Recommend your NWDC pediatrician who draws labs on-site and doesn't nickel and dime

[Anonymous]

We're currently with McKnight Pediatrics, which we chose because my OB recommended it before my first child was born and we live nearby. While we've always received excellent care for our children and like the newer practitioners, there are a few things about the practice that have led me to consider a switch.

- No on-site lab (have to schlep to Children's next door or elsewhere - not ideal when you're carting around a jaundiced newborn who needs frequent bili checks)
- Office is one of maybe 2 pediatric practices in a building that mostly caters to adults
- $25-$35 charge for school forms (cost depends on how quickly they're needed)
- Parking is $5 (or $8 if you have to piggyback to Children's for labs) and a total nightmare
- Office environment lacks warmth and is dated (not a huge deal, but throwing it in with my other gripes)

Thanks for your recommendations!

[Anonymous]

Mary's Center. We see Dr. Mazie at Georgia Ave and have been to Fort Totten for sick visits. They're amazing doctors, do labs on site, and in general are a fabulous, well organized office. I really appreciate that my private insurance dollars help subsidize uninsured patients too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're currently with McKnight Pediatrics, which we chose because my OB recommended it before my first child was born and we live nearby. While we've always received excellent care for our children and like the newer practitioners, there are a few things about the practice that have led me to consider a switch.

- No on-site lab (have to schlep to Children's next door or elsewhere - not ideal when you're carting around a jaundiced newborn who needs frequent bili checks)
- Office is one of maybe 2 pediatric practices in a building that mostly caters to adults
- $25-$35 charge for school forms (cost depends on how quickly they're needed)
- Parking is $5 (or $8 if you have to piggyback to Children's for labs) and a total nightmare
- Office environment lacks warmth and is dated (not a huge deal, but throwing it in with my other gripes)

Thanks for your recommendations!

Avoid Foxhall Pediatrics. Used to be wonderful but now an awful and expensive experience. Personnel changes.

[Anonymous]

Hey OP. I'm not going to try and convince you to stay with McKnight if it's not working for you, but I just wanted to note that there's a lab on the first floor that you pass to get to the elevators to McKnight's office. Have you ever been there before? We take our kids there for blood work as we've actually had better experiences there than at Children's National.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're currently with McKnight Pediatrics, which we chose because my OB recommended it before my first child was born and we live nearby. While we've always received excellent care for our children and like the newer practitioners, there are a few things about the practice that have led me to consider a switch.

- No on-site lab (have to schlep to Children's next door or elsewhere - not ideal when you're carting around a jaundiced newborn who needs frequent bili checks)
- Office is one of maybe 2 pediatric practices in a building that mostly caters to adults
- $25-$35 charge for school forms (cost depends on how quickly they're needed)
- Parking is $5 (or $8 if you have to piggyback to Children's for labs) and a total nightmare
- Office environment lacks warmth and is dated (not a huge deal, but throwing it in with my other gripes)

Thanks for your recommendations!

Avoid Foxhall Pediatrics. Used to be wonderful but now an awful and expensive experience. Personnel changes.

I couldn't disagree more! Foxhall Pediatrics is if anything more wonderful than ever. Dr. Sweeney and Dr. Daniel are both wonderful doctors, in all regards. They have an amazing manner with kids, are never hurried, have a great sense of humor, are thorough and cautious yet also pragmatic... And they're just fabulous people, from what I can tell. (One of them once opened the office up for us after hours so that we wouldn't have to go the ER in a situation in which it would have been really unpleasant.) The nurses are lovely too, as are the other members of the office staff. They are incredibly responsive, always get questions answered quickly, get us in when we need to be seen, take care of school forms with amazing efficiency, etc.

I don't know that they check all the OP's boxes (for example they don't draw blood on younger children, but you can def do that without going to Children's - one option being the Safeway on Bradley Boulevard), and for that matter I have no idea whether they're even accepting new patients--but if they are, I highly recommend them to people who are nearby and are looking for an old-fashioned feeling, personal, unhurried practice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're currently with McKnight Pediatrics, which we chose because my OB recommended it before my first child was born and we live nearby. While we've always received excellent care for our children and like the newer practitioners, there are a few things about the practice that have led me to consider a switch.

- No on-site lab (have to schlep to Children's next door or elsewhere - not ideal when you're carting around a jaundiced newborn who needs frequent bili checks)
- Office is one of maybe 2 pediatric practices in a building that mostly caters to adults
- $25-$35 charge for school forms (cost depends on how quickly they're needed)
- Parking is $5 (or $8 if you have to piggyback to Children's for labs) and a total nightmare
- Office environment lacks warmth and is dated (not a huge deal, but throwing it in with my other gripes)

Thanks for your recommendations!

OP, not sure about some of your gripes... Why does it matter who other practices int he same buildling cater to? And it's weird to be complaining about school fees being too high on one hand and then wanting more up to date decor... Do you really want to pay for that??

[Anonymous]

Spring Valley Pediatrics checks all your boxes, but they don't take insurance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We're currently with McKnight Pediatrics, which we chose because my OB recommended it before my first child was born and we live nearby. While we've always received excellent care for our children and like the newer practitioners, there are a few things about the practice that have led me to consider a switch.

- No on-site lab (have to schlep to Children's next door or elsewhere - not ideal when you're carting around a jaundiced newborn who needs frequent bili checks)
- Office is one of maybe 2 pediatric practices in a building that mostly caters to adults
- $25-$35 charge for school forms (cost depends on how quickly they're needed)
- Parking is $5 (or $8 if you have to piggyback to Children's for labs) and a total nightmare
- Office environment lacks warmth and is dated (not a huge deal, but throwing it in with my other gripes)

Thanks for your recommendations!

Avoid Foxhall Pediatrics. Used to be wonderful but now an awful and expensive experience. Personnel changes.

I couldn't disagree more! Foxhall Pediatrics is if anything more wonderful than ever. Dr. Sweeney and Dr. Daniel are both wonderful doctors, in all regards. They have an amazing manner with kids, are never hurried, have a great sense of humor, are thorough and cautious yet also pragmatic... And they're just fabulous people, from what I can tell. (One of them once opened the office up for us after hours so that we wouldn't have to go the ER in a situation in which it would have been really unpleasant.) The nurses are lovely too, as are the other members of the office staff. They are incredibly responsive, always get questions answered quickly, get us in when we need to be seen, take care of school forms with amazing efficiency, etc.

I don't know that they check all the OP's boxes (for example they don't draw blood on younger children, but you can def do that without going to Children's - one option being the Safeway on Bradley Boulevard), and for that matter I have no idea whether they're even accepting new patients--but if they are, I highly recommend them to people who are nearby and are looking for an old-fashioned feeling, personal, unhurried practice.

+ 1000 on how wonderful Foxhall Pediatrics is. I love the doctors and staff. They all know my kids well and they’ve bend over backwards to see my kids when they’re sick.

We’ve had to go to Children’s for blood draws and you do have to pay for parking (although we sometimes walk for well kid visits) so I wasn’t going to recommend for OP, but I’ll join PP in defending them!

[Anonymous]

Chevy Chase Pediatrics

[Anonymous]

I think McKnight could be more efficient with forms. But I thought a fee was pretty standard for practices that take insurance and aren’t concierge. I certainly don’t expect my doctors to perform unpaid labor for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think McKnight could be more efficient with forms. But I thought a fee was pretty standard for practices that take insurance and aren’t concierge. I certainly don’t expect my doctors to perform unpaid labor for me.

Agreed. Do you expect your attorney to do work for free? Your electrician? This line of thinking abut physicians is always so bizarre to me and I'm not in medicine. Why are people so incredibly cheap when it comes anything health related? Plus do you realize that many pediatricians in this area make something like $120k? They're not raking in big money. And then you gripe about the decor.

[Anonymous]

They charge fees for the stupid forms, but Georgetown Peds on Wisc Ave does labs on site.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hey OP. I'm not going to try and convince you to stay with McKnight if it's not working for you, but I just wanted to note that there's a lab on the first floor that you pass to get to the elevators to McKnight's office. Have you ever been there before? We take our kids there for blood work as we've actually had better experiences there than at Children's National.

Seconding this - have had great experiences at this lab with both infants and toddlers.

[Anonymous]

I second the recommendation for Mary's Center. Both of my children are patients of Dr. Maize and she is fantastic. We have had to see other doctors for sick visits when Dr. Maize was not available and we have had great experiences every single time.

The waiting room can be a bit chaotic but that doesn't bother me. The ease of being able to walk to appointments and the excellent staff is well worth it.

I have never been charged for a school form, the lab is on-site and they now have a pharmacy on-site.

[Anonymous]

Chevy Chase Pediatrics