Gardner Donald F Md

For both appointments I was seem over an hour later when there were only two other patients in the waiting room. The surprising part of this was seeing Dr. Gardner walking up to staff making small talk even right in front of the glass window that separates the waiting room and staff office when patients were waiting to see him. It would have been more professional if the staff had requested my lab results after a week had passed when the lab itself mentioned the results were ready. I was concerned amount the timing of learning the results and never received a call back from any member of the staff. Dr.Gardner refused to explain the results over the phone- instead I was told I could only review my results if I came in and made a second appointment ($). HIPPA allows doctors to give results over the phone. My results were negative - no causes of concern-no perscription needed and I and my health insurance office were billed a second time.? more

Before my insurance ran out I wanted to follow-up with an endocrinologist. I called around Houston by calling the best-rated endocrinologists - each Doctor was booked before the holidays and the next appointment for each would be early January. I was crossing my fingers to have a positive experience at Dr. Gardner's office, the only office I reached out to that had an opening- in fact the office had multiple openings for appointments. The first lady who I spoke with on the phone was GREAT- very helpful. The time of my appointment was 11:15am and I waited with only one other person in the waiting room....until 1pm. Meeting with the NP before the doctor was very beneficial as a pre-screening of sorts. When meeting with Dr. Gardner he seemed frustrated when I asked about medical conditions and even bothered by medical treatment questions. When I asked about thyroid issues the entire conversation with Dr. Garder was dealing with cosmetic treatments, and he seemed frustrated when I asked about the actual medical side of having a family history involving thyroid problems. Instead of focusing on endocrinology he kept asking me why one of my eyes is bigger than the other. He kept stating that I need to go see a friend of his who is very interested in eye size. I understand doctors benefit from referrals; however, I made an appointment for thyroid issues. An odd thing during the appointment was that he referred to ""other Hispanic women do X to treat this."" It did not help things to have to let the doctor know I, as a patient, was not Hispanic and it would be better to generally speak about treatments. I understand a doctor is rushed for time and when I started to ask about costs I could not get a word in and he excused himself from the room and that was the end of the appointment. The NP in the room could see that was not an ideal way to handle an appointment and offered her email address if I decided to not come back. more

Dr. Gardener is excellent as a caring physician with a basic humanity in his work His recommendations on other doctors have been uneven, but his suggerstions on better care show common sense - a trait rather uncmmon among Doctors. Time is reltively brief with him and waiting tim can becosiderable. Yet overall far better than many of the MD deabeats I have encountered over the past decade. Pros: Carig doctor; couteous staff; has earlymorning hours Cons: Can' leave msgs; offce doesn't open on time more

About 10 years ago, I had a thyroidectomy and had constantly struggled with maintaining normal thyroid levels. Finally, I changed to a different primary care physician who referred me to Dr. Gardner. I've been very, very pleased with his approach to prescribing meds which successfully put my thyroid levels in the normal range. I feel great. Pros: Caring, Creative Treatment Approach Cons: Office Wait more

I have seen Dr. Gardner for a few years. He has the basic doctoring down. But tends not to listen to feed back. When I told him medicine made me tired or I gained a weight he would dismiss it and tell me that people my age put on weight. Then he grabbed his gut and showed me his extra weight. - I happen to monitor my weight closely and am well aware when I am out of line. My exercise program is strict and I keep tight tabs on my diet. When the only thing that changes is my medication I expect a doctor to at least consider it, not just dismiss it off hand. Pros: Close to my home. Cons: Average service and care more

Dr. Gardner is a really good doctor. He took his time with me and explained everything. I have thyroid nodules and he even explained each ultra sound scan and explained to me why they look benign. He really cares and takes his time with you. Eventhough the nodules did not explain some of my symptoms, he directed me where to go next and if things are not better in two weeks, to come back for an MRI. Unfortunately there is a long wait - but it's because he does not heard people in and out like cattle. Pros: Great Doctor, location, parking Cons: wait time 90 min. plus more

I have been seeing Dr. Donald Gardner for years and avoided changing doctors because it is so difficult to get in as a new patient with another endocrinologist. Pros: Parking Cons: Dr doesn't know history, office support staff is poor more

I have been a patient of Dr. Gardner for over a year. I chose him because of his location. Dr. Gardner was treating me for over active thyroid which he never gave me a perscription. I had a nodule in my throat which was causing me to be over active. At Dr. Gardner request I've taken plenty of tests which the majority had came back reading over active. At each office visit I made several complaints about the knot in my throat. I told him it feels like I'm choking at times. His response after examining my neck was the knot doesn't feel big. He requested that I have a scan of the thyroid taken and I also had a utrasound perform in his office which all of the testes came back over active thyroid. He still says the nodule doesn't look are feel big. He finially said Okay I want you to go take one more test to check to see if your thyroid is over active before he recommend radioactive iodione treatment. Well the test came back normal that time. Since I wasn't getting answers I decided to go get another opinion. He release my medical records. Guess what? I have 2 nodules NOW tell me why wasn't I informed. I had to go get another scan uptake to make sure the other nodule wasn't cancer. It came back negative ( Thank GOD ) I later went to talk with him and ask him why he did not share the 2nd nodule with me and he said because it was so small he didn't feel the need. After all I am the patient I deserve to know. He gave me little answers to my questions during that visit. I am really upset with this Doctor all I can think of is the 2 hr+ office visits and the not so professional staff, the no return phone calls and not to mention the traffic. The thing that really upsets me is he had recently done a ultrasound on my neck and he never mention to me a 2nd nodule. I trusted him and I thought by him being such a older Doctor he was much more knowledgable, but I was wrong. I like the Doctor I have now. I now can get the answers and return phone calls a patient deserves. Pros: As a patient you better know how to read your own test results or ultrasound if you want all of the facts. Cons: 90 + minute wait in the waiting area and 3 minute office visit with the Doctor more

Dr. Donald Gardner Pros: Get Well Cons: Office turn around 72Hrs more

Gentle manor, but always LATE. Last appoint I left the office after waiting 90 minutes. Office staff will not return calls. Now he is billing my insurance for the missed appointment...$607.00. more

I have been a patient of Dr. Gardner for over three years and have been satisfied with his ability to diagnos my diabetic problems and perscribe adequate medication. He has a gentle manner and seems concerned for his patient's well being. I received gracious, friendly and competent service from his previous office staff and his wife, Mary, ensured me that all my needs were met. Recently Dr. Gardner changed his office staff and reduced it from three or four down to one extremely incompetent and uncaring receptionist. My perscription renewals, done by fax to MEDCO, rarely get adequate turnaround attention and I frequently run out of medication before I can get his office to fax MEDCO back. The final straw came this week when I had been scheduled for a 2:00 pm appointment and I arrived at the office ahead of time and signed in. At 2:45 his nurse opened the waiting room door and looked at me in surprise and said ""Mrs. H. what are you doing here? Please see the girl at the window."" I then found out from the girl at the window that Dr. Gardner was not seeing patients this particular day and that somehow, perhaps due to a computer glitch, I was not called to reschedule. Her entire manner was extremely cavalier and she could have cared less that I drove over an hour and a half to get to the office and waited almost an hour before anyone even knew I was in the office and had to drive another hour and a half through rush hour traffice to get home. She just wanted to reschedule me or have Dr. Gardner call me with my lab results. I asked her to have the Dr. call me. He never did. I have discussed the negative office changes with Dr. Gardner on two occasions and nothing has seemed to change. I have since changed to another doctor. Pros: Competent doctor, gentle manner, good parking Cons: terrible incompetent office staff more

After taking off half a day of work i arrive at the doctor right on time. The impression i got over the phone was very encouraging that he could see me that day. I waited in the waiting room for over 30 mins before being called, after which i sat in a room for over 1.5 hours, I had to beg an office assistant to grab the doctor. I pretty much knew the perscription i needed because I had the same symptoms as before and was perscribed that before several times. The doctor hadnt even heard of the medicine nor was he even willing to look it up. I spent maybe a minute with the doctor, he ran no tests and didn't care what i had to say. I have never had written a review on a doctor before but after that day I feel others should be informed. Pros: Support lots of health plans, easy to get to. Cons: Too many to list, not concerned about his patients. more

Dr. Donald Gardner has been my diabetes doctor for three years now, and I would highly recommend him to anyone in the Houston area who needs a good endocrinologist. He is kind, takes plenty of time with you to discuss your medical issues, is up-to-date with all the latest research on diabetes, and helped me by discussing with me what I can do on my part to stay in better health by diet and excercise. He really seems to care about his patients! Pros: good caring doctor Cons: none that I know of more