I am shocked that this practice is not rated higher. I chose to see Dr Meera Ramakrishnan because her ZocDoc rating was so high. She, as well as the entire office, lived up to the hype. The office was clean and comfortable to wait in. The woman at the front desk has a sweet soft voice and was a pleasure to check in with. They also have a phlebotomist on-site that can complete your bloodwork before or after the physical. How convenient to have a one-stop shop primary care practice. Dr. Meera Ramakrishnan is hands down the best PCP I have ever been to. Her ZocDoc ratings praised her bedside manner, and that is truly where she shines. As a first time patient she took time to get to know me and made me feel within 5 minutes of the appointment that I was hanging out with my best friend. She is so genuine in wanting her patient to feel comfortable and ensure they have the best care possible. What makes Dr Ramakrishnan unique is her 12 years experience as a night doctor where the setting was more casual and the quality of care required was high. She has a personality that will lift your spirits at 8am, and she has seen people at their worst and wants to ensure everyone leaves her office well informed and on the path towards better health. Finally Dr Ramakrishnan is vegetarian and she was completely fine with my choice to be vegan. We talked about how to eat healthy as a vegan and I appreciate she did not judge my lifestyle choice. I am sad I only need to see my PCP once a year. I almost want to get sick so I have an excuse to hang out with the coolest doctor in MoCo again. If you need a PCP there is no one better than Dr. Meera Ramakrishnan. read more

I hate these people. They jerk me around all the time and I've moved on. This week is a good example. After struggling to get past their automated phone system to a real person, I asked them to verify something was covered. They told me to do it myself, so I called the insurance carrier only to be told I needed a procedure code, so I had to call these idiots back. They said they'd ask the doctor and get back to me (they NEVER get back to me). I called the next day and finally got it, called insurance to confirm its covered, and then had to call these idiots a third time, scheduling an appointment for a referral. This was virtual and went fine. But the doctor told me the referral would be in their patient portal. A day later I had to call to find out where it is (no sign of it). They said they never put them in there and to call the other doctor's office. I pointed out that, without the referral, I had no idea who that was, so they reluctantly gave me the info. The other doctor's office had no referral for me. I called these idiots a fourth time only to be told they won't give me the referral unless I come in in-person to get it. Forget it. I'd rather die from my condition than do anymore with these jerks. The people on the phone sound so indifferent, and trust me, it shows. This is not the first time with them. I was at another appointment only to have THAT doctor's office tell me they never received the referral from these idiots. Neither me or them could reach these idiots to get it and I had to leave the appointment without being seen. read more

I spent last night in the emergency room, I'm running a triple digit fever despite Advil/Tylenol. Nausea and vomiting for two days and elevated heart rate Emergency room blood test results showed liver function problems I called to ask whether I should go directly to a specialist or whether their PA could interpret the results Of course they said come in and they'll decide whether I need a referral. Then they advised I had an outstanding balance of $105. Inferring I needed to pay before getting help. Guess I going back to the emergency room. Inexcusable behavior Will be filing official complaint. . read more

I had been looking for a doctor for a while since moving to the area and I picked Shantell Kargbeh from the First Medical Associates Rockville Office based on reviews on ZocDoc. The office was very nice and clean and the staff at the front desk were very friendly and ensured that everything was filled out as this was my first visit. I did not have to wait at all for my appointment. Shantell was really great and had a wonderful bedside manner. She spent time going over my medical history and discussing any concerns and issues. She was a great listener and provided me with a couple of referrals for additional follow-ups. She additionally provided me with some recommendations and prescription for things that I might need for an upcoming international trip. I came back the next day for some lab work which they do inhouse. I am not a fan of needles but the phlebotomist was really great and put me at ease. They also have a really great patient portal and all my lab work was posted there in less than 24 hours + with some recommendations on what I need to do to address some of the areas that were of concern in my lab results just 2 days later. Overall I was completely satisfied and am excited that I have found a great physician. read more

1 star. If I could give zero stars I would. I have been trying since January 2026 to get a single referral from Dr. Ramakrishnan's office at First Medical Associates to Kennedy Krieger Institute -- a world-class specialty clinic less than an hour away. It is now April. The referral has still not been done correctly. Let me tell you exactly what that looked like. The process is not complicated: the PCP submits a prior authorization form to my insurance (Maryland Physicians Care), receives an authorization number, and includes that number on the referral to Kennedy Krieger. Both my insurance and Kennedy Krieger confirmed this is routine -- they do it with this exact insurance constantly. Kennedy Krieger told me directly that they have never encountered a PCP office that could not figure this out. Here is what First Medical Associates did instead: -- Sent the first referral with the wrong codes and no authorization number. -- When I called to correct it, office staff told me they did not know how to do a prior authorization for a referral. I then spent my own time calling Kennedy Kreiger and my insurance multiple times to research the process for them. -- At the office's request, I personally wrote and emailed them a detailed, step-by-step guide. I included every CPT code, every diagnosis code, the prior auth fax number, the Kennedy Kreiger fax number, the insurance portal link, and a numbered list of every step they needed to take. I did their job for them. -- They sent the referral again. Still no authorization number. Still wrong. -- A staff member left me a voicemail stating that their office "does not do prior authorizations for referrals." This is factually incorrect and directly contradicted by both my insurer and Kennedy Kreiger. -- I forwarded my instructions again. I followed up again. I called again. I was assured it would be handled correctly this time. -- Kennedy Kreiger called me on April 3, 2026 to tell me another referral arrived -- still without an authorization number. -- When I called the office that same day, a staff member told me the referral had been "successfully sent" to Kennedy Krieger and the gastroenterologist. There is no gastroenterologist involved. I had my appendix out weeks ago -- that case is closed. They confused my active EDS referral with a completely unrelated, concluded referral from a different specialty. They also told me that in the future I should have my surgeon handle this. There is no surgeon. There has never been a surgeon involved in this referral. I have spent over five to six hours of my own time doing administrative work that is the legal and professional responsibility of this office. I have been denied access to medically necessary specialty care for three months because of their repeated, compounding errors. I am filing formal complaints with the Maryland Board of Physicians and Maryland Physicians Care, and I am filing a grievance with the Maryland Insurance Administration. If you have a straightforward medical need, maybe you will be fine here. If you are a complex patient who needs care coordination, referrals, or anyone in that office to retain basic information about your case from one phone call to the next -- find another doctor. This practice is not equipped to help you. 0/10 read more

This is a scam office! Do anything for money will triple charge you for the one appointment. Appointments like annual checkups that are clearly covered by insurance they will Miscode in attempts to make you pay more stay away read more

If I could give it a 0-star review- I will. The front desk staff (Columbia office) is terrible! Dr Borodatcheva is not taking time to see patients and perform a good service. She is always in rush. The first new patient visit took 10 minutes if no less and she rushed out fast. Waited to be seen for over half an hour. On the second visit, they did not see my mom, claiming we arrived 9 minutes late. There was no one patient in the lobby, just my mom and she still refused to see us. We got late, because their address on Google was wrong and came to the wrong place, which made me be late. I drove over 40 minutes to not be seen. My mom has hypertension, is diabetic and has anxiety and depression. You can only imagine of her stress to be refused in the office, her blood pressure went up as I had to drive her back home for an hour. This is not a medical Dr office, but a business where they stress people, rush out and charge $$$. Changing my provider and will never be back!!! Will report this center to the state Health department. read more

Germantown location is fabulous. Rockville location is completely unprofessional and out of line. The staff at the office are rude and condescending. They do not communicate about lab results in an efficient way. They disregard patients and gave me so much attitude. Clearly the staff is overworked and don't have time to care for their patients. read more

Ooooof, where do I start. No issues with medical appointment itself with Caitlin, NP. It wasn't stellar, but it got the job done. She then walked me over to the phlebotomist, laughed, and said "I'm not even going to try pronounce your last name! That's a mouthful! Can I call you Mrs. Gabriela?" I relayed it was fine to just call me Gabriela. The phlebotomist didn't seem to have a lot of experience or confidence. She poked me twice, and blew both veins. I had to run to an external lab after that to get my labs drawn. I sent Caitlin eedback via the portal after the appointment. Her response rationalized her behavior, and was incredibly disappointing. It did not feel like a genuine and sincere apology . There was no ownership, no acknowledgement of the impact of her actions/words. I say this as a healthcare provider myself. This is a good case study on how healthcare providers often fail at providing culturally competent care: Myself: Thanks for seeing me today. I wanted to take a moment to give you some feedback after my first appointment with you. I don't think the comment you made about my last name is appropriate, especially if your goal is to provide culturally competent care. If you can't pronounce someone's name, it's always okay to ask them how to pronounce it or simply ask them if you can call them by their first name. One aspect of providing culturally competent care, means you treat everyone's name with respect and don't treat it any differently than you would address a common American name. At the end of the day, you want your practice to show an appreciation for inclusivity and diversity. Thanks for listening. Her response left me feeling incredibly disappointing, and I felt unheard, at best. She apologized for offending me, talked about how her maiden name was long, and said she understood the frustration of mispronunciation. She rationalized her behavior by saying she was trying to stay light-hearted about it. She gave me a form letter apology to end her response. I responded that I'm not frustrated about pronunciation. I am frustrated about how she addressed the issue initially, along with the follow-up. Saying she was not even going to attempt to pronounce it, calling it a mouthful, inferring I'm frustrated about pronunciation, is just so out of touch. None of this is culturally competent care. A sincere apology would've been enough, rather than rationalizing why she said it. I communicated this. I asked her to reflect on this. As providers, we can only truly serve others well, if we are aware of our missteps and biases. I am incredibly disappointed in the quality of care, and lack of ownership on behalf of the provider. She never responded to my second message. I won't be returning. read more

Doctors first was friendly. Quick responsive patient attendance. Kind doctor who was very informative without being too academic. read more

After I had expressed my frustration, a doctor reached out and called me one evening. Although he talked for most of the call, I appreciate him calling to try to fix the situation and explain their side. He also refunded the co-pay I was charged which they should not have for my annual check-up. Thanks for that, and thanks for the call, doctor! read more

My experience with Drs First was an absolute mess and I've been a patient for years. But after the foolishness, unprofessionalism and lack of care for a sick patient I am in search of a new primary. I called first thing in the morning to get a same day sick visit. The operator scheduled me for a 2pm in office visit knowing my symptoms and instructed me on the location in Rockville and also to wear an N95 or double mask. I arrive on time to my appointment only to arrive to a nonchalant at the front desk who immediately made me feel as if I was bothering her (I'm under the weather and sensitive mind you) She did attend to me nicely but still not welcoming. She stated they don't do in office visits and she doesn't see my appointment with Karen. (So I guess I just made it up Hunh) Anyhow she proceeded to book a Telehealth appointment which i left and took in my vehicle. I arrived at the office at 2:10. Telehealth at 2:40. So that's a half hour. Telehealth appointment was blah and honestly I feel a waste of time. Anyhow she sent orders to two different places. The first one went fine. But when I arrived to the second they were surprised to have been sent orders because they don't do any of the swabs sent there now that's another 45 mins wasted. I immediately called the office to express my frustration and Jennifer (thank you kindly) dealt with my issue very professionally and with compassion. She didn't understand why they didn't swab me at the Blackwell office for they have the means. She sent me back there after sending them a message. I arrive there five minutes later only to be met with the same front desk attendant who made me feel like I was interrupting her day. She immediately says no we don't swab. I called Jennifer back and that's when the front desk attendant began looking for the items. She comes back ten minutes later and says no we can swab you without a negative pcr. I told her when I first arrived and the operator on the phone when o made the appointment I was negative for Covid. now I'm super upset because it was such a lm awful waste of time. What kind of patient facility is this that the office doesn't appear to be on the same page from the operators to the PAs docs and assistants. This is crazy. A person is not feeling well, you have them all over the place and they still go home unresolved in pain and no better. Just ridiculous. We seek medical attention because you all are supposed to be the professionals. Just sad all Around. Thanks for nothing Drs First except Jennifer because she was kind and compassionate. And for the record To all the health care providers: every sickness is not Covid related. People still do catch regular Colds, flus, viruses and have allergies. Please do better. And thanks to those who still have compassion and really care about their patients. read more

Doctors first is not a well oiled machine! First it is Impossible to get in touch with anyone at the front desk at any of the branches because of their automated calling service that reroutes and redirects you mostly to voicemails. Second Their portal is no easier to get in contact or access any physical human being. They usually say it takes at least two days to respond but I've gone multiple times a week or more without a response Third they are primarily run by physician assistants with very little physician led care which is fine if you are clueless how about the healthcare system and medicine work but as someone who knows the difference between the extensive training a physician goes through versus a physician assistant and a lack of supervision a physician provides this leads to unnecessary increased healthcare costs such as unnecessary imaging, unnecessary labs, unnecessary consultations. (Yes all of these happened in my case) Fourth, They are in the business of making money by charging for often unnecessary things. I had an annual physical which obviously was covered by my insurance but then the physician here stated they don't release results of the blood work done at the annual physical without scheduling a follow up visit which obviously is not covered by insurance the same way as an annual physical thus leaving you with at best a co-pay or at worst a full charge if you have not reached your deductible. Similarly they do the same for any forms that need to be filled out. Even if you've already had a physical In the last few months you still need to schedule a visit causing the same monetary implications. This review it's based upon my wife and I being patients of the group for two years and having seen a total of four different Providers just to give it the benefit of the doubt to see if any of these issues were provider dependent. Unfortunately they were not, it is a systems issue of the entire practice. read more

Dishonest billing practices. Originally had an appointment for my child in July which as soon as we arrived Dr. Babek told us we needed to cancel the appointment since our insurance would not pay as it was less than 12 months from our last appointment. So he did not see us and we rescheduled the appointment for mid-late August. Well...we were billed for a 'level 3' (supposed 15min) office visit plus patient focused health risk assessment even though nothing came of the few minutes we were actually there and we were TOLD we wouldn't be seen that day and to reschedule. So when we went for the appointment a month later we mentioned this to both the office staff and Dr. Babek. The office staff said they had no idea how this happened and Dr. Babek said he had 'nothing to do with billing'. Sooo what exactly happened? During our August visit Dr. Babek kept insisting we schedule a follow up appointment because my 20yr old tested positive for a UTI at the labs taken in mid-august (one week before appointment), even though they had no symptoms. By this point the LAST thing I wanted to do was schedule a needless office visit so they could try to squeeze more money out of me and my insurance company. Speaking of...turns out they DID bill my insurance company for BOTH the July "appointment" we were told to cancel and the August appointment in which we actually received the examination. Sleazy. And my multiple attempts via email and phone calls to numerous people in billing have yet to resolve the issue as I continue to receive the bill for services which were never rendered. This is been a very disappointing and unpleasant experience and I intend to never return to Doctor's First. read more