Looking for a doctor in DC
June 5, 2014 1:36 PM Subscribe
I'm looking for a GREAT primary care physician in Washington, DC, preferably in/near Chinatown or Capitol Hill. I'd love someone who could see a new patient in the next week or two (ie, doesn't have a months-long waiting list) and who is part of a larger practice/clinic.
I had a doctor in Seattle with a wonderful bedside manner and that made a huge difference: she took time to listen to me, talked me through my options, and then made recommendations. She was open and non-judgmental, and I found it made a huge difference in my attitude towards health matters to have such a great doctor who I trusted so much. I'd love to find such a great doctor again here in DC, but it seems a lot harder here. I've asked friends/coworkers to no avail.
Snowflake request: I have a slight preference for a female doctor, but that's not a requirement. I will need this person to continue prescribing me ADHD meds, so someone who's not opposed to that would be great too (I have been diagnosed by a psychiatrist).
And yes, I know that saying I want a great doctor with no waiting list in downtown DC is a bit like saying I want a million dollars for free, but I figure it can't hurt to ask.
I had a doctor in Seattle with a wonderful bedside manner and that made a huge difference: she took time to listen to me, talked me through my options, and then made recommendations. She was open and non-judgmental, and I found it made a huge difference in my attitude towards health matters to have such a great doctor who I trusted so much. I'd love to find such a great doctor again here in DC, but it seems a lot harder here. I've asked friends/coworkers to no avail.
Snowflake request: I have a slight preference for a female doctor, but that's not a requirement. I will need this person to continue prescribing me ADHD meds, so someone who's not opposed to that would be great too (I have been diagnosed by a psychiatrist).
And yes, I know that saying I want a great doctor with no waiting list in downtown DC is a bit like saying I want a million dollars for free, but I figure it can't hurt to ask.
Do you have health insurance? When I am in the market for a new PCP my first consideration is are they in-network. If you have health insurance check your provider's website for "Find a Doctor" or something similar. It's been my experience that you can sort by distance, gender, languages spoken, specialty, accepting new patients among other parameters. Once you fins a doctor you may like, use Google to check out their website and look at reviews.
posted by Rob Rockets at 2:25 PM on June 5, 2014
posted by Rob Rockets at 2:25 PM on June 5, 2014
I have a GP who I like and have been seeing for years. He is in Dupont but memail me if you want more info.
posted by kat518 at 2:30 PM on June 5, 2014
posted by kat518 at 2:30 PM on June 5, 2014
Best answer: I like my Dr's at one medical group downtown. You have to pay a $150? membership fee, but the benefits are easy access to Dr's, almost no lobby waiting, unhurried appointments, and chipper admins instead of surly ones. They also do a lot of web access stuff for minor things- I got my OTC drugs FSA prescription via email, for example
posted by foodmapper at 3:15 PM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by foodmapper at 3:15 PM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
Edit- I'm not being coy, the practice name is One Medical Group. They have several offices in DC.
posted by foodmapper at 3:17 PM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by foodmapper at 3:17 PM on June 5, 2014 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Washington Primary Care Physicians next to Eastern Market
In that practice, Dr. Jasmine is good, too. She's not my regular, but I needed a brief pre-op exam at last minute, almost, and I liked her. There's also Dr. Geloo (pronounced with a hard "G"), whom I saw once for urgent care there. I found Dr. Jasmine warmer, but that is me.
My regular is Dr. Basch. My physical with him tomorrow has been scheduled for six months. He is not taking anyone new, and I don't think Dr. Waterman is either.
posted by jgirl at 3:55 PM on June 5, 2014
In that practice, Dr. Jasmine is good, too. She's not my regular, but I needed a brief pre-op exam at last minute, almost, and I liked her. There's also Dr. Geloo (pronounced with a hard "G"), whom I saw once for urgent care there. I found Dr. Jasmine warmer, but that is me.
My regular is Dr. Basch. My physical with him tomorrow has been scheduled for six months. He is not taking anyone new, and I don't think Dr. Waterman is either.
posted by jgirl at 3:55 PM on June 5, 2014
You might want the filter of other MeFites (which I totally get) but if you want to look around a little in the meantime, I've had pretty good luck with ZocDoc here in DC. You can search by insurance, see provider locations on a map, make all your appointments online (and get a feel for how easy they'll be to get in the future), and see reviews from patients. Plus, can't beat free.
posted by jameaterblues at 5:16 PM on June 5, 2014
posted by jameaterblues at 5:16 PM on June 5, 2014
Best answer: I really like Eileen Sytnyk, a nurse practitioner at the Woodley Park office of Comprehensive Primary Care. It's not downtown but it's very convenient to the Woodley Park metro stop on the red line. Everyone in my family is seen by various practitioners in the same practice and we've had uniformly good experiences, but I think Eileen is especially awesome.
posted by drlith at 5:35 PM on June 5, 2014
posted by drlith at 5:35 PM on June 5, 2014
Response by poster: Thanks for the recommendations! This is a great list to start from.
Rob Rockets, I do have health insurance, but it's Aetna, so almost everyone takes it. Using their search function wasn't super-helpful.
posted by lunasol at 8:19 PM on June 5, 2014
Rob Rockets, I do have health insurance, but it's Aetna, so almost everyone takes it. Using their search function wasn't super-helpful.
posted by lunasol at 8:19 PM on June 5, 2014
Seconding One Medical Group. They have two different offices in DC - not exactly near Chinatown but close enough on the Metro that it's convenient.
I've been a member for a couple of years. Very nice, very helpful folks. They have both MDs and PAs you can have as your PCP.
posted by Thistledown at 5:15 AM on June 6, 2014
I've been a member for a couple of years. Very nice, very helpful folks. They have both MDs and PAs you can have as your PCP.
posted by Thistledown at 5:15 AM on June 6, 2014
Thirding One Medical. Everybody I've seen there has been fantastic.
posted by aaanastasia at 6:42 AM on June 6, 2014
posted by aaanastasia at 6:42 AM on June 6, 2014
You absolutely do not want to go to One Medical for ADD/ ADHD medications. I've seen three providers there*, and all of them showed varying degrees of hostility and judgment every time the subject of ADD or ADD medications came up.
I actually left my first appointment in tears because I felt so humiliated. Even though I came to that appointment with all the documentation of prescription history and diagnosis that any other provider has ever asked me for, the doctor at One Medical refused to write a refill without talking to my previous psychiatrist-- apparently because they thought I faked all my documentation to get my hands on some party drugz. It was insulting.
They also told me that it's One Medical's policy to make people taking ADD medication sign a "contract" saying they wouldn't abuse the medication (because apparently this doesn't go without saying!), and to make them meet with a doctor every time they get a prescription refill for the first three to six months. I have never been to a medical practice (in DC or anywhere else) that has policies like this.
Not that this should matter, but I showed up to my appointments dressed for work (suits, pearls, etc). Which is just to say that I didn't get the impression that they profiled me as some kind of addict or scammer; I think they actually treat everybody with ADD this condescendingly.
*I had to see different providers because it's hard to get an appointment. Despite what One Medical advertises, my primary care MD and PA are frequently booked a month or more in advance. Yelp warned me about this before I paid to join One, and I should have listened.
posted by drosophelia at 10:25 PM on June 6, 2014
I actually left my first appointment in tears because I felt so humiliated. Even though I came to that appointment with all the documentation of prescription history and diagnosis that any other provider has ever asked me for, the doctor at One Medical refused to write a refill without talking to my previous psychiatrist-- apparently because they thought I faked all my documentation to get my hands on some party drugz. It was insulting.
They also told me that it's One Medical's policy to make people taking ADD medication sign a "contract" saying they wouldn't abuse the medication (because apparently this doesn't go without saying!), and to make them meet with a doctor every time they get a prescription refill for the first three to six months. I have never been to a medical practice (in DC or anywhere else) that has policies like this.
Not that this should matter, but I showed up to my appointments dressed for work (suits, pearls, etc). Which is just to say that I didn't get the impression that they profiled me as some kind of addict or scammer; I think they actually treat everybody with ADD this condescendingly.
*I had to see different providers because it's hard to get an appointment. Despite what One Medical advertises, my primary care MD and PA are frequently booked a month or more in advance. Yelp warned me about this before I paid to join One, and I should have listened.
posted by drosophelia at 10:25 PM on June 6, 2014
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posted by MrMoonPie at 2:19 PM on June 5, 2014