Austin Foot & Ankle Specialist

I've been with Dr. Ricardo Chica for a few months and truly believe he is one of the best podiatrists out there. His number one goal is to make sure the patient is happy and healthy. I came to him after a severe complication from an ingrown toenail surgery in a fragile state. Dr. Chica was able to emotionally reassure me and administer prompt treatment and care. I can now proudly say that I have my life back and am now pain-free! Be patient with the process, trust the Dr., and results will come.

Couldn't get past the initial scheduling. Both people I talked to were completely clueless when it came to scheduling me with double insurance. The guy was supposed to call me back to confirm. He never did, but I received a confirmation about the appointment. I called the office back to discuss this matter and the lady was clueless as well as I ended canceling my appointment and found someone who seemed to care.

Wonderful care and communication from Dr Thomajon and his staff. Very happy with my choice of podiatrist!

My son injured his ankle playing basketball, landing us in the ER. I'm beyond grateful for Dr. Chica and staff for getting us in the following day for an appointment. Everyone was kind and went above and beyond, making my son less nervous. Dr, Chica has an incredible bedside manner, explained the plan of action and took a conservative approach to treatment. He even introduced us to Dr. Thomajan, who I've heard great things about. From check in to check out, the experience was a positive one.

I loved to Austin about a year ago and hadn't had a podiatrist in years. I went through google reviews and found Dr. Chica. Beyond the amazing medical service - the staff all around is incredibly friendly and accommodating. Just this morning I I realized I had a PAINFUL ingrown toe nail that prevented me from practically doing anything. The lady over the phone got me scheduled that very same day and was beyond nice about it. Highly recommend to anyone needing to see a foot specialist

The foot care may be fine, but the billing is atrocious. I am being hounded for payment for orthotics that i paid for in December. Some of the front desk staff is surly and said 'oooooh, you have a balance' like i was a criminal. You cannot ever reach the billing department and when they call you to DEMAND PAYMENT, they have zero details and provide no assistance.

The office staff in Westlake has told me on 3 separate times 'you are fine, you don't owe anything, we put the deposit on the other system, it just needs to be applied' but yet i still get threatening calls. All they do is 'send a message' which obviously has the same success as i do when i call. I have even brought proof of the payment to the office. Being harassed for $200 is not worth my time so I will be leaving this practice.

I have been dealing with an ingrown toenail for years! I had heard horror stories about getting these removed and was so scared I just kept putting it off. Dr Chica was amazing! It was not nearly as painful as I expected and felt extremely comfortable the whole time I was there. Now I'm kicking myself for putting this off for so long. If you have an ingrown toenail and have been too scared to do anything about it, just get it done! It's super quick and easy!

K.lemme say. Dr. Craig Thomajan.thank you from the bottom of my foot.and heart. \o/ You took a 4 year building pain and eliminated it perfectly and quickly! Thank you to all the great staff that were part of making me want to hop scotch everywhere now! And a bigger than big thank you to the wonderful woman that called my cell real quick after I left cuz I accidentally left one of my golf shoes there! She simply prevented a catastrophe, really! \o/

This is a great place for your podiatrist needs. They're very professional and friendly, and of course very knowledgeable and competent. In particular, Dr Thomajan is world class.

Mr. Fred has delicate skin which adds to difficulty fitting shoes and braces. This doctors office has continued to make adjustments to his fittings. They have helped our family make decisions about what is best for Fred considering his age and condition of his delicate skin. They never give up on what is the best solution for a patient. Thank you all!

Dr. Chica is thorough and efficient. He gives comprehensive feedback and provides excellent care. I truly feel taken care of at Austin Foot & Ankle Specialists. Also, Alicia was extremely helpful and friendly during my recent appt.

Misdiagnosed. Doctor and staff seemed disinterested and saw me for maybe 5 minutes. Didn't properly examine and misdiagnosed me with athletes foot. None of the medications for athletes foot did anything and conditions worsened and spread through other parts of my body. Wish I had gone to see a dermatologist instead. I'm stuck with having to manage a severe case of psoriasis. Had they paid closer attention and diagnosed me correctly, I wouldn't be suffering as much.

Everyone was very friendly, Dr Chica was very receptive, nice, professional, and explained everything clearly. Other podiatrists I've seen in the past want to immediately give medications or injections without finding the root cause of my foot pain. He was very proactive in trying to pin down exactly what's going on before giving the right treatment.

I would definitely recommend them. Had a follow up, and again the service was amazing, Dr Chica was great, he's really helping me with my foot pain. I still highly recommend them.

Dr Chica is the best, even going so far as to follow up and reach out to make sure I was taken care of on a Saturday night at 7:00. We have been going to this practice for almost 10 years and they have helped my son and my mom. She was very picky about her podiatrist and she couldn't wait to get back to them after her assisted living facility lifted the shutdown. The staff is very caring and takes their time with you.

I've been seeing Dr. Chica for the last six months and every time I go it's a great experience. He takes the time to really address all concerns and questions. He has also helped my father and we trust him fully. Plus it's always good to know a Dr./Staff who speaks both English and Spanish.

I received a diagnosis (bunion) immediately from Dr. Chica. I felt like he was a good doctor and had I gone through with surgery with him I'm sure the surgery itself would have been OK. I ultimately decided to have surgery elsewhere however because, while Chica was fine, I did not have the best experience with his staff. Phone calls/emails with questions about the procedure/post op concerns went unanswered (just 1 email. it's not like I bombarded them with questions). right until I called to cancel my surgery.

After I canceled, my point of contact called me back within 10 minutes to ask me why I cancelled/apologize for not responding to my email. I feel like had I had surgery here I would have been on my own during the recovery process. I don't expect someone to be at my beck and call and I understand that these people are very busy but recovering from foot surgery is quite the ordeal and I wasn't interested in going through it without support.

In contrast, the surgeon I ended up going with has been very responsive to all of my questions/concerns (again, not an over abundance, just normal questions/concerns) leading up to and after my surgery (he gave me his email/phone number to contact him directly if needed). I sent 1 email 2 weeks before surgery with a question about the nerve block, received a response the following day. Day 6 PO I had a scare/concern, sent an email at 3am, received a response at 7am.

I'm on my 11th day post-op and Dr. Craig Thomajan is awesome, he turned my ugly bunion foot into a really nice shaped foot, I had a feeling like I just had a cosmetic surgery. I never had this nice shaped foot in my life, maybe since I was a baby. I followed all his instructions and had a great recovery, no pain on the first day post-op due to the numb block, 2nd day supposed to be the worse day but I only experienced a little pressure on my foot, I weaned away from the pain killer from my 3rd day post-op. Oh.and I was able to start doing work, cooking, minor housework not using the foot starting on my second day post-op.

I highly recommended Dr. Thomajan to anyone who needs foot surgery like me. Alicia is also great, she was very detailed in explaining to me about the procedure and what to expect, she also called couple time to check on me during my first few days post-op. I was nervous before the surgery as I was worried about the pain like others said, I am very active person and the feeling of not being able to do much during surgery recovery was killing me but luckily I had a great recovery. I am looking forward to my right foot surgery coming up in November.

Dr. Craig Thomajan was very personable, professional and easy to talk with. He provided detailed information as he performed his evaluation at a level that was comfortable with me. He indicated a conservative approach, with a detailed progression of different steps he would go through to solve my ankle problem. The office personnel were pleasant and helpful. The whole experience was very positive and I would highly recommend this group to friends and other health care workers

Had an achilles injury so called them for an appt. for a diagnosis. They had an opening the same day. However, they said since I hadn't seen them in 4 years, they wouldn't see me as my appt. would take longer than the time allotted since I would be considered a new patient. Aren't they in business to help injured people? Very disappointed. They really should change that policy as I had to go to one of their competitors which isn't in their interest. Otherwise, our experience has been good.

I am writing this review to warn others. I cannot be the first nor the last person has or will happen to. I was treated with little to no respect at this establishment and their billing practices were shady at best. I have never spent so many hours dealing with a medical practice and its billing practices. I stopped making appointments here as soon as I couldn't get refunds, but sadly I am still out hundreds of dollars. (This practice collected payments from both my insurance company and me and refuses to refund me after months.) Example 1: This establishment collects payments but does not post them to your account.

Make sure you request and get a receipt at the time of payment. Since they don't post payments to your account upon receipt; you will later have to prove you made the payments. In the meantime, they will post bills to your account automatically. Example 2: They do not verify coverage with your insurance company. They leave that as an exercise for you, their customer, to do. (Clearly, it is cheaper for them for their customer to spend hours (UNPAID) on the phone with the insurance than for them to do their job.) Then they bill you the full price even if your insurance provides coverage because they say you can't be believed.

Example 3: When the insurance company processes their claim, they will bill you for anything you owe them within a few business days of the claim being processed. According to their policy, if you don't pay fast enough they will turn you over to a collections agency. HOWEVER, if they overbilled you they do not attempt to issue a refund. The customer has to figure out the overbill and request a refund.

They then proceed to make multiple excuses of why they can't issue a refund. I have yet to get a refund after months. Clarification: They collected hundreds of dollars from my insurance company AND me for the same services. They did not issue a refund. I have requested a refund in writing multiple times. They have had this money for months now.

They have made numerous excuses of why they haven't made the refund, but never refunded the money. Example 4: I made appointments to see a doctor. Yet, I usually saw an assistant and the doctor would join for 1 or 2 minutes. Then the medical notes that were shared after the appointment reflected numerous things that were never discussed with me by the doctor.

In addition, the assistant seemed more interested in when and where I had gotten a flu shot than the actual reason I was at this establishment. Example 5: Orthotics will be recommended but you won't be told the cost until you check out. Regardless, if you want them or not, you will be charged a minimum of $50.00 at check out for "casting supplies".

They will hand you that paperwork at checkout to read, not before. In addition, the orthotics don't fit in running shoes and they will tell you that is your fault. So, if you are a runner, don't go here for orthotics. Example 6: The front desk staff is exceedingly condescending to numerous customers. When customers when asked questions about a bill at checkout, the front desk staff would say things like "That charge is for the brace you are wearing right now!" The customer would be wearing no brace and would point that out. The front desk staff would basically accuse the customer of stealing. I saw this happen several times and it happened to me.

Dr. Thomajan and his amazing team run a sensational podiatry office! Super professional, highly proactive with a state-of-the-art facility. When you are on the road to recovery and in need of support for podiatry care, they will take good care of you. Highly recommend.

After several years of amazing care by Dr. Thomojan and team to keep me running and active, I finally took the leap and had corrective surgery to remove the extra cartilage on my foot. The team was exceptional, from the first pre-op appointment where they explained the process and what to expect, to the prep and post=op care. I cannot say enough bout this team and Dr. Thomajan's skills as a surgeon and caring doctor. You will be well cared for no matter your situation.

This is a superb office. This doctor cares and all his staff does too. After 6 months of plantar fasciitis his EPAT machine is helping. I had my second appt and was there early and his staff was at lunch. So I wouldn't have to wait an hour, the doctor himself jumped in and gave the treatment to me. His orthodits are the best in town with the most individualized testing. And the associated PT clinic, trained by him, is smarter and more in-depth than most PTs. This is the best you can get with foot care. 5 thumbs up. Dr. LIndsey Berkson

*Update* to say that Dr. Thomajan has remained the incredible doctor that he's been since the day I met him over a year ago. With the complexity of the injuries to my leg, Dr. T has had to perform multiple operations and each time he has gotten me a little closer to a better quality of life. His care and expertise is unparalleled. When many doctors told me my nerve condition was too far gone, my injuries too difficult to treat, and there is nothing that could be done, Dr. T knew what to do. He's accomplished in a year what has taken almost a decade of surgeons and specialists to achieve.

I would say it's the exception not the rule to find a doctor like Dr. T with the level of determination, skills and heart to take on a difficult case like mine, and even more to make such a huge impact. And he does it all with a smile. My only wish is that I could have found him sooner.

Always great to see them, even if it's for foot pain. Office staff always wonderful and Dr T is great!

This is a review of my second visit to Dr. Thomajan-They adjusted my orthotics and gave me alot of valuable info about the type of foot I have. I cannot say enough about this team, along with how life changing the orthotics have been-If you have a really high arch, as I do, I recommend coming for an evaluation from this Dr. Not having the proper support for your feet causes a myriad of other issues-I wish I had met him sooner-for the first time in years, I can walk comfortably without numbness or pain.

I have held off writing a review for long enough. The staff running the office are lacking in incompetence. Dr. Thomajan came in and diagnosed me with hammer toe within the first 15 minutes. Then he casted my feet for custom orthotics, which were supposed to arrive in 4-6 weeks and were $500.00. I explained my insurance was changing on September 1st so they needed to act quickly to bill while my insurance would pay for orthotics because the new insurance would not.

They dragged their feet (maybe pun intended) and billed with the new insurance company, who did not pay. 7 weeks later I finally called and the orthotics had come in and nobody bothered to call. They set up an appt then had to re-schedule because the orthotics were delivered to a different location! I finally got them. After you buy the orthotics, they have to be adjusted every 4-6 weeks, at an office visit charge!

They could not adjust them right and finally had to go somewhere else. My new wonderful Dr. FINALLY diagnosed with a neuroma in each foot, confirmed by an MRI, and am finally able to keep up with my kiddos! Enough said. I will avoid Austin Foot and Ankle Specialists forever.

I had foot surgery with Dr. Thomajan 3 years ago and it was the worst experience I have EVER undergone. I won't go into details but surgery went very wrong and I developed Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) from the surgery. My stitches didn't heal currently, my incision, or my foot and has never been the same. After the surgery he made me go to physical therapy next door to his office (Three Lakes Therapy) I went there for 6+ months and they made me even worse.

My foot was not healing correctly, I could even barely walk, and they kept insisting to use metal tools to aggressively press into my incision that was not even healed and scar tissue and I would cry every time. I kept bringing up how this didn't feel right and it didn't look right, my foot was completely discolored and my ankle bone looked like it had deteriorated a little.

Not knowing this was CRPS at the time, they didn't even seem to care to look into it. Months later when I had found out I had CRPS, the deep tissue work they were doing with the metal tools turned out to increase the aggressiveness of my CRPS. It was a nightmare. I had to go to about 10 different doctors, some of the best in the US and each and everyone of them say his surgery and incisions were not normal and it looked very incorrect.

As we were trying to gather all the documents of the incisions he did from my surgery he had left out multiple times the main incision which was very sketchy. I have gone through many different treatments and injections trying to heal the damage and my CRPS I had received from getting that surgery and my foot has never been the same.

Originally took my elderly father in to get his bunion evaluated for surgery. Unfortunately, he has waited too long and as such we are not able to repair his foot. However, as I was speaking to the doctor they told me they have a toe nail cutting service for older people. Medicare covers this service. I am so grateful they told me about the service.

It was one of the things I hated to do for my father. I was always afraid I was going to cut his toes and honestly who wants to cut their father's toe nails? We go in every 90 days and the techs are so kind and gentle with my father. They have a dremel which works perfectly for thicker nails. Once the techs are done a doctor comes in and does a quick check.

We have seen a number of doctors and techs and all have been extremely professional. Their appointments run on time and it is easy to park at their Westlake office. Nothing but positive things to say.

I had an appointment to with Dr. Thomajan today and cannot say enough good things about both him and Austin Foot & Ankle. I have been to a number of podiatrists over the past 5 years due to foot & toe issues resulting from cancer chemotherapy treatments. Dr. Thomajan did the very best job of clearly explaining the cause of my foot problems and has provided me a couple of key potential relief remedies for those problems. I cannot give him / them a high enough rating - the BEST!

Dr. Shine John and the staff at Austin Foot & Ankle Specialists have not only provided me with relief, but their kindness and expertise is unparalleled. I have been a patient for a few years now and this office has never disappointed. The front desk and nursing staff are all understanding and extremely competent. I have never had to wait more than 5 minutes for appointments.

During my appointments I have never felt rushed or like another number or chart to process. Dr. John takes his time and listens to the issues, is thorough in his exams, and (most importantly) has helped alleviate a world of pain. His bedside manner is beyond reproach and my feet have never been happier. After years of arch and foot pain, this office was the solution I needed.

I had tried physical therapy, acupuncture, and more with no help or result. Then, I found Dr. John here on Yelp and the reviews were true - 5 stars without a doubt! I highly recommend this office.

I was referred to AF&AS by by PCP. From the moment I walked through the door I felt confident I was with the right professionals! The staff @ the desk are polite, positive & professional, something I appreciate as a new patient. Dr Thomajan & his nurse Karen asked lots of questions to determine the corrective actions with my current condition. I was given a plan for my recovery & left the office knowing I was in good hands! Thank you Dr Thomajan, Karen & staff for your Exceptional service! Jim Palladino, CWO3 US Navy Retired

Obviously I was having foot pain, so I went here to have it investigated further. Although I did have to wait longer than I would have liked, the physician did spend a great deal of time with me discussing what she discovered via the x-rays. Something that another podiatrist I went to completely ignored. I definitely recommend this practice if you are having any sort of foot/ankle issues.

I just wanted to do a quick update. It's been 70ish weeks since I first went in with a fully ruptured achilles tendon and everything is back to normal. I choose conservative/non-surgical treatment, which did take longer for my achilles to fully recover, (compared to the surgical method) but every single today I walk and enjoy life pain free I know I made the right decision. I've been through a lot at Austin Foot & Ankle Specialist, and have full confidence in Dr Shine John and the staff. Thanks :)