Dr. Mary Altz-Smith

She was the most caring, wonderful doctor I have ever been to and I am so sorry she is not there anymore. She did take a lot of time with each patient and I have never had her be anything but caring. She always returned my calls and responded to me. I can't believe some of these reviews. I am seeing one of her colleagues now but I would a million time rather be seeing her.

dr altz smith seems to be driven by prescriptions, always wants to add things to the large list of medications prescribed to me. the wait time and ease of getting in touch with someone in her office is frustraitingly long. usually by the time I get response for treatment the problem has either resolved or changed.

Wait time is about 3 hours and u can't get a follow up appointment for @ 6 months.

I know a lot of people complain about the wait in Dr Altz Smiths office but those are the very same people that would complain if she didn't spend enough time in the room with them. Sorry guys you can't have it both ways! You wait for her because she is a very caring and detailed doctor. The patients she sees have very complicated and difficult illnesses that take time to not only diagnose but to treat. I am so thankful that she is been there for me the last 12 years and has helped me to navigate a complex medical system.

The wait to see Dr. Altz-Smith is always long, but there's a reason for it. She spends time with every patient and goes out of her way to go over lab work and to look for ways to manage your disease.She actually listens to what you say. After all the 10-minute visits,the uncaring attitudes, and downright misdiagnoses from the physicians I've seen in the past, I find the wait worth it. Dr. Altz-Smith has my vote for Doctor of the Year!

the lack of response to patients borders on real incompetence...falling back on how wonderful she is when you finally get to see her is absurd. she doesn't return calls, she won't speak to pharmacists, she and her staff won't follow up on test results. waiting for 2-4 hours EACH time for an appointment is beyond belief, but it is the studied indifference to responding to patient needs that is or should be actionable.

I am reporting Dr. Mary Altz-Smith to the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners for noncompliance with the AMA's Principles and Codes of Medical Ethics. In summary: 1. She refused to perform tests I thought were pertinent to my health;2. She refused to consider certain diagnosis' because she did not "believe" in them;3. She was consistently late for all of our appointments, one time making me wait one hour after closing time while me and my husband could hear her making a personal phone call;4. I had to go to the emergency room one evening and left her a voice mail message to follow up with her and possible change in maintenance of care. She never called back. When I went to our next appointment she asked, "did you ever go to the emergency room?"5. She agreed to talk with another of my physicians about possible drug contraindications they were both prescribing to me. It took one month (2 voice mail messages from my other physician and 17 from me) to consult with him while I was in severe,… chronic pain.6. As part of these 17 voice mail messages, I also indicated that the pain medication she was prescribing was losing its efficacy and wanted to talk to her about recommendations, alterations, or changes in prescriptions. She never responded. 7. Her assistants made referrals and appointments for me without telling me, thereby missing those appointments. 8. On our last visit, she declared she had no diagnosis for me. You did not offer any new approaches or tests. She did not consult with her colleagues as to the next best course of action. She did not offer any referrals. She sat in silence as me and my husband waited for any course you could lead us on.9. She said I could get an second opinion with one of her colleagues who "believed" in one of the potential causes to my illness and became incensed when I asked for one.10. The doctor she referred me to is not accepting new patients.11. She recently sent me a letter terminating her care for me without explanation and offered to send my medical records to my new doctor, which to date she has not.I have never in my life encountered a doctor who, for whatever reason, could not provide a diagnosis and not guide me in a course of other potential options, solutions, or doctors outside of her own field of expertise. My experience with her as a doctor has been one of unprofessionalism, unresponsiveness, ineffectiveness, and insensitivity. I feel that I a have been severely underserved and neglected under your care. She is the rudest, condescending, dismissive, and unresponsive physician I have ever encountered in my lifetime. I feel that I have been severely underserved and neglected under her care.Steer clear of this physician.