BANNER Home Care

Pros

• The doctor cares about patients' health.
• Dr Nagaraja is an excellent doctor - knowledgeable, caring, and outstanding at communicating procedures, medications, and concerns to patients and parents.
• Patients love Dr Sharief for her patience, calmness, attentiveness, and thorough explanations.
• The Glendale office for diabetics is friendly, nice, and professional, with staff who are highly recommended.
• Dr Sandstrom is described as attentive, empathetic, and thorough.
• The Banner pediatric endocrinology team is praised for compassionate care and effective communication with patients and families.
• Appointments are on time and the staff are friendly and respectful.
• The Glendale office staff, including front desk personnel Maria and Kelly, are friendly, nice, and professional.

Cons

• The reviewer describes the front desk staff as rude and hostile, creating a negative experience from the start.
• The office failed to inform the patient that Dr Shareif would be unavailable and that telehealth would be used, forcing a long drive for an appointment.
• The staff blamed the patient for not booking at a closer office, instead of acknowledging a scheduling error.
• The patient endured poor follow-up on test results, with delays spanning weeks to months and little clear guidance.
• There were extremely long phone hold times and no voicemail, making it nearly impossible to reach anyone.
• The departure of Dr Shareif left the practice feeling broken and without continuity of care.
• Repeated reschedules and doctor no-shows plus long delays caused significant inconvenience and frustration.
• The patient had to interpret test results themselves via the patient portal due to lack of timely clinician follow-up.

Review

The experiences shared about Banner Pediatric Endocrinology reflect a wide spectrum of patient encounters, ranging from deep appreciation for skilled, compassionate care to frustration with communication gaps, appointment handling, and administrative hurdles. Several reviews highlight a transition period following the departure of Dr. Shareif, which appears to have left some families navigating delays, confusing scheduling, and questions about who is available and when. In the midst of this, patients describe a practice that can deliver excellent medical care when things run smoothly, while also revealing recurring pain points around notifications, telehealth logistics, and the reliability of communications.

One of the most pointed complaints centers on a single, painful episode that involved travel over an hour for what was supposed to be a telehealth appointment, only to find an in-office visit was required due to the doctor's absence. The front desk was described as rude and unhelpful at the point of arrival, with staff allegedly failing to inform the family that Dr. Shareif would not be in the office and that a telehealth call would be used instead. The family felt blamed for the miscommunication, rather than guided or apologized to for the inconvenience. After the appointment, results were posted without clear explanations, and attempts to obtain guidance through the patient portal and repeated calls proved frustrating - long hold times, no voicemail system, and delays extending over weeks. The situation culminated in the realization that Dr. Shareif was no longer with the practice, leaving the family with more questions about what the next steps should be and who would interpret and respond to the lab results and imaging. This episode conveys a sense that while the clinical expertise remained respected, the administrative and communication framework did not meet the same standard, leaving a vulnerable parent feeling unsupported during a critical health moment for a young patient.

Amid the negative experiences, other reviews highlight the enduring strength of the clinicians themselves. Dr. Nagaraja is repeatedly praised as an excellent doctor - knowledgeable, caring, and effective at explaining procedures, medications, and answers to questions from patients and parents alike. A family recounts how Dr. Nagaraja helped their son who faced a severe health episode after eye surgery, ultimately diagnosing Graves' disease and keeping the condition under control. The physician's communication with a teenage patient is specifically commended, with doctors taking the time to ensure the son understands what is happening and feels heard. The gratitude extends to the sense of partnership the clinician fosters, and to the improvement in a medical trajectory that once seemed unpredictable or frightening.

Dr. Sharief also earns strong endorsements for bedside manner and attentiveness. Reviewers describe her as patient, calm, and thorough - an endo specialist who does not rush through explanations and who stays to clarify anything a patient or parent doesn't understand. In at least one testimonial, the patient explicitly expresses love for Dr. Sharief, underscoring the impact of a clinician who can blend professional expertise with genuine compassion. These voices convey a deep appreciation for clinicians who invest time in ensuring families feel informed and supported, even when medical information is complex or when questions arise late into a visit.

There are other positive sentiments about the practice as a whole and about the interpersonal dynamics that families encounter. One reviewer characterizes Banner Peds Endocrinology as an office where the doctor, nurse, and front-desk staff can collectively deliver excellent care, with a particular mention of a Glendale location and staff members such as Wendy, Maria, and Kelly. This perspective reinforces that when the team works cohesively - combining attentive clinicians with congenial, professional front-desk staff - the experience can be smooth, efficient, and reassuring for families dealing with chronic conditions such as diabetes or endocrine disorders. Another entry notes that follow-up with Maria after a visit was meaningful and that the overall experience, including timely appointments, left a positive impression.

Yet, the set of reviews also includes consistent warnings about systemic issues that can undermine even the best clinical care. Several families describe chronic difficulties with answering calls, long hold times, and insufficient or absent voicemail messages, which can leave patients waiting days or weeks for guidance. The frustration is amplified by repeated appointment reschedules or no-shows, with one account explicitly describing a doctor who was late or absent and another where a rescheduled telehealth option was offered only after the family had already traveled a long distance. A common thread across these accounts is the toll these administrative shortcomings take on families who are juggling work, transportation, and the health needs of a child, sometimes resulting in parents seeking care elsewhere after a frustrating experience.

Taken together, the narratives paint a picture of a practice that houses strong clinical talent and compassionate care in its ranks, but is challenged by transitions, inconsistent communication, and operational hiccups that can complicate the patient journey. The doctors who receive the most praise - Dr. Nagaraja, Dr. Sharief, and others mentioned in glowing terms - demonstrate clear expertise and a dedication to teaching, listening, and guiding families through complex medical information. However, the other elements of patient experience - appointment notification, telehealth logistics, timely lab result interpretation, and reliable caregiver coordination - emerge as areas where improvements could have a substantial impact on overall satisfaction.

Looking forward, families could benefit from clearer, proactive communication during transitions between doctors, especially when a physician leaves or shifts scheduling patterns. Improving the patient portal experience - providing timely, comprehensible explanations of lab results and imaging, along with more dependable follow-up from an MA or clinician - could reduce the anxiety that accompanies ambiguous test results. Streamlining calls and ensuring a reliable voicemail option, plus more predictable appointment availability (whether in-person or telehealth), would make a meaningful difference for families who must balance care with daily life. When these administrative elements are aligned with the high-quality clinical care many clinicians at Banner Endocrinology provide, the overall experience for patients - particularly families with young children navigating endocrine concerns - has the potential to be consistently compassionate, efficient, and reassuring.

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (0.1 miles)
• Walgreens (1.9 miles)
• Walgreens (2.2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.6 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.8 miles)
• Walgreens (2.9 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3 miles)

Physicians

• Banner Thunderbird Surgery Center (0.3 miles)
• Arizona Center for Hematology and Oncology (0.4 miles)
• AOC: Arizona Otolaryngology Consultants (0.4 miles)
• Arrowhead Health Centers (1.6 miles)
• Canyon Orthopaedic Surgeons (1.7 miles)
• Metro Surgery Center (1.7 miles)
• Northwest Clinic For Children (2.8 miles)

Restaurants

• Chipotle Mexican Grill (0.6 miles)
• Chick-Fil-A (0.7 miles)
• Don Ruben's Mexican Restaurant (1.7 miles)
• Bruster's Ice Cream (2 miles)
• Macayo's Mexican Table (2.1 miles)
• Sonic Drive-In (2.1 miles)
• Whataburger (2.4 miles)

Places of Worship

• Pure Heart Christian Fellowship (1.3 miles)
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (3.4 miles)
• St Thomas More Parish (3.7 miles)
• The Church At Arrowhead (4.3 miles)

Cafes

• Dutch Bros Coffee (2 miles)
• Starbucks (2.9 miles)
• Starbucks (3 miles)
• Starbucks (3.1 miles)
• Starbucks (3.4 miles)
• Starbucks (3.4 miles)
• Starbucks (3.6 miles)

Parks

• Foothills Park (3 miles)
• Conocido Park (3.2 miles)
• Rio Vista Community Park (4.3 miles)
• Pioneer Community Park Off-Leash Dog Park (4.7 miles)
• Pioneer Community Park (4.9 miles)

Theaters

• AMC Arrowhead 14 (3.6 miles)
• Arrowhead Fountains 18 (3.9 miles)
• AMC Deer Valley 30 (4.8 miles)