The Women’s Group of Northwestern

For every appointment, we’ve had to wait between 30 and 60 minutes before being called. Either they overbook appointments, or don’t know how to manage their calendar. It’s hard enough taking time off work to make these midday appointments — adding up to another hour of wait time is ridiculous. We’ve seen other people in the waiting area get upset and become frustrated with this as well, so it’s not just us and is clearly an issue. It’s understandable for something to come up to cause these delays once in a while, but this has happened every single time we’ve been there. Every. Single. Time. If your appointment is supposed to be an hour, plan on being there at least two.

They kept calling me to tell me I needed to schedule an appointment for an exam. I call, make the appointment, show up, they do the exam, and it’s basically worthless because they didn’t tell me it was the wrong time of the month to do it. Thanks a lot! So now I have to schedule another one and pay twice as much.
How convenient of them to realize that after I took an entire day off to do the stupid exam (I waited forever). They don’t care about their patients — don’t go here if you can help it.

I love The Women’s Group. I have recommended the practice to numerous friends over the years… Dr. Levin is my primary doctor and I can’t say enough amazing things about her. She is knowledgeable, experienced, has a wonderful bedside manner and she truly cares for her patients. She delivered both of my daughters at Prentice when I lived in Chicago. Now that I’ve moved, I’m commuting over an hour each way so Dr. Levin can deliver my third child… The reason for the 4 stars is because I often wait upwards of 30 –45 minutes for my doctor appointments. I’ve learned over the years to book the earliest appointments of the day to limit wait time.

Steer Clear from this practice for MANY reasons:
1) The Office Staff: Not friendly when you enter in to the office. Very disorganized with the paper work you have to fill out, what $ is due, and scheduling appts is very challenging as they have way too many patients in this practice, making it difficult to find a day/​time that works for your schedule. This is one of those practices that doesn’t max out their capacity (just keeps taking new patients) so office is always crowded and you will always wait for appts– which leads me to my next point…
2) Wait time for appts: On average, I waited over an hour– 1.5 hours to see the doctor at each appt even with a set appt time. You will wait in the waiting room for at least 20 min– up to an hour. Then when you get back in the room in the gown, you may wait another 20– to an hour– on average, this is no joke. So be prepared to take off a half day of work for appointments.
3) The Doctors: With my 2^nd pregnancy, I was pregnant with twins. I asked Dr Kamel if I should be going to a high risk doctor since I was carrying twins and she said «twins are a piece of cake.» Fast forward to 8 weeks later. I went into pre term labor. Dr Kamel called me in the hospital and told me to END the pregnancy, move on and just get pregnant again. My husband asked if there was any chance our twins would survive and she said 99.9% they will NOT survive, and said just end it, and move on. She did not give us our options, she just said END IT. Fortunately we did not listen to her and continued on with the pregnancy. The labor stopped and we delivered our boys 12 weeks later. They would not be here today if we had listened to Dr. Kamel. In my 3 month hospital stay (due to the preterm labor), not once did Dr Kamel come visit me because she did not agree with my decision. She was even in my hallway in the hospital multiple times and did not stop by.
4) Other Patients: I have a sister and close friend who both had awful experiences with the Womens Group– one with Kamel and one with Levin– these 2 doctors are ironically the head 2 doctors of the practice.
Dr Leavitt is wonderful and I have heard good things about Dr. Murthy. But just keep in mind, they might not be the ones delivering your baby and you will still wait a LONG time for appointments. Steer clear of Kamel. I can’t stress this more. I’m so thankful my boys are alive and healthy– and I don’t appreciate a doctor telling me what to do— vs giving me options.

A long-​time patient of Dr. Levitt’s recommended her. I called to inquire and the receptionist was rude and had many snide remarks about insurance (I have Cigna open access, but not the correct Cigna apparently). That would have been fine, as I am a normal person, but the receptionist made a point to make me feel terrible for calling. I was ready to pay cash if she had kept me long enough on the phone (since she told me three times «we are a private practice»). I get it. Anyway, I can’t comment on the doctor herself, but she may wish to consider a new staff.

Very poorly organized hospital. They cancelled my appointment without telling me, but they said they did speak to someone about canceling my appointment so they must have called the wrong patient. This is a violation of privacy. They were not apologetic and quite frankly, couldn’t care less. I am shocked at how unprofessional this group is, especially with the Northwestern affiliation. Also, their patient portal is incredibly outdated with multiple «pay the bill» messages that pop up (when there is no bill to be paid). Additionally, 90% of the conversation you will have with the nurse on the phone is about how you will pay for x, y, and z. The last thing they care about here is the patients. Definitely will not be going back again.

This practice is horrible. Wait times are ridiculous, even if you call in to see if there are delays. They tell you they are on schedule and you come in and wait an hour. Then if you say anything they put you in a room with a gown on and you get to wait some more. Well, that’s how long I waited before I walked out. When I married in my early forties and went in for a pre-​wedding exam and Kamel turned to me and said «I can get you two» and I didn’t know what she was talking about. She meant two children, and once I told her I wasn’t planning to have any she never spent more than five minutes with me, never providing any information and never asking if I had any questions. This is a practice that evidently prefers high risk pregnancies and frequent visits. I tried doctor after doctor in this practice and got one who was clearly bizarre — another doctor in the practice said she hated to touch people, and it showed, which was why I could get an appointment that was anywhere NEAR being prompt. She was so rough she caused bleeding. Her distaste was evident. She actually made me feel dirty.
The final straw was when an east Indian doctor in that practice called me ON THE PHONE to tell me I required major surgery. When I said no, she insisted. Happily, I got a referral to another physician at another practice, who introduced me to a specialist in interventional radiology. Turned out I did not in fact need the surgery, or even the radiology procedure, which would have spared my insides even if I did it. Turns out that obgynies can’t do interventional radiology. But they collect a $ 15,000 fee for a hysterectomy I didn’t need — ever! This is more than ten years later. When I asked him if I was just naïve, he said, sadly, yes.
The best part was when I contacted them about getting my records for another physician. My new physician said that if she requested the records they would take weeks to arrive. But I had the right to get them on the spot. So I called. They told me to come in at a specific time, I did, and they gave me static, but no records. I stood at the patient greeting window for 15 minutes telling them I wasn’t leaving without them — in full view of the waiting patients. They stalled and stalled, but I made myself feel better about the whole awful experience of dealing with them by standing my ground until I got them.

The Women’s Group of Northwestern is getting 2 stars from me, with the second star being allocated because they safely delivered my baby and I certainly appreciate that. However, over the course of my pregnancy this office gave me headache after headache and I would not recommend them to women having babies and I won’t be returning myself. (I should note that I was not a patient at this practice prior to conceiving, so I can really only talk about their maternity care.)
Some of the issues I had:
* For some reason I still don’t understand, my husband and I were forced to pre-​pay to have our baby. Our son was born in February, but we had to pay our entire $ 1,200 doctor bill the previous October. (They called it a «deposit.» You could pay 4 monthly payments, with the last being due by the beginning of your 7^th month or in one lump sum. We paid it all at once.) I’ve had other friends go to this office and they’d never heard of such a thing and friends who went to other OB’s were shocked about this practice. Yes — My husband and I are fully insured and we pay our bills. No clear explanation was ever given for this.
* Let me get this out of the way: Whatever you want to do with your baby’s cord blood is fine by me! But if you go to this doctor’s office to have a baby it will seem like their entire practice is sponsored by cord blood companies. In ONE visit I received 13 cord blood brochures. They were in the bag full of «goodies» that all new moms receive. When I went to pay my $ 1,200 bill I sat with the accountant who told me she COULDN’T LET ME LEAVE until I had watched a video/​cartoon about cord blood donation/​banking. I thought this was highly inappropriate as I told her that my husband and I already knew what we were going to do. She told me it didn’t matter, that she still couldn’t let me leave until I’d seen the video and signed off at the end.
* I had the stomach flu during my pregnancy and couldn’t keep any food down for a full week. I’m not prone to panic, so after about 3 days I called and left a message for the nurses to see if there was something I should be doing. I wasn’t worried for myself, but for the baby. I had to leave two messages on back-​to-​back days to get a call back, and then all the nurse said was that I should call my internist. It was incredibly abrupt and rude and not helpful for this soon-​to-​be first time mom.
* I had a scheduled c-​section, and the day prior I had to meet with Dr. Katz who was performing the surgery. I’d been up the entire night before with a terrible headache, which is generally an indicator of high blood pressure. The nurse who took my blood pressure at the beginning of my appointment and said that I had «low» blood pressure, so once I met with the doctor I mentioned my ongoing headache as a bit of an afterthought. The doctor immediately took my blood pressure again and said it was dangerously high and made me go right to the hospital… where they moved up my c-​section and my baby was born a few hours later. I assume I would have been OK even if the doc hadn’t retaken my blood pressure, but that’s a potentially dangerous mistake the nurse made!
* My high blood pressure continued for a couple of months after the birth of my son and the doctor I met with at my 6 week postpartum appointment said I needed to follow-​up with a primary care doctor to get it under control. I found a (non-​Northwestern) doctor by my house and when that doctor requested a copy of my records so she could take a look at what was going on, I received a bill from The Women’s Group of Northwestern for $ 38. I had to pay for the medical record copy and they actually wouldn’t release my records until I paid up, even though they were allegedly «concerned» about my high blood pressure. Also, it took a full 2 weeks for that bill to arrive and the bill said it would take up to a month for the records to be sent. Um, ok. Thanks for your concern!
I should note that I liked every doctor I met with, especially Doctors Murthy and Lau, although meeting with the docs was such a small part of my experience as I spent approximately 2 minutes with a doctor on every visit. Regardless, I will not be going back here and hope to find a better OB practice should we have a second child.
Also, one last tip for this practice: Before committing to The Women’s Group of Northwestern, check your insurance coverage! While my insurance covered the practice, I wasn’t able to get my ultrasounds done at the office and had to set up separate appointments at Prentice. I had a high risk pregnancy requiring 8 ultrasounds, which meant 8 additional trips downtown aside from my regularly-​scheduled appointments.

I have had nothing but great experiences with WGoN! Dr. Levitt is phenomenal, as are her nurses, assistants and schedulers. When I had to have surgery, her team bent over backwards to help me (thanks, Anna!) by answering questions, being flexible and always being patient with me. I wouldn’t go anywhere else in Chicago!

I’ve been a patient here for a few years now and have gotten used to the long wait times even though the office is basically empty, but my experience there today has compelled me to write a review. I get there around 12:05 for my 12:10 appointment which I expect to take no more than 15 minutes since it’s just for the administration of a shot. I’m a patient person and let 30 minutes go by without saying anything, then I see a patient get called in for her appointment within minutes of her arriving. Frustration starts to boil over and I end up asking the person who checked me in how much longer I should expect to wait. Low and behold, the person they scheduled my appointment with is conveniently out of the office and they never rescheduled my appointment to someone else. Brilliant work here huh? She tells me she’s going to call the lab to see if they can take me for my shot and I have to wait another 5 minutes — mind you this is creeping up on 50 minutes now. The receptionist calls me over and tells me that she has another doctor for me to see but I’ll have to wait another 10 minutes. Eventually a doctor comes over and offers a half ass apology for the wait. Once in the doctor’s office I’m forced to wait again as she steps out of the office to get the shot ready. The total amount of time it took to get the shot administered by a doctor = 4 minutes, total wait time overall = 60+ minutes.

Discovered a charge on my credit card this afternoon without a statement, bill, or explanation from WGNW. I called the billing department and was told there was a balance on my account from last year… What? I never received a bill for the outstanding balance! I understand that the bill needs to be paid, but how about contacting me first before running my credit card?!?

I had to give one star not because of my actual doctor but the hassle of dealing with the inconsiderate office staff and management. They changed a billing procedure when I arrived I was told it cost me $ 30 more. When I got the bill it actually was $ 600 dollars more. Was given no for warning or explanation ahead of time. INCONSIDERATE and not looking out for their patients.

This practice frustrates me. Yet I continue to be a patient there our of habit. The waits to see a dr are insane. They do not respect your time at all. Fortunately dr peppers left who was the most condescending incompetent dr iv ever met. She ordered me unnecessary tests that of course my insurance wouldn’t pay for. No apologies at all ever. Tried to deny the whole thing and wouldn’t even speak to me when it was all clearly her fault. Unfortunately a few years back Deborah Linder left who was the BEST dr. Iv even seen anywhere. The rest of the Drs are ok. If you have to join this practice stick with kamel (but good luck getting an appointment to see her), levin or Leavitt, Luis or murthy. Not a fan of the bedside manner of Katz or Ericson who tend to be more abrupt. Really the Drs are all ok (and some great) now that peppers is out. Just bring work to the waiting room as you most likely will be there a long time…

I’ve been going to this practice for 8… yes, 8 YEARS! Ive journeyed through my young to mid twenties, and now into my 30s with the same group of docs and my experience has been great. I’m honestly a little surprised to see the bad reviews other people have given regarding appointment times — I’ve had an appointment run late once or twice, and that’s probably it. When the appointments DO run late, the front desk tells me right away. You can also call the day of your appointment and select the option on the menu to find out how your doctor’s schedule is running.
Anyway, I just had my first baby back in April. I did my rounds meeting with all of the docs and made it through all of them except 1. Guess who delivered my baby? The 1 doctor who I didn’t meet with! Even so, I had a good experience.
I monitor my bills, I call the office when I have a question and they answer easily, the front desk is friendly, my doctor knows about me and who I am every time I see her, I really cannot complain about a single thing. I will struggle when it comes time to change due to my home location, but I’m not ready to give them up just yet.
If I may offer a tip — show up early/​on time to your appointment. If you aren’t there on time, don’t be surprised if they take the next patient who is there and ready to go. And when your appointment doesn’t start on time, maybe consider the reason they are running late, i.e. — someone is having a complication/​issue that needs extra attention immediately. You would want to be treated same-​day if something was seriously wrong, wouldn’t you? I sure would.

I cannot say enough nice things about this office. Everyone is kind, professional, and seeks to develop a personal relationship with me. My mom and sisters are also patients and feel the same way.
I had a few OB-​Gyns in Chicago before finding this practice and can safely say this is above and beyond the best of the bunch. They are smart and serious, yet warm and compassionate. I have been their patient for both annual gyne visits and as a pregnant patient and they have made being pregnant and seeing them VERY frequently a delight.
I am shocked to see the negative reviews and would highlight these situations: their schedulers are patient and accommodating with my very busy and unpredictable schedule, the in-​house sonographer, Marla, whom I adore for making my ultrasounds so much fun and for being so friendly, heard my voice in the lab and came to check on how an ultrasound elsewhere went, Dr. Kamel is not only exceptionally intelligent, kind and practical, but has gone above and beyond to care about me as a person and a patient.
I would highly recommend this practice to a woman of any age. They are simply fantastic!

Horrible! Stay away. Always late and impossible to get an appointment with the Doctor. The only practice I’ve ever seen be able to collect my ENTIRE deductible in one visit?! Furthermore, they don’t call you to let you know… they send one bill then hire a collections agency. After that, they won’t even see you. Sketchy dishonest billing, patient care is their last priority. RUN.

The doctors here are all TOP NOTCH. Of course, personally I like some more than others. Erickson and Lui tell you like it is and I LOVE that. Lui is actually pretty hilarious too. You wouldn’t expect to get some humor in your day at an OBBYN, but it lightens the mood. All the other doctors are excellent as well.
The down side to this practice (almost making me rank them 3 or 4 stars) is that you will wait FOREVER! 90% of the time they are running late even first thing in the morning. Plan for a 30 minute appt to take 90 minutes because you may wait 30 – 60 minutes.
I agree the waiting is annoying, but I trust their medical knowledge and treatment. I don’t like to wait, but find medical expertise more important.

The staff here is a NIGHTMARE. They never remembered anything about my ongoing health problems even my appointments were just a week apart! WHEN you leave this practice (and you will, as the other reviews attest) it takes them months to get your records to you. They don’t even pull them until they have several requests because it «cost them money to pull the charts». But don’t worry, they will pass that charge on to you, and make you pay to get copies of your own medical records.
I only wish I had checked
before walking into this unprofessional horror show. Do not trust these hooligans with your health!

Oh, how I wish I had scheduled my annual far enough out to find another provider! Alas, I’m stuck at this practice for another year.
The wait times are ridiculous – even if your appointment is 9:00 a.m. How does a practice get that backed up before mid-​morning?
I knew my fate did not lie with the WGNW when Dr. Lui removed a hormonal contraceptive implant from my arm. After I was quite the trooper through a local anesthetic shot with a serious needle, she explained the procedure and then said I may need stitches. Blood and more needles – things I have historically not been great with, to the point of passing out. Since my husband had accompanied me to the office, I asked if he could come back to hold my hand. No – Dr. Lui was not comfortable with that. If and when we decide to have children, I will not go through labor and delivery with a doctor who places her comfort ahead of mine.

The Women’s Group of Northwestern has really let me down. I’ve been a patient for two years, and the first year was all rainbows and sunshine. The second year, more like a storm cloud and dreary.
I was seeing Melissa Alford and loved her. Loved her! But after the first year, I could never get an appointment with her and the staff would never tell me if she was coming back to the practice, so I ended up seeing Dr. Peppers instead.
I instantly thought I would like Dr. Peppers because, Hello!, her name is awesome. However where I am a prude and very self-​conscious, Dr. Peppers had no time for that. She made me exceptionally uncomfortable by leaving me really exposed during the exam. I like to keep my good girl and ladies covered up, thanks. Unlike Dr. Peppers, I was not raised in a «naked house».
She was thorough, and recommended I have an ultra sound for some pain I was having and prescribed me a new medication on a three month trial. When I tried to schedule the ultra sound, which she insisted she wanted to see me when I had, her schedule wasn’t available. Nor did she ever follow up with me to see if it had been scheduled, or how my new medication was working. I called W.G.N. multiple times for follow-​ups with Dr. Peppers, and got nothing. Even my pharmacist can’t get a call back from the staff there.
I don’t know what has happened to W.G.N. in the last year, but it ain’t good. It’s like the apocalypse focused on their offices only. I’m not going to find another doctor with them, I’m going to look for a new practice all together.