dr. dan shapiro or dr. chuck conlon?

[Anonymous]

I've read so many raves on this board tabout dr. shapiro, I called on the off-chance he was taking new patients. (he answered his own phone!) he said he might be taking new patients soon, that I could try back later. I asked him who else he would recommend. he said dr. conlon, whom I've also seen raves about. I was able to get an august appt with dr. conlon, which I'm thrilled about.

this would be for an initial eval of my 3-year-old DS.

however... I've read about dr. conlon's long delays in getting reports back to parents -- sometimes months! I'm wondering whether I should keep shooting for dr. shapiro or whether dr. conlon is the better choice. I know "better" is relative, but I'd just love to get some opinions.

thanks!

[Anonymous]

Is insurance or payment an issue? We see Dr. Shapiro and have to pay fully out of pocket since he does not take insurance and our insurance won't pay for out of network. It's worth it to us, though it is a lot of $. I don't know if Conlon takes insurance but the financial aspect might be a consideration.

We managed to get in with Dr. S and I highly, highly recommend him. Beyond the glowing reviews of his substantive expertise and good "bedside manner"/communication style, he is very accessible and has great follow up. Frankly I know I would go crazy waiting for reports and follow up and I hear this is a real issue with Conlon. Apparently when you're right in front of him he's 100% there and great but out of the office, out of mind, etc. That's not ok to me. If there were no one else I wouldn't have a choice, but thankfully we managed to get in with Dr. S.

[Anonymous]

OP here --

thanks, PP! another great vote for dr. shapiro. the communication thing is of great concern to me. I still can't believe that dr. shapiro answered his own phone.

dr. conlon doesn't take insurance, either. sigh. for a one-hour parent consultation and a two-hour child eval, it's going to cost us $855. I still have to call our insurance to see if they'll cover any of it.

I've read so many horror stories on this board about places that do take insurance -- georgetown, children's. I'm reluctant to go that route. (though if anyone has any recs for good developmental pediatricians who take insurance, I'd love to hear about them!)

[Anonymous]

I'm the PP. If you have to pay out of pocket for either and you can at all get in with Dan Shapiro, I think that's the way to go.

Kennedy Krieger takes insurance and is supposed to be great. I gather from this board that appointments are scheduled somewhat far out but you can usually get in earlier due to cancellations. It's a schlep to Baltimore for many but they're supposed to be good enough to warrant that. I strongly considered but after meeting with Dr. S, I'm glad we did that route.

[Anonymous]

Keep the appointment with Conlon and decide as late as possible if you can cancel. I love Dr. S, but it doesn't sound like he knows exactly when his practice will open to new patients and you might be stuck if you let this other appointment go.

[Anonymous]

We see Dr. Conlon and haven't had problems with the reports - sometimes he is very times and when I haven't gotten something that I think I should have, I've reminded him by email, giving him a deadline by when I need it and he's always come through. He's also very responsive to my emails when I've had questions and he works very well with our regular pediatrician. We only have to see him once a year for each kid (we have three) except if there's an issues (usually revolving around medication). He's also been very responsive to our advocate/consultant and, for us, that makes the slight inconvenience of reminding him about the reports a non-issue. I'm not trying to sway you one way or another. It sounds like Dr. Conlon and Dr. Shapiro are fabulous providers. I just don't think the issue with the reports is that big of a deal, especially since you are aware of it, it can be accomodated and Dr. Shapiro isn't taking new patients.

[Anonymous]

We saw Dr. Conlon for the first time about 2 weeks ago. We loved him! I highly recommend him. Before we arrived, I was a basket case. We'd seen 6 different therapists who had provided us with 6 different perspectives. We'd also seen a neuro who'd just added to our confusion. Dr. Conlon was incredibly patient and sensitive to our concerns. He offered some helpful suggestions that nobody else had. His rapport with our son was impressive. Most importantly, he helped us to make sense of all the diagnoses that had been provided and reassured us that we were on the right track. I was personally hesitant because of the reports, but decided that the reports were secondary to the care we received. Plus, we've dealt with the same issues with other providers who were considered tops in their fields. Knowing that he is often late with reports, I'll just know to remind him often. He made it very clear that we should call him any time we had a concern. I definitely feel that we have found the right person to oversee our sons care.

[Anonymous]

I love Dr. Shapiro!!! I highly recommend him. However, if money is a problem, Dr. Elliot Gersh at Children's Hospital is great- and they take all insurance. He's a develop ped. Also, Dr. Matthew Biel at Georgegtown Autism Clinic is WONDERFUL and also cute! LOL- And I think Georgetown takes all insurance as well.

[Anonymous]

We also see Dr. Conlon and yes - reports can be an issue but guess what? Don't call the office! He's happy to email it to you himself. Now that we know to communicate with him by email, it's made a huge change.

He works well his our son and I echo the comments from poster 04/01 18:20 and poster 04/02 23:08.

[Anonymous]

Hello:

I need to take my son, who has sensory processing disorder, to a pediatric neurologist to get an EEG to make sure that he is not having pre-seizure activity. Would Dr. Conlon or Dr. Shapiro be good for this? Do they both deal well with children with sensory processing disorder? Since both don't seem to take insurance, does one of them seem to charge lower fees than the other? I have also heard that Dr. Elizabeth Latimer is good. I believe that she works in the same office as Dr Conlon. Does anyone have any opinion about her and know if she takes insurance?

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I've heard great things from our PT about Dr. Latimer, though she also doesn't take insurance. We work with Dr. Shapiro, and the rapid reports and responsiveness is huge to me. We have needed so many last minute, quick-turnaround requests regarding some insurance issues and test results, and he always comes through. He's even called when I didn't email him back to make sure I got his response. After dealing with so many docs that never get back to us despite tons of calls, that is a big deal to me. He is expensive. Our insurance covers some of it, but not even close to all of it. I just submit claims to them.

[Anonymous]

14:07 here--and just again I needed a letter for our insurance from him and within a few hours it was done and emailed to me! You just can't beat that.

[Anonymous]

13:16, I'm unclear - do you want to see either Conlon or Shapiro because you need a referral to see a neurologist? If so, I would do that through my regular pediatrician, because you are going to wait a long time to see either doctor and if your dc is having subclinical seizures, you need to get the EEG done sooner rather than later.

[Anonymous]

If it's a pediatric neurologist rec you are seeking I recommend Andrea Gropman at CNMC.

[Anonymous]

We see Dr. Conlon and are very happy. I left his office with more clarity than any other appointment I've been to. Super nice guy, great with my child, and great with us worried parents, too.

I've never seen Dr. Shapiro, so I have no basis for comparison. I'm sure he's great as well.

I'd keep your appointment with Dr. Conlon and then if you can get in with Dr. Shapiro and you'd prefer to see him, just cancel it the appointment with Dr. Conlon. I think either way, you're in good hands.