I recently picked Dr. Shushan as my primary care physician when I changed insurances. Mostly, I…read morepicked him because of the convenience of his office to where I live. Also, I am a physician at in the Cambridge Health Aliance system, and wanted to go outside that system for my care so that I wouldn't encounter colleagues in the course of obtaining my care, so I picked a practice in the Mount Auburn system. I saw him for the first time last week, and was very impressed by him. It took a few months to get a new patient appointment with him, but I don't have significant health problems so that was fine. He was prompt and efficient, but quite thorough in his physical exam and review of systems (the part where they ask you questions about headaches, vision, hearing, shortness of breath, cough, etc etc). In the course of my medical training I have seen many physical exams performed on a basically healthy person that were perfunctory at best, but Dr. Shushan was methodical and complete. He had an easy manner and seemed like a nice guy, so we had a good rapport. He brought up appropriately but did not beat me over the head with what we both knew I could be doing better - diet and exercise. I felt very comfortable entrusting my care to him and if I became ill, I know he'd do a good job and treat me with dignity. My only minor complaint was with a harried nurse who was a bit short with me. After signing in by the door as a first-time patient with the staff who handled the insurance, they sent me to the waiting room, but didn't tell me I needed to check in with the folks there, so I sat down for a minute or two until a nurse came out and berated me in an annoyed voice, "You need to sign in when you get here!" I hadn't realized you needed to sign in at two separate places. She later calmed down a bit and was nicer to me once I complimented her blood-drawing skills.

I thoroughly agree with the other reviewer and I am not a doctor but a self employed woman…read more I just saw Dr. Shushan as a PCP for the first time last December. I also had to wait a couple of months for an appointment as a new patient which was fine as I'm pretty healthy. I was very impressed with the quick process of getting me through the registration/reception area. His nurse was lovely and very good, and when I had my visit with him I didn't feel rushed like I've felt with other doctors in the past. Other practices treat you like cattle (sitting in various waiting rooms). He was quick to get to me once his nurse was done with the testing and did not rush through the exam. He asked me important questions to get to know me and gave me various suggestions on what to do to stay healthy. What a wonderful experience. This is how a doctor should be; knowledgeable, kind, friendly and efficient. He's my doctor from this point on!

I've been a patient of Dr. Barnes for 20 years and she and the entire staff are fabulous! I've…read morenever had a bad experience here. They also have a lot of patients who speak Portuguese, Spanish, or Haitian Kreyol and the staff is mostly bi- or even multilingual.

I had to go for an urgent care visit this morning and Dr. Barnes wasn't available, so I saw Dr…read more Cocoran instead. I have to say (based on this brief interaction) that she was as great a doctor as Dr. Barnes. She made me feel comfortable and made sure all my questions were answered. I'm sticking with Dr. Barnes for my PCP but can recommend Dr. Cocoran as well if anyone is looking. Also, I've decided that part of why the visits can take so long here is that they are overbooked (as most doctors are these days) but also that the doctors and nurses really take the time to talk to you and don't rush you through your appointment. It's too bad they can't schedule less appointments in a day. In order to beat this, go as early in the day as you can. My last two appointments have been before 9am and I've gotten in and out in about 45 minutes.

Staff makes it impossible to reach provider about clinical questions and could do a better job at…read moreunderstanding the administrative hurdles.

I've been going to this practice for about three years now and have had the pleasure of Dr. Parras…read moreTomkins as my primary physician. I have also seen Dr. Lee when Dr. Tomkins was on vacation. Both Drs. are extremely knowledgeable, compassionate, and helpful. My only other experience was with the Cambridge Health Alliance for which their Somerville based doctors have a strange system for booking appointments (on the day a week before). In comparison, booking appointments at the Family Medicine @ Ball Square is a breeze. They are open to walk-ins and I have called and shown up as early as 5 minutes later. They also take blood samples and the like for tests on-site, no need to go elsewhere. I have also been taking my 5 month old son (from birth) here and am very pleased with their attentiveness, ease at getting vaccinations and being provided with information, as well as the care of the support staff and nurses. There is very little wait time when going for pre-scheduled appointments. Family Medicine @ Ball Square is part of the Hallmark Health Medical Associates (Lawrence Memorial Hospital and Melrose-Wakefield Hospital) which also provides for a wide range of doctors and services that I have found to be excellent.

I had a good experience with Dr. Tandon. After months of trying to figure out what was wrong with…read moreme, Dr. Tandon got right down to business with me and had a diagnosis within a few short weeks after my colonoscopy. I started the recommended meds and am on the road to recovery, with hopefully no relapse! What I appreciated was his kindness and willingness to listen to my thoughts and opinions on my illness. Even my theories and suspicions on what caused it, he listened to and researched. I felt respected and heard by him. I still have a ways to go to fully recover but it's getting better so I am hopeful!

I saw Dr Manish Tandon on Telehealth in June and with only hearing of my mild symptoms, he quickly…read moresuggested the highest level of procedure that is not typically needed for someone my age. As I went to the hospital to carry though months later, every single staff was surprised that at my age I was getting such a procedure. Just had my physical and again this was brought up as something that was not necessary. At this point, I feel that he didn't take the time to do what's best for me and simply acted as to what's best for the hospital. I really feel ripped off. I don't recommend this doctor. STAY AWAY!

Dr Hanak should not be allowed to see or treat patients. 1 star is to generous! He listened to…read morenothing I said, tried to push a bunch of prescription medication regardless that I stated I don't want to take medications daily and then stated he didn't feel my condition merited the plan of care in place by my pcp and Dr Patel. I don't believe he reviewed my up to date info. prior to meeting with me. And he crushed my hope that my current plan of care may help. The resident seeing me along with him even spoke up and disagreed with his statement that he didn't feel my 3 herniated cervical discs are causing my discomfort and that I will not benefit from epidural neck injection being managed by pain clinic. The office manager heard conversation and had to step in to try and help. I left in tears w prescriptions i will not fill and my hope of future better days and pain relief crushed.

I recently had the great experience of meeting Dr. Hanak at the Charlestown Spaulding rehab. I have…read moreworked with many physiatrists in the past, Dr Hanak is on a higher level than any of the doctors. He is easy to talk to, he is extremely knowledgeable and thorough. He ordered X-rays for me. I do not recall ever having X-rays. It is a puzzle why my PCPs in the past did not refer me sooner.

Dr. Wigden has been my teen daughters pediatrician for 2 years now and while thankfully we don't…read morehave to go see her very often, she has been wonderful every time we do see her. Wait time can vary, but that's not her fault, it's the clinic & their scheduling. Generally, we never have to wait long. And if we have to wait a little longer because she's providing other kids with the same quality care than that's okay with me. I'm not going through the drive thru for my children's health. She's through, takes her time dealing with each of them, and offers practical advice. She is warm & personable and makes my daughters feel completely at ease. I would highly recommend.

Dr. Wigden has been my daughter's pediatrician since she was 9 months old and first came home from…read morethe hospital. My kiddo has some significant health issues, and makes substantially greater use of Dr. Wigden than your average loinfruit. Whenever we have needed her, she's been there for us. She is always accommodating, making room to see us when we need to be seen. She has a fantastic rapport with my daughter, and translates that into a great rapport with me. She is collaborative, innovative, and concerned. Her covering staff is also quite good on the days Dr. Wigden is not available. At this point, we've seen most anyone in her office, and I would recommend any of them. I could not recommend Dr. Wigden more highly.

Would give ZERO stars if possible. I wanted to switch to a holistic doctor, and I thought Dr. Ali…read morewould be a good match. First of all, the office looks NOTHING like their photos, which didn't matter to me but this is very misleading for anyone who thinks it looks like that. Second of all, I had my physical in December, and it was all of five minutes long. I had a follow up appointment in February, and got billed for two copays. (My physical is preventative and should be covered 100 percent). I complained to the receptionist and she told me it was because I had talked about a problem outside the realm of a physical (which the only thing I mentioned was my weight which is DEFINITELY part of a physical). The receptionist said she would "write it off", so I was satisfied. Eight months later I get a bill saying my copay will be going to collections, so I call back and a different receptionist tells me the extra copay is because I had asked for a refill of my albuterol inhaler at my Follow up in February and that was a "new problem". I have had exercised endured asthma MY ENTIRE LIFE, and I had mentioned that at my physical! I have never gotten charged for going into another PCPs office and asking for a refill on my prescription. Imagine if you called for a refill and every time you got a copay in the mail? STEER CLEAR of this place unless you like tons of copays !!!

I have mixed feelings about Dr. Ali. She was not the right match for me, and I have some serious…read moreissues with her approach to testing, however I do think she would be a good doctor for someone who is relatively healthy and is interested in holistic and Ayurvedic medicine. The office was very clean and modern, and the staff were friendly and efficient. I originally decided to visit her because of her holistic approach to medicine; I have had unexplained chronic health issues for several years that traditional doctors were unresponsive to (recently diagnosed as Chronic Lyme by another doctor), and was hoping she could help me figure out the root cause. Dr. Ali prescribed some herbal medicines and recommended some dietary changes based on Ayurvedic medicine, which I liked. However, after seeing her several times, she would not carry out tests that I felt were important, and it became clear that she was not the right doctor for me; to be fair, she had an honest conversation about this with me, and we mutually decided that it would be best if I switched to a new PCP that would undertake the testing that I requested. If you are like me and have chronic unexplained health issues, I would caution you that Dr. Ali may not be the right doctor to help you uncover the underlying issues, based on the reasons below: I had a lot of debilitating health problems when I initially saw Dr. Ali, and asked her to do some specific tests to rule out some of my symptoms. Dr. Ali wouldn't do the tests, and told me that she does not believe in unnecessary testing because it is wasteful. I agree with this principle, however, I don't think it is wasteful to do a test if someone has specific symptoms! Since moving to Visions Healthcare, which practices Functional Medicine, I have been diagnosed with Lyme Disease, SIBO, multiple food allergies and severe B12 deficiency, which were all completely missed while I was at Zanjabee, due to lack of testing. I was concerned that I had Celiac Disease. Rather than testing me for Celiacs, Dr. Ali recommended that eat a gluten free diet, and after a couple weeks of the new diet, I was feeling better. However, I again expressed my concern that I should get tested for Celiacs, as it is an autoimmune disease which can lead to a host of other health issues. Dr. Ali wouldn't do the test and said I should just eat GF for the rest of my life. After doing research on Celiacs and Gluten Sensitivity, I learned that it is essential to test for Celiacs BEFORE going on a gluten free diet, because once you stop eating gluten, you will get false negative test results. If I had symptoms of Celiacs, I should have been tested for it prior to being prescribed a GF diet. I also have chronic fatigue and a family history of hypothyroidism, and because of this, I asked Dr. Ali to do a full thyroid panel. She told me that TSH was the only important item to test and wouldn't do any other thyroid testing. I believe it is incredibly important to find a doctor that will do a full Thyroid panel and fully understands the relationship between all the thyroid hormones, especially in order to diagnose hyper/othyroidism and Hashimotos - so that was a red flag for me. If you share my opinion on this, I would recommend finding another doctor.