J. Ben Renfroe's Online Review Report Card

CNC review TLDR - Though some of the individual staff are fantastic here, their inability to be reached (including in an emergency) is leading us to find a new neurologist. I have nothing but the highest praise for the nurse practitioner my son sees, Mailande Dedeaux; she is very patient and takes the time to listen and answer questions. Leaving her has been the only reason I hesitated to leave CNC, because I feel like she does take good care of my son. The EEG staff have also been wonderful. The doctors have been nice when we have seen them, however on several occasions now they have been completely unreachable when my son has had an emergency or problem. Emergency room staff, other doctors, and pharmacists that my son works with have been very frustrated with them as have I. This is unacceptable to me, because it has been detrimental to my child’s care. They are also generally slow to call back and answer questions, give test results, etc. Even calling to schedule/reschedule appointments or speak to a nurse is a huge hassle because they don’t answer the phone and you have to leave a message every time. It’s so frustrating. They’ve even cancelled/rescheduled appointments without calling me, luckily I was still seen but it’s concerning that they’re so disorganized. I have also waited over 2 hours for a scheduled appointment before, which happens in healthcare but it definitely adds to the frustrations.

Consistently have to wait on PA, past scheduled appt times (30-60 minutes). Then, today, after getting stuck in the bridge traffic, I was 10 minutes late. When I started my drive, we were on track to arrive on time. When I walked in, the receptionist was helping another patient, and she walked into the back behind the doors. I waited a minute or two, chose to go to the restroom while my daughter sat in the lobby waiting to be checked in. When I came out of the restroom, I was told I was more than 15 minutes late and they had to reschedule the appt. (I checked my watch at this time, and it was 16 minutes past appt time). I informed them that I was here, but the receptionist was busy and didn't check me in, their response was, I'm sorry, this is coming from the provider, we have a strict 15 minute policy. So I wasted my time, my $, and my gas, only for them to turn me away and reschedule. It's poor practice to have your receptionist too busy to check patients in, and cause them to have to reschedule their appointment and have to drive through the mess of the bridge, wasting time and gas.

My son had a PANS diagnosis, which is neurologic in nature, however Dr Renfroes skill was lacking in understanding diagnostic and treatment guidelines. I asked his input regarding The Stanford physician tx protocol, And his response to my husband and I was very rude and arrogant, as he insinuated that I the mother had OCD. We nicely asked the office to transfer my son to another neurologist in the practice, and he emailed us a letter dismissing our sons care FROM ALL NEUROS IN THAT PRACTICE. He had no concern to refer our son to a doctor understanding the diagnosis better, as the Birmingham neurologist he suggested did not even treat for that diagnosis. Also he neglected to attend the team meeting that Sacred Heart had organized . In fact within one month my son was so severe, that he had to be transferred by ambulance to Miami for plasmapheresis. We believe one reason our sons length of illness extended to 18 months is because of delayed improper care at the beginning. The physician oath of “do no harm“ was definitely not adhered to. Would not suggest dr. Renfro if you are looking for optimal sensitive Neuro care.

Since about 2002 my younger sister has been a patient of Dr. Renfroe for her autism and epilepsy and behavior disorder. He has been amazing the whole time. Even if it takes a bit for an appointment, he always makes sure to take as long as needed to talk with parents about their child's health. Whenever she had a massive seizure we phoned the PA or other person on duty and were replied to in less than 24 hours. He is really good with kids of all kinds of neurological issues, and makes the doctor's office a less frightening place. He has also tried to always medicate as least as possible. When my sister had poor side effects from meds he made sure to change things right away. He also is always keeping up to date on new technology. My sister received an implant called a Vagus Nerve Stimulator. It has sense helped control her seizures and many of her OCD or stimming/self-harm and anxiety. When my sister turned 18 he didn't boot her out, but kept her on as his patient. We were so thankful.

I took my daughter to Dr Renfroe's office for 4 years ( 4th grade to 8th grade) to treat recurring migraines and ADHD. We only saw the PA until the last visit because I had complained and insisted we see Dr Renfroe because nothing had helped. I was given an appointment 2 months away because as I was told by the staff the Doctor sees really sick children. He lied and said he had met with us before, we knew better. All of the meds prescribed caused adverse reactions. We stopped going and didn't know what to do. Eventually took my daughter to ENT who immediately diagnosed Torticollis ( a short tight muscle in the neck) . She required surgery to cut the muscle but the problem could have been corrected much sooner with Physical Therapy. He does have very sick children in the office all the time but I wonder how thorough his exams were with them because or our experience. Mothers please 2nd guess everything. I wish I had.

Dr. Ben Renfroe has been my doctor since I was three hours old. He is one of the smartest and most carding doctors I have never met. He always takes time to explain what's going on and takes time to answer all my questions. I would highly recommend him.

Dr. Renfroe and his staff are very helpful and he is a very good dr. He treated my son that had cerebral palsy and bad seizures daily. He and his team were a blessing and I would trust them fully.

Great doctor goes above and beyond to make sure you feel safe.

Dr Renfroe is wonderful. He has been treating my daughter for 14 years and is awesome. Always available to ask questions.

I have never known Dr. Renfro or his staff to be anything but friendly, caring, and understanding with my young daughter and her complexities. Dr. Renfro is approachable and easy to communicate with. He actually listens to my concerns and involves me in decisions regarding her treatment. Her quality of life is greatly improved thanks to the expertise of Dr. Renfro and his team.