Dr. Alan Birnkrant or GWMFA?

[Anonymous]

Hello,

I am trying to decide whether to go with Dr. Alan Birnkrant on M Street, or an OBGYN at GWMFA. Any opinions on either of these options, or small vs large practice for a FTM?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

I'm having my first child under the care of an OBGYN at GWMFA and I have been really pleased -- no complaints so far (I'm almost 29 weeks). The complaints that I have heard about GWUMFA from others are mostly long waits for appointments, trouble with the reception desk, and problems getting return phone calls. I have experienced none of those things -- I have been able to get my desired early morning or lunchtime appointments for each of my pre-natal visits, I have only had to wait longer than 10-15 minutes once (and they were very apologetic), the women who work at the reception area are busy but perfectly polite, and the three times that I have called with questions I have received very prompt replies. I also had to go to GWU Labor and Delivery late one night for some suspected complication (everything was fine, luckily), and I was really impressed with the nurses and the resident who took care of me that night. That went a long way in making me feel better about the actual delivery.

I don't know where Dr. Birnkrant has privileges, but you should know that because GWU is a teaching hospital, there can be residents and med students hanging around you a lot. This does not bother me a bit but if you are particularly modest, it's something to consider.

[Anonymous]

GWMFA patient here. Up until my last two appointments I had not problem with waits, but these last two have been horrendous, I waited for over an hour each time. Before that I had never waited more than 10 minutes. I think the key is getting an early morning appointment, these last two were later in the day.

Other than my current furstration with wait times, I have been very happy with everything about GWMFA.

[Anonymous]

I'm with Dr. Birnkrant and really like him. My choice was between these two options and what did it for me was the personalness of Dr. Birkrant and not just being another patient in a rotating practice. I've never had wait problems with him and his staff is fantastic. I had some really bad problems during the first trimester and they were always there and going above and beyond- prompt return calls and when things were bad, they had me come in right away. Dr. Birnkrant has privileges at Sibley and GW. The one thing to consider is that he doesn't do full delivery on weekends and Dr. Bridges may substitute in for him. Also- if you go into labor and Dr. Birnkrant is at Sibley, he will want you to go to Sibley. Those are some things to consider if you want to definitely know where you will deliver. For me, having one person who knows me outweighs that.

[Anonymous]

If you go with GWMFA, be aware that it's 50/50 whether your doctor will be at your delivery. I left there halfway through my pregnancy a few years ago because of the issues mentioned--wait time, the staff could never get their computers running, etc. When I left it took WEEKS to get my records--not good when you're 20 weeks pregnant.

[Anonymous]

Does Dr. Birnkrant take insurance?

[Anonymous]

Dr. Birnkrant does not take insurance for new OB patients. His staff fills out all the paperwork and submits the claims for you. In my case, my insurance covers him but I have to pay first and then get reimbursed. The hospital is covered by insurance directly.

[Anonymous]

I am from the UK and am still not familiar with the health insurance system here......

I have BlueCross BlueShield insurance. Does anybody know if BCBS would reimburse me if I was to go with Dr Birnkrant?

And could somebody give me an idea of how much I would be expected to pay upfront for appointments?

Thanks

[Anonymous]

If you call the 800 number for BCBS, they're actually not bad at going over what they cover. Also- if you go to their website, they have a rather large .pdf booklet of what they cover for non-participating providers, which is how Dr. Birnkrant would be classified. Dr. Birnkrant's office also has a handout of all the charges listed out by procedure and visit.

[Anonymous]

Thanks. I found out that my insurance (BCBS Basic - Federal) won't cover non-preferred providers.....