Dr. Cristina Tarantola's Online Review Report Card

My experience was not good and I base this over several years. From her beside manner and rude manner of speaking to both me and her staff, her billing department and their errors and rudeness even when they were at fault, and her failure to respond following problems after a procedure. Never again.

I was nervous about the Mohs treatment but Dr Tarantola put my fears to rest and the result was perfect! She is the best!

Staff and Dr. T were so friendly and easy to talk with, such a Great Expirence.

When treating my 86 year old father, who WAS (deceased 4 weeks after surgery performed by Christina Tarantola) a Hospice patient, Tarantola failed her own mission stmt : "to provide caring and patient centered expertise to patients w dermatologic needs." She performed grossly invasive surgery on a Hospice patient who was in no pain before the surgery. Apparently, Tarantola didn't learn in Medical School what Hospice is and what the principles of caring for a Hospice patient are. When a person is admitted to Hospice care; they have a life-limiting condition and the philosophy is to add quality to remaining days when the quantity of days is limited. Hospice care is foremost about pain avoidance and certainly controlling discomfort when it is present. When I called Tarantola to ask (2) concise questions; she didn't return call but was probably "lawyering-up" instead. My very fair and relevant questions to Tarantola are: do you understand what Hospice care is and if so, why did she not apply those principles to my father's care. Secondly, did Tarantola refer to the oath she took to "do no harm". Obviously she did not refer to the oath she took; she harmed my father and he died (4) weeks to the day after she brutalized him; and he suffered beyond human comprehension that drove him into delirium he never came out of. Tarantola should have made pain mgmt after the brutal cranial surgery her business. The overriding "patient centered" (from her failed mission stmt) consideration should have been: how are we going to control the pain of this 86 year old Hospice patient after the surgery. My father was a frail confused Hospice patient when he made the life-altering visit to her office. Any normal observant person who actually LOOKED at the human being who came to the office for a consult, would have come to the conclusion that this man was in no way a candidate for the brutal surgery she inflicted on him. If allowed to continue practicing, Tarantola needs a PA or ARNP to bring the human side of medicine to the practice. Surgery is not a craft practiced on an inert object. After your craft is finished, the patient's road to recovery hasn't even started until the anesthesia wears off. "Caring expertise" (from the Tarantola failed mission stmt), should include a comprehensive pain mngt strategy that is individualized, particularly for a Hospice patient, and working before the anesthesia wears off to avoid human suffering. You, Tarantola, never really LOOKED at the patient. He was not a biopsy on a microscope slide. He was a husband, father, grandfather, philanthropist and community leader. All you really needed to do was LOOK at him and really see the condition of the human being in front of you. Be forewarned, this MD is dangerous and myopic in her practice of medicine. This won't change the fact that my father who had no pain before, suffered miserably for (4) weeks after surgery she performed and prayed to die. But if it makes another unsuspecting potential patient do more investigation into this practitioner, that is worthwhile. Also, if it makes Tarantola reconsider her oath "to do no harm", and go back to schooling and educate herself on the principles of caring for a Hospice patient, then this is a worthwhile exercise for me on the morning after we buried our beloved husband, father, grandfather, philanthropist and community leader. BE A CONSUMER OF YOUR HEATHCARE; never let it just be done to yourself or a loved one. I would be remiss if I didn't inform readers of this review that Tarantola's office never called to see how my father, a frail 86 year old Hospice patient, was after extensive surgery. UNBELIEVABLE Other healthcare providers phone the home the next day, following out-patient surgery or even relatively minor procedures, to inquire about the patient's well-being. Apparently, Tarantola runs more of a mill where patients do not have faces or individual work-ups. SAD

I have nothing but good things to say about this Doctor and her staff. I highly recommend them to anyone that needs Mose surgery. One comment would be (if you see her in the Fairhope office) that you take a blanket and a cushion. ??

Dr. Tarantola and her staff are very courteous and professional. She is an excellent physician!

Dr. Tarantola and her staff are very professional and courteous. She is an excellent physician!

Billed me for post-op wound check, MA, receptionist, and billing person were not friendly, tiny waiting room.

Dr. Tarantola took a pretty good sized cancer off the bridge of my nose 6 months ago. You can't even tell there was ever anything there. She and her whole staff were outstanding.

While Dr Tarartola is a skilled surgeon her staff was rude and billing practices are unethical. The receptionist was not friendly and acted like she does not want to be there. I got a surprise bill for a post op wound check as an office visit. I have had many surgeries with many doctors and never been charged for a post op visit. They know that insurance will not pay for a post op visit so they bill it as a routine office visit. When I contacted the office administrator she was rude tried to talk over me. The nurses are hit or miss some were friendly some were not. The waiting room is small and uncomfortable. The norm seems to be that all removals will be done as MOHS when it may not be necessary because the MOHS is more expensive. Its a shame because Dr. Tarantola does good work but the rest of the experience is not worth it. I will be searching for a new dermatologists.