Looking for pediatrician - Baltimore

amother

Mon, Mar 14 2022, 11:12 pm

Those of you in Baltimore please recommend an excellent pediatrician. Male/female and Jewish/non Jewish don't matter. I want someone with excellent diagnostic, treatment, and communication skills. I appreciate the help in advance.

ETA: Please post the name of the doctor, if they have any partners in the practice, or nurse practitioners, and why you would recommend the practice.

amother

Dustypink

Mon, Mar 14 2022, 11:13 pm

Dr. Mary Garza. She is brilliant at what she does and her bedside manner is perfection. I am happy with all of the other physicians in this large practice as well. The con is that when you call you can wait on hold for 10 plus minutes at a time.

amother

Candycane

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 12:02 am

amother [ Oleander ] wrote:

Dr. Sondra Heiligman. She spends a lot of time with each patient and really listens. Cons - there can be long wait times because she spends time with each patient.

I would not use her unless you want to wait over an hour every visit

I highly recommend main street pediatrics. They're all great. Dr. Poliakoff is frum but every doctor there is excellent. No wait times, very responsive, they'll fit you in and call you back

amother

Mocha

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 5:44 am

We are overall happy at valley pediatrics. Dr cohen, dr Stein, dr Bajaj are our preferred docs to see. The usually have sun early am sick visit times.
Yes they recommend COVID vaccination but don't force the issue if you aren't interested (I would be shocked if any of the bigger practices aren't recommending the vaccine).
Biggest con is no male providers and my oldest kids are boys and are starting to get uncomfortable- we may switch for that reason alone....

amother

Moonstone

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 6:37 am

amother [ Anemone ] wrote:

Highly recommend Celia Bardoff, nurse practitioner. She is very experienced and has an excellent bedside manner. Office is well run.

I came here to recommend Celia and Mary!! Watchemsprout Pediatrics is the name of the practice and I can not speak highly enough about them!!! My daughter is 18 and she will not go anywhere else and is so happy she can stay with them until she is 22. My boys (9 and 12) are very comfortable with them also. Wait times are nil. They do their own on-call, which means the office phone rings on their cell phones after hours. They do not have another pediatrician on call. They never want you to go to urgent care unless you have a literal emergency. So many of the local pediatricians have patients to urgent care for three cultures etc. because they cannot get you in. This will never happen with Watchemsprout.

amother [ Candycane ] wrote:

I would not use her unless you want to wait over an hour every visit

Re: Dr. Heiligman - she is wonderful but this is why we left her practice. Literally we waited for over 4 hours in the past. She is a wonderful physician and excellent at diagnostics. But not better than watchemsprout, skill wise. I’d say the same skill level. Celia and Mary also spend a lot of time with each patient, we never ever feel rushed. But their office is run to accommodate this.

amother

Birch

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 7:08 am

amother [ Mocha ] wrote:

We recently switched to valley pediatrics and while the doctors are great, the office staff is absolutely neurotic about covid. My baby had a well visit 2 days after he turned 2 and they forced him to wear a mask.

amother

PlumPink

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 9:59 am

I switched a couple times and finally settled at Owings Mills Pediatrics. I like some doctors better than others. I like Dr Cardin for my boys. He is great with returning calls and answering questions. But I absolutely love Dr Wandishin. She's just normal and tells me to trust my motherly instincts when I have concerns. Dr. Finkelstein is also great.

I find the office staff very friendly and helpful.

amother

Winterberry

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 12:32 pm

amother [ Birch ] wrote:

Agreed! We moved here recently and use Dr Cohen. We like her but the office is crazy about Covid and masks. Ironically I’ve caught the front desk staff without at times and wanted to call them out in it.
When I’m in the room alone waiting I always pull down my mask. Boggles my mind that they would think I don’t and that they are still sooo serious about it.
She does tell me she recommends Covid vaccine but also knows I won’t do it.

amother

Birch

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 12:36 pm

amother [ Winterberry ] wrote:

Yes I really regret switching from my former pediatricians office. My friends all raved about valley pediatrics but they screamed at my just turned two year old and me for not having him wear a mask in the waiting room at all times, and also screamed at my nine year old who just had a super traumatic visit and was screaming and crying and just wanted to walk out the door - one of the office staff literally came out from her cubicle to scream at my son (who had come in for a well visit and was not sick!!) that how dare he not wear his mask and he is making her sick and it’s his fault if covid never ends. Just zero tact. Let us just walk out the door and if you stayed out on your side of the closed door, all would have been fine. I would NOT recommend them at all based on the office staff especially since there are so many other great options in baltimore.

BrisketBoss

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 12:37 pm

Would it be locationally and otherwise practical for you to use Angela R. LaRosa from the Maryland Pediatric Group? She was actually my pediatrician when I was a child, through my very late teens. I love her (and so does my mom).

We don't have much experience with her diagnostic abilities, but yes with good communication.

amother

Winterberry

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 4:55 pm

amother [ Birch ] wrote:

Oiy that’s terrible! I’m so sorry you had that experience:(
I kept hearing that before Covid it was the nicest practice etc. we went there bec of a relative who loves them. I’m having a hard time with their craziness over Covid but I am finding my doctor to be a drop less neurotic. I do like the way she talks to my kids and asks them different questions from academics to diet at their well visits. But again their approach to Covid is a real turn off..

amother

Dustypink

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 9:45 pm

BrisketBoss wrote:

Dr. Mary Garza is actually a part of the same practice as LaRosa. LaRosa is the one practitioner I have somehow never used. I also have a friend who recently switched her children from LaRosa to another physician due to dissatisfaction.

Dr. Garza recommends the vaccine if you ask her about it. She did not spontaneously ask us and push us to vaccinate for Covid. When I asked, she also chose to share that the flu vaccine is more important for our kids than the Covid vaccine. Or rather, that the flu is more of something to be concerned about than Covid.

amother

Poppy

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 9:53 pm

amother [ Moonstone ] wrote:

I agree with both paragraphs. We left Dr Heiligman too for that reason, and use the NPs above

amother

Red

Tue, Mar 15 2022, 11:23 pm

Ugh whenever anyone goes on and on about how they LOVE their kids pediatrician it makes me wonder if I should be switching. I feel “eh” about my kids doctor. She’s ok… thank G-d my kids are pretty healthy so her expertise hasn’t been put to the test. I always feel so rushed though during appointments. Like I have to say everything super quick and get all of my questions in as fast as I can while she is in the middle of doing the exam otherwise before I know it the appointment is over and she is out the door. She’s nice I just feel so extremely rushed! I know it has to do with time and making money but is every doctor/practice like this?

(We go to one of the practices and one of the doctors mentioned above in this thread).

amother

Iris

Wed, Mar 16 2022, 12:16 am

amother [ Candycane ] wrote:

I thought I heard they are not taking new patients. I believe they were waiting for a new doctor to start and that person would take new patients.

amother

PlumPink

Wed, Mar 16 2022, 10:05 am

Re Main Street Pediatrics

Quote:

I thought I heard they are not taking new patients. I believe they were waiting for a new doctor to start and that person would take new patients.

I know someone personally who had her first baby 3 weeks ago and is using Dr. Paliakoff.