Athens Area Urology

I had a procedure today which was supposed to place a urethral sling. When the doctor went into do that she nicked my urethra and was unable to place the sling. Which is not ideal but fine, stuff happens. Then when I get to the pharmacy in the town I live in (45 minutes away) they can’t fill the prescription because the doctor didn’t write her name on the prescription. At this point I am in pain and getting nauseous so I call the office to see if they can fix this, the doctor’s nurse doesn’t answer so I talk to the scheduling people to see if they can help. I know it’s not their job but I was hoping they could give me a different number for the nurse or something. The girl I talked to was very rude and condescending. Yes, I was a little snippy with her because I’m in pain and still a little out of it from anesthesia, but she was talking over me telling me that the close in 30 minutes and she didn’t think it would get fixed today. I’m extremely upset and frustrated with the entire situation.

If it hadn’t been for Dr. Schwender diagnosing a tumor that I had I wouldn’t be here today. My Gastroenterologist said it was prostate cancer. When Dr. Schwender looked at the same CT scans she saw something he didn’t. When I went in to surgery to have the tumor removed from my colon she was by my side. I could never ask for a better doctor, she cares about her patients which is hard to find sometimes and doesn’t treat you as a number.

My mom had a bladder cancer scare and went here for a second opinion. Dr. Steele was amazing!! He was thorough and explained everything through my mom’s procedure. He has a great bedside manner. His staff was very professional and went over and above making sure that my mom felt comfortable. One person in particular was a black woman with short curly hair. I didn’t get her name, but she had incredible customer service. I definitely recommend this place if a loved one is searching for a urologist in this area.

I agree with some of the other reviewers here, the patient care really isn't a priority at this office. It's very hard to get anyone to call you back in a timely manner. Always long waits when you have an appointment. They tried to rush me into a surgery I didn't need, but I cancelled the day before and got a second opinion. I have over $1000 in bills from visits that told me nothing and they tried to send my account to collections when I was still making payments. I have a new provider now that has told me more about my condition and treatment options than AAU was able to in a year. They need significant changes to their practice to focus more on patient care and service.

Was treated very well by all the staff!