Looking for doctor or hospital system recommendations for Philly

June 2, 2016 8:28 AM

My long-term family doctor in the suburbs retired, so I need a new general doctor. I now live in the city and would like to switch to one of the hospital systems down here. I'm looking for specific doctor recommendations (general and dermatology) or opinions on UPenn vs Jefferson systems. I have a slight preference for a DO instead of an MD based on positive past experiences with DOs.

I don't know the details of how these systems work, but I might also need a new gynecologist since my current one is with Crozer. This is just for me, no now or future kids.

posted by sepviva to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

for a Gynecologist, i really like Penn Medicine for Women at 8th and Chestnut. I love Dr. Glazer and Dr. Bloom - its mostly female doctors and it's relatively easy to get an appointment.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 8:50 AM on June 2, 2016

I go to the Pennsylvania Hospital gyn practice recommended here, and have Dr. Souza-Sanders as my gyn and had Dr. Bloom as my ob. (Pennsylvania Hospital is run by UPenn as a separate group under the UPenn banner, with a major emphasis on ob/gyn. Personally, I've had much better experience with the gyns at Pennsylvania Hospital, or Pennsy as it gets called around town. Some of my good friends who love their gyns at UPenn, but I've never been able to get in with those doctors because they weren't taking new patients and consequently ended up with doctors who were dismissive and unfriendly.

Plus, Pennsy is much more convenient for me to get to at 8th and Walnut than out in University City, and the new building is super nice even though it has the slowest elevators in the history of humanity.)
posted by joyceanmachine at 8:55 AM on June 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Ugh - I meant 8th and walnut - and yes, the elevators are terrible and there are no stairs entrance from the lobby - so even if you felt like making the 12 story hike, you can't.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 9:14 AM on June 2, 2016

I highly, highly recommend Jefferson over Penn. I had nothing but terrible experiences with Penn Medicine for years, with ridiculous waiting for every visit across every practice and specialist (it's normal practice to quadruple-book), terrible service, and rarely seeing the same doctor twice. After waiting months for a bone to heal ("come back in... a month or two I guess"), I finally jumped to Rothman Institute for my orthopedist, and after being so impressed by both Rothman and Jefferson Hospital where I finally had surgery, I moved the whole family to Jefferson Family Practice at IIRC 9th and Chestnut. They were nothing but fantastic in every way.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 9:57 AM on June 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

I'd also recommend Jefferson over Penn, or even one of the smaller health systems like Mercy that train a lot of osteopaths. I think Penn is great if you're looking for help with a very specific issue like neurology or heart disease, and they have amazing resources, but many of the doctors are focused more on research and are very busy, so they might be lacking the warmth or personal attention you'd be looking for from a general family practice person.
posted by ariadne's threadspinner at 10:37 PM on June 2, 2016

I was with Penn for 25 years until major changes took place, and I was no longer comfortable there. Take a look at Temple. Been with them for about 2 years and I have nothing but good things to say.
posted by james33 at 3:57 AM on June 3, 2016