Comprehensive Primary Care

I go here every year for my annual gynecological check up, and had previously gone to Dr. Cohen. She got the job done, but her bedside manner wasn’t very pleasing to work with. This year, it was going to take me a few weeks to get in to see her, so I booked with Dr. Dinesh instead, and I must say that I’m much happier. She’s friendlier, but still efficient. Most importantly, she paid attention to a side remark I made about a symptom that I didn’t think was very serious and ordered blood tests that were not really related to my visit. Well, it turns out I have thyroid disease but can now be properly treated.
I like that they have early hours– I can get visits out of the way without missing work. I haven’t had any problems so far with booking or billing, everytime I call I get someone on the phone quickly. I also like having the online portal so that I can view my results. Overall, would recommend.

I’m going to go ahead and update this place to one star based on more frustrating experiences with Dr. Marpu and her staff. They NEVER return calls if you leave a message on the machine – even if it is urgent. Dr. Marpu left her computer on with patients’ personal health info up yet again (so it wasn’t just a one-​time thing) and that is just inexcusable. She knew very little about a pretty common health condition that I was concerned about. She actually used her smartphone to Google it – something that I could’ve easily done myself if I did not have access to the DOCTOR sitting right in front of me. She does not respond to emails and said that my continued abnormal labs (three times one of my mineral levels was very low) were normal, but I wanted further testing because of my continued concern and she didn’t even reply to my email. You can’t reach her by phone, or email. Definitely not going back.

My experience with Comprehensive Primary Care over the three years I went to the practice is mixed. The practitioners I saw were perfectly fine, I never experienced any kind of administrative mix-​ups, and I can’t remember ever having a problem booking an appointment in a timely fashion.
My biggest complaint is that the practice does not call to inform patients of test results, even when the tests show abnormalities. All test results are available to patients through their patient portal, but the portals require multiple passwords and are not user-​friendly. For example, they have no mobile version of their portal.
Even for individuals proficient with the portals, the care can be sub-​optimal. For example, I had to have a bone density scan and had a question about my results. However, when I called the ordering physician (Dr. Neelima Marpu) she didn’t even look at my test results and gave vague, unhelpful answers to my inquiries.
That being said, Dr. Ghulam Abbas is truly a wonderful practitioner. He is knowledgeable and exudes warmth and compassion. I happened to see him while I was going through a difficult time and he took a few minutes to talk to me and share stories about similar things that had happened in his life. I even felt comfortable enough to request that he give me a pap smear, despite normally preferring female doctors for any kind of pelvic exam.

Dr Cohen is GREAT! She has always done right by me and my medical care, I really enjoy her approach. I can’t say much for the front office staff in Rockville. In terms of getting a simple prescription refill completed, I am now on day 3 of trying to get this task completed. Having been in the front office for 45 minutes to then be told I would be getting a call to not getting a call to leaving a new VM message to get a prescription refilled… there has GOT to be an easier way.

The doctor is great, her staff not so great! I have been going there for 3 years and unfortunately I can never get my results after a checkup. They have a system where you can get your results online but the password never works and when you leave a voicemail message, no one ever gets back to you. Don’t expect them to answer the phone when you call for your results cause its not going to happen.

I think I’ve seen every provider here (I’m not even sure which one I belong to) and they’re all quite good. The nice thing is that even though I may not always see the same doctor, their electronic medical records help provide really good continuity of care.
Pros:
— lots of providers so easy to get an appointment
— check test results online
— appointment request online
— good continuity of care
— nice support staff, nice doctors
— good heaters in the exam rooms for when you have to get naked
— convenient to Friendship Heights
Cons:
— they’ve messed up my insurance filings in the past, although that seems to have improved
— impossible to find a human being on the end of their phone tree

I don’t want to gush, but I must. After losing my Doctor and good friend; suddenly, I was seeing someone who did not meet my basic needs.
I was so impressed by the reviews; I thought OK, I need a throat culture. Dr. Cohen was professional and even discussed my Aortic steno sis with me.

I’ve been here for a yearly checkup with Dr. Cohen, and several other visits with Dr. Shotashvili and Dr. Borelli. Dr. Cohen was pleasant, but she seemed busy. I’d recommend Dr. Shotashvili if you like someone who is extremely thorough. She was great on follow-​up emails as well. Dr. Borelli was excellent with me when I went in for sinus infection. Overall, this is a great practice!

My 1^st visit (Dec. 2010) went soooo smooth!
I was referred by a co-​worker; she told me about Comprehensive in Rockville, but I went to the Chevy Chase location… had an appt with Dr. Godwin.
I thought I had a Upper Resp Infection, but she said it sounded more like bronchitis! And boy, was she right because the meds she prescribed had those symptoms under control within two days! Other places I’ve gone to have missed the mark every time… they usually misdiagnose me and give me the wrong Rx!
The doctor was very receptive of my concerns, and seemed to genuinely care about the way I was feeling… she even invited me to return in the future for a physical.

I had a really good experience with this practice. I’m relatively new to the city and had a nasty stomach virus. Just to ensure that it was a virus, I wanted to go see someone and had to cold call about 20 practices before I found someone that had same-​day openings. It was easy to find the office, and it was clean and the people were very nice.
I saw Dr. Borelli, who is a nurse practitioner (with a Phd in nursing). She was very knowledgeable about different types of medications and took the time to listen to my symptoms and talk about different options for medication. I will definitely go back to Dr. Borelli.
I’ve seen a lot of comments on this page about these doctors and NPs not being specialized – isn’t that the point of primary care doctors? Dr. Borelli seemed ready to refer me to a specialist if my symptoms persisted.

***UPDATE*** Dr. Subramaniam left the practice. I started seeing Dr. Shotashvilla and she is PHENOMENAL. She’s smart, extremely thorough, takes time to explain her process, and considers EVERYTHING before sending you home with an Rx. Highly recommended.
I was thisclose to quitting this practice until I became Dr. Asha Subramanian’s patient. Prior to seeing her I’d been seen by both a PA and NP at the practice, in spite of my requests to be seen by an MD. As a new DC transplant I quickly learned that good physicians are hard to find (90% of the MDs I called were not accepting new patients) and started to get really frustrated.
Dr. Subramaniam has great bedside manner. She conveys medical information in a way that is easily understandable. I never feel that she rushes through my visit – she takes time to explain everything. On a couple occasions I’ve been able to see her within a week of requesting an appointment.
The practice has a new system whereby patients can view lab and test results online which is really convenient. They also store patients’ preferred pharmacist’s information and will send a script to the pharmacy. Your meds will be there waiting for you!

I’m Asha Subramanian’s patient, and she is really nice. I can say that doctors here are not specialists but they give good advice, they recommend the right person, and they are really helpful. You will not leave this place unsatisfied.
The only issue I had was with the front desk. Once I requested to walk-​in because I had a terrible hand injury and I wanted to ask my doctor’s opinion. I did not want to go to the ER for a deep but tiny hand cut. After making me wait for 20 minutes the guy at the front desk told me to come back on Monday (it was a Friday). It was very disappointing as it was more urgent than a regular office visit.

I have been a patient at Comprehensive Primary Care since 2006, and have seen Dr. Khludenev and for various problems. Dr. Khludenev was very thorough and asked thoughtful questions to really figure out what was going on with me.

My primary doctor is Dr. Cohen, and oddly, I’ve seen her maybe once during all my years of coming here. But that’s the nice thing about this place — because of all the people who work here, I almost always get in the same day or the next day. Everyone is pretty nice (even the front desk staff), they can email your prescriptions to your pharmacy, and you can walk here from the Friendship Heights metro. The downsides are that 1. it’s really close to all of the fancy stores in the area and my wallet quivers in their presence, 2. if you park here, they don’t validate, and 3. the parking garage is confusing… whatever you do, do NOT forget what floor you’re parked at. Once I was wandering around, up and down, trying to remember where I parked, and when you’re sick, that’s the last thing you want to do.

I never knew finding a doctor could be such an ordeal, but I got «No Vacancy» from doctor after doctor before I finally scored an appointment here. I should have been suspicious of why this office was the only one taking new patients. When I got to the office, my appointment had been booked wrong, so I was pushed back half an hour, and they had to add a new patient exam.
Maybe it was because she ended up having to examine me during her break, but Dr. Cohen was hands down the worst doctor I’ve ever had the displeasure to meet. She ignored my input, and seemed to think I was lying about my medical history. Without getting into medical details on the internet, she was horribly insensitive and really violated that whole «do no harm» thing.
The nurses and other workers here were perfectly nice, though my appointment was booked incorrectly, so maybe the other doctors are good. And maybe I caught Dr Cohen on an off day. Regardless, I can’t give this place more than one star as I’d sooner ask for healthcare at a teabagger protest than go here again.

Efficient office, very little wait time, doctor quickly and correctly diagnosed my foot problem, and they allowed me to essentially walk-​in when I had to bring someone in with bronchitis. So, not sure if they de facto allow walk-​ins, but I was able to come right in. Minimum parking cost is $ 5 in the deck, though, which kind of sucks if you are there for less than an hour.

Since I moved here 1 year ago I started seeing Dr. Cohen at CPC. She is a DO, and a great doctor. She listens to you, takes time to talk to you, and is fairly easy to schedule an appt. with. She takes a holistic approach to medicine, which I think its great, and is able to recommend non-​perscription remedies to supplement her care. She also was able to make a recommendation (who turned out to be great) when I needed specialized care. She is close to the friendship heights metro, and accepts BCBS Basic. It’s so hard to find good docs who still accept basic health insurance, I definitely recommend her.

I recently had to switch doctors, due to a change in my insurance plan. After trying a few multiple-​doctor offices, I settled on Comprehensive Primary Care for several reasons:
1) The staff responsible for making appointments is quick to respond and very nice to deal with. You can also request appointments online, which can come in very handy. I’ve never had to wait more than a week to get an appointment, either.
2) Dr. Asha Subramanian is wonderful – caring, responsive, eager to listen, and made me very comfortable.
3) The waiting room is peaceful. I spent very little time there, too. Appointment times are honored and you don’t spend forever sitting in a room in a gown waiting for someone to show up. This has been true even when I’ve shown up late in the afternoon.
4) They also have an online prescription refill request set up, which I haven’t used, but seems as though it could be beneficial.
(I only hope that my insurance plan doesn’t change their approved doctors list again – because I really like this place!)

I have been a patient at Primary Adult Care in Chevy Chase since January 2008. Dr. Cohen is my primary care physician, but, in a pinch, I have also seen Dr. Subramanian and Dr. Khludenev. I have had nothing but great experiences with this office and am happy to write them a glowing review!
Dr. Cohen is a DO and a fantastic woman. She takes a full history of all her patients and takes time to discuss all medical issues in full. She is not a doctor who is in a rush to write you a prescription and shuffle you out of the office– she really takes time to make sure you’re getting high quality care. I go to her for annual check ups as well as my woman’s visits.
I saw Dr. Subramanian twice last year when I came down with two bladder infections. She also took time to sit down and talk to me about how to prevent the infections and different methods to relieve symptoms. One of the coolest things about Dr. Subramanian is that before working at this office, she was a Doc at a free community clinic. It seems like she really cares about the work that she does and making people feel better.
On top of having great docs, the staff at this office is great also. I got sick last year and basically just needed to run in and grab a prescription. The assistant squeezed me into the schedule that same day so that I didn’t have to go to an Urgent Care clinic. Once, I completely messed up and showed up on the wrong day for an appointment. Instead of chastising me, the assistant put me in the schedule for that same morning.
I have never had to wait more than 5 minutes at this office, while the docs have spent upwards of 30 minutes with me.
I highly recommend this office to anyone seeking holistic medical care… or anyone who just wants a really fantastic doctor!
FYI: the office is about a 5 minute walk north of the Friendship Heights Metro stop (Redline). They accept most types of insurance.