Natasha Withers, DO

I chose Dr. Withers based on the practice first, One Medical, and then based on my own personal desire to have a D.O.
I see Natasha only has two reviews and I’m surprised. She’s an amazing, attentive and responsive doctor. The woman previously who reviewed Her was essentially writing on behalf of her husbands account of his visit. I don’t think that’s very fair as you can’t accurately review a place on behalf of someone else’s experiences. Especially something as personal as a doctor. I think the previous reviewer should let her husband review her. Not that I feel the need to defend her, because her work and stands alone as enough of a positive reputation but I realized I had not reviewed her yet and that people needed to get the true review of her ability.
During my first visit with her, I too, like the negative reviewer, wanted blood work and a full check up. I have no idea what the previous reviewer is talking about, but I felt like Dr. Withers thoroughly got to understand who I was, any health concerns and all of my future health goals and my family history. My first appointment was at least 30 minutes (you schedule appointments based on what you want done) and she scheduled a blood panel in accordance with a combination of my concerns and that which she deemed necessary. Insurance isnt such that you can just tell the doctor you want it to check 500 things and they do that. Insurance will only cover certain blood tests in a standard screening. A typical blood screening will cover a handful of key items and then if they find anything of concern, they check those after. To say a doctor is condescending if they don’t test you for 25 superfluous things because they think they know better than you makes no sense. Chances are incredibly high if you aren’t a doctor… THEY know better than you. How pissed would you be if you scheduled all those blood tests but your insurance wouldn’t cover them and some curious blood test for you turns into $ 1000 bill from QUEST.
Anyway, any time I email Dr. Withers she is incredibly responsive to email (within an hour generally) and she knows me well enough now we are able to both chat personally and makes me feel comfortable enough to ask even seemingly embarrassing questions. When she isn’t available (very few few times) she always has a recommendation for another doctor in the office and the doctor is NEVER clueless about me when I come in since Dr. Withers takes impeccable notes. I always feel like she gives me every minute of my appointment never ever trying to rush me out. If I have 15 – 20 minutes, she will answer every related medical question, every unrelated to my visit medical question, and if there is time, we chat about books or cooking. After all that, she’s so patient and answers questions so thoroughly and always always asks me if I have any other concerns. I am so happy with her, I’ve never had such a great doctor.

My husband and I were eager to find an osteopathic doctor within a well recommended practice, and he had the first opportunity to see Dr. Withers. While we are in total agreement with the prior reviewer (congrats on your wonderful achievement beating cancer, by the way!), Dr. Withers has a very nice bedside manner and is responsive to specific questions as well as general follow-​up requests. Those are certainly admirable and valuable traits.
However, we found her «comprehensive check-​up» too lacking. Despite my husband mentioning that this was his first doctor’s visit in almost a decade, she had him in and out in less than 10 minutes. He remembered the health clinic at graduate school all those years ago doing a more comprehensive exam than that. When he asked for updated blood tests since it has been almost a decade since anything has been checked, she said OK, but did not have the professional courtesy to disclose to him that she did not intend to honor his request and went ahead and only ordered a partial cholesterol panel — no fasting blood-​glucose level, no check on anemia, no check on infection via white blood cell count, nothing. What on earth makes the cholesterol test more crucial than the others?
Honestly, it comes across as rather arrogant and disrespectful to appear as if you understand and agree with a patient’s foreseeable request and then decline to disclose and clarify your actual and differing intention. In the legal field, that could be considered misrepresentation, incompetent counsel, etc. It sometimes feels like doctors are held to a lesser standard of conduct, which is concerning… Moreover, her opinion about not liking to order the standard panel of blood tests is not gospel, and should have been disclosed and discussed at the exam — not doing so, among other things, can come across as if the doctor generally regards patients as unintelligent and incompetent.

Dr. Withers has been my primary care physician since December 2010, when I became a member of the One Medical practice.
Dr. Withers is absolutely fantastic: she is caring, straightforward, supportive of my health goals, and gives me concrete advice about weight loss, eating with an eye toward the best possible nutrients for continuing to keep cancer out of my life, how to reduce stress, etc. I have never left her office feeling like I’ve been talked at, but that I’ve had an actual conversation. It’s refreshing.
Dr. Withers is also very quick to respond to questions via email, and calls me in a very timely manner with regard to test results, etc. She has a great bedside — well, in my case, I suppose chairside, manner — both gentle but not nonsense, and is comfortable discussing either alternative therapies (she recently recommended an acupuncturist for my migraines) or traditional medicine (i.e., she sent me to a great oncologist to stay on top of my twice-​yearly visits to make sure I’m still cancer-​free). I really enjoy my visits with her — not that they’re all that often, but you know, I usually kind of dread going to the doctor. I don’t dread going in for a visit with her at all — she’s great. If you need a primary care physician, I absolutely recommend her.