Walnut Grove Medical

After years of waiting to find a family doctor, we were pleased to hear from LDFP that Dr. Khan would be accepting us. To my surprise, we had to go through a "meet and greet" type of appointment (a screening service as it turned out to be). After completing these phone appointments, I was shocked and upset to hear that we would not be accepted under her care. (They never called us, I had to call and inquire). The assistant could not give a reason as to why we were not accepted but Dr. Khan did mention to my husband during his appointment that she does not "accept children as patients" as she is not a pediatrician. If this is the case, I am unsure why she continued to interview my husband days after mine and my childrens appointments, and did not just tell me after our appointments. (Perhaps as other reviewers wrote, so she could claim the appointment). Also, from my understanding, family doctors are the ones who look after families in BC and pediatricians are only by referral which is different than where we grew up. We Will not be visiting this clinic again even as walk in patients.

I find it absolutely impossible to have someone pick up the phone when I call. It does not matter what time of day I call. I had to go in to switch something for my appointment and was told to email if I can’t get through. I shouldn’t have to email or come in to the office. The receptionist didn’t even seem all that apologetic even when she said sorry. I felt like I was just wasting her time. Customer service is key no matter what profession you are in and answering phones is part of the job and should be done.
I know the medical field is strained etc but no one should have to try calling multiple times a day to see their doctor and not everyone is savvy in emailing to change something or make an appointment with their doctor.

The walk in clinic for in person care is closed. It is by phone only. Got up early to go and wait and there is a sign on the door. Had to drive into downtown Langley to see a Dr. In person.

I just got an appoitment with Dr. Ramiah. I'm talking about more then one issue. He tells me I only need to talk about one issue and book another appointement if I want to discuss of something else. I was in his office for 5 minutes. Very disapointing and unprofessionnal.

My family Doctor is here but something needs to be done to correct the fact you can't reach anyone and the online appointment never gives a confirmation of appointment made. Great Doctors but something needs to be done to correct contact with their office.

Have only been to see this doctor once, was given my prescription for my diabetes supplies, refills ran out tried to get a hold of the doctor numerous times by phone with no answer, I am now going on day three with no glucose sensor. SUPER UNIMPRESSED!

Current 30 min walk in wait time is not listed as phone appointment only. It would be helpful to specify that next available walk in time is for Friday. This can help patients save time looking for a walk in clinic.

Tried calling 3 days in a row to confirm my appointment but you cant get through to anybody. So they've canceled it. Find any clinic but this one.

I came in with my leg bleeding pretty bad. The receptionist told me the doctor wasn't taking walk-ins and to go elsewhere.

Great service, polite, to the point, bit late on schedule, but it’s a dr office after all.
Definitely seeing me back.

The MOA never answers the phone. I have called 8 times just today. I let the phone ring for 10 mins, then I tried calling a few moments later, I was put on hold for 15 mins, then the line started ringing again.for another 10 min's! Still no answer. When I pressed 0 to leave a message, the line just rang and rang. I understand its a busy time for medical offices, but this happens every time I call this office. It's ridiculous! Dr Thobani is friendly, but without no thorough discussion about my health history, or my concerns, she suggested a quick fix (medication) then quickly got off the phone with me. I don't recommend this office.

I was on other line, i asked if i could call back to confirm some details, tried to reach them about a dozen times within a few hours, no one bothered, funny thing is I used to come here a few years ago, now I remembered why I stopped lol

Same complaint as everyone else here. They just refuse to answer the phone. I've been spacing my calls out all day since the morning and it's like nobody wants to answer.

Not sure what's going on with the reception, over the past week I've made 10-15 phone calls trying to get ahold of this clinic and not once has anybody answered the phone. They didn't fax the prescription to my pharmacy that they were supposed to, so now I'm missing out on the medication that I need.

The doc would always listen to my concerns patiently and address each one of them thoroughly. Good customer service at reception!

Not happy at all with TWO appointment requests been denied.
Twice I sought a phone call appointment with my GP, Dr. Istafanous.regarding my mental health state and stress leave from work, and twice it was denied. Once for May 6, and once for May 11. This is not a time for disregarding a person's mental state. Especially from my own GP.
I sought help outside this clinic, and got to speak with someone immediately who took my concerns seriously.
Shame on you. VivaCare.

The ladies that work at this place are amazing. We had an appointment yesterday and when we walked in the ladies were very helpful with everything to getting us in to booking us another appointment thank you Karm & Priya for everything you do during this Pandemic stay safe.

I’m giving it a five because of Dr Ramiah his very thorough and does not rush you and listen to you but the front desk needs a lot work the phone just rings and rings multiple times it is frustrating to get through and make an appointment.

I'm not sure whats going on with the reception at this office. Got a voice mail asking us to call back. Tried calling for over a hour. Decided to walk over as we live a block away. No one waiting to see the doctor. Stood at the desk for more than 5 minutes before anyone came out to acknowledge me standing there. Asked why they don't answer their phone. Was apologetic. This has happened more than once. Was told try online. Get phone appointment booked with the doctor. Went there to pick up a requisition at 12: 50 pm, no one at the desk. Pharmacist went to look. Was asked to come back in 10 or 15 minutes. I'm so done with the reception at viva care in walnut Grove. I know its covid, but come on, not answering your phone EVER! Maybe you should hire more help.

It's impossible to get though on the phone to the office. I need to see a doctor in person and I don't know if they are seeing patients in office. I've been calling for almost two hours and no one answers.

The worst clinic I have ever been to. Their website is broken. And administrators seem bitter and don't care about patients. Never go here.

Me and my family have seen both Dr Ramiah and Dr Istafanous. Both of them are very knowledgable and provide quality care to their patients.
Due to COVID, they are closed for walk-ins which is very much agreeable given the current case numbers. After our initial visits, we also get a call back regarding our results and for booking appointments. I find that their service is really good. I agree that the phone lines are busy but that is the case with most clinics these days because of their high call volumes. Thankfully, they have online bookings too which can be utilised to book appointments.

I simply cannot get a hold of anyone via the phone. I have tried at least 300 times over the past week. Yes I have seen the message about the phone system being switched but shouldn't that have been done by now? !

I have tried numerous times to get through on the phone, different days, different times. Can’t believe the service since Dr Instafanous is not there!

My experiences with Viva Care Langley have been nothing short of superb! The office staff are very compassionate and Dr. Istafanous is one of the best doctors I've had.

This office is brutal. It took me over 40 calls at different times of the day trying to speak to someone about making an appointment. Online appointments are still not working or available. I've had three 2-week emergency refills from the pharmacy, because they can't get ahold of anyone in the office either! My husband ended up going back to work too early after a back injury because he couldn't get through to make an appointment either. I like the doctors there, but front staff clearly needs better training and support. Viva Care needs to do better for the doctors, patients and staff. Shameful.

Dr. Amrish Ramiah is a great doctor! He is very thorough in his exam and explains everything to his patients. Highly recommend!

I like this clinic, except the last few weeks every time I call it disconnects. I can understand that being the case for a day or two, but that needs to be sorted. Other than that it is a fantastic clinic.

I have been trying to get ahold of this office for 2 weeks in order to simply get a prescription refill. Each time I call it either disconnects or the phone is picked up and then hung up. Usually this clinic has been great but I now have to go to a walk in just to get a standard SSRI refill so that I won’t have to go without cold turkey. Not impressed. I would change my review to 5 stars if the reception would merely pick up the phone.

The MOA's are really nice here but the waits are incredible. I always have an appointment, but it doesnt matter, it'll run over 2 hours late. Whats the point in making an appointment if the doctors never run on time? Viva Care advertises itself as a no wait clinic but its a lie.

We are happy to have Dr. Istafanous as a family doctor. He is a highly professional doctor, a kind person and a great listener. We have never felt rushed during our visits and we really appreciate his approach to find optimal solutions instead of just treating symptoms. My 4 year old daughter absolutely adores him, which is, from a mom’ point of view, an indication of his effort to make every visit as pleasant as possible.

I arrived at Vivacare not two hours after they opened at 9: 50am and was turned down for a walk-in appointment. Absolutely no one was in the waiting room yet they told me they were booked for the day.

It's not the first time they've done this, but it's certainly the last time I'm going there.

Wonderful holistic care and a very positive birth experience that I wouldn't have been able to achieve without this wonderful group of midwives. I can't recommend them enough!

- This is a review for Grove midwifery, it linked to this practice and I wasn't aware

I have only good things to say about this place! Kind and professional staff, even when the clinic is very busy and patients are acting stressed. Dr. Istafanous was patient, thorough, and well-spoken. Extremely easy to book an appointment online, which in turn saves the receptionists from having to juggle a hundred calls at once. Reading the bad reviews about long wait times for any clinic is hilarious.

Dr. Maged Istafanous was our family doctor for a while now. I just wanted to say a few words of appreciation for his hard work, good care he’s taking about us and really good personality. Love to have him as our doctor

Horrible Dr and not a good place, There was 8 if us in line and that was all they took for the day. Told Dr about the 3 things I was concerned about and he told me he can only look at one! So now I had to figure out what was worse and prioritize. When I told him about my most conserning problem, he replied " you should see your family Dr " WTF. Then he ran some basic observations like blood pressure and listen to my heart, Then told me I had a virus and to go home. Funny part is he told the patient in the room next to me the exact same thing? What was even funnier is he made me wait for 20 min to look up a perscription for heart burn vs just writing me one? Clearly he was not there to serve the public but was just in a rush to go home. Never again! Bad Dr's are like bad mechanics. Just looking to get you in and out and not in it for the public! Avoid at all cost!

Great clinic and service. I made an online booking for the same day. When I arrived to the clinic (10 mins before) it was not busy, I guess they met their patient intake for the day. The front receiption was very friendly and welcoming. A little girl and her father came, without appointment, and even though they had met their patient intake for the day, they made the effort to see the young girl and did not turn them away.

After waiting for about another 10 minutes, I saw Dr. M Istafanous - he was great; he listened to my concerns, and provided adequate follow up and recommendations. I was in and out of the clinic within 30 minutes. Bonus: Grove Pharmacy is right there and I had my prescription filled within a matter of minutes. Very convient clinic and location!

The doctors are very nice and care about your problems! I now have a family doctor who really cares! Nice front office staff too who are really kind! I dont understand how people say the staff are rude! They have been very nice to me and always pleasant on the phone! Dr. Ramius is a very nice caring doctor!

Walked in late afternoon. Got in immediately. Excellent service. Caring, compassionate, good listeners and gave me honest straight forward answers. Allowed me to have two requests in one visit.

Front desk staff and doctor were personable, but desk did not notify me there were 6 people ahead of me at time of check in for my pre-booked appt, resulting in waiting an hour after my appt time to see the doctor. I will return, however recommend that staff inform patients if there are more than 3 people ahead of them, then the patient can decide whether or not they want to wait and be prepared for the wait.

If I could give 0 stars I would. Bad experience. I booked an appointment online for 10: 15 am. My 2 year old son had a high fever and was feeling awful.we didn’t get to see the doctor until 12: 30pm. What is the point of booking an appointment if you don’t get in at that time? It says online book an appt, no wait time, blah blah blah. I understand waiting maybe 15-20mins but hours.might as well go to the hospital. And to add my husband booked an appt for 9: 40am and still waiting at 10: 50 am to see the doctor.

Horrible wait times, they say u will wait 30-45 minutes and u find yourself sitting there for 4 hours and leaving angry. They dont care if its a serious problem. Walkin and appointments are done by the say doctor. Hire more doctors or be upfront with your patients! You dont treat sick people this way.

9AM Thursday morning.noone at reception.noone in the waiting room. I stand for 10 min watching the receptionist and possibly a younger doctor stand and talk to each other. No eye contact, no greeting, no service! Never be back. Whomever is in charge? Might want to work on your staff.

Since the last August after I got my family doctor, Dr. Istafanous, I've been here several times to get some medical treatments. I'm very satisfied with the services they gave. Most of all, I feel my health is getting better by the elaborate and high level of treatments given by my doctor. They break my prejudice about the conventional medical system.

The first time I came in I liked the staff and Dr. I was told to come back for a follow up on a Saturday so I did but they were closed. Don't you know your own hours? So I booked an appt online and when I got here they were again closed from 1215 to 1230. My appt was at 1210. They told me to come back at 1240. Why would you book a staff meeting when you have patients that have scheduled appts with you? Staff is very rude and seem to hate their job and/or life. If you don't like what you're doing, quit. As for the Dr, I had the same one and he was still awesome. Hopefully they addressed their rude staff in their meeting.