We ve been seeing Dr. Glassman for over 11 years - and she is an amazing pediatrician. Thoughtful and incredibly knowledgeable, she strives to figure out what s going on when one of our children is sick. She also takes the time to call us directly when more complex lab results come in, making sure we understand the context and answering our many questions. Thank you!!
My daughter has come to the practice previously for ear piercings so naturally when I found out she had been exposed to someone who was confirmed positive for covid and she has been developing symptoms I called to setup a covid test. Instead of taking initiative and trying to resolve my problem the person on the phone simple stated, Are you aware your inactive in our system? To which I responded, no. Instead of trying to figure out what the next steps are to get my daughter in for a covid test, the receptionist says well I m sorry since your daughter has never been here before she can t get covid tested. I have been in the customer service field for over 15 years, I know what great customer service is and that was not it. I really expected for her to turn the conversation around, so I asked what can I do to get her tested? She said, I m sorry she can t be seen here since she s not a patient. Instead of making me a new patient file she suggested a few other places in the area for me to go to. Well I will be doing just that. I know that these are uncertain times and particularly scary for a new parent such as myself, at no point did she seem concerned about my daughter or her symptoms. She never asked if she could setup an appointment for me, and I m sorry that my sister ever referred me here. I m a new mom just trying to make sure my daughter is okay and I really didn t appreciate how much I was just brushed off. I would have given zero stars if it were possible.
Doctors are good and it is a clean place. It s busy all the time and sometimes feels like a doctor factory. Don t expect the doctors to remember your child next time because they probably see hundreds of kids in a day. You don t get the personal relationship with the doctor but on the plus side you can have a same day appointment.
Hands down the best pediatric practice out there. We've been coming here since our boys were born (over 11 years) - the doctors and staff are absolutely the most competent in the business. We've never been turned away, always seen very timely, and the end result is always spot on. Specifically, there's nothing that Dr. Glassman doesn't tackle perfectly. Her experience, insight and pragmatic approach is incredible - we always feel so assured with her by our side. She also adds a tremendous personal touch with is not easy to do with so many patients. I have and will continue to refer anyone with children, near or far, to Potomac Pediatrics.
Upon arrival, the check in lady did not take my name and told me to wait. so I did. I thought she knows what she is doing, but she clearly doesn't. Moments later, she called me by someone else's name. Yes, she totally forgot about me and mistakened me for someone else. She apologized, asked my name and said I have missed my appointment and will be charged a no show fee of $50. It wouldn't have happened if she checked me in when I arrived. Frustrating.
a hard lesson learnt , it is not a in network for my plan, I was told after , eventhough I checked at least 2 times with the staff. : ( . The staff is not helping at all
the office charged high rates for out of net work plan. 10 minutes visit for annual check up costed almost $1000 for 2 kids. I think the contract rate is set very very high.
very bad experience .
We love Potomac Pediatrics! Everyone is very helpful and makes visits very smooth.
My kids are now 16 and 19 and we have been with Potomac Pediatrics for 16 years. My husband is an emergency physician so we have a very high standard to be met for medical care for our kids and the physicians and staff at Potomac Pediatrics have consistently met and exceeded that standard. I highly recommend them. They have been awesome with the baby stage, and equally awesome in addressing issues and creating rapport with our teen/young adults.
We were surprisingly excluded from the practice due to the COVID-19 social isolation measures that we took to protect our newborn and elderly family members. It was handled in a very unprofessional way, without a proper notice and in a very rude form.
We ve been patients of Potomac Pediatrics for 6 years. Our second child was born this February. We had her first visit and the 2-week well-being appointments in March. Then the COVID-19 pandemic started, schools got closed and everyone was advised for social distancing/isolation. We took strong measures to protect our family, especially our kids and elderly family members. For this reason, we decided to postpone our 1-month wellness visit. We explained to the doctor on the phone that no vaccination is required at this point and we don't want to take any risk coming to the office, especially knowing that two of their staff members were tested positive with COVID. We attempted to scheduled video conference appointment but it was no longer available. In May we scheduled the 2-month well-being visit (in the parking lot), however the nurse only performed the vaccination without checking the baby s vitals. On June 18th we called and scheduled the next 4-month well visit for July 6th. In a few minutes, the representative called us back and said that our account has been closed. Almost immediately after that we received an email, stating that our family account is deactivated and we have to find another health provider in 30 days from June 10th. We were confused and said it must be some kind of mistake. Following that, we got a call from the manager, Chris. He was very rude and disrespectful, blaming us in not maintaining the required well-being visits. He said that the entire world is in the same position and it's not an excuse to skip the visits . We asked him why we didn t receive a proper notice in advance and could we at least keep our 4-month appointment. Chris told us that we should have received their letter by mail from June 10th and accused us of not checking our mail. We were trying to say that we never received the mail and only got an email prior his call on June 18th. The manager was constantly talking over us. He even said in a rude form that they are kicking us out and cancelling our 4-months visit. He was treating us as a second class citizens and would not listening what we tried to explain.
Another con of this practice, you can never reach a real person over the phone. You have to leave a voicemail and wait when they call you back, which is not always happening. We spend three weeks trying to talk to the manager (never returned our call) and transfer our kids medical records. Potomac Pediatrics actions of canceling our account and failing notifying us in a timely fashion caused our daughter to miss her 4-month vaccination and well-being visit. They didn t give us enough time to find another doctor which takes more than 30 days including the medical record transfer. They claim that our children s health is their first priority, but in reality, only endangers our 4-month daughter. It looks to us that Potomac Pediatrics only worries about their convenience no matter for COVID-19 social distancing rules and their patient s concerns. The only prompt service I got from them this year was withdrawing $160 fee for both kids to be patients in their clinic.
I would not recommend this practice. Everything is fine if you a robotic type, coming and going and don t need any flexibility. But we are all humans and have a special circumstance once in a while. This practice won t tolerate any deviation from their strict policy even in this difficult time.
This practice is a well run community of wonderful doctors, nurses and staff. They work efficiently, are always responsive to phone calls and emails and genuinely show care and concern for their patients. We love Potomac Pediatrics!
I ve been taking my almost 2 year old son here since birth. I ve always had a great experience. The staff is friendly and efficient. The doctors are knowledgeable and have great clinical skills. We have seen Dr Schiebel and Dr Mechak and both are great! In our most recent visit, we brought our son for worsening symptoms with the flu. We appreciated that Dr. Mechak did not overtest and used the exam and our history to guide the diagnosis. We are a two physician household and were impressed.
I LOVE this pediatric office. They are so welcoming and kind. Sick children go directly into a room and it s easy to get an appointment. We have seen two different doctors at this practice and I am so pleased with how professional they are. The doctors are very thorough and attentive. My son had to have his throat swabbed for a strep test and they gave him a popsicle afterwards.
My daughter has been seen in Potomac Pediatrics since she was born and she is 14 months old now. I m so glad that I chose them. All the team including the doctors, nurses and admission personnel are nice and profassional. Any time we needed a special/ urgent care for our little one, they were ready for us and did anything they could do in a nicely and timely manner. I couldn t expect anything beyond that from a private clinical practice... very saticfied for choosing Potomac Pediatrics for my daughter!
Great pediatric office! The best! With expert pediatricians and nurses! I am so happy I take my little ones to Potomac Pediatrics!
Jessica in "Referrals", please answer your phone and messages. I left 3 voice messages and the hospital also left messages/called twice. You were either at lunch or in a meeting each time I called. You also promised to fax over the referral but it had been over 48 hours.
not even one star. these morons not even deserved a star. bad quality administration and they want you rob you. dumb idiots ask for initial visi fees. asking for money in each visit even we have to change diaper at their clinic even we have insurance. bunch of dumb idiots girls are sitting on front desk and they don't know what they are doing. My recommendation is that they should work in barber shop or some hot-dogs selling place they are more suitable there. just avoid these place for newborns.
My kids are now 16 and 19 and we have been with Potomac Pediatrics for 16 years. My husband is an emergency physician so we have a very high standard to be met for medical care for our kids and the physicians and staff at Potomac Pediatrics have consistently met and exceeded that standard. I highly recommend them. They have been awesome with the baby stage, and equally awesome in addressing issues and creating rapport with our teen/young adults.
Very poor experience. Tried to make an appointment for my children's flu vaccinations and was told to come to the flu clinic because they don't do appointments for flu shots.
I dutifully brought my young children in during clinic hours, only to be refused the vaccines as we were new patients. Was told that it would violate the clinic's contracts with vendors if they accepted a new patient, even if I paid out of pocket.
Wish I'd known in advance. Will not be returning.
This is a relatively large medical practice, but the personalized attention and responsiveness is incredible. Their lactation consultant, Maureen Mills, is a hero.
Do not bring your babies here!! Patients are sales not people
I have been taking my three children to Potomac Pediatrics for over three years. I have never missed an appointment for my children throughout this time. The other day, it was snowing, and I had made appointments for my four month and 3 year old daughter. I called first thing in the morning to let them know that I would not be coming to the office as I am not comfortable driving with my children in the snow. Since no one in the office ever answers the phones directly I was forced to leave a message. I did not get a return call until my appointment time. The next day they charged my credit card 200 dollars for rescheduling. I promptly called the office to explain that it was snowing. They told me that they would not refund the money. I requested to speak with the manager to which I was told she would not put me through to a manager. I requested that she leave a message for the manager to call me and she said she refused because a manager wouldn t call me back anyway . I was told to fill in a form to dispute the charges and when I did they said they would only refund half the money. I do understand why they have these policies in place as on a regular basis it should not be acceptable to no show to an appointment and waste the doctors time. However, it was snowing which is not something I can control. They felt that is was safe enough to drive but at no point should someone, ESPECIALLY A PEDIATRICIANS office, be asking a mother to drive in weather that they feel unsafe in. I will never bring any of my children back to this office.
I had a bad experience at Potomac Pediatrics. I took my daughter for her first checkup there and someone stole my sunglasses from the bathroom! I left it there by mistake and when I returned looking for it after 15 minutes or so, they were gone!
Although this is no fault of the doctors or staff, I can't help but wonder what kind of clientele this place is attracting. I even requested the staff to check their security cameras because in my opinion they should be worried about people stealing from their office but they didn't seem to care that much. Moreover, they are not very prompt in answering the phones.
I would be looking for a new place where I don't have to constantly worry about my belongings inside the building and the receptionists are prompt in answering the phones.
The Dr's are very good, the office has limited well visits for older kids, but great availability for infants. No sick and well waiting rooms but they try to take you back quickly for well visits. The office is weird, yearly fee per child and they want your credit on file which is the first Dr. I've seen with this requirement. Also they sent me 4 or 5 emails in two weeks asking me to "Follow Up" which was actually to write this review on Google. That is very unprofessional for a Dr. office, especially since they make it seem like a medical follow up in the subject.
There's always a same day sick visit spot open. All of the physicians are very knowledgeable and have great bedside manner. The office is very clean and the administrative staff is friendly. They implemented a "fast pass" system where you check in with someone up front and a nurse takes you and your child back to an exam room almost immediately. I like that we don't have to sit in a lobby with sick children when mine are there for a well visit. I did not hesitate to recommend this practice to my friends and family.
Added: Our family has been going to this practice for 8 years after having a problem with a private physician (who I won't name). Dr. Karen Glassman, who I believe is the practice founder, was having a tour for new parents (ie parents about to have their first baby) and invited me to join. After her explanation of their philosophy and the terrible treatment by another pediatrician, we switched immediately. She was even the first physician to examine our new baby in 2011 in the hospital, diagnosed her tongue tie and recommended an ENT to get it resolved.
I will preface this by saying their staff are amazing in person; however, they are terrible at answering their phone. For a practice with a supposed patient centered approach, they are pretty terrible with talking to the actual patient about getting an appointment. You always have to leave a voicemail and then they call you back, sometimes days later. I m guessing it s just due to the sheer volume of patients they see.
They are amazing at Potomac Pediatrics. Every doctor and nurse my child has seen is friendly, patient, and can answer any question I have. They are also incredibly efficient and wait time in the lobby is minimal, we have never waited more than 3 minutes. I feel very confident we are receiving the best care for my child.
Such a nice office. Everyone is amazing from the front desk, to doctors and nurses , to the checkout staff. So glad I picked them as my son s pediatricians.
Very well organized office and all of the providers (doctors, nurses and PAs) are great. Wouldn t take my twins elsewhere.
The doctors are fine but the administrative staff lacks customer service skills. One time I was there checking in at the time of the appointment. As I was checking in, I got a phone call from a different staff asking if I was going to make it on time. Then they refused to see me and asked to reschedule which I did. A few weeks later, I got a bill for the late fee. I decided to go elsewhere and they refused to refund the prorated amount of the annual admin fee that I paid at the beginning of the fiscal year. Find a different practice. It's not worth the headaches.
Very interesting to get a response that is not true... I arrived on time and not 20 minutes later. As far as the fee, I have a VM message from 5/8/20 that proves that they were trying to charge me but could not because the CC on file expired. They refunded me the amount back to an expired CC that I would never get back. This shows how much they try to twist the truth and that admin staff lacks customer service skills. Again not worth the headaches.
I used to love this practice, but they have become a bit too big and corporate. No more personal attention or understanding, unfair fees, rude and condescending office manager, etc. They do have a lot of "extras" that are good, like answering the phones starting at 7, extended hours, same day sick visits, COVID tests, and more. I like some of the doctors a lot, its too bad that doctors won't fix some of the administrative issues that leave you feeling like a number and not a patient.
We've been using Potomac Pediatrics since moving to the area in 2013. Every experience has been wonderful. The staff, nurses and doctors are very caring and have great bedside manor with my kids. I would highly recommend this practice. Typically we see Dr. Scheibel and Dr. Potter, but every doctor we've seen has been great. I also love having the nurse line available 24/7 to answer questions.
My wife and I have truly enjoyed our experience with the Potomac Pediatrics community! We were referred by several friends and since our daughter was born in nearby Shady Grove, all of the doctors have been so wonderful to us.
As first time parents, we are overly anxious, unsure and ask a ton of questions. Each and every staff member we have spoken to over the past 3 months has been so patient with us and makes us feel truly welcomed. The office is beautiful, very well kept and everyone greets you in the hallways. We haven't had any emergencies, however, the resources from this group is great with so many contacts, support groups and online help.
We are thankful that our daughter will grow up enjoying her experience at the doctors, as opposed to the impersonal and fearful experiences of our own childhoods. We are thankful that we can feel more confident when it comes to the most important person in our lives.
Special thank you to the doctors, nurses and staff at Potomac Pediatrics and we look forward to many years with you!
You cannot find a better practice to take your children to. The doctors are great and responsive and the advice is spot on. In addition the practice is constantly thinking of ways to make your experience better from the minute you walk in the door until the minute you leave. Wait times are short, everyone who works there is friendly and knowledgeable.5 stars.
I'm blown away by this practice. They're the most professional, technologically integrated, and put-together practice I've seen. I wish they took adult patients so I could come here as a patient. There are really too many good things to say about this place. They have a class for parents planning on bringing their kids/newborns here I found helpful.
I want to say thank you to Potomac Pediatrics for what they have done for all of their patients. I am grateful for my family to be part of this practice. Amid the pandemic they went beyond expectations. They set up outside sick visits, kept us informed and recently offered us testing. I had to take my daughter in this week because she had sore throat and congestion. I was offered covid and strept testing with results available in 20 min. This was huge to me and I m sure to many parents! Thank you for giving us a peace of mind!
We ran a few minutes late because my wife was sick. I called ahead to let them know before the appointment that we would be a few minutes late. We arrived 20 mins late and was told they couldn t see us which I understand. They are charging $100 for this now which is completely irresponsible and greedy on their part. Completely uncaring and greedy coming from a doctors office. A courtesy call back would have been appropriate at a minimum. I will not recommend this place moving forward.
Response to your comment below:
It was not 26 minutes late, after standing there, by the time your inept staff entered it into the computer it was recorded as 26 minutes. I called ahead EARLY and were told the was a chance we would be seen. Do you think I would have wasted 2 hours of my time and to still be charged $100? You completely missed the point about the late charge. That is the issue with you. You or your staff could have easily followed up. Greed pure and simple.
We love Dr. a Heather Davies! She is kind, caring, knowledgeable and very patient. The whole office is very efficient. Our kids took some personal training sessions with Coach Allison and she was great too! I highly recommend this office to all my friends with kids!
I''m disappointed with Potomac Pediatrics. They're efficient. But most medical offices have gotten more efficient over the years. Their efficiency does not set them apart, nor does it warrant their extraneous and punitive fees.
First, there's the yearly fee. They charge this for each kid every year to perform, as far as I can tell, the most basic of paperwork. For example, to print out and have a doctor sign school medical forms, which parents typically don't need year after year. Personally, I fail to see how this isn't covered by insurance and copays. I've had kids now for over a decade. Never have I been asked to pay this kind of fee. We've been with Potomac Pediatrics a little less than a year: I'm still not clear on what that fee has gotten me or my kids.
Secondly, the portal. If you have multiple children, you must login through multiple portals. Sure, it's a minor inconvenience. But an inconvenience nonetheless, especially given the annual convenience fee we, as consumers, are expected to pay. (You'd think they'd reciprocate with a little convenience of their own.)
Thirdly, they are punitive. I'd been trying to for days to schedule an appointment for my son. When I finally got one, I wasn't able to get there by the time they specified because I'd only been given a few hours notice. I tried to reschedule only to be told that I couldn't do so until I canceled. I told them I didn't want to cancel, but needed to reschedule but was told again something about their system not allowing it. Anyway, I canceled and was charged a $50 fee. Little did I know, they'd booked me for a "same day" appointment that I'd "taken" from another kid. Um, okay. I just wanted an appointment that worked for our schedule. This appointment, I'd had for four hours; how much notice do they need with that kind of window? I never got a clear answer on that. But I sure got the charge.
Finally, the front desk staff. Wow. When I tried to explain my confusion over the $50 charge to the customer-facing, front desk person, he returned a blank stare. It was, like, aggressively blank, as if I was a human stain he was merely tolerating. After a few minutes of this, I believe we agreed to sort out the billing after my appointment (because I was at Potomac Pediatrics to get care for my son, not to haggle over a bill with this guy), but then he disappeared and left me standing there for 20+ minutes without telling me why. My appointment was for 12:50, for which I was on time, but nobody took me back to the doctor until 1:20 or so. Did I charge an inconvenience fee? How could I? I don't have Potomac Pediatric's card on file.
Eventually someone came back from a break and saw me standing there. She asked if I'd been helped and I told her that I actually had no idea. Thankfully, she stepped in and took us to our appointment. That woman deserves whatever raise Potomac Pediatrics is able to provide thanks to that annual fee. Let's hope that's what they're using it for.
All in all, in my view, this practice provides poor customer service, have demonstrated opportunistic and punitive behavior with their various charges and fees, and haven't provided patient care commensurate with my expectations. We will not be returning next year. If not for that annual fee I've already paid, we'd leave right now. That reminds me, I'd better set a calendar reminder to cancel before they charge my credit card again...
We are very pleased with the Pediatric Services and the care my children receive at Potomac Pediatrics.
Carlisia the Front Desk Receptionist was very disrespectful, she refused to take my sons appointment arguing that we should speak to a nurse via phone. Keep in mind that we had already spoken to a nurse the night before and the nurse told More
Dr. Shira Weiss and the entire Potomac Pediatrics team have been incredibly supportive since before our day was even born. We don't live near the office, but the drive is so worth it. The office staff is a well-oiled machine, the resources are plentiful and fitting, the office environment is beautiful and calming, the technology is top notch, and most importantly the medical team has our trust! We regularly recommend this office to all of our friends.
All this practice cares about is money! We got charged $610 in one month for non covered services. The final straw is when my daughter had a stomach ache for 2 days straight and they told it wasn t worth my time to come in because all they ll do is refer me to specialist and suggested to just go see a specialist. Also, they NEVER answer the phone always have to leave a message and wait for hours until they call you back.
Update: all my issues were resolved this morning when the office called me. They gave me a refund and were able to see my daughter to address her abdominal issues. I can definitely recommend this practice.
I wish I could find an adult primary care practice as good as Potomac Pediatrics!
Potomac Pediatrics has been caring for both of our children since birth. I can t say enough about the physician team there (special shout out to Dr. Caren Glassman!!) from their knowledge base to beside manner, it s always a good experience for both our kids and us as parents. From the second you walk in their doors to your escort to the treatment room & intake nurses, you cannot ask for more!!
My daughters (13 years old and 17 years old) have seen doctors at Potomac Pediatrics since birth. The doctors in this practice consistently provide solid medical advice and treatment. In comparison to other doctors, this group s medical expertise extends far beyond most and they are incredibly resourceful. When necessary, they not only refer to the top pediatric specialists in the area, but will consult with those specialists as needed to ensure there is a unified treatment plan. This practice's approach to healthcare is the wellness of the child as a whole, which is why they offer seminars free of charge on a variety of pediatric topics for children of various ages. Then there are the less critical, but still important details, like the fact that Potomac Pediatrics is on time with appointments, the facility is top-notch, and they make everything easy from scheduling to collecting co-pays. We live in Northern Montgomery County and gladly drive to Rockville based on the quality of healthcare my children receive from Potomac Pediatrics. I am a person with high expectations and this practice has yet to disappoint.
We love PP!!! They are the best. Even though we live relatively far from the office, we still continue to have our kids stay as patients because we love it!!
Great place. The doctors are nice and care for the patients. I highly recommend!
I love Potoma Pediatrics ! My son has been going there since he was born and very happy to be taking my daughter also ! All the doctors are just amazing!!!
We love Dr. Potter. She takes time to go over everything with you and you can feel that she really cares for kids. Never had any issue with appiappoint. Potomac Pediatrics is the only place we know for my son since he was born .
This is an amazing practice. Both of my kids have been seen at Potomac Pediatrics since they were born (they are 10 and 12 now). I cannot say enough great things about Dr. Glassman who has gone above and beyond when treating my daughter who has special needs. My kids have been seen by most of the doctors and I can say that Dr. Kaplan, Dr. Fishelberg, Dr. Potter, Dr. Sheibel, Dr. Suri, Dr. Davies and Dr. Weiss all have a great bedside manner. All the doctors that have seen my kids have always taken the time to answer my questions and I have never felt rushed. The advice nurses are also knowledgeable and extremely helpful. This is a top notch pediatric practice!
Very worst experience with the staffs in this clinic and especially with the interim manager Chris. I went for sick appointment for my 20 month old son. Looks like I had balance for about $29 it seems which they are saying they sent it through patient portal which I didn t know. I told them I will check with insurance and pay it tomorrow. But the interim manager Chris was so stubborn that we need to pay the balance immediately otherwise services cannot be offered. Come on!! I have been coming to this clinic since my son born. This is not even regular appointment, it s just sick visit. They can t even allow my son to check with provider and manager was so rude talking to pay the balance. Is this the way to treat patients even at sick time? Already we are scared because of this flu season. I will not recommend this clinic to anyone. Zero stars... because of this talkings, i was waiting for more than 40 minutes.
Doctors here are good doctors, but practice only wants to charge you for every single little thing. My son WAS a patient for 5 years, but now we go somewhere else that is awesome!
Medical service is OK (we liked Dr. Mechak), but the administrative service is terrible.
While the place looks fantastic, with an aquarium, automatic drug dispensary and all, our family found medical care to be overall substandard when compared to Children s National or Bethesda Pediatrics.
Care is very impersonal. In almost two years as a patient, I could not speak once directly with a human. Always had to leave a voice message in an answering machine and pray they call you back. In contrast, when our provider was at Children s National or Bethesda s Pediatrics, and even the pediatric urgent care at PM Pediatrics, we would get a follow up call asking how our children were feeling. This simply never happened at Potomac Pediatrics.
Our worst interaction was when they cancelled our appointment and didn t notify us. The site manager simply said we can cancel appointments at any time , turned around and left. Before that, there was another time where we had to cancel an appointment because we were expecting COVID-19 test results. We called on a Friday (the appointment was the next Monday). Because it was impossible to get a human person on the phone and their voice machine was at capacity and not accepting any more messages, we had to call the same Monday (first thing on the morning), but they still charged us $100 for late cancellation. Eventually they conceded (after 2 days of fighting over the phone and showing them proof of phone calls made), they exceptionally waived the late cancellation fee . Still, it was a nightmare and not what you would expect from a top medical provider.
Also, getting a simple referral or a medical form for daycare was also very difficult. Every 3 months I had to call 2-3 times to get the referral right as they would make mistakes, typos or simply not sent the referral to the specialists, creating a problem for insurance reimbursement or payments. In another occasion I asked to get a copy of the referral to anticipate any problems and never got it, neither in mail nor email. The medical forms for daycare would come with mistakes in the name and dosages of medications that my child needed to be administered at daycare.
Lastly, I would say that the condescending treatment of their administrative staff was the deal breaker. They would never admit they had made a mistake, never offered an apology, or never seemed genuinely interested in our family s health. Whenever a problem arose, they would say things like please go online (I did, but your system fails) or next time you should when it was clearly a mistake on their side.
At some point a few months ago, we gave up and switched practices. I took the time to write this review to warn other families and let you know that there are other excellent care options available in the area.
Hope this helps!
Dr. Fishelberg is a wonderful doctor! We love Potomac Pediatrics. My daughter has been a patient since the day she was born and we have always been happy with the level of care that we receive.
I can only speak on my visit for an ear piercing, as this is not my child s primary care location. booking was fairly simple. The front desk was helpful with payment. Wait was minimal. The PA did a great job with prepping and piercing my child s ears. Of course baby cried, but it was fairly quick and safe. The longest part was agreeing on placement of holes on ear lobes to make sure they were even. Months later and thankfully have had no issues with my child s piercings.
This is the preeminent Pediatric Care in the Rockville Gaithersburg area. The staff is friendly and has good experience in managing the ailments of small children.
The staff and doctors are very friendly.
Super great pediatrics
They ve always managed to squeeze me in when my daughters sick. NEVER have to deal with a wait time! Always feel like we re in and out pretty quick!
My children have seen Dr. Glassman and her associates since 2006. I have nothing but good things to say. If you leave a message on the weekend, someone will reach out. If you deliberating about whether symptoms warrant an office visit, a nurse or PA will call back to discuss and advise. The practice allocates ample time for emergency visits each day. the office is very hi-tech; there is filling out pages and pages of data before each visit. They are very fast in completing camp and athletic forms. Kudos to the Team.
Drs are great!
They have Advice Nurses who are great -- esp. for anxious parents with infants!
Their staff are great!
Their coffee machine is great!
This is a first class operation.
There has always been someone available when my 4 year old is in need. If pediatric urgent care has been necessary, I get a follow up call the next day. I love Dr. Jalazo and the nursing staff as well for their relatability and professionalism. Those assisting at the front desk have always been kind and helpful. This office as a whole is a great team.
Great place for amazing doctors. All of them have been wonderful.
We missed an appointment once And I was so worried about the missed appointment fee. However we got a wonderful call from Allison and she was really sweet about it and understanding of our situation. I was really impressed with the customer service and attention to the family and patient.
I chose this place because of a friend's recommendation. I am happy with this decision. They are a group of doctors and supporting staffs. If you are not picky about seeing a particular doctor, you can get an emergency appointment often on the same day or the next. The doctors are competent and friendly. The place is well-kept and well-run. In addition, I can call in with questions and a nurse will answer them over the phone. Of course, there are plenty of information on their website too. Overall, I would recommend Potomac Pediatrics to anyone looking for pediatric care.
I really regret to be writing this review because Dr. Fishelburg is a wonderful doctor and we will really miss him. However, the front desk service and customer service in general is appalling. Just decided to change practices today - Potomac pediatrics office staff are unfriendly, not accomodating and they simply do not care. It is also very difficult to get an appointment with the doctor of your choosing.
Great staff, no wait time. What more can you ask for?
The one good thing I can tell you is the doctors are the best. They are thoughtful and kind and take their time to explain. The staff however is inflexible and many time impatient (especially de financial department). They are intolerant with delays and will fine you with a $50 fee no matter what happens. They have recently gotten pretty quick at helping you check in but in the past I have waited up to 45 min to be helped. Also, your kid needs to have a medical reason to see the doctor, you can t just call and say you would like to schedule an appointment because you have questions regarding your kids behavior for example. I ve been denied before and got a you can speak to the nurse if you d like . I ve seen the staff talking bad things about the clients between themselves - very unprofessional.
Overal, you want a good doctor but you also want a place where you are welcomed fallowed by a good experience as a whole.
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Hi Potomac Pediatric! Thank you for your prompt response.
While I do agree these fees should stand, I also believe no one intentionally misses an appointment. That is why I am bringing this to a review as the emails exchanged previous to this review were not very fair.
I think it s worth adding to your response that I have not 1 but 3 kids with Pot.Ped and my 3 kids have been with you since Nborns. Also, I would like to say that the doctors with Pot.Ped are awesome and that is why in 4 years my husband and I have brought along with us 5 customers that are currently your clients.
I did not mention this here before but since you brought it up, I would restate that I pointed all you mentioned out in my first emails with your company before this review, yes,in 4 years, I do have a waived and a reduced fee.
However, on my second no show I was penalized because I had an appointment that fell on a Monday ( Pot.Ped does not work on weekends and therefore why I couldn t call 24 hours before).
Also, my 3rd and recent no show was because of a phone number typo of your office on my new born daughter s info causing me to not receive the phone appointment reminder call that I registered to - which is something I heavily rely on (and I have no reason as to not to rely on it since it has always worked for my boys in the these last 4 years).
Further more, I appreciate the nurses services but I would like to be able to choose to see a doctor if I have questions. At the time I didn t know the questions I had where in the behavioral category and after trying to explain my questions to the secretary she was also unable to name the issue , she simply said I couldn t see the doctor just the nurse. After bringing this to the doctors attention on my last visit, your doctor pointed out that I needed to give a name to the problem and that way I could schedule the appointment with no issues. Either way, your staff was not prepared to correctly inform me and I was simply left with a you can speak with nurse I can t schedule your son .
I m not saying all the staff are like this but the overall customer service experience I ve had has not been good.
This office is wonderful! Everyone is very helpful and all of the doctors are great to work with!
Very good doctors, cared a lot about patient safety and health.
The Staff and Doctors were all great, but I left the practice as I completely disagreed with their COVID cancellation policy and the way we were treated.
My daughter woke up with a runny nose the morning of her 2 year wellness visit and were told we had to reschedule her appointment for 2 weeks from when her symptoms began, which I had no issues with.
My issue was they charged us $100 for being a no show because we declined an offer to come in later that day for a sick visit for a runny nose. This really rubbed me the wrong way and came off as the practice caring more about money than their patients.
Very pleased with the quality of care from the pediatricians with Potomac.
It s amazing how everything here is about the money. That s the reason they are in business. After that they provide medical services.
I m not poor and thanks good I can provide nicely, but the way Potomac pediatric run their business just makes me sick. (Maybe I should go to a dr). Oops - that just cost me 35$.
I recently posted a review based on my recent interaction with the office. To my surprise, I actually received a call from the office to explain some of the issues that occurred. I appreciate the effort and time for the office trying to get things right.
PP has nice doctors and nurses. The office environment is inviting and is generally a place you want to bring your children to. I had great interaction with the office hour triage nurses as well - they seem to be very knowledgeable. Every time I spoke or interact in person with the staff, the conversation tend to be pleasant. But I do find challenges in two areas: scheduling and strict 24 hr cancellation policy.
I have never been able to reach an actual person for scheduling, nurse advice, or even administrative issues directly - it is directly sent to voice mail. For wellness checks etc., playing phone tags is not so much an issue. But recently I had a stressful situation with my child's allergy and the difficulty to reach a person even during office hours was truly stressful. I had tears when I was on my 3rd or 4th call bouncing between scheduling or nurses answering machine. I appreciate the office called later to explain they had many patients and do answer the messages as soon as they can. I can only say please improve this area as it is truly stressful for busy parents dealing with sick children while juggling with work or other children to care for.
The cancellation policy appears to be too rigid for legitimate cancellations, especially with 100 dollar cancellation fees. I struggled with it once or twice but do appreciate the office resolving it later.
They are the most amazing practice I've ever been to. The staff is great, no wait time, clean and pleasant office space.
I love Potomac Pediatrics! Amazing doctors and triage nurses! Staff is very friendly. Always make me feel comfortable and my children love going.
We really wanted to love this practice, however unfortunately cannot recommend it to the community. Our son has some special needs, and we were upfront with the practice. They were very confident and assured us that their practice could provide him with adequate care. We did not feel that the first doctor we were assigned, Dr. Suri, was a good fit for our family. She was incredibly warm and friendly, but seemed very inexperienced, did not seem thorough in her examination, and did not have answers to our questions.
Our son next saw Dr. Glassman, who always seemed very dismissive of our family when we expressed concerns and was wanting to take risks that we weren't comfortable with--it turns out that our son was actually becoming life-threateningly ill under her care, as she repeatedly assured us that so-and-so concern we had was "normal". Our son ended up having to be airlifted to Children's Hospital intensive care, nearly dying, because of mistakes that Dr. Caren Glassman made and her poor judgment in assessing our son.
The hospital let Potomac Pediatrics know what happened, trying to coordinate collaborating on his care, and Potomac Pediatrics dropped our son from the practice immediately, while he was still in Children's Hospital intensive care on life support. The letter they sent said that they were sorry they were unable to provide our son with the care he needed. Apparently Dr. Glassman could not be bothered to call and apologize, didn't value us enough to call us and check up on our son, and couldn't be bothered to offer to a proper explanation or to help us get set up elsewhere. They dropped a critically ill infant from their practice, leaving him in the hospital's intensive care without a primary care provider, and apparently that's just business as usual to them. To us, their response was far more unforgivable and inexcusable than Dr. Caren Glassman's medical errors.
We understand that doctors make mistakes, people aren't perfect, but when things do happen you want to be able to trust your healthcare team to help with your care. This was not the case. We felt lied to by Potomac Pediatrics, we felt as though their main priority was diffusing blame and covering up their mistakes. Ultimately, it was medical staff at Children's National and Georgetown University who brought to light concerns about the standard of care my son received from Dr. Glassman, and if not for their genuine concern for our son, and prioritization of his wellbeing, we would have had no idea quite how serious Potomac Pediatrics' mistreatment of him was and would not have reached the devastating conclusion that the tragic medical emergency that very nearly cost him his life was quite likely preventable had he had better quality primary care providers.
I'm glad Potomac Pediatrics seems to work out well for a lot of families, but unfortunately, with childhood being a critical time for recognizing and diagnosing a variety of serious genetic and developmental conditions, we can't recommend this practice. They have shown they are neither capable in caring for, nor accountable to the families of, children with special needs. They have shown their practice to lack the robustness of medical knowledge and attention to detail that is so crucial in caring for babies and young children, who cannot articulate illnesses they are experiencing and are depending on medical professionals to be proactive and comprehensive in caring for them. Accordingly, I recommend families, with infants especially, to strongly consider other practices.
My experience with this practice has been top-notch. I have never had any problems getting a same-day appointment for a sick child and their phone lines open at 7:00 AM - that is so convenient when I need to plan my day. Their hours are great for working parents and their nurses and doctors are knowledgeable, professional, personable and overall awesome. They hold flu clinics so you can bring your child in for a flu vaccine when its convenient for you - no appointment necessary. I've been bringing my children to this practice since we moved back to the area nine years ago and all three of my kids go there. If you're looking for good quality care for your child, then don't try this practice. But if you want the absolute best nurses and doctors who really care about your child's health and overall well-being, then this is the practice for you!
My 3-year old daughter sees her doctor her. They've always been great.
So happy with everything, from the swift check-in process to the empathetic care, especially the wonderful doctors Davies and Fishelberg. I also appreciated the swift handling of a suspected T1D/DKA diagnosis for my son recently.
I can't say enough about how much I love Potomac Pediatrics. The entire experience front desk, nurses, physicians, lactation, billing, they are all friendly and helpful. The physicians I have seen there take their time and it feels like they are connecting with my infant daughter. Right after birth we had issues with weight gain that have since gone away but they were a great support. The warm welcoming office reminds me of the small practice I went to as a child. I love having my daughter there.
For the 3 years I have lived in Maryland, Potomac Pediatrics has been my healthcare provider for my 2 daughters; now on our 3rd doctor with the group (doctors leaving the practice) and we stayed supporting them as they navigated change. Trusting and supporting the practice.
With COVID and job loss, my family is grateful to have Medicaid insurance during this time of need. I scheduled my daughter's well check a few weeks ago sharing our new insurance with the office.
Today, the day of the appointment, I received a call from Potomac Pediatrics that we can no longer be a part of this practice, even if we want to pay out of pocket, because we have Atena Better Choice Medicaid insurance. Basically, to continue with this practice I would have to pay out of pocket AND decline Medicaid insurance. I was told, "we (Potomac Pediatrics) would get in trouble if we accepted patients with Medicaid even if paying out of pocket." WHAT?
Talk about kicking someone when they are in a tough season. I personally am offended and hurt more by the way they handled communications than anything. I have supported this practice. I am not sure if it is Potomac Pediatrics or the Medicaid system that creates this "rule" that no longer allows my daughters to continue healthcare at Potomac Pediatrics.
Either way, the bottom line is this practice is not handling the implications of COVID to their patients in a supportive and healing manner.
Dr Davies is WONDERFUL and that s the main reason we stayed from birth till my daughters second birthday but enough is enough. Getting a sick visit is so hard and shouldn t be that way I called before with my daughter running high fevers of up to 104 but had to wait till it hit 105 for them to be really concern! Lost track of how many times we spent 5x more to go to urgent care b/c Potomac pediatrics didn t have sick appt available. Last drop was when my daughter had PUS coming out of her year with a 102 fever I knew she had a ear infection unfortunately she had many before and I Literally had to argue and fight over the phone to get a sick appt. Most workers are friendly and on time for the most part. Doctors are usually in a rush a and don t take much time to talk about kids issues. having to take my daughter to urgent care so many times b/c they didn t have sick appts was not acceptable. Practice wasn t best fit for us but if your child never gets sick is a great option
We have been at Potomac Peds and love it. Never an issue getting an appointment, hours are convenient for working parents (evenings and Saturday mornings), speaking to a nurse is fast and easy, and I have not seen a doctor that I don't like. They also round at Shady Grove, which is great for whomever delivers there. Highly recommend!
Professional, kind attentive staff and doctors. Definitely recomended!
My daughter has been going here for the past year and we are very happy
The office and everyone in it is so efficient, kind and professional!!
First of all, Dr. Suri and the other providers have been good to us. However, it is very disheartening when the the office staff does not make considerations to accommodate a toddler who is 10 min late for a follow up after diagnosis of croup and steroid treatment. Despite leaving the house early, the heavy downpour and the delay of getting a still sick child out of the house on time for the appointment is an almost impossible task.
Yes, we understand that the Doctor's time is important, and that's why we have been patient in waiting 15 minutes every time we are seen and we will not be asking for a late fee (unlike how we were asked for a late/cancelation fee from the practice).
We will be looking elsewhere for pediatric care where understanding and empathy for certain situations are taken into consideration.
*Like I said, we were 10 min late, not 33, and we may have to agree to disagree on this. We do appreciate our daughter being accommodated during other times she was sick , but unfortunately our overall patient experience could use improvement.
My son has been a Patient at Potomac Pediatrucs since he was born. We have been extremely satisfied with his care. The Pediatricians, Physician Assistants and Nurses are all amazing. The Nurse triage phone line has helped us numerous times answering questions and giving us advice. We love that the Providers don't wear lab coats which I think creates a calmer atmosphere for children. They always accommodate sick children. We would highly recommend Potomac Pediatrics.
