Forefront Dermatology

Very easy to get in when needed compared to other dermatology offices in the area. Westgate is straight to the point but very reassuring and thorough! The office is very nice as well.

I saw Dr. Westgate for an issue. She seemed very knowledgeable and came up with a treatment plan fast, but maybe too fast. Before I could get a last word/​question in she was leaving the room. I think she was in the room for a total of 5 minutes, maybe less :/​and did not ask if I had any questions. I pay a lot to be there, so it was a bit of a slap in the face to be rushed out so quickly.
The front office was also sub-​par. They scheduled my first appointment on the wrong day. I had asked for the 24^th, but they put me on the 21^st, it could have been misheard, but I had specified the day of the week. I found out it was scheduled for the wrong day 2 weeks down the road, and had to accommodate my work schedule for the appointment, seeing as there was a month wait list to get in. The front desk was rude when I spoke to them on the phone as well.

After seeing a couple different dermatologists over the past dozen years, I never really got anywhere with a chronic issue. Once my previous doctor started suggesting surgical options, I decided to look elsewhere. Switching to Forefront was easy — I got an appointment within a week, and Dr. Castanon in one visit identified several root causes that my previous three doctors had never mentioned, and within a month of treatment I was in better shape than I had been in years.

I’ve been to 3 different dermatologists in my time, due to the fact that I’m fairly old and thought that sun worship in the 1970’s was cool…
This office is great in some ways and needs a bit of work in others. Being in the medical profession, I know how challenging it can be to deal with the various insurances, the electronic medical record technology along with difficult patient cases and needs.
The professional aspect of this office is great. The physicians are friendly, professional and very competent. The rest of the medical staff are friendly and caring. The technical services offered are among the most advanced and I’ve been very satisfied with my care here.
The front desk/​scheduling area needs a bit of remediation, however. The receptionist is not always the most friendly of sorts, sometimes seeming ok and sometimes appearing to be quite annoyed that you are there to disrupt her day by your paltry needs to check in. Realizing how most medical office front desks work, I haven’t been terribly offended, but some patients might be nervous or worried and an easier check-​in process might help.
At the visit, I did appreciate how gently the doctor let me know that certain age spots are not dangerous and don’t require medical intervention…
5 stars for the medical care
5 stars for the medical support staff (and the sympathetic looks that seemed to say «awww, you poor old guy!»)
2 stars for the check-​in/​scheduling process

3 stars for treating the issue
2 stars for service
Having never been to a dermatologist, I wasn’t sure what to expect with service or treatment.
Dr. Spreaman was more than professional about treating my issue. She listened to my concerns and explain the course of treatment she wanted to use for me. She also gave me practical, daily advice about eating smart and using the correct topical, over the counter products at home. I appreciated that she gave me three different types of prescriptions to attack the issue head on. I would’ve liked an option to get the generic. Even so, the name brand products ended up being reasonably priced when I used my insurance, and easy to find locally. I thought the appointment was a little rushed but since all my questions were answered, I interpreted it as she is just very speedy with diagnosing things.
The negative about my experience came about with scheduling and follow up. I scheduled my appointment with a somewhat hurried receptionist and showed up 5 minutes prior to my appointment the day of. I ended up waiting over 20 minutes to get that first session because of «computer issues» and what turned out to be scheduling issues: apparently, the doctor was double booked. I stood my ground and would not reschedule. I further pestered the receptionist to make sure I got in that morning. A few other appointments weren’t so lucky and were turned away, or sat longer than I did. After my first appointment, I called to touch base with the nursing staff on a question, and was on hold for over 10 minutes. I finally hung up, and took the question to my general doctor, who helped right away.
Ug. This is when I wish Unilocal would let me do 2.5 stars. I’ll round-​up to 3 stars to be fair, because my issue was in fact, treated with the office’s help.

Today would have been like my 4^th or 5^th visit to this office with Dr. Castanon… well, turns out they changed their policy to where you have to show your insurance card every visit, so I didn’t have mine with me today… You’d think they’d understand since it’s not like they gave me a heads up on the Appt reminder call, & they would take a minute to call the insurance company to confirm that my insurance was still valid… NOPE. & the girl working the front desk seemed to care less… very pretentious attitude. It’s cool… on to the next one!

I was able to get an appointment as a new patient within days rather than weeks. At the office I was seen on time. The staff was very friendly. The physician was very polite and she addressed all my concerns. She did a thorough examination of the area of concern. I would go back again.