Richard G Castanon, MD, FACS

I have had a very terrible 2 year’s dealing with this terrible Doctor and his out dated office and equipment. Stay far away from here. They never answer the phone and will cancel your appointment and not get back to you. Doctor is a joke, doesnt do anything wont order any tests. Staff is rude.

I had the same problem with him; I got sent to him because my pcp doctor provided from my company insurance. Well lets get start with my story. I had months with sorethroat and breathing problems also have lymp node, but nothing had seem improve so the family doctor prefered me to him. I came to him and told him that I had sore in my throat, lymp node, hard to breath problems for months. It seem to get worse. He checked my mouth with a small mirror and said: «Everything looks normal, but he will send me out for labs which are esophagram and White cell blood counts (I forgot to mention I got heavy weight lost with in 1 month), he would like to see me again after those labs done. I went out got blood test and 2 weeks after for esophagram. Total time line was another month to see him again. Finally I got to see him today, and it’s time for me to report about my illness. He came in with the esophogram report in handy and read it to me that Got acid reflux, and i have to go to another specialist gastronomy. I asked him the swallow problems getting worse when i swallow saliva down. Is there any madication that can help. He didnt say anythinb except that it something related to gastranomy and he couldnt able to give medication out. Then he stand up and leave. I mentioned him about the lab result, and wanna know the result. He was stun act like there is no other lab result. He came out to the counter and asked the ppl. He came back with the lab and say everythjng is okay. i take a look at the lab result and saw that is the old one. i mean wth is wrong with our health care system? Doctor seems like they don’t really give a … Or care about patient any more. Aren’t they suppose to be go through and review these before come in the patient room? Anyway back to topic. I confront him that the result is old that was the one belong to family doctor. That isn’t the lab that u gave me 1 month ago. He double check and say well it just one month different. The result would be nearly the same anyway. He went out and left. I feel like the whole time of diagnose process; I was on my own. Now I have to go to a gastronomy doctor to treat a head neck illness. It’s ridiculous for US’s health care system now a day. I wouldn’t recommended ppl have Ear nose throat to see this doctor. Don’t put ur life into these doctor hand.

Decided to use this guy based on the other two reviews I found at the time, and he was part of my insurance. The low review isn’t so much for competence, because he does seem experienced. But I had to go to him because of some dizziness and some hearing loss. He saw me the first time, did the usual exam and set up another day to do the testing by his audiologist (his wife and his son perform the tests) and I paid for the visit. So I did the tests (2^nd visit) and then had to wait for a few days before he would go over the results. He wouldn’t go over the results on the phone, so I had to go in for a third visit and pay for that too. He spent approximately 60 seconds telling me that I had an imbalance and should get an MRI done. Remember, now I’m paying him every time I go in. He could have just as easily given me that info on the phone. I asked to see the test and ask him to explain it to me — the results. But he refused, and instead, got up and left the room, so that I had to follow him out into the hallway with my questions. He handed my file over to the clerk and just kept saying that it was usefuless to explain the results to me. So now I’m stuck for the moment. I have to go see the MRI guy. They want to send me to ‘their’ MRI guy — quite a distance from my house. I said no, let me go to the place that is just across the street from you. So we set that up and we get it all done. He wanted a blood test done prior to see if I could take some dye to see contrast in the MRI. Which I do. and then I wait and wait and no blood results. Well I finally call the lab and they tell me that his office never asked for the results to be sent to them. I use that lab often and have never had a problem with them. Anyway the MRI comes back and I have to go in AGAIN to get the results. Which are negative, so he could have easily told me those results over the phone. Easily. But, instead, I have to go in to his office and pay for another 60-​second visit (after a stint in the waiting room, of course). So he can tell me it’s negative and I need to get another opinion from another doctor, in case he missed something. Really??? What might he have missed, I ask — since he keeps assuring me that he’s so experienced with this sort of thing and uses this other doctor all the time. He won’t tell me anything — again, he just gets up and leaves the room rushing me out of his office without answering any questions. The guy sucks as far as I’m concerned. His wife was nice, and tried to be helpful after the hearing and balance testing was done — but since she’s not the doctor, she couldn’t answer the questions that I had for him. So four visits — all worth money to him — no answers, no explanations of the testing (except for the audio test that his son did) and then off to see a head and neck specialist for no particular reason. I did go see that guy and he never got my files from Castanon’s office — luckily I brought my own copies with me – so he never had a chance to review anything in depth before seeing me – and he told me I probably had migraines (I don’t have headaches) and to stop eating avocados. Then it was done. Really? Oh, and I should mention that when I asked for copies of my tests (audio and balance testing, and the MRI) I had to make four or five phone calls, talk to three different staff members and was told that ‘they had a procedure’ and couldn’t just give them to me — I finally did get a copy for my records, but I’m wondered how ‘doctored’ up they are. I would never recommend going to see this guy.

Dr. Castanon and his office are efficient and professional. They are spot on with referrals and check-​in is immediate. I’ve been to a lot of doctors lately (due to just now getting insurance with a new job) and he definitely earned the 5-​star rating.

Dr. Castanon was very friendly and took a lot of time examining my son. He didn’t seem to be in a hurry as are most doctors these days. I really appreciated our experience at his office.