Signature Care Centers in Johnston, IA

Pros

• Kim is a wonderful nurse practitioner, and the support staff are professional.
• The staff is great, and Kim goes above and beyond for her patients.
• Dr. Joel is a great doctor who has earned trust over 18 years.
• Dr. Alex is an amazing and caring provider to families for years.
• The staff is very friendly, and Kim is the best—she listens to concerns and answers every question clearly.
• Kim is the absolute best; patients never feel rushed and everyone is super nice.
• The clinic offers fast appointments, with friendly staff and doctors who care about patients’ well-being.
• UnityPoint Clinic Family Medicine in Johnston is described as the best, with friendly, accommodating staff and wonderful providers like Jessica Tiernan.

Cons

• They sat on hold for 35 minutes and didn’t speak to a single person; unacceptable service.
• They felt it was disrespectful for staff to pass their son around without the parent’s knowledge, raising safety concerns.
• The wait time was ridiculous.
• Dr. Joel did not speak to them and had his nurse tell them to go to urgent care to fill a prescription; unacceptable.
• A representative was dismissive about costs, suggesting doctors had no responsibility to discuss them, which they disagreed with.

Review

This Signature Care Centers location in Johnston is best suited for families and individuals who prize patient, relationship-driven primary care delivered by a stable team of providers who listen and follow through. The standout pattern across reviews is a core group of clinicians and staff who make time for patients, explain their thinking clearly, and coordinate tests, referrals, and medications without rushing. Those who value a warm, accessible front-desk experience and a team that treats patients like people, not numbers, will find this community a practical fit. The clinic’s strongest anchors are the physicians who consistently listen and adjust care based on real-time conversations with patients, and a support staff that is broadly described as friendly, professional, and solution-focused.

There are clear alternatives worth considering for those with different priorities. Prospective families who cannot tolerate frequent phone holds, or who require flawless cost transparency and billing predictability, may want to explore other options. A subset of reviews notes long hold times and billing friction, which can undermine the overall experience for someone juggling work, daycare, and urgent health concerns. For parents especially concerned about privacy and boundaries in a family setting, a few accounts describe moments where personal boundaries or pediatric interactions felt mishandled. In short, this clinic works superbly for many, but those whose bottom line is pristine phone responsiveness, uniformly consistent provider care, and unambiguous pricing may want to explore a few other primary-care groups before committing.

The biggest positives here revolve around the clinicians whose time and attention consistently elevate patient confidence. Kim, a nurse practitioner, is repeatedly praised for listening, answering questions, and never making patients feel rushed. Dr. Joel Vander Meide emerges as a true standout for many: a clinician who listens, coordinates labs and specialist referrals, and addresses multiple concerns in a single visit with patience and thoroughness. Dr. Alex is described as caring and communicative, a provider who maintains long-standing relationships with families and stays engaged with follow-up. When the care team operates at this level, the benefits, care plans that feel personalized, timely lab work, and thoughtful referrals, greatly offset the more variable experiences with other providers or administrative hiccups. The frontline staff, including reception and billing support, are repeatedly cited as friendly and capable, helping to smooth the path to care and medications when possible.

Yet the reviews also illustrate meaningful gaps that cannot be ignored in decision-making. A recurring thread is inconsistent experiences across providers, with some patients feeling the standout physician is the exception rather than the rule. For a family that wants uniform quality across every clinician, this variability can be disconcerting. Administrative friction shadows the positives in some cases: extended phone holds, questions about charges for visits or tests, and a billing staff that sometimes comes off as dismissive. Privacy and boundary concerns are not universal, but they appear in a few accounts, instances where family members and caregivers felt uneasy about interactions with multiple staff during Pediatric or urgent-care–adjacent moments. These signals matter for households that place a premium on predictable, high-touch service every time they walk in the door.

When weighing the pros against the cons, the arithmetic favors the clinic’s strongest assets: clinicians who listen, a care approach that emphasizes comprehensive evaluation and coordination, and a staff culture described as genuinely friendly and patient-centered. The ability to secure rapid or same-day appointments in some cases is a meaningful advantage, especially for urgent-but-not-emergency concerns. The depth of provider engagement, especially from Joel and Alex, translates into care plans that feel coherent and personalized, which can reduce repeated visits and anxiety for ongoing conditions. However, this value proposition relies heavily on which provider you end up with, and the friction points, phone holds, billing ambiguities, and occasional privacy concerns, can blunt the otherwise solid clinical experience. For families who can navigate these trade-offs, the offset is substantial enough to justify a trial.

Practically applied, this community is a strong pick for those who want a trustworthy, patient-centric primary-care relationship anchored by a couple of highly regarded providers. If continuity with a clinician who truly listens and collaborates on tests, referrals, and medications matters most, Dr. Joel Vander Meide and Dr. Alex should be placed at the top of the roster and given a solid commitment. Prospective patients should expect proactive communication from a capable nurse and support staff, and plan for a visit cadence that supports timely follow-up decisions. It remains wise to verify current provider availability and to have clear expectations about costs and billing up front. If a family’s priority centers on consistently flawless service across every clinician and ironclad pricing transparency, alternatives should be investigated to prevent misalignment between expectations and experience.

In the final assessment, Signature Care Centers Johnston delivers practical, competent care for households willing to anchor themselves with a trusted few and tolerate occasional administrative inconsistencies. For families who prize high-quality listening, thorough evaluations, and a care team that works hard to coordinate everything, this clinic offers real value and a credible path to ongoing wellness. For those who demand uniform excellence across all providers, or who require a consistently frictionless billing experience, it may be prudent to compare a short-list of other practices before committing. The smart approach is to schedule with the top-rated clinicians, ask hard questions about costs and privacy steps, and observe how care decisions are communicated over the first few visits. In the end, practical, experienced families will recognize Signature Care Centers Johnston as a sensible, action-oriented option that pays dividends in trust, clarity, and care coordination.

Located in Johnston, Iowa, this area offers a variety of convenient amenities for seniors. With multiple physicians' offices nearby such as Johnston Family Physicians and Mercy Family Medicine of Urbandale, healthcare needs can easily be met. There are also pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS within a short distance. For recreational activities, Terra Park and Lions Park provide outdoor spaces for relaxation and exercise. Additionally, there are dining options ranging from Health House Food to Bandit Burrito, as well as cafes like Starbucks and Panera Bread for socializing with friends. For entertainment, Flix Brewhouse Des Moines offers movies in a unique setting. Overall, this part of Johnston offers a blend of essential services and leisure options ideal for senior living.

Physicians

• Johnston Family Physicians (0.3 miles)
• Iowa Arthritis & Osteoporosis Center (1.5 miles)
• Vision Eye Clinic (1.8 miles)
• Mercy Family Medicine of Urbandale (2.8 miles)
• Mercy Urbandale Medical Clinic (3 miles)
• Christian Eye Clinic (3.1 miles)
• Eyemart Optical Outlet - North Des Moines (3.4 miles)

Restaurants

• Health House Food (1.1 miles)
• Taste of New York (1.1 miles)
• Culver's (1.6 miles)
• Van Dee's Ice Cream Shoppe (1.9 miles)
• El Mariachi (2 miles)
• Viva Mexican Restaurant (2 miles)
• Bandit Burrito (2.1 miles)

Parks

• Terra Park (1.7 miles)
• Lions Park (2.7 miles)
• Waterford Disc Golf Course (5.2 miles)

Pharmacies

• Walgreens (1.9 miles)
• Walgreens (1.9 miles)
• National Pharmaceutical Returns (2.8 miles)
• Walgreens (3.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.4 miles)
• Onnen Co. (3.7 miles)
• Walgreens (4.1 miles)

Theaters

• Flix Brewhouse Des Moines (3.3 miles)

Cafes

• Starbucks (3.4 miles)
• Panera Bread (3.6 miles)
• Starbucks (5 miles)
• Starbucks (5.2 miles)

Hospitals

• Mercy Franklin Center (5 miles)
• Mercy Medical Center West Lake (5.9 miles)

Places of Worship

• Saylorville Baptist Church (5.5 miles)
• Living Faith Lutheran Church (5.8 miles)