Allergy & Asthma Associates of Southern California

I can’t say enough good things about Dr Schwindt and her medical staff (especially Tina)! Dr Schwindt exemplifies compassion when it comes to my 5 month old baby girl and her food allergies and eczema. She calls me at nights and on the weekends to see how my baby is doing. I like that Dr Schwindt examines thoroughly, has a superior bed side manor, & gives a well thought out & specific plan of action for treatment.

I had to deal with these guys again. Horrible! I’m surprised their office manager hasn’t been fired yet. Treats customers disrespectfully. I’ve spent thousands with them already and take a medicine I was told I need to live. They won’t represcribe it unless I come in to pay them even more money. If anyone has any good recommendations of a better place to go for allergies please please let me know.

My daughter saw Dr. Carr and he misdiagnosed her. He did not take the time to listen to her as a patient and his in-​office testing was not thorough. He did not spend a lot of time with us on the two visits we had. He said she did not have asthma, when in fact she did. I ended up spending over a thousand dollars to do other testing elsewhere that wasn’t necessary. Good thing for CHOC pulmonology — the doctors there correctly diagnosed my daughter.
Besides Dr. Carr, the office staff was not very helpful in returning phone calls. They also charge a lot more for allergy testing compared to other doctors.

Can i give Dr. Berger more than 5 stars? To say i was a little nervous about bringing my 3yr old in for allergy testing would be an understatement. Testing was complete, the nurse {male — can’t remember his name} was amazing with my little guy. You get your results back immediately which is also wonderful. Just had our second follow-​up appointment today — while we did have a wait of 50 minutes Dr. Berger was fantastic once again. He gave me copies of all the allergy testing along with a copy of all the blood work results that we had done after our first appointment.
If you want a Dr. that is beyond thorough, takes his time with you, fantastic bedside manner, especially when it comes to kids — don’t wait and make an appt with Dr. Berger!

My kids and I have been coming here for the last 10 years. It is a great office staffed by extremely experienced and highly regarded doctors.
They get you in and out for office visits relatively quickly. The process for getting allergy shots is also very streamlined and easy to work with.
I highly recommend them to all my friends.

I am still upset two months after visiting this office. Every step of the process was bad.
when I made the first appointment, I was not told by the receptionist that the appt would take 1 and a half hour to 2 hours long. When I arrived to the office and found out about the length of time, I suggested rescheduling because we had to be somewhere else in less than an hour. Everyone at the office assured me they could get me in and out in less than 45 minutes. They would be done in 30! So they rushed my son. They poked him with over fifty needles across his back. The nurse was doing this frantically. I was very uneasy. The doctor came in and sped through the results in less than five minutes. They said he was allergic to everything. he needed to start on shots. a 3 to five year commitment. We were all shocked. They didn’t even have all the paperwork ready for me and I was running late. They didn’t finish on time like they assured me. I felt really upset about the experience. I decided to get a second opinion. I was much more satisfied at the second office. AND THE RESULTS WERE TOTALLY INCONSISTENT WITH THE RESULTS FROM ALLERGY ASSOCIATES OF SC! I really think the nurse botched the test when she was going 100 miles an hour on my son’s back. And now I am stuck with a $ 250 bill! The second doctor just charged 30. There’s something wrong with this office. Don’t go there.

These guys are the worse! Gauged rates even after they told me it was all covered, allergist did a skin prick which if you research is completely inaccurate compared to blood testing, allergist was a major ego maniac about it and staff was over all rude will never ever go here again

Dr. Berger is a wonderful doctor. I don’t know what I would have done without him, Tilly and everyone at Allergy & Asthma Associates. I can breathe and enjoy life like I did in the past because of the amazing doctors here. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

My son was diagnosed with chronic asthma last week by Dr Carr. He was given several medications to treat it including a rescue inhaler for school. I called the office yesterday to ask how I could get a signature authorizing the rescue inhaler for school and was told that Dr Carr charges a $ 20 fee. This is a disgrace. My visit cost $ 35 co pay. I payed for an additional test they told me was not covered by insurance $ 35. My prescriptions totaled $ 120 for the month and parking cost me $ 3 which is a total of $ 193
Authorization of children’s medications for school should be part of the standard of care provided by the Doctor. I am a single Mom doing the best I can for my son. I don’t know if I will be back. Shame on you.

No words to say how well this office does with allergies. So my son had a bad flare up due to his allergies with egg and again this office went above and beyond with medical care. Dr Berger was not available so we saw Dr Schwindt.
Not only was she aggressive in treating my son but her assertiveness to how he should have been treated was top notch. As I mentioned before in my other posts I have been to several dermatologists and allergists and this office was the only one in south county to pinpoint exactly how he should be treated. And last the office called the very next day to see how he was doing and if there was more stars on this post this office will get them.

The wait times are very decent for a specialist, especially an office as big as their Mission Viejo location. I never had to wait more than 20 minutes for a nurse or doctor and they were very efficient. Dr Schwindt is incredible, caring, knowledgable and helpful. She understands the money struggles and speaks on your level really well. If you live close to this office it would be a huge mistake to go anywhere else for your allergy and asthma needs.

Dr. Berger is my hero. After I spent over a year with 7 different doctors ranging from my primary care physician to several specialists, he is the one who discovered my allergy to Methylisothiazolinone. This nasty chemical is in many cosmetics and toiletries. I believe the statistics are 1 in 10,000 people who have this allergy. Numbers are becoming greater over time. I am ever so grateful to him for isolating this allergic reaction I was having for so long. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

First, let me say that Dr. Carr is great and has provided wonderful care for our son. However, today when checking in for his appointment I presented the receptionist with a single form that is required by his school in order for him to have his Epi Pen and Inhaler. I was shocked when she told me there would be a $ 20 charge for his signature. Are you kidding me? These are life saving medications he needs! This is disgusting to me. We were already here for an appointment. There are NO signs posted anywhere in the waiting area about this fee. Shame on you Allergy & Asthma Associates of Southern California!

I’ve been seeing Dr. Schwindt regularly for allergies and asthma in both the Mission Viejo and Irvine offices for about two years now. The level of care I’ve received has been nothing short of exceptional. Dr. Schwindt is extremely caring, attentive, and thorough. My allergies and asthma have been difficult to get under control and included several complications, and Dr. Schwindt has taken all my concerns and complaints, no matter how small or seemingly trivial, and made it her mission to make sure I feel 100%. I can not recommend her and her team enough, this is quality healthcare at it’s very finest.

If I could give NO stars, I would. My husband and son see Dr. Berger for allergies, and my daughter is seen for tree nut allergies. My husband and son are on their third year of allergy shots, already longer than we had ever imagined this would go on for. The shots are extremely expensive, and because they go on for so long, it is a bill that I literally have to build into my budget.
On their second year of shots, my husband’s renewal of the serum order came due in December, so I asked the office if I could make arrangements to have the whole years worth of serum billed before the end of the year so we could save significant money by paying only 20% of the serum costs because we had already met our insurance deductible, instead of 100% after the first of the year. Everything was approved and went well. At the end of last year we made my husband’s appointment on December 19^th and said we wanted to bill his serum the same as last year, and signed the consent form. In February I received a bill for approx.$ 750. Even though we made an effort, and came in for an appointment on 12÷19÷13, so he could be seen by a physician (not due to need, but because they require patients to be seen every 6 months or they will not continue their treatment), and to sign the consent form in plenty of time before the end of they year.
In February, when I received the $ 750 dollars. Apparently they had gone ahead and made his serum for the whole year, but did NOT bill it before the end of the year, as discussed, and as in the prior year. So now I am expected to pay $ 750 for what would have cost me $ 150 (20%). I was furious and called the office. I had a lengthy conversation with a woman who finally said she didn’t have the authority to do anything and the person who did wasn’t back until the next week. I never got a call back. About a month or so later, my husband and son went in for shots and were turned away due to non-​payment. They asked to speak to someone and were told there was no one there at that time they could talk to. Of course they asked to have the person who can handle it call us the next day. Well its been months, and I have never received a call, message or any communication to discuss the situation around my husbands bill. What I did get on Monday, July 7, 2014, was a letter saying they had turned me over to collections. REALLY???
I immediately called the office and spoke to a woman who did not deny the situation, or that that had been done last year, but didn’t have any notes in the file that the serum was supposed to be billed before the end of the year, and simply said there is nothing they can do. Of course, this is untrue, and asked to speak with her boss, and was transferred to a man’s voice mail who’s title was not given and I have no idea who he is, but I also called back and asked to leave a message on our doctor’s direct voice mail. I was told he doesn’t have one (yah right), so I left a message for him to call me back. I figured he would want to know he was going to loose three long-​time customers because of his offices billing practices and treatment of high-​dollar patients. I don’t know what will happen, but If they do not take some responsibility and at least work with me on the bill, we will be gone, despite the good reputation of the actual medical staff. It is so expensive to get these shots, x2 family members, I can not take the chance of paying for the very costly billing mistakes taking place in this office again, just to be treated like someone who just doesn’t pay their bill, when they are the ones who NEVER RETURNED MY CALL OR IN-​PERSON REQUEST FOR A CALL BACK, for six months.
Although the doctor’s are good, I completely agree with all the people who make the point that their office is completely inefficient with patient’s time. The length of time they take to perform tests could easily be reduced by half if someone was simply dedicated to finishing with one patient, but yes, allergy testing takes 3+ hours at their facility, and that is completely unnecessary!!! but the bigger problem is the billing practices. They simply don’t take responsibility for the arrangements they make and don’t care about their patients. I guess they have more than they need. It’s sad.
Today I received a call back and Dr. Berger decided that we should not be credited for more than 20%, which is their standard «courtesy» discount. They are taking no responsibility for not keeping their billing agreement or for the additional $ 750 (minus $ 150 for the 20%), that I am now expected to pay. Meanwhile, unless I give in and pay for their mistake, my son’s and husband’s serum continues to age and will expire in December, before they can even use it all (because they were turned away and I couldn’t get anyone to talk to me about it until now) – yet I still have to pay. There is a real problem with this office, and sadly, it goes all the way to the doctors who are in charge. Greed over healthcare.

This review is for Dr. SCHWINDT and her team. First, I really liked the front office staff at both the Mission Viejo and Irvine locations. Dr Schwindt’s assistant, Kai is a great assistant. Very knowledgable and caring. I have taken both of my sons (ages 2 and 4) to see Dr. Schwindt. My older son has had some complicated issues that have been going on for several weeks. The care we have received from Dr. Schwindt is beyond exceptional. She is hands down the most compassionate, knowledgable and caring doctor I’ve ever come across. I left a message for her assistant and within 30 minutes, Dr. S called me back herself. I have spoken with her on the phone about 5 times this week to ask follow up questions and with concerns about how my son was doing. Each time she called me back within an hour and made me feel like my son was the only patient she had that day. Not only did she tell me it was «her pleasure» to help me and «call back with any problems»…she had her assistant follow up with us on several occasions just to «check in». I really feel like she is a god-​send. I wish we could make her our primary care physician.
As for the negative reviews about wait times… yes, we’ve had to be there several hours for allergy testing… but they warn you of that up front. It takes a long time for the tests to be done. Other than that, the wait times were no longer than 15 – 20 minutes to get into an exam room. Not the greatest but quite honestly, I’ve waited well over an hour just to get into an exam room at several other specialists’ offices. I think that’s just the nature of the beast sometimes with specialists!
I cannot say enough wonderful things about Dr. Schwindt! Amazing.

Now open till 8 pm on Tuesday and Thursday for shots. Just don’t come right after school because you’ll be here for 45 minutes. And if there are any billing or insurance issues, they hold you up and make you feel like a second class citizen. When you do get an appointment, try to see the PA, as the doctors don’t really take too much time with the patients. Sorry.

Dr. Berger and his staff are fantastic! I typically only leave reviews on sites if I have a particularly positive or negative experience, and this one definitely falls into the positive category. My daughter was diagnosed with allergy asthma when she was 4 and we were living in East Texas. We went to 2 different allergy/​asthma doctors, both of whom put her on numerous breathing treatments. She would be at the point several times per month where we would need to use a nebulizer multiple times per day. Even though her allergy test came up positive for 27 different triggers, they were solely focused on the asthma side of the issue. I made an appointment to visit a third doctor when we were forced to make a quick move to SoCal. After researching local allergy and asthma doctors, I made an appointment to see Dr. Berger, who was the author of Allergy and Asthma for Dummies. He listened to our story, put our daughter, now 8 years of age, through some breathing tests and ordered allergy tests. As with the test a few years before, nearly everything registered as a trigger. I was thrilled when Dr. Berger said he wanted to treat the allergies, as he thought that if we could control the allergies then she would have much better control of her asthma. Finally! I had been asking about that for a couple of years. He likened it to giving Tylenol to someone experience signs of appendicitis. Sure, the Tylenol will help reduce the pain and the fever, but at some point you have to address the cause. Anyway, she is now 9 months into her allergy shots and is doing great. We have had to use a nebulizer only twice in the past 6 months and once was due to an illness. She plays softball, basketball and can swim competitively without any breathing issues. We are thrilled!
Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t complement the entire staff. The people in the office are always so polite and helpful. The individuals who give the allergy shots know my daughter by name and are great as well.
Finally, I would like to address the issue of people leaving bad reviews due to lengthy waits. I will admit that I have had a couple check-​up visits with longer waits than normal. That said, the waits definitely weren’t long enough to cause me great frustration. Honestly, with the results we have received, I would have waited all day if it were necessary. With the new ACA regulations of having to keep all records on computer and keep them very detailed I have noticed longer than normal waits just about everywhere I have gone. In terms of the wait for allergy shots, my daughter has never had to wait more than 10 minutes to get her shots. Typically it is less than 5 minutes. After the shots, we have to remain in the office for 15 minutes to see if there is any reaction.
Hope this helps.

I’m here in the office waiting for the doctor like every time I come here. Doctors seem to be arrogant and think that only their time is important. I’m the first appointment of the day. Uv already been waiting 20 minutes. Their excuse, the doctor drives a long distance!!!

I just saw Dr. Carr for the first time today — I’m actually still in the office as I write this. Although it did take quite a while to be seen (40 minutes?) it is in part because the doctor does not rush anyone through their appointment, at least not that I saw. He took the time to ask a lot of intelligent questions regarding my condition and history and I finally feel I will be able to get some relief! He is in my opinion an excellent diagnostician, which is something for which I will put up with a bit of a wait in an exam room.
All the office staff I encountered were very friendly, personable, and most of all professional.
Kind of a bummer that one of the tests I had wasn’t covered by my insurance so I had to pay out-​of-​pocket. The price was actually pretty reasonable, about the cost of a few days’ lunch.
Update 10 months later: Dr. Carr has totally managed my asthma to the point that I can almost breathe normally most of the time. He quickly found the right drug regimen for me and got me off all the crap that my regular doctor had mis-​prescribed. I have only had one minor emergency and two episodes in the last 10 months compared to almost constant hospital visits before I saw him Thanks Dr. Carr!