Arrowhead OB GYN

The PA Samantha Poole is fantastic. I have not see any other DR’s there but I can tell you after looking for a great, personable GYN who can answer your questions without rushing out the door then she is the person to request.

The office staff is not organized Appt was at 11 AM its 1 PM and we are still waiting… people who have walked in after us have been checked in before us. Second time in a row this has happened. Receptionists up front aren’t the friendliest and they also aren’t helpful either. They have a sign that says «if you have been waiting for more than 30 minutes to let them know» it doesn’t mean nothing.
Although Dr. Folkstad is very helpful, Great Doctor!

I went through two pregnancies with Dr. Folkestad. I love him, he’s a great doctor. With that being said, he’s busy. Very, very busy. If you’re one of those people that do not like to wait for an hour minimum past your scheduled appointment time, then do not select him as your doctor. He delivers all of his own babies. Alllllll of them. Which means that on any given day he is pretty backed up, especially if more than one delivery occurs. My first pregnancy ended up in an emergency C-​section and he had to rush right over ASAP. I’m sure that he left patients hanging to help my baby. Because of this, I never cared about the long wait when he had to help out other babies since it might have been a similar situation. It’s hard to find doctors anymore who deliver all of their own babies and the peace of mind that you know who the doctor is going to be when its time to deliver is worth its weight in gold.
Now the negatives beyond the wait time… The office itself is busy in general. You will also wait for ultrasounds, sometimes for a long time. The office staff really is hit or miss. I wouldn’t say that they are the friendliest bunch of ladies that I’ve ever met, on the phone or in person. Sometimes they can seem downright cold. But I wasn’t there for the office staff. There used to be one lady at the front who warmed up when she got to know me by name and she was always nice. She’s gone now.
Dr. Folkestad used to have one of the most amazing medical assistants I have ever met. She was so wonderful and supportive and bent over backwards for anything I needed. She’s gone now, and I honestly don’t think that I would have been able to go through another pregnancy with his new assistant. Hopefully the new one warms up a little bit with future patients.
Bottom line… if it’s important to you that you have a highly skilled doctor that you can count on will be the one to deliver your baby, no matter what, and you can practice patience and ignore the gruffness and the office staff, then Dr. Folkestad is for you. Keep your eyes on the prize — the most important thing is the quality of the medical care you and your baby get when it’s actually time to receive it.
Piece of advice — Always ask for a morning appointment — before 10am — and try to avoid Fridays if you can. Even the wait for the ultrasounds seems long on Fridays.

I love Dr. Folkestad! Many times you will need to wait past your appointment time, but in my experience that is typical whenever you have a Dr. that delivers babies regularly throughout the day. I’d much rather wait longer for my appointments because the Dr. delivers all of his patients, than have some random Dr. on call deliver my baby. Even when they are running behind they don’t make you feel rushed, they will still listen to all of your concerns.
They have ultrasound in their office which is awesome, I’m a high risk patient and w/​my daughter we lived in a different state and I had to go to a couple different places to get monitored/​ultrasound/​blood draws etc. At this office they do everything there, NST, ultra sound, bio physical monitoring, blood draws etc. When you have to go several times a week, it’s so easy to get it all done in one place.
If you have any kind of issues w/​your pregnancy and have been through the ordeal of going to specialists/​perinatologists/​regular OB… this office will be such a relief! They can do all the testing there and communicate w/​your other doctors.

The one star is for the staff. Year after year I fill out the same stupid forms, I’m talking about 6 to 8 pages. You’d think they’d have you in their files after 5 years of being a patient. My doctor is great, otherwise I’d be happy to be seen somewhere else.

I absolutely love Dr Austin. I was referred to her by a couple of people when I found out I was pregnant and I have been seeing her ever since. She and her medical staff are always very patient and informative when you have questions. The lab tech that does blood draws is quick and as painless as possible which is important to me seeing as though I’m a total wuss. The ultrasound techs are always very friendly and skilled. Overall, I am very pleased with the medical care I have received throughout my pregnancy.
Unfortunately, I have had a couple of issues with this office. The front desk lady (unsure of her name, she has short hair and glasses) is very blunt and rude and has no sense of providing satisfactory customer service. She is a negative mark on every visit. God forbid if you have a question while you’re waiting. Another issue is how busy this office is, which is not surprising given their popularity and location. They are also attached to Arrowhead Hospital, so if the doctors get called away to deliver a baby you may be waiting a while.
Needless to say, I love this OB/​GYN and will be returning for any future medical care and pregnancies.

Overbooked and the staff is horrible, not the doctor not the medical assistant the office staff ! Put on hold for over 15 minutes ! The intake ladies look so miserable being their they want the doctor to pay them an extra .50 cents an hour to smile.
I’ve been going there for a couple years and they still can’t get my name right, even worst since I’m expecting and I’m there a lot ! Only decent person that works there that isn’t a doctor is the lady who draws your blood … They have more patients that are on state assistance so they overbook

Not really something that I usually review but for anyone thats looking for a good OB/​GYN comr here for Samantha! I absolutely love her. She is the PA who works with Dr. Melissa Austin. She does an amazing job with each appointment and is very thorough with her work. She is passionate and patient and will listen to all your concerns. She is the first OB/​GYN that has made me feel so comfortable being naked and examined in doctors office. Usually pap smears or other exams make me feel so vulnerable and not really sure what to expect but Samantha communicates with you each and every step so you know exactly what to expect and feel. Absolutely love her!

There is too many patients for only 2 doctors Long wait.