davis_square | Physician Recommendations

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Physician Recommendations

Hi! My husband and I just moved to the area, and my chronic breathing problems seem to be getting worse, so I... kind of have to stop putting off finding a couple of doctors.

I have surfed through the health care tags, and looking at my insurance website (Cigna) and yelp has proved to be a bit hit or miss.

SO! My questions!

Does anyone still use the Davis Square Family Practice and recommend it? I have seen lots of good things about Dr. Bershel, but I understand she's no longer at the practice..? I am looking for a GP that can perform my annual physicals (pap, breast exam, etc.) that will take the time to listen to my concerns and won't see a fat lady making excuses. I welcome any and all suggestions for other options; walking distance from Davis or Porter would be fantastic, as would evening/weekend hours.

Secondly, I need an allergist or an asthma specialist. I seem to contract bronchitis and pneumonia any time the weather changes, and I suspect allergies are at the root of my problem. The allergist I saw back in Illinois before we moved here really... did not inspire confidence, so I'm hoping that someone out there knows of a good one.

Thank you!

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Dr. Bershel is still with the practice. My family has been seeing her for the last year. As with any doctor there are good points and not so good points. I find , more recently, she seems to be distracted during visits and does not always listen to the questions at hand. She didn't get into weight with me but did a bit with my Husband. That said he claims she wasn't "too pushy" about the issue.

I don't see her for annual girly checkups, I go to the center for women at mount auburn hospital for that and am quite satisfied with their care.

One thing to note is that there seems to be a high rate of " not accepting new patients" recently even when the health insurance sites state the opposite.

Best of luck finding what you are looking for.

Ahh, excellent! I'm sick right now, and I kind of doubt I can get in (It seems the practices here are all about 'oh sure we can fit you in! Oh wait, new patient? Um.. two months?'), but it's something to think about.

Thank you!

Dr. Menon (Bow St, Union Sq) is the best doc I've ever had, hands down. He uses science and test results to actually make my life better. When I can't get time to see him on a more emergency basis, I see his NP, who is a good, quick substitute.

Thank you! I'll keep this in mind!

I see Marie Botte at the Davis Square Family Practice, and I can't recommend her too highly. She's been wonderful for me.

The practice is less than 5 minutes from me, I'm thinking I will probably end up going there.

"I can't recommend her too highly" is hilariously ambiguous. :-P

My doc referred me to an allergist in the Brigham & Women's network. I don't remember her name.

Mmm! Maybe I'll look at their staff page.

I've had great luck at Somerville Family Practice thus far!

Thanks! :D

+1 Us too! My husband and I go there. He sees Dr. Martin and I Dr. Fishman.

Me too! I just started going there in January and I'm quite pleased. HAES-friendly, for sure.

Dr. Bershel was my mom's doctor for the longest time, (won't tell you how many years, it might embarrass Dr.B), and though I can't really speak for her as a doctor, my mom did like her, and Dr. B was pretty amazing with mom when she got really sick a few years ago.

I do have to say that we did have a lot of trouble getting the office to call us back when we had questions, concerns about issues.

As for allergists, I was a patient of Dr. Joel Bleier in Medford Square for many years. I don't live in the area now so I don't see him, but he is amazing, and has been so spot on with his diagnosis. He's located in a small office building (1 City Hall Mall) sort of next to that hotel (forget that name). His number is 781-395-2922.

Best of luck in your pursuits.

Oh thank you! I had seen this practice in my insurance listing, but wasn't sure if they were good or not.

I've seen Dr. Tomkins over on Broadway and think she is great! She can do physical, pap, etc. She has also offered me natural remedies to some of the issues I have.

Best of luck!

Thank you!

Dr. B. was my doctor for several years.

The good:

Dr. B is a very sweet person, and she totally goes to bat for her patients. She tends to be very willing to investigate any avenue that might lead to improving her patients' health.

The phlebotomy staff at the office is great; I hate having my blood drawn, but they were always quick and minimally painful.

The less good:

It can sometimes be difficult to get an appointment as soon as you might want one. The staff at the office (and Dr. B herself, possibly?) can be a little flaky about calling back (or, was for me sometimes).

Mmm. That might be a problem, I don't really have time to keep calling a doctor's office that doesn't return calls. :/ I'll have to think about that.

I see Dr. Hannah Olivet at Cambridge Family Health (http://www.yelp.com/biz/cambridge-family-health-north-cambridge), right outside of Davis on Mass Ave. She is amazing, I absolutely love her. I feel like she looks at me as a whole person. I qualify as overweight (though I feel great), and unlike other doctors, she doesn't harass me about it, just asks if I'm active (which in my mind is an important distinction and a much better indicator of my overall health). She also is very good at doing "one stop shopping." I've gone in for a minor health issue and had her say, "Oh look, you're due for your annual GYN exam." And then she just did it. Most doctors would've had me come back. She's done that kind of thing multiple times and I think has saved me quite a bit in time and copays.

I second Dr. Hannah Olivet -- She's fantastic. That said, I don't know if she is taking new patients. My husband tried to get into see her and couldn't. You may have to wait a while to get in for that first appointment (it was something like 4 or 5 months for me) but after that I didn't have problems getting to see her.

She is also open to alternative treatments, but still scientifically grounded. And she is supportive in whatever you decided you want to do regarding your health issues.

I am thinking this may be my winner. Because like you, I'm overweight, but active (Ohhh so active!) and when I tell doctors that I walk everywhere, they give me this look. Suuuuure you do. I -hate- that.

I'm going to go see if she's in my insurance network, then cross my fingers and hope she's taking new patients. :)

I felt well taken care of at Davis Square Family Practice for the 6 months I was a patient there. Unfortunately, once my EOBs started rolling in from my insurance company, I switched to a different provider. The billing was a little shady. On each visit, there was a charge for "Smoking cessation counseling", which is supposed to consist of a substantial conversation about the risks of smoking. That never happened at that office. Ever.

What DID happen was a "Are you a smoker?" "Yes." "Smoking is horrible for you. You should quit." And that was the end of it. I think it's pretty awful for a doctor's office to bill for things that simply didn't happen. It raises healthcare costs for all of us, and it's shady.

Engh. Yeah, I'm with you on that one. I don't appreciate bill padding. Thank you!

Just to play devil's advocate, I know that Davis Square Family Practice uses an outside billing contractor, so could it be that the medical people simply aren't aware that you get billed extra for being told to stop smoking? There are SO many different health-insurance plans that no doctor can know the details of all of them. They may just be checking a box for "smoking cessation counseling" and not even aware that this results in a big extra charge for you.

I've had issues in the past with the billing company that DSFP uses, but it was clear each time that the error was on the billing company's end, not the medical office. YMMV, of course.

A suggestion: Just read that you are currently sick. You can go to the Walk-in-clinic at Mt. Auburn Hospital, and they'll be able to help you till you find a doctor. It's not the emergency ward, and you might have to wait a bit, but I believe you can just 'walk-in' without any affiliation to one specific doc. Goodluck!

My boss just sent me home from work, so I'm gonna dope up on dayquil and probably toddle over that way this afternoon. I went to Mt Auburn when I first got here (boy that was an adventure! My husband's GPS thought it was over by Alewife, and we were public transit-ing), so I'd figured I'd probably have to use them for this illness, but... better to go ahead and find a longer-term solution than to keep using the walk-in. :)

Thank you!

You can also do the Minute Clinic at CVS if it's something minor. They're quick and accept most insurance.

I suspect this is bronchitis. That's probably a bit more than they would be willing to diagnose. :/

I go to Brigham & Women's - not in the area, but accessible by T and one of the best in the country. I have asthma, too, and they have an Asthma Research Center there, and they're always looking for study volunteers. I bought my last two MacBooks with the money I earned as a guinea pig...

But I've had the very best care at BWH, for whatever I needed.

oooh, extra pocket change is always welcome!

We don't really know -what- is causing my breathing problems. I had pneumonia 6 times by the time I was 18 months old, so it's a very long-going problem. I might have to check this out! Thank you! :D

IDK if they take your insurance, but I've been very happy with the care I've received from Dr. Hobbs at Harvard Vanguard in Davis. She's very friendly and personable, and I've never felt rushed or uncomfortable with her. Also, she is very open-minded: for example, when I first went to her, she asked what gender I considered myself, and if I was sexually active, the gender or genders of my partners. She also asked if I regularly wore a seatbelt :). As for the weight issue, I've had good experiences with her as well: at my last check-up, rather than bother with the BMI chart, she talked to me about diet and exercise (as in a conversation, not a lecture), and was happy to see my weight not fluctuating (I come at this as someone who also has the "fat girl making excuses" accusations).

The only issue in that office is one of her nurses, Jean. She is ... not easy to deal with. In person, she's very friendly, but over the phone, she is very not friendly. However, in my 5 years of going there, my time with her has been VERY limited (I usually see Dr. Hobbs or her NP, whom I also love), so I've tried not to let Nurse Jean deter me from going in!

I don't have any experience with this particular doctor, but I do love the Harvard Vanguard system as a whole. Can't say enough about them.

I have also had the same problem with nurses and phone manners across a few different HVMA specialties and offices. Weird. It's annoying, but I don't mind putting up with it because my doctors and their assistants are so incredible.

I've heard very good things about Harvard Vanguard, I'll keep this in mind, thank you! :)

My old GP in Illinois had a nurse like that. She was very.. brusque, but it was a shell. Beneath she was very sweet. I guess people in the medical profession have to develop a professional thick skin? I'm not sure.

But thank you! :D

I'm late replying on this thread, but wanted to second the recommendation for Dr. Hobbs. I find her very warm, and she always remembers the details of my life (or takes the time to review my file before my appts, which is basically the same thing). I don't really have weight issues, but I do have this "still breast-feeding a 5-year-old" thing which can get you lectured or judged by some medical professionals. I really appreciate that Dr. Hobbs just asks "so are you still nursing?" in a non-judgmental way, and when I say yes, she takes it into consideration when prescribing meds or what have you.

I'm not familiar with the nurse you mentioned, for which perhaps I should be grateful. :)

Gary Gurka has helped me with my allergies (although my problems are minor).He is at 63 Massachusetts Avenue Arlington, about a mile from Davis Square.

genet, I'm a little late here but hope you are feeling better by now.

To my knowledge Dr. Bershel is still at Davis Square Family Practice and I would be very surprised if you got any "fat lady making excuses" attitude from her. I've found her very open and nonjudgmental. I don't go to her myself (because I like Dr. Hobbs so much -- see my other comment above) but I take both my kids to her and like her very much as a pediatrician. It is true as others have said that she can be a little spacey, but not too bad. I haven't really had much trouble with callbacks, though I do find it kind of difficult to get the admin staff to understand the concept of "I want to talk to the nurse and have her help me decide whether to come in."

I also love the NP, Marie Botte, whom we have seen several times when Dr. Bershel wasn't available. She is great.

You probably found someone by now, but I leave this comment here anyway for the benefit of any future DSLJ user who may come upon this post looking for doctor recommendations. :)

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