Doctors On Duty

Chris Martinez is the most professional nurse I have ever had the pleasure to work with while I have been ill and treated at Doctors on Duty in Aptos, CA. She has been kind and supportive from the first phone call through each and every office visit I had. She always made me feel comfortable with a positive and thorough attentive attitude during each conversation and office visit.
I am very grateful to have been so fortunate to have had her there for me during a rough time in my life.
Her family and supervisor should be very proud to have her on their team.
Elisa L.

I have been going to the doctor’s office for treatment for about 7 weeks. The staff there (Chris, Aimee, and Erika) have been awesome. Chris’s customer service is of special note. Thank you for caring!

Dr. Lutz and his staff (especially Chris) are helpful, kind and understanding. They go the extra mile to make sure you are taken care of, even for someone without medical insurance, like myself. A nice, fast alternative for those that do not wish to sit in their primary care physicians office waiting for hours. Only 4 stars because of the experience I had with the PA Eve last Friday. (And the décor in the exam rooms, time for an update!) but I digress…
I went in on Friday with a budding ear infection (been having them since I was young, had tubes in and out of my ears for most of my youth, I know what an infection feels like) and only Eve was available. I told her my symptoms, she checked me out and proceeds to tell me that my ear is red and swollen, possibly due to misuse of a Q-​tip. Hahahahaa… Ok. Fine. I asked for antibiotics, which I rarely take, and she sent me home with a prescription for ear drops. She seemed unsure and hesitant, not what you want to feel during a doctors visit whilst feeling ill. Got the drops, didn’t help, over the next 2 days, my symptoms increase and now BOTH EARS are bothering me! Keep in mind, I have no insurance, just paid over 100 $ for the visit and 29 $ for the drops. I was not happy as I had to work all weekend sick.
Long story longer, I called Monday (today) and spoke to the manger Carmen (lovely) and she told me to come on and the dr could asses me. I wanted to avoid another visit fee, can someone please just give me some antibiotics? Low and behold, dr. Lutz gave me a quick exam at no charge, confirmed that not only had I a double ear Infection but also a throat infection, gave me a script for amoxicillin and I was on my merry way.
Moral of the story, trust yourself and your body and insist on something, even when a PA makes you feel like you’ve been using Q-​tips all wrong!
Thanks again DR. Lutz and staff of DOD!

I have been to this office many times lately and have had an amazing experience every time! I injured my back, so sitting around for long periods of time isn’t something I look forward to and have never had to do that here!!! I would really like to mention that the staff are some of the most kind and helpful people I have ever met!!! If you need a great place for any medical help… Go here!!!

Sorry for those that had not so good service at DOD, but mine was pretty good every time I have gone it. They also have been prompt to answer calls, also prompt to call me back for futher treaments in a timely manner and have always been pleasant to talk with. The staff and doctors have been great.

This place deserves no stars in all reality. They did a blood test for my boyfriend, as part of being a new at the facility, and they didn’t give him his results for 3 months because they kept having to reschedule his appointment to do so. And when they finally gave him the results, they diagnosed him with diabetes. It should have been reviewed and addressed as soon as the results came in. They also changed his blood pressure meds for no reason, lowering the dosage, and avoided addressing the fact the it needed to be back where it was when his last doctor prescribed it. This led to a major medical condition, that had to be corrected with a surgery. They also failed to address his chronic neck pain, and instead of investigating it further, they gave him a pain medication and called it good. I firmly believe that they need to make some major changes, or limit their patient intake if they can’t handle everything coming through their doors. Not only is this facility far from efficient, they don’t know how to take care of their patients, and that’s what’s important.

Friday at 2:30pm…closed! What?

Quacks-​on-​Duty! My husband went in as a last resort for leg pain stemming from lower lumbar back pain. He had been dealing with this for three weeks and going to a chiropractor. The doctor gave him a rushed evaluation, dismissed most of his complaints, told him to bend over and try to stretch (which he can barely bend at this point) as he did so the «doctor» pushed on his back as he fell crippling in pain. Who does that to someone with back problems? The «Doctor» sent him home with an «evaluation» stating to «STRETCH for leg pain» (nothing about his back). The bill was $ 207.00 to go home and stretch… really??? Our expectations where maybe to be sent for x-​rays considering the amount of time and progression of the symptoms.
To the doctor… if you don’t feel like doing your job that day… stay home… cause if not your doing your patients a disservice by showing up.
For $ 207.00 he received a doctor that gave her whole 20%, an evaluation not even including the lower lumbar back pain, and a recommendation to go home and stretch.
SAVE YOUR MONEY PEOPLE!!!
Here’s a follow up: We called and complained about the quality of service and lack of compassion from Dr. Eglin. We were told the supervising doctor would call us back that day… NO CALL! I followed up the next morning… explaining again… the supervising doctor was supposed to call us… the secretary stated a note was sent to her and «if» she felt it necessary she will call us back… what… I stated… this is not an «If its necessary» WE are requesting to talk to the supervising doctor because of what transpired. We received a call later that afternoon. I explained my husband felt taken advantage of and rushed through the evaluation like he was just a number, she dismissed his questions of concern with condescending answers, and all of the above… the «supervisor» was very careful not to comment on our complaints and just offered another appointment free of charge with another doctor the following morning. My husband is so disgusted with this experience he doesn’t even want to go back, but if not the money we paid would be completely wasted, since no refund was offered, so he went.
A side note: I see through other reviews this Doctor, Dr. Elgin, offering/​suggesting physical therapy pretty often, as she did to my husband too. Does she have a connection, or get a kick back for this??? How can a doctor, on a first visit, with a half-​ass evaluation come to this determination so quickly?

I’m a provider too. But I don’t treat myself. I found a tick burrowed into my abs and freaked out. Lyme disease was the only thing I could think of. So I went to DoD (also the acronym for dept of defense). Got in right almost right away. The M.D. pulled the tick, examined me for more ticks and wrote a prescription for an antibiotic. In and out fairly fast. Nice doctor to boot. The only negative for me is I really don’t want to be treated by a physicians’ assistant, which they sometimes have. Otherwise, it’s a solid place for allopathic medicine.
Update: took my daughter in for X-​ray after a fall. Wasn’t impressed with doctor’s bedside manner. Guess it’s a hit and miss.

This is your standard doctors on Duty quik fix human body shop. I checked on the price for a school physical for some of my peeps and it is a whopping $ 254 bucks! A return visit ranges from 160 – 280 dollars!!! Ok… Let’s see how many starving students can afford those rates?
So, I guess it would be worth it if you had pneumonia… or were injured and didn’t want to pay 2,000 for an emergency room visit!
I went to the student health clinic to check on a tb test. Ten bucks out the door. I think if you’re a student, it’s a no brainer sad to where to get the best bang for ur buck!

I have been to DOD on three occasions. The first time I went I waited a very long time and was seen by an brusk, unsympathetic female physician,. I didn’t care much for her bedside manner, because I only went there for medication and prescription refills. However,. My recent experience with this same doctor, in regard to a neck injury motivated me to write this review.
I went in and saw the first doctor (a kind man with an accent) for severe neck and shoulder pain. Pleasant reception, very short wait. Doc checked me out and we talked about the pain (severe) and numbing sensation n my right hand. He told me it sounded like it could be disc related and that if I didn’t get better on meds, I’d probably needed an MRI. He said an X-​ray wouldn’t show issues in soft tissue — and would just cost me money. So instead, he prescribed vicodin, flexeril and naprosyn. He told me to come back in 10 days if it didn’t get better or sooner, if it worsened.
I went back 10 days later. My condition had worsened to the point that I could barely function. I was in severe pain, could not sleep and had lost sensation in two fingers. Aptos was closed so I went to the Ocean Avenue location. There was one other person in the waiting room and I was taken back relatively quickly.
Unfortunately, from that point on, things deteriorated. They left me in the room for 2 HOURS with no one checking on me. No magazines… etc. I honestly felt they had forgotten about me. I listened to them joking around and talking outside my room as I just sat there — trying to hold my head up in tears.
When I could stand it no longer, I came out and politely asked how much longer it would be. They looked surprised to see me. I saw Dr. Elgin on her computer in her office to my right. There was one guy with a cut on his finger in an open curtain area — it looked like he was waiting for stitches.
They said «it shouldn’t be that much longer.» I asked if I could call my husband, as i had forgotten my mobile phone, and they let me. I waited another 20 – 30 minutes for the doctor. She was absolutely brusk with me — offering only a perfunctory apology for having to wait «a little longer than normal». With tears, I told her about my condition and rated my pain an 8 out of 10 — and I was being conservative.
Surprisingly, despite two major reported neck traumas in the past, she was dismissive of my assertions that I had some kind of disc implication (YET — I had been told this by the previous doctor and my chiropractor). She laughed at me when I told her I thought perhaps I might need steroids and a referral for an MRI. She said «You don’t need an MRI. You need physical therapy». I told her that I might need BOTH — but seeing as I had no feeling in 2 fingers and excruciating pain down my right arm that prevented me from even getting up out of a recliner or walking around without a neck brace — that I thought it would be wise to see a specialist for an opinion.
She brushed it all off, telling me the other doctor didn’t give me enough pain medication for my size. She increased the pain medication from oxycontin to hydrocodone and upped the muscle relaxants too — but not the anti inflammatory. I asked her what we should do if the meds did not alleviate the symptoms. She told me to come back the following Tuesday for a Physical Therapy Referral. I asked how I could do PT with so much pain and was met with non-​response.
I called in the following Monday after consecutive, desperate nights of pain. I was exhausted, in terrible pain and by then I had a total loss of feeling in my right thumb with numbness in two other fingers. I spoke to the clinic manager and explained what had transpired over the previous 3 weeks. I described how my pain and symptoms had worsened and how the female doctor undermined the opinion of her fellow physician, classifying it as confusing and unprofessional.
The DOD Clinic Director apologized and asked what I wanted. I then demanded a referral to an in-​network neurologist, a stat MRI referral. I also asked the director to speak to the doctors about the use of a steroid to reduce inflammation in my disc, since it’s proven to work better than traditional anti-​inflammatories, which require ample blood supply to work.
The Clinic Director called back the next day with an apology and everything I’d asked for. However, by that time, I’d secured my own Neuro appointment and received a STAT MRI and a round of methyl prednisone (which immediately helped). The MRI revealed a large disc herniation and bulging disk impeding my spinal column. So, I’m now under the care of several specialists.
Perhaps if I’d had proper medical care and diagnosis BEFORE 3 weeks had passed, it would not have escalated so badly. I still have no feeling in my right thumb. DOD refunded 50% off my last visit ($ 99) and apologized for my experience. I would never go back there again or trust this clinic based on my experiences there.

I have been very happy with both the level of service and the competence of doctors at Doctors on Duty, Aptos. I recommend their services.

Dr. Helali is the best! I went to see him for an abscess and it was very painful. He was very kind and patient with me even though I was crying. He answered all my questions and was very kind. I would recommend him to friends in the area.

I went in here a few days ago for a health screening for work on 1÷7÷13 or so
Indoor:
The front desk lady was nice and helped me. She was wearing scrubs. I thought she would be in more professional clothing, considering she only ran the front desk. Maybe she was helping the nurses/​doctors in between, I don’t know.
My Health Screening Experience:
This screening was very very short… The nurse got my weight, height and asked me a few questions. The doctor, Dr. Halali, came in and asked me more questions like have you ever had a heart attack? or are you allergic to anything? and so on… I then had to bend over and he checked me spine. After, I took off my shoes and he checked my feet.
Then he sent me to the front desk. I don’t know how health screenings work exactly but I’ve gotten plenty of physicals before for my yearly health checkup and school sports. I used to go to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation in Scotts Valley before I moved to Santa Cruz. They did a much more thorough screening.
Overall:
I came here due to a requirement for work so I didn’t have to pay a dime. I’m really happy about that because the overall service wasn’t that great. The doctor didn’t seem to care much and the screening was so short.
I would definitely suggest getting an appointment at any Palo Alto Medical Foundation or even Planned Parenthood. Not many people know but Planned Parenthood does so much more than give out millions of condoms, birth control & STD checks. I knew someone who went in there for a broken foot. Call them and ask about your specific request.

The best thing about Doctors on Duty in Aptos was Dr. Howard. Dr. Halali or however you spell his name is a joke, the man has no interest in his patients. I literally have been with Doctors on Duty for over 2 years, and now I refuse to give them any of my money. I have never seen such a poor response time to refills, and also they choose to decide based on direction of the breeze if they want to discontinue your perscription. I miss Dr. Howard and will never visit Doctors on Duty in aptos again.

Doctors on Duty: I get that stuff comes up from time to time, but when your an organization that doesn’t take appointments (and hence have given me zero reason to call you before showing up), it is unprofessional to close your location for the day and not tell anyone. Yes, you had something on your answering machine, but did you really expect me to check that before I came? You could have at least let your friends in Watsonville know that you would be closed, seeing as they had about the same level of knowledge on this that I did… Poor form. Please try not to waste my time in the future…