Dr. Puja Chitkara, MD

Attention to Dr Chitkara... You are probably not aware of this and the horrible actions of Stephanie, your manager! Wow! Worst, most unprofessional, rude, has no idea what is going on, office staff that I have ever dealt with! I was referred to Dr Chitkara and as we all know, who you talk to on the phone, and your experience setting up an appointment, sets the entire mood of who this office and how your care will probably be. I was referred to Dr Chitkara's office, after going over 2 months, with extreme pain, 25 on a 10 scale, and was put on Prednisone by my primary doctor, which got rid of the pain in hours, but as anyone knows, you are tapered off Prednisone in days, so without an appointment very soon, I was likely gong to be back in extreme pain I could not deal with at all. I called to make an appt, and the response I got was exactly, "We can't make an appt and will call you when we have an appt". I said, what? You can't make an appt, I don't understand and have never heard that… in my 60 years of life, from any doctor. They said the office manager is sick and they can't make appts because they don't have the appt calendar, the office manager Stephanie apparently took home with her, as she was sick for some time, and no patients could make appts, because Stephanie apparently thinks she is the only person that can make appts, and doesn't allow anyone else in the office to make appts, but her, although I talked to at least 4 other people in 2 weeks, that are also working in the office. This went on for 2 weeks, that Stephanie is still out sick and they can't make appts. This is insane, and Dr Chitkara must not know this is happening, refusing patient care, when patients are in terrible pain, and need immediate attention and appts setup, not put off for weeks to just make an appt! One day, I talked to a guy that answered, and he made an unbelievable comment, that it was not an issue not getting an appt, because I could always go to the hospital! Are you kidding me? I finally talked to Stephanie, after 2 weeks and her deciding she would come back to work, with the appt calendar, and she got all defensive, and rude, and actually defended her being sick and refusing appts while she was gone, saying they didn't have enough staff, which is a lie, because I talked to 4 or 5 other people, and it only takes one to make an appt, but she got very belligerent that she was the manager and she didn't have to explain anything to me. I told her she was right, she didn't have to explain anything to me, but she would be explaining to the Medical Board of California, and then she started talking over me, rudely, and forcefully, accusing me of threatening her, which I was not, I was simply stating the truth. I was reporting her and the office for refusal of patient care, for 2 weeks! Stephanie has somewhat of a temper, and she took it out on me, and told me off, at the end of the conversation. What a great office manager, one that nobody would ever want to go or come back to this office, due to her extreme irresponsible actions, childish mannerism, abusive way she talks to the very people that Dr Chitkara is trying to run a doctor's office to treat, and Stephanie acts like it is her business to treat and abuse Dr Chitkara's patients and new patients any way she wishes, and it is ok! I don't think Dr Chitkara would agree with Stephanie ruining her practice, single-handedly, with her know-it-all, abusive, rude, has no idea what she is doing, totally incompetent manager role, that has no idea how to manage other employees, to keep the office running when she is out sick, like it is all about her, and if she isn't there, nothing and nobody can do anything right, so she doesn't allow the simplest of all things to occur, and the most crucially important and life-saving, to setup patient appts even though she may be out sick! Outrageous and Insane, and the Medical Board of California needs to and will be made aware of it! No, Stephanie, the drama queen in you that tied to say I was threatening you, was very wrong. It is a Promise that I am filing a Medical Board Complaint against you and Dr Chitkara's office under your manager role, as incompetent as it is , and even life threatening, when patients are refused the care they have a legal right to, and HIPPA Insures! You seem to think you run the whole health care system and can make up your own rules, and refuse patients, and make up excuses about it, and get away with it, but you are now going to be reported for it! Dr Chitkara needs to FIRE you asap, and get someone that treats her precious medical office the way HIPPA Guarantees to patients, not the perverted and abusive mess you have turned her office into! Believe me, the other employees I talked to while you were lounging at home, with the appt calendar in hand, and not at the office where it should have been, were all very frustrated and I could tell they had no choice but to deal with very upset patients wanting to make appts, all due to your irresponsible and improper actions, not allowing that to occur! What's worse, is I now have been re-prescribed Prednisone Tapered regimens 2 more times, due to your actions, potentially harming my health, because I was refused making an appt, because Stephanie and her appt calendar were not in the office! There is no excuse for this at all, as even children and doctors, and everyone in the world, knows how to do virtual school, meetings, business, even doctors have been doing doctor visits through virtual, so you very well could have been doing patient appts through virtual, but you refused to take care of patients, in a proper and legal manner, which is despicable, and the Medical Board will address it with you and the doctor's office! Stephanie, you are a disgrace to humanity! Patients do NOT deserve to be treated this way and refused medical care they were referred for, due to your actions!

I'm writing a review in place of my father who died under the care of Dr. Chitkara. Without going into details, be careful of the drugs and prescriptions she pushes on you. Dr. Chitkara, while I cannot directly blame you for his death under the circumstances. I do blame you for ignoring my father's pleas for a reduction in medication. I blame all the pharmaceutical reps I've seen welcomed to your office. And I blame myself for not taking the initiative to stop him from seeing you.

Dr Chitkara was my Dr at different office, when she moved to a new office I requested to be referred to her...when i called several times to set up appointment they left me on hold between 17-29 minutes everytime when I complained to the office assistant she called my primary doctor and asked to refer me to another rheumatologist....

This was the strangest Dr I have ever had. She was not interested in treating me as soon as she found out I only have osteoarthritis and not RA. She sent me for blood tests 3 x's Like she really had no idea what she was doing. Everything she told me she would do for me she did not. She had her assistant call me, with my results, giggling nervously telling me all my tests came back good and I never needed to see the DR. again. She was going to cancel the appointment I had. Then the assistant called me again the next day telling me my liver levels were bad,and I need to have it looked at. The lady that bills for her also is just rude! I went in for 2nd appoint, she was on the phone and demanded to talk to me. She said I should have already paid my bill, for the first visit and why have I not paid it! It was in my mail box when I got home, it had only been mailed the day before. Scary office all around, very unprofessional. I do not recommend , Unless you have RA!

She seems to have limited interest in following up wiht her patients if they need help with anything out of the ordinary, especially vital paperwork for disability.