Dr Velasquez was the on-call for my 79-year-young mother's internist late on a Sunday afternoon when she was coughing frequently, running a low-grade fever and gradually weakening. We are typically very leery of calling an on-call doctor from a different practice whom we haven't seen before, because the usual outcome is for either the doctor to immediately follow the path of least resistance and send the patient to the ER or to punt it to the regular doctor on his next day in the office. Those types of interactions usually are a waste of time because they aren't helpful and don't explore any options you don't already know. Although she had never seen my mother, Dr Velasquez immediately took interest in my mom's case. She helped me work through my mom's symptoms and determine that it was best we get to the ER immediately rather than prescribe an antibiotic over the phone and wait until the next day when her regular physician would be available. Her interactions with me were simple and easily understood--not filled with medical jargon--and centered on compassion for my mom's situation and that of my family. When we arrived at the hospital, my mother was triaged and placed in a treatment room within 30 minutes. The ER staff had acknowledged that Dr Velasquez had called ahead and alerted the ER to our arrival. Despite a half-full ER waiting room, some of whom had been waiting for three hours to get past triage, we were dealt with swiftly and courteously. I can't help but think that Dr Velasquez's call had something to do with the rapid response we got. But wait, there's more: When I returned from the hospital, about 5 hours from the point I had first spoken with Dr Velasquez, I got a phone call. It was Dr Velasquez, inquiring as to how things had turned out. She even asked if I was pleased with the decision we had made to go to the ER. I couldn't thank her enough for following up with me and for helping to reach the conclusion that we needed to be at the hospital. Of course, based on this one experience with Dr Velasquez, it is not possible for me to comment on her in-office practice or continuing care. But I can say that the way she treats a total stranger calling about another doctor's patient late on a Sunday afternoon is awesome. And, to find a doctor in this day and time that cares this much over the phone about a patient she's never even seen is truly remarkable. ----- P.S. I found out later this morning that my mom's internist who no longer sees patients in the hospital came by to check on her based on call notes that Dr Velasquez had passed along. Follow-through and follow-up. Terrific. read more

The doctor herself was alright but I didn't have many medical issues and just needed her for an referral to a specialist. Her staff however is completely incompetent. After my referral, they keep forgetting to send my records over to the specialist and the staff at the other doctor ended up requesting the records themselves. This was a year ago and I somehow forgot how awful the staff is and decided to schedule another appointment. They called me to remind me of my appointment and new procedures for covid and when I asked them to send the instructions to my email, they said they can't cause they don't have a map. I'm not even asking for a map, just simple instructions but the receptionist is obviously too lazy to do that. My dentist has no problem sending me detailed emails before each appointment so I don't understand why my doctor's office can't. So I told her to go ahead and cancel the appointment and I'm going to find another primary care provider. read more

If I were just to rate Dr. Velasquez personally, I would give her a 5. Extremely thorough, patient, thoughtful and compassionate. You can tell she genuinely cares for her patients. Now the cons: - While the thoroughness is great when you're being seen, it's not great when you're in the waiting room. Expect to wait WELL WELL WELL over an hour after your scheduled appointment to get called in. Might be fine for some people, but I can't be gone that long from my office job. - Had a very severe infection while Dr. Velasquez was out of the office. Was told by a nurse practitioner, "Wow, I've never seen anything like that. Hmmm. Yeah, no clue. That's weird. Guess we'll just have to wait and see." Not the most reassuring diagnosis when your head is swollen three times its size. - I switched insurance companies and was overcharged for 2 co-payments. It has been 4 months and counting of me calling the office every other week or so to try rectify. I'm always told a check will be sent, then hear nothing and get nothing. As of this posting, I'm still waiting for my refund... Sadly will have to find a new practice that's more efficient and proactive. read more

I have been using Dr Nelly Velasquez as my GP for a year now. She is an excellent doctor. She really takes the time to listen to and talk with her patients. You will not find yourself rushed out of her office before you get the chance to ask and be asked important health questions. Her office is clean, her staff is professional, and she has an excellent bedside manner. I would highly recommend calling Dr Velasquez if you are trying to find a kind and compassionate GP. read more

BE CAREFUL OF FRAUD. Dr. Velasquez, at first glance, seems like a kind medical professional. However, she purposely misfiled my visit so that I would be charged for it by my insurance. I went in to get a physical and also a referral. I got neither, but I did get a script to tide me over until I found a specialist on my own. If my visit had been processed as a check up/physical, I would have gotten it for free or for much less of a charge. So, visit at your own risk. I am working to contest the charge but the office has purposely filed the paperwork to misguide my insurance. read more

I really do like this doctor. She is super nice and patient. Her receptionist/medical assistant is not all smiles but she is straight to the point. Yes you do have to wait for awhile but that's because the doctor spends as much time as she needs to with each patient. You don't feel rushed and she really listens to you . So if you make an appointment make sure you don't have to be anywhere else for at lease 2hrs. This is an amazing office and I glad I found it. read more

I only gave 4 stars because of the 45 minutes I sat in the patient room waiting for Dr. Velasquez. I was looking for a good GP and I found Dr. Velasquez on www.healthgrades.com and she had good reviews. I called and was able to get an appointment for 2 day later. I wasn't sick so I didn't need to be seen right away. The office isn't anything fancy just a basic office. I waited for 15 minutes and then was brought to the back for height, weight, blood pressure and then taken to the patient room. I waited patiently (I had read other reviews from Yelp that the wait was long) for 45 minutes and Dr. Velasquez finally came in. She is a very kind, sweet, and caring doctor. She wanted to know everything about everything and I appreciated that. She was very thorough and spent 30 minutes with me going over my family history and medical history. I left there and that was that. I will go back despite waiting for so long. I have other specialists that I see for literally 5 minutes and I'm out the door, so I appreciate her taking the extra time to actually get to know her patients. read more

Office Personell: Incompetent. I called 10 times to get them to fax a prescription. I was assured they would send over. After waiting 5 hours, I called 5 minutes before the office closed to ensure it was sent and they already turned on their automated answering service . Medical Equipment: Basic vitals are a challenge since their blood pressure cuff does not work 90% of the time. It requires the person to hold it on. Bed Side Manners: She basically tells you how it is. read more

I'm in agreement with the other reviews. Dr. Velasquez herself gets 15 stars. She has a wonderful personality, and really cares about her patients. She stays very up-to-date with research and studies. When I was diagnosed with a very serious illness last year that I had to be hospitalized for, Dr. Velasquez frequently called my doctors at St. David's and checked on my status. She also followed up with me thoroughly for months afterwards. Another strong point is that Dr. V makes wonderful referrals. She has sent me to my all-time favorite dermatologist, hematologist and gynecologist. Her office staff is always nice but seems to just be 5 steps behind her. They are terrible with the schedule- the wait is BAD. Super unfortunate since you have to pay for parking in the garage too. And they seem to all kind of sit around and talk. It used to drive me nuts, but I have come to expect it so I started showing up 10 minutes late to my appointments.... works out pretty well! read more

Waited an hour after my appointment time. Doc is nice but the staff mess everything up, they typed both my address and phone number into the system wrong even though I wrote legibly, and got my email address wrong even after telling them how to spell it. Tip: her office is through the tunnel attached to the garage, it's not the main hospital entrance. read more

Dr. Velasquez was extremely homophobic. She asked me if I was gay because I was sexually abused as a child and then tried to say that my son's disabilities stemmed from my sexuality. Doctors like this are the reason thirteen year old kids are committing suicide and why queer/trans folks of all ages do not receive the medical care they need and deserve. read more

Dr Velasquez is great! My mother and I both use her and I can't say enough about how wonderful she is. She is very thorough, takes her time, and asks a million questions. She really seems like she cares and never seems like she is in a hurry. The wait time can be long sometimes but it seems to be because she never rushes her patients. She is the only doctor I have seen in a long time that hasn't been in a hurry. She also personally calls to discuss test results even when they are normal. We are really happy we found her. read more

My family has used Dr Velasquez as our primary care doctor for about 8 years. She has all the attributes a doctor should have, but which only rare ones do nowadays, starting with: Compassion--She really cares about her patients as human beings and takes time to talk to them about not only their complaints but their actual lives as well. Today she went above and beyond to personally accompany me to another building to have a particularly stressful test. Intelligence--she knows her stuff. Ability to cope well under pressure--in today's world where electronic medical record software breaks down about every minute and insurance pays less and less, she is never without a totally calm and relatively happy demeanor which doesn't seem fake. Communication skills--she is able to "translate" her knowledge to the level of the patient if needed. Her partner, Dr Swamy, is also a very nice and intelligent person. We hope to have Dr Velasquez as our doctor until we toddle down that road to the big goodnight. Mil gracias. read more

If you're a woman, avoid her at all costs. She makes judgemental comments towards any form of premarital sex, and she performed a painful pap smear on me. She was not gentle at all and pressed down on my abdomen extremely hard to the point where it hurt for 4 days afterwards. I had a false positive STD screening result, which I confirmed with an OBGYN later. My OBGYN thinks she used a testing method that is known for false positives. However, Dr. Velasquez's recommendation was to go to the CDC website to read about the STD.... no other recommendations and she did not know how to answer my questions on the subject. She did not even refer me to an OBGYN, I knew to go to one on my own. Needless to say, it was a traumatic experience and I found a significantly better PCP using the ZocDoc app. Please spare yourself from her terrible bedside manner. read more

Office staff take days to call back about referrals, if they call you back at all. I have to badger them about test results because they never call. I agree with the other reviewer who said office staff were incompetent. Dr. Velasquez herself has made insensitive comments about my sexual orientation. I was putting up with it until today's appointment. I'm sitting in the waiting room and haven't even been seen by the medical assistant. My appointment was an hour ago. I'm done with the hassle. I've been putting up with it because my insurance requires referrals from my PCP for my specialists and I have chronic health issues. I've gotta find a new primary care physician but it's not worth the time and energy to go here. read more

The staff is highly incompetent, lied to me and my insurance company and does not call back. After my appointment, they demanded I pay $70 event though I told them I met my deductible and should not pay anything. They refused to listen and said they will sent me a refund if that's the case. It was the case but no one ever called me about a refund. For months, I (and my insurance company) have been calling Dr. Velasquez asking for a refund. At least 2 times were told I would receive a refund within 10 days. I didn't. Every time I called, no one knew what was going on and said Dr. Nelly Velasquez will call me back. She didn't. Its not about the $70. Its about the way the situation was handled. In my opinion, this is fraudulent billing and extremely shady behavior with highly incompetent staff. I have been going to Dr. Velasquez for several years and not once has my appointment been on time. It is always at least 30-60 minute wait so a simple 10 minute appointment would take about 1.5 hrs. As a doctor, she is competent and no complaints about the quality of her medical services. read more

This doctor was horrible with my mother. She change medication that harm my mom, made my mom a lot more worst then before. She was rude, didn't have any compassion for my mom overall health. Flat out said, she was lazy and full of excuses. When in reality, my mom is a hardworking woman. Made my mom diabetes worst then ever, wrote a wrong prescription for her thyroid level. Overall this doctor is unfair, rude, and horrible. read more

Dr. Velasquez is great. Professional, prudent, and caring- everything I want in my doctor. Only con is paying for parking.

5 stars to Dr. Velasquez, 0 to the office wait time. I've been going here for about 4 years now and literally every time for the past 4 years I've had to wait for about an hour. PLEASE figure out how to work the schedule!! I keep coming here because Dr. V is amazing, attentive, and knowledgeable. Worth the wait, although I get extremely annoyed and frustrated every time... read more

Been going to here for years and have had a very positive experience. She has lots of experience and I trust her opinions and recommendations. I've gone to her for everything from my women's health check ups, allergies, and travel shots/meds. Like someone said she makes you feel like a partner in your health. read more

Dr. Velasquez is my primary care physician. She is great. Attentive, professional, caring. I never feel rushed when I am with her. She goes over everything and asks tons of questions, which makes me feel like she is interested and doesn't want to miss anything. She is always proactive and listens to my opinion as well. Only con is that you have to pay for parking. read more

Dr. Velasquez was my doctor until I moved from Texas to Iowa. My previous doctor used PAs for physicals and other visits and I didn't like that. I asked around at work and got great reviews on Dr. V., so I switched. She does NOT believe in using PAs in place of a doctor. Dr. V. takes the time to listen and type info into her laptop, giving you her her total attention. Though she had other patients, I never felt that I needed to rush through or skip stuff - she let me know this was MY time. She's warm, caring, thorough, and has a beautiful Columbian accent! I miss you, Dr. V.! read more

I recently had my first appointment for a meet & greet with Dr. Velasquez. I moved from NYC where I had 2 Dr's I visited regularly for 8 years, so picking a new doctor was agonizing. Dr. Velasquez was incredibly personable and answered all my questions intelligently and succinctly. She was very detailed as she reviewed my new patient history form with me and it was clear that she took time to review it before she entered the exam room. Her staff was also very attentive and friendly. Only downside is paid parking in the hospital's garage took a while to find a spot. Next time I'll be sure to include extra time for that. read more

Dr Velasquez is the best doctor I have ever had. She has been my doctor now for 10 years. She truly cares about her patients and listens to ALL of your concerns. She is thorough & doesn't rush through your appointment or push unnecessary medications. She will call to check on you even if it is late in the evening or the weekend. She goes above & beyond what is expected and even shares some of her own personal medical history if it relates to what you are going through and how she dealt with her issue. She has a wonderful personality and is definitely an asset to our city. read more

I have been seeing Dr Velasquez as my PCP for over 4 years now. Although I always have to wait at least an hour because she is forever running behind, she is thorough & very kind, but my last visit I was beyond disappointed. I had cut my foot on glass requiring 5 stitches in the ED & the follow up instructions said to see my PCP within 2-3 days. After waiting 1.5 hours to see her, she looked at my wounds & said she couldn't believe i came in "just for that." She basically said it was "nothing" (5 stitches in my toe was a big something to me) & when I asked for a prescription for the pain medication the ED had stingily only given me a few of, she said she would never prescribe that particular medication for pain from a laceration & to take aspirin. She then told me to use Hydrogen Peroxide on the wound & sent me on my way. I went back to the ED 4 days later because my toe was very red & swollen & was extremely painful & sure enough, it was infected. The ED doctor & RN both said the protocol for using Hydrogen Peroxide on a wound like that was discontinued as a treatment option many years ago because it causes the wound to not get air, thus leads to infection. I could NOT believe it. It's funny how one mistake like that can totally erode one's confidence in a physician. As much as I despise the thought, I guess I will have to find a new PCP now after 4 years. I just cannot take any more chances of mistakes like this being made. The ER doc gave me 2 different types of antibiotics to clear the infections & said if they didn't work, I would have to go on IV antibiotics! Scarey... read more

I will say that the office staff are awful and the wait time is pretty bad. Dr. Velasquez however is excellent. She is available after and before hours by phone and takes plenty of time to explain anything you have questions about. When my father in law was having medical problems in Peru she offered to speak to his physicians to help us understand their diagnoses and decisions, which was very generous. Her specialist recommendations have been wonderful, and I have always felt that she is respectful of my choices even if they are different that what she had recommended. Five stars for her, 1 for her office staff. read more

We've been seeing her for 10 years. Saw her today to compliment that "She is the hardest working MD I've known", true--after 45 years in the business. She is a thoughtful Diagnostician or will refer but always shares information, and never "wings it". She is the rare physician to actually listen and uses her clinical findings to collaborate conclusions. One occasion she even made phone calls herself to try and locate a physician for a speciality assessment that was not allowed by insurance. Yes occasionaly there may be a wait, but the time is returned; it has never been a cause for complaint. And I appreciate that the office does not operate as high tech, which allows more hands on deliberations and employs more people. read more

Dr. Velasquez has been my and my husband's doctor for almost seven years. I would recommend her to anyone who is in need of good healthcare in Austin. Besides her compassion and thoroughness, I appreciate that she puts her patients first before money. She does not peddle medications that we do not need and she makes herself available many times after hours. I am very grateful to her for her treatment. In fact, once I was too sick to come in to the office. She and I spoke over the phone and were able to diagnose the issue (I had the FLU) and she sent in a prescription to my pharmacy and I was on the road to feeling better---and she did not charge me for that phone call. The receptionist that work with her are also nurses I believe and so sometimes get a bit backed up with work so it is best to call them if you need things in a pinch and call again to speak in person and follow up. read more

I've been seeing Dr. Velasquez for close to 10 years and I really appreciate the time she takes with every visit. She makes me feel like a partner in my health care - not just a patient. read more

I recently got new insurance that required a PCP in their network who would also do referrals, so I had to leave my primary doc of many years. (She doesn't take insurance, but to me she was worth it, and before this year didn't have to have referrals for specialists.) I was very nervous about getting a new doctor. Well, there was no need to worry, because Dr. Velasquez is fantastic. I truly didn't expect to like a new doctor that much, but she is thorough, down to earth, intelligent and knowledgeable. I'm extremely impressed. The referrals process is a pain, but Dr. Velasquez and her staff do their best to streamline things as much as they can. I recommend Dr. Velasquez wholeheartedly. read more

My only 5 star review! The office has even been redecorated and they have some additional new support people that are all helpful, knowledgeable, organized and professional. I really appreciate that I have never waited any longer than 10 minutes which is fantastic. She has a very thorough screening PA who steamlines the entire visit. Then Dr V always reviews her computer record and updates directly as we discuss concerns. She has a fantastic memory and always can suggest several treatment options with benefits and concerns. Dr V is Board Certified in several areas. She is a physician that is tops, gives of her attention, time, expertise. I agree with others that report that she really listens, and is concerned with health maintenance as well as illness. Bravo! read more

VERY DISAPPOINTED!! The receptionist was RUDE and the doctor kept calling me fat. Or at least implying it There were other issues and concerns that I went to be seen for that I feel weren't even addressed. I felt very uneasy. I came out of there feeling worse than I had gone in. On one issue she stated , we would address it on my next visit then when I was done I asked , when would she like to see me back and she said she didn't need to. I'm not following... I tried to mention other issues while she was examining me and she kind of rolled her eyes and took a quick gasp. I felt almost embarrassed and just wanted it to be over. I WILL DEFINITELY BE LOOKING FOR MEDICAL CARE ELSEWHERE.. read more

Dr. Velasquez has been my Doctor now for 6 years and not a day goes by where I'm not thankful for that. She is the only Doctor I will have as GP for myself and the family. The entire office is excellent, feels like family, and everyone is highly professional. I can say that each time I have been there I have never had to wait for more than 5 minutes to see Dr.Velasquez. I never feel rushed and always go away feeling like everything was THROUGHLY and I mean throughly taken care of. Coming from a healthcare field and very detail oriented myself, I can say that I really appreciate Dr V's attention to detail, listening to me, and having the best bedside manner I have EVER come across. Not to mention that she is at the top of her game, very intelligent, and never ceases to amaze me with how well she knows me as an individual patient. I've noticed the common thread about how she listens, and I can't highlight that quality enough. Thumbs up and keep up the good work is all I can say. read more