Steven Margolin, MD

I went to Dr. Margolin’s office about 4 times and had good experiences. Sometimes I saw the nurse practitioner or physician assistant and they are all very knowledgeable and helpful. They listened carefully to my needs and concerns. I never had a long wait to see the practitioner or any other negatives. I have chronic migraines and some previous doctors made me feel like a pill-​seeker, which can is not okay. I had much more comfortable visits at Dr. Margolin’s office. I’m no longer a patient only because I moved out of state. I would definitely recommend.

An EXCELLENT physician! Dr. Margolin has been my doctor past 25 years and has always provided his honest opinions for the best of my health and well-​being. He is not only an expert in his field, but also a nice and a kind man!
His clinic has some superb staff and nurses: Tomeka and Soncire are my favorite and best assistance.
Mehrdad Vatani, Ph.D.

Very caring professionals. Genuine concern for my well-​being, great bedside manners, asks a lot of questions to make sure they have my accurate medical history, and explains everything thoroughly.

I love going to the Doctor now! Dr. Margolin listens to me and has helpful suggestions about my issues. I often see Dr Sarah Brigante (BS PA) because I am mostly needing fairly simple help (well-​woman. bladder infection, sinus infection). This morning when I went for my bloodwork the receptionist actually explained to me what she and the other receptionist were talking about as if I was a real person! People seem happy to work there. As I was getting my blood drawn there was laughter from other employees who were comparing their high heeled shoes because it was high heel Friday!

I’ve been seeing Dr. Margolin for about 15 years now, and I’ve had great experiences with appointments and the staff. They make appropriate use of technology within the practice, but also take the time to know their patients; they LISTEN, and offer personal service.
I’ve seen both Dr. Margolin and PA Sara Pierce Bregante many times, and I have to add my accolades for Sara as well. She’s wonderful, thoughtful, and thorough.
I recently had to have a series of tests. I’m a needle weenie, and I can say that their in-​house lab tech was one of the best at the blood draw (if not THE best) of any I’ve had. I also appreciated that they got back to me quickly with the results, and the information about next-​steps in treatment.
I highly recommend Dr. Margolin and this practice.

I’ve been a patient of Dr. Margolin’s for a couple of years and have been very happy. I haven’t had any of the issues with his staff that other reviewers have reported, nor have I had any problems being seen in a timely manner (though I visit for chronic issue management and physicals, not acute illnesses).
He’s been very helpful, thorough and available when it counts.

Doctor Margolin, I adore you, you are friendly, knowledgeable, and very clear.
Doctor Margolin, please please please STOP accepting new patients that you/​your staff cannot adequately handle without causing declines in patient care and satisfaction.
It’s not your nurses’ fault, it’s not your pa’s fault, because it’s clearly IMPOSSIBLE for them to handle this volume of patients and it shows in their curt flippant attitudes, lack of follow up, and lack of communication amongst each other regarding what steps are still «pending» in the patient’s care plan.
Your patients should not have to call and leave a voicemail each day after lab work or an xray. 4 days for those type of results, especially when a nurse cheerfully sets the expectation to get it done same day and «be sure to call me tomorrow morning so we can go over this» is not acceptable. Being from the medical field, I already knew that wasn’t going to happen (LOL trick please! What kind of hustle do you think this is?) so tried to give it reasonable time. It’s wasn’t that anyone hadn’t received the results, it was that no one had time to review them at add anything to the patient chart for their coworkers to share. Imagining an actual call back is laughable. At least put updated notes in the charts so that anyone can read them to a patient who calls in.
Doctor, balancing care between yourself and a team of skilled PAs and RNs overall contributes to great efficiency gains! Patient A who is dying gets to see you, and Patient B who has sniffles can see someone else who can tell him to rest and drink fluids and take vitamin C and all that DUH stuff which, as patients, we all need to hear sometimes because we’re stupid and dramatic and think a viral cold will kill us. Both patients live happily ever after.
The problem is prioritizing patient care outside of that dyin’ or whinin’ dichotomy.
I’ve been here probably 7 or so times and I’ve only seen the doctor once. One of the nurses I dealt with gave me incorrect information on a suspicious health altering lump… originally putting me at ease that the lump I had was OK and I didn’t need to do anything but follow up in a year or so. Next thing you know, she tells me she went over the results with a PA and I needed a biopsy right away. Didn’t explain why. Didn’t explain the differences in what she initially thought she saw versus what was there. Didn’t really answer any of my questions before or afterward, considering I couldn’t reach her by phone to discuss results. These are people that break your practice.
Dr. Margolin was very personable and thorough when I finally saw him. He answered my long list of questions I made. I made a list because I was terrified if being told the wrong thing or being blown off or never getting a chance to speak to anyone that actually knew what the hell was going on.
I love the doctor, I wish I could see the staff that «supports» this practice excel, because they seem like a team of potential winners that can’t actually win due to sheer volume. Stop takin’ new patients when overwhelmed, moneybags! The thing is, they get paid the same regardless of their level of communication, timeliness of follow up, etc. And I pay the same regardless of those factors. So for my health and my pockets, I gotta move on.

Dr. Margolin’s PAs are excellent as are he. The one thing I want to point out is I am a small business owner and do NOT have time to wait in a waiting area an hour. They get you STRAIGHT in, which is amazing.

Dropped Steven Margolin MD years ago. his male nurse was terribly rude, Margolin stacks too many patients & worst of all he misdiagnosed my «cluster «headaches. I have a great doctor now that genuinely cares about patient care.

5 stars for nurse Deborah and zero stars for the lab. The lab is not owned by the office but they should do something about the poor service. I showed up at seven AM, and was the first person to sign in for lab work they did not see me until 7 :45!

That little shrew is gone, and service has improved 100%.

So i had an annoying experience here with their high volume clinic. They’ve changed things quite a bit and I’m still a patient. They are very professional and considerate. In fact i was told that There was NOTHING this week and just spoke to the nurse and explained my symptoms and how i just finished two rounds of antibiotics and still am running a slight fever and have a cough. She got me in TODAY. Thanks for everything!

Caveat: 99% of the time when I need a doctor, I have the sniffles. So, although some have gotten on Dr. Margolin’s case for not being able to see him and instead seeing his PA, I was perfectly happy with the care I received here.
This week, I have the sniffles. An insane, disgusting, miserable, three-​days-​home-​from-​work case of the sniffles, due mostly to an ill-​advised, lengthy motorcycle ride in sub-​40 temperatures. When I called Dr. Margolin’s office (at the recommendation of Hot Boyfriend) at 7:30 Monday morning, I jumped for joy (read: smiled weakly and coughed «yay!» to HB) that I was able to get an appointment that morning.
Dr. Margolin was not available, so I saw Sara, his lovely PA. Allow me now to sing Sara’s praises.
After I had all my «I’m a new patient» paperwork filled out, it wasn’t long at all before I was called back, weighed (shudder), and had my temperature and blood pressure taken. The nurse (not yet The Lovely Sara) took a swab for a strep test and told me that The Lovely Sara would probably not be in for several minutes, to give the test time to «cook» first. The nurse was wrong, and The Lovely Sara entered just a moment later, a concerned and maternal look on her face.
I coughed and squeaked out my medical history and series of complaints while The Lovely Sara felt my glands, listened to my lungs, and took stock of my pathetic self. When my strep test came back negative, she wrote me a prescription for an antibiotic, but then encouraged me to try to whip this thing with salt water gargles, fluids, and lots of rest. She was reassuring, concerned, maternal, kind, took my concerns seriously, and let me make the decision on when and how to take the antibiotics.
A few days later, the more disgusting of my symptoms had run their course (yay, antibiotics!), but my cough was horrifying. I called Dr. Margolin’s office and explained that I would love it if The Lovely Sara could call me in a prescription to help with the cough. (With respiratory issues, I tend to hold onto a cough forever. Remedies welcome!) The nurse called me back less than an hour later with two prescriptions for me, and no one made me go back into the office to pay my copay all over again!
My only complaint is that the front office staff seems pretty overworked, which results in some grumpiness on their part. Also, I wanted to pay my copay in cash, but they didn’t have any change for me, and suggested that I walk to the CVS down the street myself for change. With my hideous cough and terrible sinus infection. Needless to say, I used my card, but a simple, «I’m sorry, we don’t have change and are too busy to get some at this time,» would have sufficed.

This is a terrible medical practice. The office staff is so rude, but you have to pay your copay first to get anywhere so you have to go through them. Money up front, then you see the Dr.
You have to wait forever to get in, and then once you’re in a waiting room you have to wait even longer. It has a terrible vibe and I hate going there. Dr. Margolin is a good guy but I’m dropping him. He’s my GP but I always go to the Austin Regional clinic instead — much nicer staff and Drs. Always quick to get in and be seen and I get great medical treatment. Good luck trying to make an appt. at Margolin’s office.
A friend of mine who moved here from LA went there because she heard he was a good Dr. (she hadn’t talked to me) and she was looking for a GP for her family. A few months later she was telling me about a horrible experience at a Drs office and it was Stephen Margolin’s office. Such a shame.

I spent ten years bouncing from doc to doc in Austin.
When I was struck with some debilitating mystery illness that kept me from being able to work and my doc at the time was clueless, some folks at work got me in to see Dr. Margolin, who was thorough and tireless in his efforts to sort out the problem.
Especially given the circumstances when I first began seeing him, I’ve seen Dr. Margolin a lot. He has always been warm and friendly, has always taken the time to listen, explained everything well and at an appropriate level, given me the opportunity to offer my opinion and feedback on his recommendations, and given me the opportunity to ask questions. I’ve gone in before and insisted that I don’t care what the test results say, I know I have X problem, and I want to see Y about it, and here’s why, and he’s always been receptive. I’ve been seeing him for about five years now, and I – who am very difficult to please in the doctor department – have been very happy.
When I have something routine I need to go in for, I just make an appointment with Sarah; she’s also an exceptional listener, is very caring, is thorough and well-​informed, explains things well, and gives me the opportunity to give feedback and answer questions. I adore both Dr. Margolin and Sarah, and Dodi’s great as well.
Especially now that they’ve extended appointment times, I can pretty much get in right away whenever I call. The longest I’ve waited to get an appointment with the doc was about a week, and that’s only happened once, maybe twice.
Whenever I’ve spoken over the phone with the nurse or needed to get a referral processed, she’s gotten everything taken care of lickety-​split; I’ve always appreciated her quick response and efficiency.
I’d agree with some other reviewers that one of the front office staff is sometimes a bit gruff and not always on-​task, but I’m not there for the office staff. As long as the job gets done, it’s all good with me. I’m there for quality medical treatment, and Dr. Margolin and his staff have delivered every time.

Hmmm, I just don’t have the experiences of the other reviewers. I see Dr. Margolin at least twice a year and he is available when I have a special circumstance. Yes, for the flu etc., I see the PA who is great. Dr. Margolin gives me referrals to specialists when I request it, and prescribes all needed medications.
The only problems have been in getting the referrals processed by staff, and I have noticed the front desk person mentioned in another review who is not too friendly and always acts busy when she is not. However, all other front desk folks have been friendly and helpful.
This is a a helpful, caring office that does a great job taking care of my medical needs. I recommend them.

I have been a patient of Dr. Margolin for 11 years. He is a friendly, calm approachable doctor. I have actually gotten appointments with him only 3 – 4 times and mostly dealt with his multi-​talented and no BS PA Sarah Pierce Brigante who is possibly one of my most favorite people in the world.
I am going to be frank here. I just fired Dr. Margolin as my PCP. He is a good doctor, and his practice tries to do a good job but they have failed to treat my chronic issues over the course of 11 years and I think I have given them enough chances.
Let’s break down my dissatisfaction with this practice:
Appointments:
It is impossible to get appointments with Dr. Margolin when it matters. One time I had to schedule a physical 3 months ahead of time. Physicals I can understand but I never could see him for sinus infections and other things that had to be taken care of. I could however always get a hold of Sarah and she has been the one that sees me the most.
Front Desk:
The front desk people at this clinic are not friendly, I don’t think they know how to smile and over the course of a decade have never smiled and/​or said anything friendly to me. Is Friendliness absolutely required? Not really but it would be nice after all this time. In their defense, they never messed up insurance paperwork, appointment data etc. So they are doing their job but they’re clearly not enjoying it.
Diagnoses And Treatment:
There was a phase when my allergies were at their worst when I would go in with sinus infections and always come out with Mucinex. Mucinex is bullS… I am sorry to say it but it does nothing. I don’t even know why anyone uses any of our non-​renewable resources to manufacture that stuff. It is a mystery to me.
Finally after I got a referral to an allergy specialist and got on allergy shots, I sighed a breath of relief — pun intended.
I have always had sleeping issues — as in restless sleep, talking, teeth grinding, waking up like I pulled an all-​nighter. I was sent to sleep study by Dr. Margolin and I came back from that night at the hospital to find out that both my doctor’s office and the hospital had magically lost all records of the test. I was not pleased. In time I figured out how to tame my sleep on my own mostly using herbal supplements like valerian root at bed time.
I also have back problems due to a pars defect (fracture) in one of my vertebrae. This was also never taken seriously by this clinic. I was sent to an orthopedic surgeon (usually they do nothing until you slip a disc /​pinch a nerve etc) and then was told I would get a referral to a chiropractor and then never got it until I went in and saw Sarah one more time and said «I am not walking out of here until I get a referral to a Chiropractor».
Dr. Margolin once laughed at my face when I told him I had IBS. My cycles of GI unhappiness went untreated for a whole decade because this clinic was never inquisitive enough to follow up and do more tests, and try things.
I would say that both Dr. Margolin and Sarah are VERY conservative in terms of use of medication. This can be a good or a bad thing. It is good to not take antibiotics unnecessarily but it is something else to be walking around with breath-​taking explosive diarrhea for two weeks while waiting for tests to come back.
What is this Clinic /​Practice Good for:
Dr. Margolin is voted best physician in Austin. Maybe I did not get how wonderful he is. He is a good guy but I must admit this practice is truly for people sick with the flu, cold, sore throat, upset tummy… the simple stuff.
If you have anything complex that needs investigation, further tests, inquiry or out of box thinking do not go here, you will be disappointed.
This practice has all the tools of a modern day practice, computerized patient records, on site blood and other testing facility/​lab, several patient rooms, nice wait room, etc. All the parts are there, what’s missing is… well it is hard to describe but I think this practice feels like a government managed health care provider with private health insurance company rates.
Final Note:
Maybe there’s something wrong with me. It is entirely possible. But all I know is I did not get the treatment, the continuity, the broader vision and focus on the patient from this clinic.