Hunterdon Otolaryngology & Allergy Associates — Local services in Raritan Township

This review is not about the quality of health care I received but about the sheer incompetence, rudeness, and lack of empathy on behalf of the staff, especially via telephone. However, this review does not include Tina, a nurse who is compassionate, smart, and kind, who is the saving grace of this office.

I received a CT Scan at Hunterdon Medical Center and was told by the technician that I would be receiving the results from Dr. Sheft within the next few days. After waiting a week, I called and spoke to Elaine, expressing my worry and concern that I had not received my results. “I will note that you are worried,” she said, quite condescendingly after letting me know the Doctor was on vacation and that is why I had not received my results. This would have been nice to know before I waited anxiously for a week. Within the next hour I received a call from a woman who failed to identify herself (she was certainly not my doctor and I do not even know if she was a nurse); she blurted out that I have a mass and need a biopsy. I was shocked and concerned but she was unable to answer any basic questions that I asked. When she could tell I was getting upset over the phone at her lack of any vital information at all, she said: “Hold on honey, hold on. It’s FINE! Don’t worry about it! You just a swollen lymph node, honey! You’re FINE,” completely changing the damning tone she had just a second before. She left me completely confused and with conflicting information.

When I was finally able to schedule a follow-up with Dr. Sheft, I had the biopsy done. After waiting another week for those results, I was forced to call and request them painfully from Elaine who is discourteous and unhelpful on the phone. Another completely ill-informed and incompetent person who did not identify herself finally got in touch with me. All she could tell me that it was “probably benign” and to “schedule surgery.” Obviously this was disturbing, but she was unable to tell me anything else besides those four words because that’s all the doctor wrote down. I was not permitted to speak with Dr. Sheft over the phone even though I am a student and was unable to travel to NJ for weeks for an in-person appointment. I was left worried and with dozens of questions that this woman could not answer and was not willing to find out the answers to. The staff did absolutely nothing to ease my worries or answer questions (aside from Tina).

When I was finally able to meet with Dr. Sheft, as I was checking into the appointment, I noticed a very obvious handwritten sticky note on my file that read “Patient will have a bad appointment today.” What does that mean?! I found this completely and disgracefully unprofessional and tacky. How dare this staff project something so negative onto me. This office staff is spitefully unprofessional, not confident in their jobs or abilities to communicate results to their patients, and not willing or able to be helpful or kind. ...

DO NOT GO HERE unless you want to be scammed on medical "surgeries" that are not explained by the provider. My husband was a patient earlier this year. When we received a surprise bill after the provider made my husband quickly sign a blurry paper about being responsible for the services after insurance, before putting a scope down his nose and not notifying him that THIS IS BILLED AS A "SURGERY" (yup, no anesthesia, no knives, just a scope is billed as a surgery). Not once did Hunterdon Otolaryngology notify my husband that this was going to be billed as a surgery OR tell him what his balance would be after insurance BEFORE they put a scope in his nose so he could make a logical decision of if he wanted this done and wanted the surprise expense when we were due with a baby . I spoke to Barbara when we received the bill in June and she told me that they no longer discount bills in their office because this was happening too often with their patients but she would try to help me and call me back that day. MAYBE BECAUSE YOU DO NOT EXPLAIN TO THEM WHAT THE COST IS BEFORE THE "SURGERY IS DONE" AND SURPRISE THEM WITH A HUGE BILL AFTER. Fast forward to this week, I have been trying to catch up on things after having a baby 3 months ago. Barbara still hasn't called back so I had to call again. Left my phone number as I am on my husbands HIPPA form to speak for him. Barbara continues to call my husband, who is working a labor job and cannot answer. So again, I called her only for her to tell me there is nothing they can do. THIS OFFICE IS A SCAM. DO...

I had a closed Septorhinoplasty procedure performed by Dr. Renukuntla 9 months ago. I wanted to fix both my breathing issues as well as the outside aesthetic of my nose. We agreed upon removing a dorsal hump and straightening my nasal appearance. From day one I voiced my concerns over the appearance of my new nose; at no point did my nose look pleasing. Dr. Renukuntla assured me if I “pushed in the sides of my nose” the bridge would look as we had discussed prior to my surgery. This was entirely untrue and a way to rush me out of my appointments before I could challenge her incorrect assumptions about my nasal appearance. I have met with a double board certified plastic surgeon who has been in practice for over twenty years who told me that all the swelling had dissipated from my nose by month 6 of healing. Yet, Dr. Renukuntla was planning on giving me a steroid injection in month 7. I have attempted to reach out to Dr. Reunkuntla and Hunterdon Otolarngology and Allergy Associates as whole through letters and have not received any response. The unprofessionalism and lack of accountability displayed here is all encompassing to how Dr. Renukuntla believe’s she can treat her patients. I implore anyone reading this to not allow Dr. Renukutla to perform any type of plastic surgery on them and see a board certified plastic surgeon and 2.) go somewhere else with medical needs as Hunterdon Otolaryngology and Allergy Associates has their own...