Buxbaum, Audrey, Md - Downtown Womens Ob/Gyn

Caution for women seeking treatment at Downtown OBGYN: Two years ago, a surgeon in the Downtown OBGYN practice conducted my surgery to remove fibroids; during the procedure my fallopian tubes were severed from my uterus which has resulted in permanent infertility. \r The surgery was supposed to be fairly routine and I was assured that the doctor had over a decade of experience doing these same procedures. At the time of the surgery, it was discovered that I had endometriosis, which the surgeon was completely unfamiliar with. Following the procedure, the surgeon advised that she had not been able to remove all of the fibroids due to her unfamiliarity with treating endometriosis. She advised that she worked and worked and manipulated my organs to attempt to remove the fibroids but couldn’t. It’s likely that during this process, my fallopian tubes were detached. Now that I know the symptoms of endometriosis, I realize that I was a classic case and any doctor who was truly experienced and thorough in their evaluation would have anticipated the case and advised on measures for further diagnosis and/or preparation for the condition during surgery. Endometriosis is a condition where cells from the lining the uterus instead grow on the exterior of the uterus, the ovaries, and in some cases even on non-reproductive organs such as the bladder.\r About two weeks after the surgery, I developed extreme pain in my abdomen which was exponentially more severe than any of my already painful menstrual cycles or the symptoms of endometriosis. I sought treatment from the doctor at Downtown OBGYN who performed the surgery and was advised that I should wait a few more weeks for the pain to go away. After several weeks of severe pain and additional time lost from work, I ended up in the emergency room where I was advised that another surgery was needed to remove both the remaining fibroids and the scar tissue from the endometriosis. This time, I sought treatment from a doctor with much greater experience and who was more thorough. I also did my research so I was better informed about the treatment I should be seeking. \r Four months after the first surgery, I had a second surgery during which the doctor removed all the scar tissue and several more fibroids. Due to the success of the second surgery, I haven’t had pain from endometriosis or my menstrual cycle in over a year. For the first time in my life, I have normal periods without excessive bleeding which had led me to become dangerously anemic. \r My advice to all women is to do your research, seek multiple opinions, ask lots of questions, if there is a difference in diagnosis and treatment offered then keep seeking advice until you get some consistency, ask outright whether the doctor is prepared for worst case scenarios, and trust your gut - don’t listen to doctors who dismiss your symptoms or concerns. \r I’ve come across other reviews about the rudeness of the front desk staff and how the practice is quick to charge you a no-show fee if you’re late or cancel an appoint in less than 24 hours. I’ve had those experiences as well and they are all important considerations. However, having experienced what it’s like to be truly ill and having my symptoms overlooked and being told that I was in experienced hands while classic symptoms were ignored and now dealing with permanent infertility, I can’t help but stress the knowledge of the doctors and their thoroughness above everything else and hope you will too. \r more

BEWARE. I was given a procedure I did not need that cost me $1500 out of pocket and took me 8 weeks to recover from. The billing and clerical staff are incentive, rude and incompetent. They do not return phone calls or emails.I went here for 3 years for annual exams and always had a long wait and hard time making appointments, but I never had any real medical issues so it was fine. After having one I immediately switched doctors. DO NOT GO HERE. more

Awful. Simply terrible. Possibly the worst medical care I have ever received. The front desk staff was extremely rude and it was next to impossible to make an appointment. I waited 35 minutes, in a paper gown, for the doctor in the exam room. The doctor I saw was so matter of fact that it bordered on nasty, when answering my questions and did not provide any insight or help at all. After my appointment I had another question which I wanted to discuss. I left a detailed message with a receptionist and provided times when I would be available to speak, and stressed that my questions required a conversation. The doctor called me in the 1.5 hour window when I was not available to speak. I will never go back to this practice nor would I recommend the practice to anyone else. more

I have been seeing Dr. Goodtein and Dr. Min at Downtown Women for my prenatal care, and I have had a great experience. Both Doctors are caring, extremely intelligent, personable, and excellent doctors. They have always treated me with respected and kindness, answering all my questions, and spending as much time as necessary with me. Before my pregnancy, I had a medical emergency. I had just moved to their practice, and both the nurse practitioners and the doctors, acted so fast and intelligently that they saved me from getting septicemia, a potentially fatal situation that occurred due to another doctor's negligence and refusal to give me antibiotics after an invasive procedure.. Also, their staff has has always been kind and courteous, and I have not had a problem getting appointments - I do make sure to make my appointments in advance so I can see Dr. Goodstein and Dr. Min, both of of whom are in great demand. When I have called in the evenings, the Dr. on call always gets back to us in a short time. To sum it up, I have been extremely happy there, and I would highly recommend both Dr. Goodstein and Dr. Min. more

Worst practice ever!!! So rude and unprofessional. Find another practitioner. On top of bad medical attention, they charged me for appointments I canceled and then yelled at me on the phone when I called them to correct it. Worst place ever!!!!!!!!!!! more

Worst practice ever!!! So rude and unprofessional. Find another practitioner. They charged me for appointments I canceled and then yelled at me on the phone when I called them to correct it. Worst place ever!!!!!!!!!!! more

This was the worst place ever. Rude staff - unprofessional setting - all around worst experience of my life. All they care about is money. Find another doctor!!! more

I had the opposite experience of the woman above. Dr. Goodstein, her staff and office were all incredibly accomodating and thorough, with almost no wait time. In general, I've had a great experience with the entire OB/midwife team, and I would reccomend. more

The doctors at this practice are very personable and professional, but forget about scheduling an appointment, calling in with a question, or dealing with a billing question. I've sat on hold for 1.5 hours 3 days in a row to get an appointment. I also had to get a billing code for insurance reasons, and it took me 3 weeks and a personal visit to the billing offices to get it from them. They are extremely rude as well. more

I had a horrible experience with Downtown Women's and will not be going back to this practice. The advice I got was in the form of an outdated ditto, I was referred to a unprofessional specialist and was charged by Downtown Women's for a service they never performed. People who work there are beyond rude and Dr. Tham is incompetent. The office is run like a sweat shop so if you're looking for personal care with a doctor who takes her time, then this isn't the place for you. DO NOT GO TO DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S!!! Cons: Impersonal service, wrong information, horrible atmosphere more

Not only did this clinic lie to me about “accepting” my insurance (they were out of network which incurred big fees that I had to pay, and that went right into the clinic’s pocket), but I had to see a Nurse Practitioner instead of a doctor, and she was horrible! She didn’t listen to anything I had to say, and changed a prescription that was given to me by a doctor. I had to find another doctor, explain what was done and she just couldn’t believe that an NP would switch me off of something that worked for me, to something that gave me awful side effects. In addition to thinking that she knew better than a doctor, the Nurse Practitioner was also very short with me and seemed to be distracted. I felt rushed and ignored by this “caregiver”. \r \r The office staff are surly and don’t even make an attempt at privacy for the patients. The same goes for the exam rooms- not private at all and tiny and uncomfortable. Stay away!\r Cons: all more

Going to this clinic for my prenatal was by far the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life. Not only does it take forever to get an appointment, you have to wait for at least half an hour to be seen and deal with the crappy attitude of the front desk staff, some of whose boyfriends visit during office hours. The doctors are brisk, abrupt and not particularly good at what they do. You are in and out and they get paid-- that's what matters. They are like machines, robots; and one of the nurses can be unspeakably rude, especially if your bloodwork is holding her up at the end of the day. If you're looking for personal, individualized, quality treatment DO NOT GO here. My insurance nightmare is another reason why I don't recommend this clinic. Initially I was told they do not accept my insurance; I left the clinic planning to find an in-network provider. The same day, they called me back and told me they would love to have me as a patient. A woman from the billing department sat down with me and explained that since I had an excellent plan, I would only have to pay a deductible of $100; my provider (United Health Care) would cover 80% of the bill and the clinic would write off the rest. I made sure that she understood that I could not pay out of pocket for expenses and she kept assuring me that there would be no need to. Several months into pregnancy, I was hit by lab bills totaling hundreds of dollars in addition to costs my insurance didn't cover; the woman did not explain that there would be a discrepancy between the amount allowed by my provider and the amount of the bill, and that the 80% referred to the former rather than the latter. She did not explain that lab costs were not included. In addition, I had to be transferred to a high-risk specialist because of a positive fetal fibronectin test in my seventh month. Hence a different billing code was used than what was expected. Botttom line, it is three months after my twin delivery and I received a bill from their office for $4,000 which they claim I am responsible for. I will have to work with a medical billing advocate to fight this, if necessary. The staff in the billing department have avoided my calls and the woman who lured me into the clinic looked ashamed when I went to see her in person, but the semi-threatening letters still arrive in my mail. In one word: Avoid like the plague. Do not be seduced, like I was, by the name or the Soho location. These people (doctors, nurses and billing department staff) do not care about you. Dealing with them has detracted from the joy of having twins and added unnecessary layers of stress to my life. Cons: too many to name more

I was a patient of Dr. Buxbaum's for a couple years. DW was recommended to me as a place where women's health is a priority, and the doctors are all female. Dr. Buxbaum attended my alma matter, which was a plus--or so I thought. Each time I met with Dr. Buxbaum--for routine check-ups--she was rushed, distracted, and generally just made me feel like she was doing me a favor by even seeing me. She didn't seem particularly interested in me or my health. Gynocological exams were physically rough, without any explanations. I kept thinking it must be 1955. But my biggest complaint was the way Dr. Buxbaum handled my request to discuss birth control options. When I told her I had had bad experiences on the pill (skin problems, weight gain, mood swings) and would like to try a diaphragm, which I had had good experiences with in the past, she was dismissive and condescending, and kept trying to push upon me the sample birth control pills she had on hand. I had to stand my ground just so that she would fit me for a diaphram. To make a long story short, she fitted me incorrectly (my pharmacist said she could tell just by looking at me--in a winter coat, no less--that the size diaphragm Dr. Buxbaum prescribed was wrong), which ended up leaving me on vacation with my husband with an ill-fitting diaphragm, and myself in tears. Dr. Buxbaum, whatever her qualifications, is missing the most important qualifications: SHE DOES NOT LISTEN, AND SHE DOES NOT SEEM TO CARE. more

I did not use this doctor in particular at the practice. The practice is the worst I've ever experienced. The staff is incredibly rude and unhelpful. Information I was provided over the phone was always either inaccurate or incomplete. When I asked questions of my doctor I was told that the information was ""in my handout."" When I looked at the handout the information I sought was not there. They overbook so it is incredibly difficult to get appointments and the appointment you have never starts on time. I would not recommend Downtown Women OBGYN to anyone. Pros: I cannot think of any Cons: Hard to get an appointment, appointments are never on time more

The staff people here are very unhelpful. I needed some tests, and the nurse on the phone, Susan, told me that they were urine tests, so I could just come in. I thought that wasn't right but she assured me. So I left work early and went there; I waited for an hour. They finailly came out (after I'd heard them discuss me about 3 times) to tell me I needed to make an appointment, because 3 of the tests I needed to see my actual doctor for. No one apologized for the mistake or making me wait an hour. \r Then today I called to make the appointment, although I actually want to switch doctors but want to get all this over with, and after 12 minutes on hold, they sent me to voicemail.\r The doctor is fine, though she gave me a referral to a place that didn't take my insurance, but their staff and organization is horrible. If you go once a year it's fine but if you are pregnant, or trying to get pregnant you will just stress yourself out more. more

I called on a weekend because I had a yeast infection and needed a prescription for diflucan (I'm allergic to topical meds) before I went away for a week. The nurse, Stephanie, said, ""We don't prescribe yeast infection medications on weekends."" I explained that: (1)I wouldn't be able to visit the office on Monday, as I was about to go away on business for a week (2) that I'm a frequent sufferer of yeast infections, as my chart would report, and thus know how to recognize them (3) that I'm allergic to topical meds, as reported in my chart. She continued to refuse. In the end, my infection became much worse, and much harder to treat, before I could receive a prescription from my GP. I left the practice. more

I was a patient there for 2 years. I had countless issues with the birth control they prescribed (less what was right for me and more what their medical rep was hawking most recently) and was misdiagnosed with an infection. Hard to get a last minute appointment, they never call you back and the doctors work too quickly to treat you correctly. An absolutely awful experience. Pros: Good shopping nearby, high cielings Cons: Poor bedside manner, misdiagnosis, hard to get appointments. more

Dr. Shih was the best doctor I have ever had! She did not seem rushed, which is very rare. She asked if I had any questions more than once. She came into the room with knowledge of my prior medical history. The front staff can be busy, but they are always courteous and willing to help. One problem: I once saw another doctor once who was very ""preachy"" which is not what you want when you go to a doctor. I felt like a child being scolded. Pros: Overall staff more