Help needed for DC based Pediatrician - looking for feedback

[Anonymous]

we did not have a good experience with Dr Lang -- waited an hour on our first appointment, saw her for maybe 5 minutes, she left, said she had another emergency and that was it. When we asked if we could email her records she complained, saying "I have 4,000 patients, how do you expect me to read emails!" ... when we were only asking if we could send records. Not recommended.

[Anonymous]

We see Dr. Sage in the office of Dr. Lang. Really like her, but I think she is only in 2 times per week as she has young children. The only time we have had long waits is for sick appts where they have to schedule you in among the regular appts - I think that is reasonable. For us, the location is great. For the person who wanted to email records, most MD offices are just not set up for this yet - there are a host of issues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We choose the 2141 K St. practice on the recommendation of a physician friend of ours who takes his child there. We have seen Dr Hamburger (3-4x) and Dr. Sepe (2x) and like the both a lot (prefer Dr. Hamburger). She is really wonderful. We have never waited too long (maybe 15 max) compared to waiting times in other dr offices (OB GYN, GP, etc.). Both docs seem very caring and are patient. We have plenty of time to ask questions and do not feel rushed. If you call the nurse triage line (non-emergency), you get a response within a few hours. We have not seen any of the other docs in the practice, but would certainly recommend either Hamburger or Sepe.

Unfortunately I have to disagree. The wait times at CP&A are horrendous. The docs and nurses tell everyone to try to be the first appt of the day or the first appt after the lunch break because it's a zoo after then. I know 2 sets of parents who have gone there with newborns in the middle of the day and had to wait hours, all while surrounded by sick kids. That being said, the docs have given us good medical care consistently. My favorite is Dr Lynne Schoonover. She is smart, gracious and respectful.

[Anonymous]

i am still with pullman & ariza, but really only because i love the nurse practitioners and the nursing staff, who are wonderful. dr. pullman is my son's pedi, we've only seen her twice, once she was so rough with him at 1 week old i wanted to leave right then and there, but at his 1 month appointment she was really wonderful with him and answered all my questions so maybe it was a bad day that time, but she handled both new baby and new parents very badly during that first appointment and it's always left a bad taste in my mouth.

yes, we've had some issues with the admin staff but i think that would happen in any practice. wait times haven't been too bad so far. DS is 4 months old.

[Anonymous]

also have been very happy at Ped Village with Dr. Edmonds.

[Anonymous]

We go to the 2141 K street practice. We have seen a lot of docs and have liked all of them. Sepe is our favorite. I have never found him to be dismissive. And, he always apologizes for the wait, even thought it really isn't his fault.

Staff could be better, but they are improving and nurses always call back and take plenty of time of the phone when we have questions.

Also, one benefit of a large practice is they have saturday appointments for urgent issues. Its not usually that crowded, so if you have a sick kid on Friday and you are worried you can call and get an appointment to go in on the weekend.

[Anonymous]

we go to dr. lang, but somehow got switched to dr. sage. i will say this about lang: she will personally call you and is very sweet and empathetic. i can't imagine her yelling at anyone!! i am a big fan of hers!

dr. sage is ok, but not great. she's kind of an alarmist. sends you to a specialist for every dang thing. but i think some people really like that. she's pleasant enough and always gives us as much time as we need.

the nursing staff is awesome. i love those guys!

[Anonymous]

Hi - So, I'm the OP and was surprised to see my posting from last year resurface Since it didn, I'll give everyone an update:

We switched to the 2141 practice in April 2008 and have been thrilled with our decision. We have a 2.5 year old and 10 month old twins. The twins - poor things - were born on th small side, have had chronic ear infections and a rough first winter w/olds of virus, etc. Over the last year, the 2.5 year old has had a few different odd things - spider bite, rashes, pink eye - come up. So, basically we've been to the practice at least once a month (if not 2-3 times since last July.

My feedback: we've seen most all of the drs at the practice and have been very impressed, even with the residents. They have a great way with babies/kids and the younger doc know when to call in the more experience ones. Wait times have not been too bad at all. On occasion for a same day sick visit, we've had to wait an hour or so, but this was faster by far than our Dr Lang experience (our older DS also had chronic ear infections so we would come in once a month and I would say more than 50% of the time have to wait 2-3 hours.

[Anonymous]

Reviving this thread, as office staff and policies change all the time. We are also considering a switch from Dr. Lang to either 2141 K Street or Pullman/Ariza. Any recent insights on either practice would be appreciated!

[Anonymous]

I'm with Pullman & Ariza and I'm thinking of switching. We waited almost three hours to be seen last week (and yes, I know there is swine flu circulating so it's a crazy time) but the worst was they had us undress our infant daughter and said they would be with us soon. An hour later, we were still waiting with our very naked and unhappy daughter. Then after we saw the doctor, it was another 40 minutes to get the shot. I used to love Dr. Valois, but she's left and her replacement seems to struggle with even basic illnesses and seems extremely nervous. I wouldn't recommend it, sorry.

[Anonymous]

A note on my experiences with Dr. Lang's offices:

1--infant with jaundice--we were seen immediately by Dr. Sage

2--child in the ER for staph infection on eyelid--seen immediately by the nurse practitioner. Dr. Sage also called twice to follow up.

3--sick appointment as well as well appointments--we've had to wait for hours and hours...

We are considering leaving the practice. Parking is hell and I can't get an appointment for a skin issue. I have to call in and make a sick appointment (read waiting for hours during flu season) for not an actual 'sick' issue.

Who are these new doctors at Dr. Lang's office that people are mentioning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reviving this thread, as office staff and policies change all the time. We are also considering a switch from Dr. Lang to either 2141 K Street or Pullman/Ariza. Any recent insights on either practice would be appreciated!

We are at 2141 K, and so far so good. We've gone in twice in the last three months, and both experiences were pleasant. We didn't wait longer than 15 minutes, and both pediatricians we saw (Dr. Wagner and a resident--I forget her name) were friendly and efficient.

The last time we went in was a couple of weeks ago when DC came down with the flu, but was recovering nicely.

The cons: The wait times on the phone can be long, but 'tis the season--I think most practices are going to have long wait times on the phone. Parking is expensive (we take metro, cab, or walk, but I've heard it can cost $20 to park there). Also, they are VERY STRICT about being on time--if you are late, for whatever reason, they might reschedule you. So, you should plan ahead for any unexpected emergencies. Also, they have one wait room for both sick and healthy kids (though I don't know their policy for highly contagious kids with diseases like chicken pox).

So far, I like the practice. I don't plan on switching, and I like the fact that it is so closely affiliated with Children's National and a stone's throw away from GWU.

[Anonymous]

I have been with Dr Lang for 2 years at this point. We recently moved and I am looking at switching. I've waited 3 hrs at one time at Dr Lang's office. She is a good doctor and gives you a lot of time. Initially when I first met Dr Sage , she seemed very warm but on a recent visit I was very disappointed. She seemed disinterested and possibly over worked. I am not sure. Anyways, for me as much as I like Dr Lang, its too much to spend an hour in the waiting room and then once you are inside, have your child undressed for another 40 mins while waiting for the doctor to show up. Its much easier when they are smaller but not anymore. I agree with previous posters on the staff being rude. Its is a very chaotic practice. I think with a few changes, it might be an excellent place but for now I can't talk half a day off work everytime my son is sick.