Arlington-area pediatrician reccomendations

[Anonymous]

We are expecting our first children (twins!) in April and I am starting the pediatrician search in N Arlington. I have read the (mostly) rave reviews of Northern Virginia and Sleepy Hollow Pediatrics on this forum and definitely plan to check them out. Are there other pediatricians in the area, perhaps not in larger group practices, that people like? Anyone with twins/multiples experience? We will deliver at VHC. I also tend to prefer doctors who take the time to explain things so that I can make an informed decision. We have Aetna insurance and when I searched their site for pediatricians I got 495 names within 5 miles of 22203! So any thoughts on narrowing down the search would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[Anonymous]

We have aetna and see Dr. Barbara Stevens on Fairfax and Pollard. She practices at VMC and did her residency at Gtwn. She is extremely thorough. Her office is small. It's just her and a receptionist. She weighs my baby, takes the blood pressure, etc. She is hands on and is always available when I call her. She answers a page within just a couple minutes. She is also very cautious. We switched from another local doctor to her when my baby was 6 weeks old. Now, we are expecting #2 - for April like you. Well, best of luck to you in your delivery and I hope you find a great doctor.

[Anonymous]

We go to Dr. Casey's office in the 1715 building at VHC and have been very happy. My favorite doctor is Dr. Pease- She is a gem!

I have friends who went to Dr. Mary Gallagher (I believe on George Mason Drive) who is in solo practice. They loved her and moved to NJ recently and talk about how much they miss her. She is a mom of 6 kids--

[Anonymous]

I use Dr. Lisa Kelly at Northern VA Pediatric Associates in Falls Church - I live in N. Arlington and the drive is quick. She's good, down to earth, the practice is large and they have their own on-site lab. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We interviewed Dr. Pease (same practice as Dr. Casey) and liked her, but found they didn't take our insurance (Aetna's website said they did, but the office manager said our specific plan was no longer accepted.)

We really liked Dr. Robertson of Sleepy Hollow, though we opted to go with Northern Virginia Pediatrics because the facilities just seemed more modern (we have already met Dr.'s Halpin and Baldrate and like both, plus friends rave about Dr. Atiyeh and Dr. Kelly)

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

We use Dr. Goldman, Dr. Casey, and the rest of their practice. Dr. Goldman is our primary pediatrician but we really love them all.

[Anonymous]

Yeah, we really like Dr. Robertson at Sleepy Hollow - he's just great. Sometimes our baby sasses him (Dr. Robertson: "well, baby girl, you seem to be gaining weight at a healthy rate." Dad doing voice over for baby: "Doctor, are you calling me fat?") but he just laughes along with us and is totally easy going and attentive.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Dr. Robertson at Sleepy Hollow. He is so good with our 2 year old and always gives me thoughtful and thorough answers to my long list of questions. It is a plus that Sleepy Hollow has such fantastic hours and fabulous about returning calls/speaking with a nurse.

[Anonymous]

OP here- thanks, everyone for all your suggestions. It is so helpful to have real-life experiences to draw on when making this decision. I will get in touch with all of these practices and see which works for us. Happy new year!

[Anonymous]

As first-time parents and residents of North Arlington, we took our newborn daughter (now 2) to Drs Casey, Goldman, Lischwe & Garrett. I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Allison Pease; however, after 14 months of headache with the rest of the practice---including absolute nightmares on the billing front---we switched to Northern Virginia Pediatrics (Dr. Amin Barakat) on the recommendation of a coworker. The difference has been night and day. The staff is warm, responsive and professional; Dr. Barakat is outstanding; we rarely wait, but if we do, it is not for long, and staff keeps us informed. This is a stark contrast from Drs Casey, Goldman. Though Drs Casey, Goldman et al are very convenient (just 3 minutes from our home), it is far worth the short drive to Falls Church.

[Anonymous]

I love Drs. Casey, Goldman et al. Everyone I know who goes there seems to have their faves and at least one they don't like. There are some admin problems and they are very busy (calling first thing in the morning is impossible) BUT they will ALWAYS squeeze in a sick child, which I appreciate, and the staff has never been anything but pleasant and helpful to me. I will always be grateful to Dr. Goldman--at first I thought he was a bit abrasive but he really loves and cares about kids, as I learned when my child got extremely sick one night at 3 in the morning. I called the answering service and he, as the doc on duty, called me back right away (he clearly had been asleep) and could not have been kinder or more concerned. He called me back personally first thing in the morning to check on my son. I called a zillion times with my newborn to ask about things which, in retrospect, were really silly, but the nurse always took time to listen to my concerns and was never dismissive or unhelpful. They aren't perfect, but they really care about the kids they see and that is invaluable to me.

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Dr. Robertson at Sleepy Hollow. Our son is now 9 months old. In addition to the regular well-baby visits, we've had some scary health issues. My son has been to a neurologist, speech therapist, and has had an upper GI series... all for separate issues. Recently, he had a 5 day hospital stay for RSV. Thankfully, none of these issues were anything chronic or permanent and we have a happy, healthy baby boy. Anyway, my point is... Dr. R has been very wonderful throughout. He has always explained everything very thoroughly and taken lots of time to answer zillions of our questions. We have had the opportunity to meet several other docs for sick visits and have been impressed with every one of them. We love the nurses and the office/support staff as well. I left my OB practice because of rude office staff, so this is important to me. Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Another vote for Dr. Kelly at NOVA Pediatrics. She's been great with our 15 mos old!

[Anonymous]

Dr. Atiyeh or any of the doctors, really (some of the females are great) at NOVA Ped Assoc.