Merced Heart Associates

My grandfather had been driving over an hour out of town just to get his heart care because of insurance restrictions. It was really taking a toll on him and my grandmother. We decided to reach out to Merced Heart Associates to see if we could transfer his care closer to home. From the first phone call, Lucy Cuevas, the office manager, was incredibly helpful. She guided us through every step of the transfer process, answered all our questions, and made sure we had the paperwork and approvals we needed. Now that my grandfather is being seen at Merced Heart Associates, it's made a huge difference. Not only is the location so much easier for them, but the entire staff has been welcoming, patient, and truly seems to care. They go above and beyond to do the best they can for their patients. We're grateful to have found them and highly recommend them to anyone looking for quality heart care.

Taking my mother to cardiology appointments at Merced Heart Associates seems to end in frustration. After one visit my mother had some reasonable questions about a recommended procedure, but we found it impossible to communicate with the doctor after-the-fact to get those questions answered. The doctor, nor the office has an email address for such questions. Merced Heart Associates also uses a third-party for billing which relies on text and email to bill patients for their visits. With the vast majority of patients being 70+ years old, and the number of electronic scams elderly people face, there needs to be a less confusing way to pay for co-pays -especially since they won't allow you to pay for them in the office on the day of your visit. And lastly, during our most recent visit we were told after arriving and waiting thirty-minutes that the office was canceling the appointment because the insurance wouldn't cover the procedure which had been scheduled for nearly a month earlier. Why not check with the insurance well before the day of the appointment for such insurance issues? Unacceptable. Merced Heart Associates staff didn't offer an apology, but said she could come back in four months. I'll be looking for another office to take mom to for her heart health.

Blew out a vein on a procedure, which is unheard of with the veins I have. Took an act of God to MY medical records, you ask why? Because they are mine! I wrote a check and handed to billing in person on July 29th-never has this check been cleared through my bank. I called billing last week, yes they show a payment made with the correct check number and they make deposits every week-the person I spoke with said they would check with billing to find out what is going on. Again crickets... Simple solution: check YOUR bank deposit records. Since no one likes to get back to people in a timely manner, I'm posting here for a glimmer of hope for a response.

Great doctor has taken care of my physical problems. I recommend him and I respect him.

This is regarding front staff: TERRIBLE! Please hire better front staff. I was waiting in the office and overheard the loud desk staff say a patient, whom she named by FIRST and LAST name, complain about left back pain and "how could that be heart related" the girl in the front wanted to call her back and cancel her appointment and even chuckled about it until Google informed her it is in fact a symptom of the heart. Little did the staff girl know, this patient had other conditions that must've been confirmed by the back staff who said to keep the appointment. I am appalled at the lack of compassion and respect. Young, disrespectful kids. Please Merced Hearts keep an eye on these people--front staff should not behave this way.