely rather dumbfounded. I felt that this woman was purposely discarding my request to speak to me in my preferred language (English) and truly had no respect for a patient, a new patient. I also found it rather incredulous that this person felt she could force another person to speak HER preferred language. This makes me wonder how many Hispanics feel forced to speak to her in Spanish because of her simple inability to respect their wishes. Shortly afterwards, I was greeted by the doctor, who immediately began to speak to me in Spanish, at which point, I told him I preferred to speak in English. He respected my request. The service was adequate and the doctor was informative. I went back to the receptionist, who once again, continued to speak to me in Spanish and scheduled an appointment for a follow-up appointment in one month's time. Noticing that I seemed to have forgotten my car keys in the examining room, I asked one of the other doctor's medical personnel if I could go back to the room to search for my keys (there are multiple doctors in this office that are not associated to one another). She allowed my request and I proceeded to go back to the examining room. As I got closer to the room where I was seen by Dr. Puentes, I noticed his receptionist was at his office door speaking to him about me. I heard her tell Dr. Puentes that even though she heard me tell her multiple times that I could speak English, that she continued to speak to me in Spanish. She also mentioned the country I was from , Peru, as I was wearing a winter hat with Peru written on the side. I can only conclude that she mentioned this in mockery as in "She is Peruvian, but won't speak Spanish!" or some other derogatory remark. I was shocked, but not only that, I was hurt. I could not believe that this was taking place at a doctor's office. This woman has no idea of my background, my comfort level with Spanish, when I may choose to speak it or with whom, nor any other reasons why I may choose not to speak it. But alas, my choice of what language I speak while in America, that of English, should not be discredited or discarded because someone wants to purposely force their wishes upon another. I am there as a paying, new patient, seeking medical advise and services. Not to be mocked. To hear her make fun of me in the presence of the doctor left much to be desired. At some point, she noticed that I was there and became red in the face when I confronted her and told her I heard exactly what she said about me. I was outraged and told her it was very insulting and inappropriate. When she tried to "help" me by asking me what I needed, I told her not to speak to me. I am very disappointed at how I was treated at the office of Dr. Puentes. I have never had such a similar experience elsewhere. I was essentially discriminated and ridiculed at this office. The receptionist felt she could taunt me, that she did not have to respect my preferred language choice, and who then, without realizing that I had gone back to retrieve my keys, felt it so easy to speak about a patient out in the hallway, doors open, in a disparaging way and speak mockingly of their ethnicity and native country. Sadly, I am left with the belief that this type of unethical behavior and impropriety is allowed by her own employer, Dr. Puentes. It was very easy for her to stand outside of his office and speak about me with little regard to basic etiquette. Instead of redirecting her as a good manager would and should, I felt Dr. Puentes engaged all the while she was making fun of my person. I failed he lacked the opportunity to instill good HR practices and lead by example as a professional. read more

Francisco Puentes, MD, FACE - Endocrinologists Near Me - Atlanta, Georgia

Dr. Puentes, I can't thank you enough for everything you have done for me. I appreciate how do you expend time explaining things clearly to us. My Thyroid and Testosterone problems are now stable thanks to you, I saw other physicians but they did not were as good as you are. You have put our minds at ease, thank you very much! Totally recommended! read more

This practice is horrible, horrendous customer service, ignorant and unempathetic personnel. Bullies and discriminatory behaviors, even though Dr. PUENTES is Hispanic. They treat people like trash. I went for a first time visit in last part of the year. We had just moved from SC to GA apparently their was a mistake with the insurance deductible stating it was not met. I explained to call the insurance to corroborate because I am a Diabetic patient with Retinopathy. I have to get injections monthly that cost 3K. I HAD MET MY DEDUCTIBLE. 1600k in the first month of the year. Dr was arrogant and the first thing he asked was for us to give him a good review in google. At the check out front desk stated that even though insurance confirmed that we did had met deductible that since ot was not updated in their systems we needed to pay full amount for our visit. I call insurance again and they confirmed they had provided confirmation that claim would be processed. The front desk lady called the office manager Amy, she treated me and my husband like trash. Told us we needed to pay in full because we were rendered services or she would call the police. Did not offered a payment arrangement. Charged me 420 dollars. I only pay a 10% so I was supposed to pay 42. I had to use my rent money​, she said that as soon as the system showed that our deductible was met she would make a refund. Very next day I go to verify the system had updated and I go to get my refund she said that until the claim was fully processed she was not going to give our money back...she was despicable made fun of me... told me that if she had to pay her rent she would have not made the payment at the Dr. Mocking me. I told her she was a liar, because she was... people in this town know the kind of treatment us provided at this office. It took me a month to get my money back. My husband went to look for it and they lied again said they didn't had checks, even though we paid with card they did not want to refund our card. We had to wait another week. My final payment was 19 dollars... All the times we went to the office to talk to someone they made us wait over an hour, on purpose. This lady was despicable and honestly if the DR let this management team treat their patients with such disregard...that's shows his work ethics and professionalism. Neither him or his wife cared to dig deeper in the situation. He also Bullies the people that tell the truth online. Once was enough for us. read more

Dr Puentes came to my rescue when I contracted my diabetic condition several years ago. He agreed to see me, established a treatment plan and oversaw my health as I began to stabilize and recover. My condition is now controlled and stabilized thanks to Dr Puentes and his excellent attention to detail. read more