Westside Family Medicine

I used to love this place! I thought it was a cute, cozy doctor’s office in which the staff were polite and my experiences were positive. Until this year. You can’t reach anyone to make an appointment, and then they don’t respond to the voicemails. When you do reach someone, or you email to get some movement, the staff member is rude. Then, there are no openings for appointments! None! You can’t get an appointment for anything any remotely near the time you need. By the time you can get your appointment your health is either back to normal after suffering or you are worse off than you started. Don’t go here, find someone who cares!

Doctors are fine during appointments, although I haven’t had good luck with them returning my phone calls. The receptionists and billing people are awful. I have great insurance, so I never thought the billing issues would affect me. But, they made a mistake, and now they are trying to charge me for appointments that never even existed. Dealing with these people is like being in a Kafka novel. Really crazy making! I’m not going back.

While I have always been satisfied with the services of Dr. Desai, the consistent incompetence of the reception, administrative and billing staff have driven me to the point of looking for a new doctor. It saddens me to leave a practice that is so conveniently located near my home. But when I consistently need blood pressure medication just to deal with my doctor’s office, it’s probably time to cut my ties. Stay away from this practice.

After my issues in April, I have been receiving a bill from Westside Family Medicine every month for the same amount. I paid this bill MONTHS AGO and they keep sending it to me. I tried to talk to someone at the practice about the issue and they told me to «email the receptionist.» Interestingly, there is not a single email contact listed on WFM’s website. Luckily, I found the email from a referral I got ages ago. I’ve emailed this address twice asking for help with the billing issue and have not received a response. Further, on the bill itself, there is no contact information for billing questions or problems. I’m so glad I no longer go to them, I just wish I could figure out a way to get rid of them once and for all!
This just further validates my claim that this office is all about scamming patients and trying to get as much money out of them as possible. They don’t try to be helpful and they don’t even have a way to contact them about billing inquiries. STAY AWAY.

Honestly, I’m frustrated.
I will still be singing the praises of Dr. Jeremy Stoepker FOREVER, as I think he is holistically minded and extremely caring & genuine, but the office staff and reception have been less than helpful.
I have been calling now for two weeks in attempt to solve a prescription/​insurance issue, which is highly time-​sensitive so that I don’t run out of my medication before the new one comes in! I have spoken to people who said they’d call me back (and did not.) I’ve left at least 4 messages — none have been returned. At this point, I will run out before I’m able to get this script in. The issue is not a difficult one, but it seems there’s no continuity of care with the administrative staff and little to no follow through. The only person that was extremely helpful was Julisa — and I would love to call and request her every time! she understood my concerns and seemed genuinely understanding & wanting to help.
I’ll still go here because of Dr. Stoepker, but I will try to be on top of things to avoid this kind of situation in the future.

Dr Bregman is very sweet and I really like him. His front desk on the other hand is one of the worst ones I’ve met unfortunately…
Went in for blood work for my Thyroid last Wednesday and told them I had no refills left, so would need them to call a new one in, when they got results. Friday they call me and leave a message saying I can remain taking the same dosage. I call back to say I don’t have any meds and need a refill, around 1pm. Didn’t hear back and was in a meeting all day, so couldn’t call back before they closed. Called Monday morning again and again, no one picks up the phone, so I leave another message. Nothing…
Today, Tuesday, I tried calling them for 30 min. Always getting voicemail, but now I don’t trust leaving a message since it hasn’t worked in the past. Finally get through and I’m put on hold for 13 min till call drops… Call again and again until I get through at 4:40. Front desk lady is super rude, says prescription was sent in, but refuses to call the pharmacy for me to confirm. I have no problem calling the pharmacy myself, but if I hang up with her and CVS doesn’t have prescription, who knows when I’ll get someone of the phone again. I ask her to do it for me, she talks over me like I am being unreasonable and hangs up on me as I am speaking.
Maybe I’m crazy, but that is not «customer» service, appropriate patient care, nor manners.
Lastly, CVS still doesn’t have my prescription and I can’t get anyone to answer the phone at his practice. Sad to say I’ll be leaving a doctor I like because his staff doesn’t meet basic patient’s needs.

Horrible staff, not too smart… Can i give –1 star??? Not too many good doctors in this neighborhood

In 2012 the doctor miscoded two appointments and charged me for more than what took place. I spent a year making calls to their billing office, my insurance company, and 3 conference calls with both parties. In the end, the outstanding bill prevented my mother from seeing a doctor so she had to pay the bill on the spot in order to receive treatment. Just last week I called their office with an unrelated question, and then they sent a bill notice for the same exact bill that my mother already paid a year ago. Save yourself a headache and go elsewhere.

The doctors here are absolutely wonderful. I’ve seen Dr. Stoepker (who is my favorite of all time) and two PAs who were wonderful. However, last night I waited until 8:15pm to be seen for my 6:40pm appointment. The receptionists and nurses were not welcoming and not apologetic. I heard them whispering and speaking in Spanish about patients. (I SPEAK SPANISH.) Rude! The higher ups here should REALLY take time to make sure the face of the office is more friendly.

I’m confused about the negative reviews because I’ve had nothing but wonderful experiences at this office. I’ll review today’s visit.
When I walked into the office, the receptionist just started at me, but eventually said hi. I’ve been in New York for about a year now, and that’s kind of to be expected. She wasn’t warm, but she wasn’t rude and she did her job so I didn’t really care.
I was immediately called into one of the rooms. I think they even saw me early which is unheard of for doctors’ offices. The nurse was friendly, took all my vitals quickly and effectively. Again, nothing to complain about. Not even give minutes after, Dr. Desai came in.
I have eczema and I’ve had bad experiences with doctors in the past. They’ve been so quick to write me a prescription and send me on my way. Dr. Desai explained to me the importance of my diet, being careful with the topical steroids I was taken and really took the time to explain how to care for myself and avoid future flare ups. She was extremely patient, thorough and we even laughed a little bit.
Instead of writing me a prescription, she sent me to a natural preventive care pharmacy so I could try out some natural remedies and see how they work out. I have NEVER had a doctor do this. We all know how quick doctors are to write you a prescription and send you on your merry way. I really appreciated Dr. Desai’s knowledge of ALL kinda of medicine and I also appreciated her knowledge of caring for eczema when you have a darker complexion.
She was sweet, knowledgable and I left her office feeling confident that I could get my eczema flare up under control because I was in good hands. I would recommend her to anyone. The hour trip from Brooklyn to see her was 100% worth it.

Beware! The terrible reviews are true! Westside family medicine is where you go to die. The doctors there do not perform comprehensive physical exams! They listen to your heart sounds and send you on your way! The front desk staff is rude. Dr. Rubin told didn’t know the answer to my question told me she would look it up and never got back to me. I called the office once due to what could have been a medical emergency requesting that someone from the medical team return my call. The response I received from the front desk «well the doctor has patients and we don’t have a triage nurse.» Seriously!!! Please value your health enough to go somewhere else.

So yeah — in case we didn’t realize it Unilocal has serious «statistical selection» issues. Namely, we don’t get a nice distribution of reviews — only people who are «sufficiently incentivized» write reviews.
Out of the kindness of my heart I write a review. I’ve always had a good experience at WFM. I always see my doctor, they take ZocDoc appointments, and I never have to wait long.
See the zocdoc reviews, they may be more representative. One drawback — the place is so far uptown — and there are so many kids uptown — like I just want I quiet walk from the subway; not screaming and stuff. Ugh pls can they just open a downtown practice.

I really liked my doctor but the receptionists are so rude. I had to wait for 20 minutes before my vitals and another 30 minutes for the doctor after my vital. I walked out and asked the receptionist how longer I should wait and she replied «oh, well you have to plan to stay at least for an hour when you visit a doctor’s office». And I keep getting emails and phone calls that I didn’t pay for my visit? I luckily found my credit card statement for that visit. But they also make sure you pay first when you walk in so this is total bullshit and I feel very humiliated because I always pay and pay full amount for whatever I buy or do!!! I will NEVER go there again. They wasted so much of time and stressed me out!

I’ll make this short and sweet, because it looks like this practice is getting the poor reception it deserves.
— I paid out of pocket for a medical procedure on July 30.
— My insurance cut Westside a check on August 22.
— Today is Halloween and I don’t have my money yet.
Their billing policies are messed up, the doctors aren’t that good, and the reception staff is apathetic. There’s nothing going for them. I will never visit this practice again.

Like other reviewers, this review is less about the doctors and more about the administrative staff, which has just been a mess. They will charge you $ 40 for a missed appointment even if you make one and five minutes later reschedule because your sick child FELL ASLEEP. Yet they will keep you waiting. Another negative is we started going to them when they were only on 110^th St., now it’s really hard to get an appointment there, making them much less convenient.
Bertie Bregman is solid doctor with kids, great bedside manner and very open to questions, etc. I’ve also had good experiences with Dr. Stoepker. Until I find a better option for me I’ll likely stay here, but I’m in the process of moving the kids to another pediatrician closer to home, with better availability and a far superior administration.

The administration here is terrible. Twice I paid my copay in cash; the first time they claimed I did not pay, and I did not have a receipt and I was not sure so I just paid it again. The second time I paid in cash, I asked for a receipt because of the first time. However, a month and a half later, I got an e-​mail saying that I hadn’t paid. Unfortunately, I had lost the receipt. I was trying to speak to them about this problem, but kept being told that a «supervisor» had to call me. Of course, a supervisor never did. Whenever I call, the number goes to voicemail. Terrible service, I will never go back again.

OMG! Just Dont Go there! The staff, The staff, The staff. I walked in the door to the facility on West 70^th Street, walked up to the window and the receptionist gave me a bitter look that said: why are bothering me while I’m textin! And it was down hill from there. The optimist that I am I then ventured to the 110^th street location hoping for better service and there was a slightly better atmosphere. But don’t expect much. I kinda got the feeling that the patients had taken over the UNIT. I’ve never seen a doctor on the premises mostly nurse practioners to the work which is fine. You have be duly warned!

So far so good. I had an appointment with Dr. Bertie Bregman and though there was a bit of a wait initially, I didn’t mind as I assume he is giving his patients the time they deserve and not rushing them out just to keep an appointment on time. I met Dr. Bregman and he was very nice. He was patient, attentive, asked pertinent questions about my health and was very thorough in his exam. I also appreciated the fact that he recommended physical therapy as well as medicine and did not just write me a prescription which would only temporarily deal with my issue. My six year old daughter and my three year son also see Dr. Bregman, and he makes them feel comfortable. I also have to say that the reception staff was extremely pleasant. I have no complaints.

This review is a little delayed but this is really the most inefficient Dr’s office I’ve ever been to in my life. I located them on Zoc Doc and was under the impression that having the convenience of booking my appointment online would be a big win — NOT!
On my first visit, the nurse took my height wrong — she was literally 3 inches off *blank stare.” I should have taken that as a sign but decided to stick it out. I attempted to have a simple procedure taken care of and it did not come to pass because I was given the runaround for weeks. First, I was given wrong information and then they kept telling me that they were «waiting on my insurance to push it through.» I had already gotten clearance from my insurance but needed a certain prescription filled by the doctor. They were supposed fill it and never did. I called for weeks hoping for an update and kept getting the runaround (Oh, the Dr. hasn’t called you yet? Um, no.) The communication is utterly horrendous and I really don’t understand how they are still in business.
Please do not waste your time by going to this practice — if you want to call it that.

I really, really wanted to like this practice. It’s very close to our house, and the weekend/​evening hours are very convenient. It is truly awful to be a patient here, though.
First, there is the rude office staff. The staff that loudly gossips about a patient with an STD in front of a waiting room full of other patients. The staff that sends in a patient whose appointment time was after yours in ahead of you – but doesn’t feel the need to apologize. The staff who, when the doctor is running over an hour late, tells you that you should expect this and threatens to fine you $ 40 if you leave. It’s hard to believe that, during a recession, when so many people are looking for work, they continue to employ people who clearly care so little about patients or customer service.
Second, there are the billing policies. Be aware that they have a policy of BILLING BY THE QUESTION. So when you take your child in for a well-​child visit, and the doctor asks if you have any questions, know that you will be billed one office visit for each question IN ADDITION to the visit that you are already paying for. They tried to bill me for an entire additional visit for asking for the doctor’s recommendation for baby shampoo! Also, if they forget to complete a part of a physical needed for school/​work – even if it is clearly listed on the form you give them – you will be charged for another visit in which they correct their mistake. And if you need to get your TB test results read, you will of course be billed for an entire visit for the 2 second check… something I have never encountered before at any other doctor.
Finally, there are the doctors. Since there is an ever-​changing cast of doctors, and they frequently substitute doctors without warning you, you will likely see a different doctor at every visit, regardless of your preferences. This is a real problem, especially when most of the doctors are not very good. Bregman has always been fine, but it is virtually impossible to schedule anything with him in a reasonable timeframe now. Stoepker has also been good. But the other doctors… flakes are drawn to this office like moths to a flame. Examples: I have been given a prescription that would have been dangerous for me to take, even after I specifically asked the doctor if it would be safe to take given my conditions. After trying to fill it, the pharmacist confirmed that every doctor should know that I shouldn’t have been prescribed the medicine. Of course, Westside Family Medicine happily billed me for another visit to correct their mistake. Another example: I made an appointment solely to get a referral for my son. The doctor scratched her chin, told me she’d research it and call me back… Never happened. Didn’t return my calls. I had to wait and ambush her at the office, at which time she handed me a referral for a specialist that she had googled the moment before. The referral was entirely inappropriate and the specialist didn’t even provide the services we had agreed that my son needed. So the Westside Family Medicine doc said she would call me back with a referral that worked. You can guess what happened…
In sum, don’t go there. They will waste your time, do any and everything they can to take your money, and will at times actively stand between your family and appropriate medical care. The fact that they feel so little need to satisfy their basic obligations to children is especially disturbing.