[kasullivan]

Has anyone been treated by Dr. Marivic Villa? I saw an ad for Villa Medical Group today about her Energy Medicine Clinic.

[Jazzper]

You can do a search for "Villa" in the "Medical and Health Discussion" to find a few other threads regarding her and The Villa Medical Group. I switched to her a little over a year ago and will be looking for another doc on Monday for many of the reasons mentioned in this thread - Dr. Villa new office

My first impression was that she was very friendly and competent. But I actually walked out of the office after sitting in the waiting room over 45 minutes at a visit a few months ago. I asked the receptionist how far behind Dr. Villa was running and was told it would be about another 30 minutes. I asked that they give me a call when they could schedule appts. better and left. I did get a follow-up call that evening promising I would be waited on promptly the following day if I wanted to come in. I did and was. At that time, I pointed out to Dr. Villa that there was definitely a problem and others have even mentioned it on TOTV. While it may be the case that it's the scheduling person doing a poor job, it ultimately is her practice and she is responsible.

But on my next appt. a few months later things returned to the long wait again. Most recently, during my Monday appt. for bloodwork follow-up this week, it felt like she was actually in a hurry to get to the next patient as she met with me. Rather than say anything to her, I decided to look elsewhere.

Also as others have mentioned, I too find it difficult to deal with the office staff -- some are very good, others leave a lot to be desired when it comes to customer service - e.g. returning calls, long waits on hold, etc.

Just my opinion though....there are probably many who are very satisfied. Her waiting room is usually full-

[NotGolfer]

i don't happen to go to this particular doctor....but have noticed office staff in other professional practices are the same as you describe here. No people skills would be at the top, plus just poor office training! This all points to the H.R. folks (if any) at time of hiring. The front desk is the first impression of the business...or the practice and if these people drop the ball....then it might follow to the rest of the business (or practice). Also things generally start at the top....just saying!!!

[mrfixit]

Originally Posted by kasullivan

Has anyone been treated by Dr. Marivic Villa? I saw an ad for Villa Medical Group today about her Energy Medicine Clinic.

..... Dr. Marivic Villa is Married (?) to Dr. Nelson Kraucak. They are associated with three medical practices in The Villages.

..<<>>...Life Family Practice (Dr. Kraucak)
1501 US 441... Suite 1702.....Lady Lake 32159 ...ACROSS US 441 from Villages Hospital. Last Building on the Right

..<<>>..Tri-County Pulmonary & Multi Specialty .....( 2 Locations )
.1507 Buenos Aires ...Lady Lake NEAR Villages Hospital

AND

.North side of Wedgewood Lane Near Southern Trace Shopping
...BETWEEN Preston and Southern Trace Roads. WEST of VCCDD Property Mgt and VCCDD Customer Service Center. ( VCCDD = Villages Center Community Development District offices )

.....From ALL I have "heard" they are well-liked AND respected in Our Community..
....I know this does not answer your Question directly....BUT... In my humble opinion they are here to stay.

[VillagesFlorida]

My husband and I were both patients of Dr. Villas for several years. I liked her and felt that in most areas she tried to monitor our health and prescribed a lot of natural supplements when blood tests showed we needed them. When we first began going there all calls were routed to The Phillipines. Communication was difficult and impossible at times. There were tons of complaints and as far as I know she now has local staff who handles phone calls. I stopped going to Dr. Villa after a disastrous 20-month period on a prescription drug that she prescribed. It was for sleep problems I had been dealing with for years and years. After a few months on the medication I began noticing weird symptoms that left me light-headed, weak, unbalanced, and my memory was declining. I had trouble walking across my livingroom. For about 15 or 16 months she ordered every conceivable test as I kept coming back with the same complaints. I saw specialists of many kinds, had MRIs and CT scans. The MRI DID show that I had had a tiny stoke at some point, so from then on that is what she blamed my symptoms on. The first thing I realized was that most stroke patients don't keep declining, usually. If anything, they improve with therapy and time. Near the end of all of this long time period I had to stop driving, as I knew I wasn't safe on the road. I kept going downhill and began trying to diagnose myself. I thought I MUST have some sort of terminal illness due to the increasingly severe symptoms. The lightbulb moment came to me the day I fought so hard, yet couldn't drive my husband home from Gainesville, after his cancer surgery. I knew that day that I had to fix myself. I went out on the internet and it didn't take me long to find the problem and the fix. I searched for side effects for the drug she had prescribed for my sleep problems 20 months previously. I knew that a test Dr. Villa had ordered for "inner ear problems" showed "nystagmus", This condition affects the eyes and causes very rapid, involuntary eye movements. Down the list of severe side effects of this drug was "nystagmus". The word jumped off the page and I knew I had found my smoking gun. I weaned myself off the "hypnotic drug" she had prescribed and was horrified that SHE never once looked at what the possible side effects might be. I asked her several times if the drug could be causing all of the symptoms I was having and she pooh-pooed my concerns every time. Wouldn't you think that the first thing any doctor should look at when a patient comes in, time after time with debilitating symptoms, MIGHT be the drugs he or she is taking?? I found my problem, I took myself off the drug, I found another doctor who prescribed a supplement, magnesium, for my sleep issues and most nights I sleep just fine. As far as I am concerned Dr. Villa robbed me of 20 valuable months of my life. I looked into suing her but I didn't end up a vegetable and I didn't die. Case closed.

[wendyquat]

I really like dr clarissa Abrantes!

[MARBAR]

My impression of this office is that it is poorly managed, calls are rarely returned, the back office is located in the phillipines, attempting to make an appointment will require you to wait 24 hours for a callback and records from my previous physician in Connecticut were not retrieved until AFTER my first appointment. Months ago I wrote Dr Villa for an explanation of these issues. I have yet to hear from her by phone or letter.

I have noticed that this practice has closed other locations and has only one office now on Buenos Aires Blvd. This does not surprise me!

Although the medical staff is well qualified, ethics, dependability and client centered healthcare are equally important - to me; and so I left.

[pjolson]

We may be in the minority, but both my wife and I are very satisfied with Dr. Villa. She seems caring and competent and we've been quite pleased with her care.
We've been going to her for more then 2 years and have no problems with scheduling, office staff or front desk personnel. It used to be difficult to get through on the phone but we've seen dramatic improvements there in the last 6-9 months. Wait times have occasionally been more than I'd like to see (40 to 45 minutes) but they've been no worse than I've experienced elsewhere.

[Trish Miller]

Originally Posted by kasullivan

has anyone been treated by dr. Marivic villa? I saw an ad for villa medical group today about her energy medicine clinic.

do not go to this doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!
She is horrible and very uncaring!!!!!
She won't even touch you!!!!!!

[candlweav]

Just read through the comments and agree w/ most. The last one, however, about 'not touching' is bunk. My wife and I have been patients of Dr Villa's for many years and have found her to be personable and personal. In fact, it's over-emphasized at times; we'd prefer more focus on personalized medical care. The extended waits and the phone issues have always been a problem and we're half-heartedly looking for a new GP.

[Jullie]

Ditto ditto on the postings for Dr. Villa. I went to her for a couple years. I had test after test for nothing. Just routine orders. She is a money grubber. I had a talk with her prior to leaving her practice about a lot of problems with her and staff. She listened but did not awknowledge any problems. I told her she would loose most of her patients in the future. Most of the doctors that go to work at her practice do not stay long. Wonder why....

[Jhooman]

The office has been closed. My father was ill and tried to contact the office, no answer or forwarding telephone number. Last week he drove by the office, it was closed. The office had a sign stating no one can enter premises, only federal and state agents.

What is going on????

[pjolson]

Originally Posted by Jhooman

The office has been closed. My father was ill and tried to contact the office, no answer or forwarding telephone number. Last week he drove by the office, it was closed. The office had a sign stating no one can enter premises, only federal and state agents.

What is going on????

The Southern Trace office has been closed for a year or two. The office on Buenos Aires is still open for business (or at least it was this past Friday when I was there for a scheduled appointment). Unlike a number of previous posters, I'm still happy with Dr. Villa and continue to see her.

[swrinfla]

As a long-time patient (at least 7 years) of Dr. Villa, I feel that I must add my two cents, here.

She is not only my primary physician, but also my Pulmonolgist, taking care of both my emphysema and my sleep apnea.

I like her a lot, personally. We always do a "hand bump" when I see her.

She has been in practice here for many years. But, she is not really very savvy as a business woman; many of her innovative concepts for care failed dismally.

Her office staff is, admittedly, mostly Filipino, and often related to her. For some time, many of her operations were actually based in Manila.

The office in Southern Trace was wonderful for me, as it was golf cart accessible. But, it became a financial drain, so she closed it.

The office on Buenos Aires has been undergoing many systems "upgrades" over the past year. I am not convinced that procedures have improved; it may be too early to tell. However, folks should know that I have almost never been seen at the appointment time, whether it's to see Dr. Villa, herself, or just for a shot or whatever.

Most of us know that that is one one of today's medical-care problems. I am seriously considering moving my primary care to the soon-to-open Villages Heath Care office at Lake Sumter Landing.

SWR