Dr. Werntz is awesome!!! Whoever does the billing is awful!!! I had my physical last Nov. and because they were short staffed, they asked me to go elsewhere for blood work. I did with no problem. The lab has been billing me ever since. I have been calling the billing dept. at Red River and nothing's happened. I just got sent to collections. So if they are short staffed, wait, don't go anywhere. I wonder if I can change who does my billing without changing my doctor. If I did this to my clients, I would have been fired!! read more

I love Dr Killian but absolutely hate his new medical assistant. Tracy was the best!!! This new one is all attitude. I am afraid I am going to need to look for another Dr because of her. He will lose patients because of her for sure read more

Dr. Bartz is the absolute worst doctor. For every complaint that I've had she just disregards and shows no interest in her patients. I had a cough that lasted several months and she was willing to do nothing except recommend over the counter medication. Since she wasn't willing to help me, I had to go to my allergist who did a variety of tests and then recommended me to an ENT doctor. Also, apparently she thinks is reasonable to only prescribe three months of birth control when it's usually annual and is something that you need on a daily basis. I absolutely do not recommend going to this doctor! read more

One of the best decisions I've made was to use Dr. Werntz as my primary care physician. I've been going to Red River Family Practice for 10 years now, and I've always had a good experience with the doctors. Dr. Werntz is my doctor, and he's always thorough with his exams - he spends a long time (20 min +) with me (and I assume each patient) talking - using the more wholistic approach. He'll draw blood when I go in for a physical because I am too disorganized to go to do the blood work at a lab. When I have emergencies, other doctors have seen me (Bartz, Brinson, Killian) - all have been professional. They've even called me at home when their offices are closed. The staff are professional and friendly - but busy - so not a lot of time for platitudes. Recently a co-worker had asked for a recommendation for a doctor, and she got several recommendations, coincidentally all for Dr. Bartz, which underscores the quality of the doctors. read more

Dr. Werntz is great. The staff always gets me in if I need to. Dr. Werntz takes his time to really listen to your concerns/issues and address them in the best way. The office also has an online portal that allows access to your medications and previous visits. Very user friendly and adds a nice benefit to using this practice. Only down side is you have to pay for parking in the garage, but at least it's convenient. One downside I will say is they are pretty quick to charge you extra if you do take the extra time/add multiple issues to a visit. Just be prepared that if you talk about chronic illnesses at an annual, you will pay extra for that. read more

Like everyone else, my experience has been that the doctors here are great; the office staff are terrible and downright retaliatory. My experience: Ever since switching from my PPO to an HSA, Red River has been charging me $70 up front before I see the doctor. I figured they already knew the cost of the visit, so I accepted the charge, but then after my visit, more bills would come in the mail, so essentially they would charge me twice. Out of the two years I've been going there, I have yet to have a doctor's visit where I did not call the billing folks because something was wrong with my billing (they actually double-charged me, like charging me $70 at the office and then billing me $70 for the exact same service) or I didn't understand the codes they were using. Case in point, I visited the doctor one time expecting to pay my normal $70 per visit. Dr. Bartz prescribed me medication and sent me on my way. When I got to the pharmacy, they informed me my medication was $1400. That was way too high, and had I known the medication was that much, I wouldn't have ordered it. I said this to Dr. Bartz's voicemail the day of. No follow up was made. I received a bill in the mail for an extra $30 on top of my $70 bill, and I asked why when I never picked up the medication. Nobody seemed to be aware that I didn't pick up the medication, and they informed me that it was a "specialty" visit, and so it cost more. I asked the office staff why, and they simply repeated what they said before and told me to pay the bill. Add this to the fact that they charged an extra $70 for a procedure that was, according to my insurance, supposed to be 100% covered, I called them again to ask why. Our conversation: Me: I don't really get this charge. My insurance said I was supposed to be covered. Billing: Well, that's what you owe. Me: Look, every time I get service here I'm calling the billing department. I'm tired, and I'm just about to leave if this isn't resolved. Billing: Ma'am. That's what I'm trying to explain to you, ma'am, we billed you for an office visit and that's what you owe. Me: But my insurance said they'd cover it. Billing: Well, this office visit is separate from the insurance. Me: Why? Billing: Are you dissatisfied with your service, ma'am? Me: No, it was fine, but it needs to be recoded if it was charged separately from insurance. Billing: I don't do the coding. Me: Okay...then who can fix this? Billing: The doctors. Shall I tell them that you were unhappy with their service and they need to recode? Me: No, I was fine with the service. Billing: Should I tell them that you were unhappy with their service and need to recode? Me: *sighs* Sure. Whatever. I just need them to reconsider. Billing: I will let them know that you were unhappy with their service. I'll follow up with you later today. Me: Okay. No follow up was made that day. I get not one, but two Termination of Service letters (one by priority, one by regular mail in case...I don't know, I didn't get the message?) that says, "because you were unhappy with our service, that constitutes a break in the patient/physician relationship and we will no longer be your primary care." I got an updated bill in the mail, and a phone call to let me know that they sent an updated bill, but conveniently left out the fact that they sent over two letters telling me they don't want to be my physicians anymore. I felt wheedled into saying that I was unhappy just so they could send those letters to me (probably because there's a legal disclosure somewhere that if I say that they can terminate), but good riddance. I liked the doctors, but the office is trigger-happy and likes to cut any patient if they ask too many questions on their quite honestly bizarre billing practices. I've never once been billed at the office and then later by a physician unless it was a copay, and my insurance doesn't do copays. Do yourself a favor and look elsewhere--some of these doctors also work at other practices that are much more above board with their billing and courtesy practices. read more

Worst front desk employees I have ever encountered. This is my 3rd time here, all with different receptionists and I absolutely DREAD coming to this office. Nasty attitude, outright rude, inappropriate conversations in front of patients, and definitely inappropriately dressed (absurd cleavage). read more

This place is cheaper then my insurance. They really help people who do not have insurance. It cost me around $50 for an appointment. Thanks for the help. read more

Receptionist/appointment setter is rather abrupt over the phone, bordering on rude, but she seems nicer in person. If you don't know exactly where you're going you will have a great deal of trouble finding this place. read more

I've been a patient at Red River Family Practice for three+ years. When I first moved to Austin and was in search of a new care provider I selected Red River due to it's close proximity to my home and that they were in-network with my insurance. My first appointment (annual exam) went smoothly. Dr. Bartz was thorough and attentive. My labs and pap were performed correctly at the office and were handled correctly at the lab. Less than a year later, after suffering from a cold/ sinus infection / plague for a few weeks I was able to call in and schedule an appointment for the next day in order to get some antibiotics. Since i was already a current patient of the practice the receptionist was able to squeeze me in next day with a different provider so I didn't have to suffer until the next week. Since then things have started to go down hill. The receptionists / front desk staff have become very rushed, inattentive, dare I say "rude" when calling to make appointments. I come in four times a year for injections in addition to my annual exam and each time the phone scheduling becomes more and more abrasive and rushed. Last time around I attempted to schedule my next injection in conjunction with my annual exam in order to save everyone time, and pretty much had to interrupt the receptionist as they were hanging up on me to ensure that the injection would be ordered and available. C'mon people, it's healthcare... take a moment to at least pretend you care about your patients. At my annual exam the past two years pap was sent to the wrong testing laboratory. I specifically request that all of my specimens be processed by CPL. I even go so far as to bring my own filled out requisition forms, inform my nurse, and my provider, yet my paps are still sent to Quest. My annual exams with Dr. Bartz have also gone downhill in the past two years. She's always been a straight forward "to-the-point" type of provider, which is fine, but the line between to the point and 'rushing' has been crossed. Once again, this is my annual exam, at least pretend that you are interested in what I have to say. Unfortunately, I will probably be researching other family practices / OBGYN's in my area in 2015. read more

I adored the doctors during the 15 years I was a patient here so it pains me to give them the low rating. Twice in the span of a few months I was told "Go to Urgent Care" because they could not see me in the next two days although I had a fever, flaming headache and no voice (ended up being a sinus infection), and even my raspy squeak did not convince the receptionist to give me a timely appointment. Instead, as a consolation prize the front desk scheduled me for useless appointment days later I did not want and then I got billed for missing it. I found another practice that sees patients on the same day. read more

I've got to disagree with E.R. It sounds like ER had a problem with his/her insurance company, whose own website ER checked and confirmed. I've been a patient here for several years, they do a great job in providing timely appointments, and my doctor is a great listener and practitioner. ER's other review said, "I told him talk to me or I will have to go public...so here is my first stop." Clearly, someone is doing a little ax-grinding. Sorry ER didn't have an ideal experience, but s/he needs to take some of the responsibility by checking with the insurance company before visiting 6 times. read more

Let me start by saying I like Dr. Bartz. She is easygoing, pleasant, efficient, and tells it like it is. She is the reason I continue going to Red River Family Practice. She is the ONLY reason I continue going here. The office itself is understaffed and overworked, disorganized, and technologically behind. Any time you call with a simple question, you are routed to your physican's assistant. At times, two physicians will be sharing one assistant, a job that seems to have a huge turnover, since it seems to be someone different every six months or so when I have the need to come in. This person has to singlehandedly return all phone calls and voicemails, handle prescription issues and refills, answer questions about side effects, handle insurance snafus, etc, etc, and it's no wonder that you almost always have to wait a day or two for a callback, and feel like you're imposing for having called with a question. The biggest problem I've had to date is an attempt to answer some basic questions from my medical record--past appointment dates, exact diagnoses, etc--for an EOI form. No one in the office, not the receptionists, physician assistant, or records department would answer these basic questions over the phone, the assistant didn't have the time or desire to fill the form out in person, and my attempt to get a copy of my medical record so that I could fill out the form myself has ended up with me calling some guy from the copy service on his cell phone asking where my record has ended up...which doesn't seem good. It's been two months of trying so far, and I can't get this form filled out. For comparison, my boyfriend's dr. office answered the same questions for him over the phone in 5 minutes. I think the issue here might be technological--the office doesn't seem to have searchable electronic records in any way. In fact, they don't even have email. The excellent physicians at this practice should strongly consider associating themselves with a business with any sort of customer service. The administrative side of this place is sinking it. read more

I recently moved to the area from Baton Rouge. I was referred to Red River and based on other reviews I was excited about contacting the practice to set up an introductory appointment and discuss my existing conditions and prescriptions. When I called the receptionist answered I asked to set up an appointment and to discuss my existing conditions and current prescriptions with one of doctors. It went like this, "Hello, I'm new to the area and was referred to the practice. I verified my insurance is accepted and would like to set up an...." Before I even finished asking that simple question she rudely interrupted me and said, "No, we don't have any appointments for new patients for 5 - 6 weeks." First impressions are of the utmost importance for ANY business. That conversation made it my first and final impression. I don't believe it's too much to ask to be treated politely. The reviews I have read for the individual doctors rave about how they take the time for their patients. I hope they plan to extend that to their staff or hire new staff that will provide that same level of professionalism, care, and courtesy. The economy hasn't fully recovered and I'm sure there are other people out there who would be more than happy to answer the phone and be polite to any caller whether they are or are not a current patient. read more

Dr. Lambeth is fantastic! I am in my mid 20s and have suffered from a chronic pain illness for many years now. That being said I've seen plenty of physicians and Dr. Lambeth is by far the best yet. Being relatively young and suffering from chronic pain means most doctors want to simply refer me to a pain management clinic or give me all kinds of drugs that don't work. He isn't one of those doctors. He is extremely knowledgeable and acutally listens to you. I've never felt rushed or like I am just a number like I have in the past. His bedside manner is phenomenal and I will remain his patient for as long as he is practicing medicine. His office recently stopped accepting Aetna (my insurance provider) and I'd rather pay the cash price any day than have to find another doctor. Fortunately for me my employer changed our insurance company so I don't have to worry about it anymore but even if they hadn't I am here to stay. Nice try but you can't get rid of me that easy Dr. Lambeth! :) All I have to say is Kudos to you Dr. Lambeth for making me feel like I actually have someone in my corner when it comes to my medical care. Words cannot express how grateful I am to have found a physician of your caliber. The staff has never given me any problems so I don't know why there are negative reviews about them. I think most of it has to do with people not understanding how an insurance claim works, what's covered and what's not by their own policy, or they just have unrealistic expectations of people. In any case I have only nice things to say about the staff. Don't mess that up staff people. J/K Cindy, Dr. Lambeth's nurse, has always been very kind and helpful as well. Keep up the good work everyone! read more

I called to make an appointment because I was sick and was told it would be two weeks before I could be seen. When I asked if they could recommend me to another doctor for an emergency appointment I was asked if I have ever heard of anything called "Google". Terrible patient services, and extremely uncalled for in my opinion. The doctors may be fine, but the office staff is extremely rude! Totally not worth being treated that way especially by a professional who is supposed to be helping you! read more

This clinic and doctors have very high ratings on Yelp, which is a big reason why I chose to come here. However, I do not share the same high opinions of this clinic. I scheduled a Welcome To Medicare visit, which is supposed to be free. When I arrived for my appointment, I verified that I had been scheduled for a Welcome To Medicare visit. However I was charged for the visit, and the clinic refuses to admit that it made a mistake. I have gone to the clinic twice to discuss the matter to no avail. I was told that it was my fault that I did not announce to the doctor that I was there for a Welcome To Medicare visit. Apparently, the receptionist is not responsible for relaying that information. Also, to my surprise, the office manager acted like I should know the billing codes for Medicare. I can only advise new people who come here to make sure that they know for sure what they will be paying for a visit before they arrive. If possible, have the medical code(s) with you and stand over the doctor to make sure he/she enters the correct code. Better yet, perhaps take a lawyer with you who knows medical billing codes and who can witness the doctor's visit. I found several errors in the doctor's notes --possibly related to the doctor's prior client. I filed an appeal to Medicare. I will not return to RRFP. read more

First of all Dr Werntz is the BEST, and I really wish he would move to another practice. My reason for the low score is the crappy customer service. And this is not a one-time problem I am complaining about. Every single year when I go for my annual check up (the one covered at 100% by my insurance company) I get billed by RR. Also, they miscode my blood work and I end up having to spend a lot of time on the phone clearing everything up for that too. This happens every single time I go to RR! If you enjoy keeping careful track of your EOB forms, taking copious notes on multiple phone calls, and playing phone tag with customer service, by all means - go to Red River! My last bit of advice, if you ignore my first bit of advice, is to get a hands free headset for your phone. At least the time you are on hold can be put to use doing other things. read more

I would not recommend the Red River Family Practice. I don't really know what the cause is, but I feel that the quality of basic care in this office is declining substantially. I can only guess what the cause is, but it is just not doing well. The office is sort of an unorganized mess with prescription requests and faxes getting lost and having to be sent over repeatedly, phone calls not being returned, etc. I've seen patients leaving reviews on these boards who got 'terminated' by their doctor at this clinic. I suppose that means kicked out of their practice? Good grief that sounds horrible. People need good doctors. The people at the lab where I had my blood work done rolled their eyes when I came in and said the orders for the labs are never sent over correctly. They said they always have problems with Red River Family Practice and wonder why they can never get it right. The people at my pharmacy have said the same thing, "We always have trouble with them." Anyway...I am on the hunt for a better doctor and better-managed office in Austin. read more

I don't know anything about medicine so all I can really judge this practice by is there customer service. I had been going to this practice for 7 years until I was spoken to rudely too many times by the people at the front desk. It seems like a simple concept--just be nice too the people who are making you money! Guy who was answering the phone on 1/3/13, you are rude and should be fired. I am firing your employers medical practice because you can't be polite. read more

I haven't had the kind of experience medically where I can tell whether the doctors are skilled diagnosticians. I haven't yet had any negative experiences here in the 1 year I've been a patient. I see Dr Gary Werntz. The positives are: if not available when you need him, he has you see another doctor in the practice, one of his partners. They have no P.A. at all, & no nurse !! imagine it. You see a doctor when you're sick. Now I've read herein people saying they can't get in. That is so common these days even though some Drs in this practice are not taking new patients, they apparently take too many. And there are probably seasons for sickness when they get overwhelmed. One thing I like is when you want to see a specialist & your insurance requires an authorization from the Doctor, they have an admin person whom you ask directly for the referral, no begging or paying for an appt to ask the doctor for the referral; it's just directly available by calling his clerical person. Some practices are very commercial, money making businesses. This is not one of them. Their focus appears humanitarian in scope, if you read the bios of the doctors & their research interests. And this suits my perspective. Dr Werntz is talkative, likes visiting, likes people at lot, sense of humor, appears to be enjoying his life & his friends. It's an old-fashioned experience where the doctor tries to make you feel better before you leave in whatever way he can. I've read the bad reviews here, but they seem to involve things the doctor can't help like insurance & a full appt schedule. I'm waiting 2 months to see my ear specialist for Meniere's. I'm dizzy every day & have to wait 2 months to see the specialist. That part is annoying but it's modern living. I've only reviewed the emotional aspect of seeing this doctor because I don't have much medical treatment to base the review on, knock on wood!! Most of my true medical treatment is done by specialists, I'm a senior citizen. So the family physician is also important for knowing who the best doctors are for your special needs & making good referrals. Dr Werntz recently referred me to Dr Scumpia, an endocrinologist of amusing personality, smart & no-nonsense. That worked out well & luckily he briefed me well on what to expect & I looked up her reviews in advance. It pays to know how to get along with the doctor if you want to get the best of their expertise. The doctor-patient relationship is a cooperative 2-way exchange. You have to play your part well too. read more

I posted a negative review under a different ID a year ago for Dr. Michael Killian, but Yelp removed it. Perhaps Dr. Killian or the Red River Clinic paid Yelp to remove it. Shame on you Yelp! Who are you really working for? The consumer or the business? Let me sum it up my problems with Red River Clinic anew here. I had just quaiified for Medicare, and I made an appointment at Red River Clinic for A Welcome to Medicare visit with Dr. Killian based on the positive Yelp reviews here. What a mistake! The Welcome to Medicare visit was supposed to be free to me. Medicare was supposed to cover the entire cost of the visit. Instead I was charged a co-payment for the visit. At the time I did not have Part B. When I complained to the billing department, I was told that Dr. Killian had provided and charged me for advice for an old shoulder injury. I did not solicit this advice or ask for it. I wasted a lot of time dealing with the billing department. The billing department told me that I should know the medical codes before I made an appointment. The woman in charge of the billing department told me that asking for a Welcome to Medicare visit at the time that I made the appointment was not enough. I was supposed to tell Dr. Killian personally that I was there for that visit specifically. I wish that I could say that the appointment went well, but it didn't. Although Dr. KIllian was pleasant and affable, he discouraged me from having a fecal occult blood test. He did order blood tests and renewed some medications for me. However, he filled out the wrong lab form for blood tests. As a consequence, the lab had to contact him to correct the paperwork, and I had to return the following day to take the tests. Also, I received a copy of his notes during the visit, and it was clear to me that he had combined my notes with that of the previous patient. In addition there were medication errors. I had to return to the pharmacy two or three times to get my medication straightened out. I will not return to Red River Clinic and Dr. Killian. read more

Dr. Eric Lambeth is not the person you should go to if you have complex chronic illness. He said that I was too young to be sick, and that no one thing could explain all of my symptoms, suggesting that they purely came from stress. He told me to 1) get my nutrition from soylent 2) to stop taking my anti-inflammatory protocol to "see how bad I would get" and 3) to take antidepressants for IBS. We argued for an hour, and he consistently invalidated my experiences. I'm currently being treated by another doctor for Lyme disease. read more

Dr. Lambeth is really awesome. He was extremely patient, thorough, informative, and organized during my first appointment with him. He gave me practical advice on general health/allergies/sleep based on my expressed aversion to treatments such as frequent medication or allergy shots. Today I had to return for an emergency dose of antibiotics (marathon training+100 heat=major blisters). The office was able to squeeze me in with no notice, and I hardly had to wait at all. This visit wasn't rushed, but rather efficient: skilled, careful observation and questions, then a quick prescription and advice to take to the shoe store. So glad I finally found such a great GP! read more

Lambeth and Killian are the best. Been seeing them for 20+ years.

The office staff is not honest. They told me every time i made an appointment they were a preferred provider for my insurance, I checked the Doctor's name on my insurance Company's web site and all seemed fine. Then the claims were rejected, The Doctor under this practice was not covered. The Office would not admit it until my 6th visit, when they actually checked for the first time. The Doctor would not talk to me about the problem, and they would not release my medical records to me. They are Frauds, and the Doctor would not even face his patient to discuss the problem. I ask the doctor to talk to me, but he was not willing to resolve the problem. I can only guess a patient is not his prime concern. read more

Dr. Lambeth is really awesome. I have been seeing him since he started there, the doctor that predeceded him was incredibly good too. One thing that Dr. Lambeth has done, besides truly listening, and helping you, is depending on your insurance, or lack therof, prescribes medicines that are a lot more reasonable in cost and also gives a cash discount at times for services. I can't say enough good things about Dr. Lambeth...Austin is lucky to have him, and so am I read more