The Orthopedic Clinic Association – TOCA

Dr. Carter and his staff are top notch. I’ve had nothing but the best service here from my initial appointment, surgery, and post surgery rehab follow-​ups. Dr. Carter is an excellent orthopedic surgeon. I found him to be professional yet funny and witty at the same time. I’ve read other review about him and TOCA and can say that I didn’t see one negative thing mentioned in those other reviews. Dr. Carter took the time to explain the procedure and the type of rehab follow-​up that might be included depending on the severity of the injury and findings during surgery. First class all the way around and my knee feels great!

I will never go to this place again. I had issues with my FMLA paperwork being filled out incorrectly. I received a call back from MARIA SANDOVAL who works with Dr Houston who was VERY rude and condescending towards me. She was very argumentative and negative the entire conversation. I will not be going back here ever again.

Scheduling appointments can be difficult but Dr. Duhon, his PA and the rest of the staff were very helpful. The knee replacement was a success and I wish I’d done it sooner.

Bad doctors, bad PT staff.
The doctors are a mob that want to make money. Dr. Zoltan was curt and weird. Dr. Armendariz was a jerk, PERIOD.
The PT staff does not do ASTEM. Astem is a physical approach to fixing an ankle. Instead, all I did was strengthen to no avail. Bobby from Texas was the only hustler of that group in Tempe, the rest were either not knowledgeable, casual and not willing to go the extra mile.

Zoltan DOES NOT rock. Waited over an hour on 2 appointments. The first time I gave him the benefit of the doubt but the second time an hour went by and I got up and left with a knee I could not walk on. I had to see him due to my great doctor leaving to go to Mayo which was farther for me to drive. I could have taken the drive and still saved myself the time I has to waste waiting for him. Save yourself the time and go somewhere else. I did have a great experience with their PT facility Heather was awesome, I did PT with her for my back last year.

Great doctors but their PA didn’t return multiple calls day after surgery Had to call their office manager to get help who was responsive. Their «online» patient portal of little help either.
This group is going to have a rude awakening as provider assessments become more frequent. Time to get a clue on customer service! Next time… Mayo!

I took my daughter to see Dr Lederman in the Glendale office as she was needing a shoulder replacement. I was told he is the best. My daughter has multiple disabilities from a TBI. She only has the use of that one arm/​shoulder. Of course the doctor knew her condition at the first appointment. He said she was too young for a replacement as they only last so long and wanted to put off the surgery. He suggested a series of shots in the shoulder which did not relieve the pain. Then the next appointment with Dr Lederman a couple years later due to increasing pain, my daughter was sent to a pain clinic again saying she was too young for the surgery and rehab would be hard. Shots in the shoulder and neck did not relieve the pain. Then she was prescribed with pain meds. This went on another few years. She was crying in pain everyday and in the night too. I massaged her up to ten times a day and bought every pain topical solution I could find besides taking the pain meds. She cried and «begged» me to cut off her arm several times. We finally went back to Lederman again. This time my daughter refused to take no for an answer… she wanted the surgery. Dr Lederman left the room and came back in saying «I’m not the man for job. Myself or my staff is not accustomed to working with someone with a TBI.» Then he walked out. Like he did not already know her condition from day one. My daughter suffered terribly for these years of delaying the surgery then refusing to do it. He did refer us to another doctor who turned out to be a blessing with a very caring heart. Dr Dana Seltzer. The surgery WAS difficult and the rehab WAS difficult, but we got through it as a team and she is now pain free with most of her shoulder movement intact.

Dr zoltan rocks, great sense of humor, always explain what’s going on. Highly recommend him for any orthopedic problems. Thank you dr Z…

If I can save 1 person sending this review from the pain and suffering I have been in as a result of surgery by Dr. Kostas J. Economopoulos it will be worth it.
Whatever you do make sure to never have him as a doctor. I am 10 months post a torn labrum hip surgery and bone shaving (I went in for a torn labrum but he insisted I have this bone shaved at the same time as there was a «spot» from puberty on the bone he wanted to remove) and all these months later I am worse than I ever was one day before the surgery. Once things were going NOTHING like predicted pre-​surgery suddenly he knew nothing and didn’t know why and once I insisted on further tests against his suggestion it was discovered I had Bone Edema and his response was «I don’t know anything you can do to help that»…and then he will just shrug his shoulders and stare. I have been thru so many pain meds, stomach issues now due to so much ibuprofen, etc. I can’t work out like I did before which was my hobby, my life line. It’s been a MESS. I am positive it will work out but PLEASE avoid this scam of a DR. You’re just a number. He wants to rush surgery, get his payment and move onto the next number.
To be fair I cannot speak on any other DR in this establishment. I can confirm the office waits are up to TWO hours and it’s a cattle call. I hope this saves someone from a mess.
Clinton M

Had an appointment yesterday for the first time as a new patient. After an hour wait I saw the doctor. After the doctor realized I didn’t need surgery on my arm afterall, he was a complete ASS! He recommended that I come back in 1 month for a followup to check the healing process of my broken arm. The staff could not have been more RUDE and UNHELPFUL in making a follow up! I actually work for a large group of physicians myself in a large practice and I have never heard any staff treat patients like this! If we did we would be out of a job! Worst customer service ever! Do n yourself a favor and find a different group ! Needless to say, I will NOT return to this office ever again! So disappointed!

Check-​in was fine, but I waited an hour and a half to see a doctor once I was in the patient room. This is unacceptable. What is the point of making an appointment. Also, the doctor I saw was incredibly rude. I hear he’s a great surgeon but he has a horrible bedside manner.

This place is clearly a meat market. Dr. Heber is so busy he missed the elbow. He missed the problem area due to poor testing. I mean he missed the injury and settled for less. I was told if I rescheduled appointments he wouldn’t see me at all. I tried to complain to the practice leader and never received a return call. I complain many times and no one would listen to me. Oh, he missed my left arm all together. Did I mention this is a meat market. Do not have them perform any procedures if you care about being treated with respect, kindness and dignity. Run! Run fast
The staff might make it at the post office… maybe. Thats unfair to postal workers. Sorry.
Go to Dr Leber… he is what you would expect from pro. Az hand and wrist.

Chalk this one up to one of those — I Should have read reviews BEFORE making my appointment lessons. Honestly– I think of Unilocal when we want food or fun– it really had not occurred to me that medical PROFESSIONALS would have scores of negative reviews on here. It sure does now after my experience at TOCA. As with many of my Unilocal reviews– I have blogged my entire experience in full for anyone that is inclined to read more than the 5000 character limit that Unilocal provides you can do that here:
Pros: They took my insurance (Health Net PPO), they had an appointment within a few days (while others I called were booking weeks out), I had two friends that saw a specific doctor at Toca for a similar ailment as mine and both of them had good experiences.
Cons: I could not get in with the Doc my friends experienced so settled for Dr Zoltan. Had to go to Tempe where their office parking situation is a complete nightmare. An appointment is just a suggested time for when you will be seen– but if you are late they will cancel and bill you. (one thing I loathe about medical establishments) — in my case my appointment was later than it was supposed to be because an older gentleman came in without an appointment and they «squeezed him in before me being taken back *RED FLAG!
Office staff: When calling to make my appointment they were ok– when I checked in one lady was super nice and when we left the appointment they were on top of wanting to «help» but it was far too late at that point.
Doctor Zoltan: rude, rushed, condescending and disengaged. We brought MRI images with us to my appointment (I had injured my knee a week prior while doing a fun run obstacle course event – Urgent care X-​rays were clean but MRI done by Simon Med was showing that I had a completely torn ACL and 2^nd degree MCL tear this is why I was seeking out an orthopedic doctor) Doctor spent about 3 minutes in the exam room with us, manipulated my knee for a few seconds and then left to read the MRI and report. When he came back he said he did not think my MCL was torn because I was not showing pain the way he felt I should be showing it a week out from the injury. He then said my ACL is torn but not completely and is likely a tear I had long before this injury and was just unaware of it. (???really? that is interesting) Doc wants to do «aggressive therapy» and check me in a few months but no surgery at this time– I had to pretty much beg him to stop from walking out the door so I could ask 2 quick questions both he replied with «yup and sure» as responses as he was walking away– he then did a little point of his finger and wink at my husband and was gone. Total direct time with Doctor for this orthopedic consultation was less than five minutes. PT came in and fitted me for a brace (which I had to request-​that was one of my 2 questions) so at least I did get SOMETHING out of this appointment. Nurse informed us Doc wanted to see me again in 4 weeks and I made it abundantly clear that we would not be returning. Both the nurse and PT were totally not phased by my remarks or by my husband stating that we felt very poorly cared for at this visit and for the most part they just shrugged us off with forced sympathetic smiles and left the room. Total time from when the doctor walked in to the exam room to when we were leaving the building was 23 minutes which included him reviewing my MRI images, and me getting fitted for a brace.
I will be seeking out another opinion (technically a 4^th opinion at this point since both the MRI imaging Xray Tech and Urgent Care doctor read my images differently than Dr Zoltan– who didn’t even take the time to explain what he did see or did not see in the MRI when he looked at it.
After reading the other reviews on here about the lack of thorough patient care and attentiveness– everything I experienced seems to be pretty typical at this office. I strongly urge others to seek care elsewhere.

Avoid it if at all possible. Dr. Cummings gave me the most poorly thought out, ridiculous diagnosis in about 5 minutes which ended up being very easy to prove incorrect later on. The PT was actually decent and somewhat helpful but I later realized you only see them once for the most port, then they dish you off to the assistants, who don’t really know much of anything about your specific issue and were not even there at the consultation.
It’s always the same story w/​these types of shops, they treat you like a commodity. Wish I had never called them.

This was once a reliable clinic. However, not the top notch service they provided at one time. Had me see a doctor (as mine was on vacation) who really couldn’t give me any answers so I still had to make another appointment as well! Billed my old insurance (even though they had my new card) and sent me a bill for money I did not owe. Time to find a new orthopedic clinic. Good doctors but a mess.

I injured my knee on a Wednesday and got in to see the PA-​C of an orthopedic surgeon at TOCA the next day. I don’t know why everyone is having such a tough time scheduling appointments with TOCA. I called them right after my injury at around 3 in the afternoon and got right in. I think if you avoid «peak» times when calling the office, you have the best chance of getting an appointment with the smallest amount of frustration. Everyone knows that traffic is greatest around 8AM and 5PM because everyone hits the road at the same time. Phone traffic is no different. Also, I tend to feel a sense of security when I walk into a busy doctor’s office as opposed to one that is completely empty. The ratio of doctors to patients in AZ is fairly high to begin with. If they aren’t busy, I start to wonder why and my imagination will usually lead me to conclusions that aren’t good for my health.
Justin, Dr. Cumming’s Physician Assistant, did a great job with his initial assessment and getting me scheduled for an MRI. Remember folks, with the rising cost of medical schools, more candidates are choosing to go the route of PA or NP and it’s not uncommon to be assessed by these highly skilled individuals.
I had a vein issue that they did not take lightly, rushed me in for an ultrasound, and even called me the day after my visits to make sure I was doing OK. Dr. Cumming’s has great bedside manner and both he and Justin took the time to educate me on the overall process and what was going on with my knee. Both of them were on hand for my surgery at Piper Surgery Center in Scottsdale, AZ. They furthered this excellent experience by taking the time to help my wife understand the meds I was taking and the care that I would need post-​op.
Lastly, the staff and everyone involved with my experience continue to be nothing more than helpful on my road to recovery.

I saw Dr. Cummings for pain in my elbow. He diagnosed me with «tennis» elbow. He has a wonderful bedside manner, and explained things in layman’s terms to me.
I was ordered to go to physical therapy 3 x a week for 6 weeks. Every single hand therapist I worked with there were awesome (Stephen, Debbie, Loni). They were all knowledgeable and friendly. Even the other «patients» were interesting. I definitely didn’t dread going there.

Love Dr. Chhabra… location of this new Tempe building is good. PARKING SUCKS! Bring an extra 10 minutes or you may be late because you can’t find a spot to park. I ended up having to park on the street behind their building and walk around to their front door.

Dr Haber was my hand surgeon and I have been very happy with him. His surgery went great and his PA is very nice as well. I have been to the tempe location twice, each in the morning. Parking has been plentiful each time I have been here. The first time I waited 10 mins, the second was only 5 minutes.
Check in staff has been nice and it has been a great, seamless process for me.

What a racket. This is everything that is wrong with economies of scale.
–You will spend excessive amounts of time on hold.
–You may never actually speak to a doctor. Good luck even getting to a PA.
–Everyone you do get a hold of on the phone will pass the buck and transfer you to another department.
–No one takes any personal responsibility. It is always someone else’s job or it’s just the way the system works, etc.
–After «urgently» ordering me to rush in for an MRI and collecting their $$, it was damn near impossible to get service from TOCA.
Working with TOCA has led to nothing but half-​baked information and a HUGE hassle.
Too big for their own good. You will feel like a commodity and not a patient.

Got bad service from the scheduling people, they schedule patients for doctors who can’t even help you even though they know why you were visiting. And this is after they canceled the appointment on me and then rescheduled me for a doctor who couldn’t even help me… Resulted in losing three weeks of treatment.
If you can find another clinic.

**Disclaimer: I’ve only been to TOCA once, but had a great experience. I will update this review later.**
Have had ongoing right knee pain for the past 6+ years. As athletes, most of us aren’t a bunch of wusses when it comes to pain and tolerance for it. Walk it off, damnit, walk it off!
Well, one week, there was no walking off anything. It was getting in the way of my training. After losing a season this year because of surgery, my Coach and I went into panic mode to figure out what this was.
After an MRI found some awesome chondromalacia and patella — femoral malignment (Thanks a lot, hammer throw), my PCP referred me to see Dr. Cummings.
Front office staff was very friendly, and I had plenty of time to fill out of my paperwork. I will say they were running about an hour behind, but it wasn’t a problem for me — at least not that day.
Had some X-​Rays of both knees done on-​site while waiting for the Medical Assistant to download the images off my MRI disc.
Dr. Cummings actually introduced himself to me as Dean when he walked into the room, which I thought was pretty cool!
Confirmed everything found on the MRI, and told me I’m experiencing something called «dyskinetic chain». Cause? The joint of my big toe. INSANE! Never would have expected that. No surgery necessary, just need some top-​notch physical therapy.
Not once did I feel belittled by him as other reviews and peers of mine warned me. Not even a little hint of specialist arrogance. Nope!
I also appreciate the fact that he didn’t try to «used car salesman» me to use their on-​site PT Clinic.
He sent me to his colleague (Dave Hogarth, DPT in Chandler), who specializes in this specifically.
Which by the way, that guy scares the holy crap out of me with his manual therapy techniques. * shudder * Makes the PT I saw for post-​surgical rehab this summer seem like a trip to the Massage Therapist (and that guy beat up on my surgical sites pretty bad — Trevor, please don’t hate me for this!).
But my range of motion is improving with this program, so can’t complain. Oh, and he’s a former decathlete who *gasp* actually understands the hammer throw!
Hopefully the next time I see Dr. Cummings, I’ll be discharged.
I HIGHLY recommend TOCA for your orthopedic concerns and specifically Dr. Cummings especially if you’re a high level athlete. Don’t mess around; go to the best.