Uab Obstetrics & Gynecology 619 19th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233

"I had the WORST experience here during my first pregnancy and have anxiety about putting myself through it again, even though I want more children. At my first appointment (for some reason I couldn’t be scheduled with my OBGYN who I love and respect) with Dr. Patel, she focused more on my BMI than explaining how to care for myself during my pregnancy. She then went on to state that I could only gain 7-11 pounds during my pregnancy based on my BMI…in what world is that possible when the weight of the placenta, baby, extra blood and water, and necessary fat for healthy baby brain development typically weigh 20-30 pounds? Not to mention that I am an active person with healthy cholesterol and blood sugar levels. In addition, the history of the BMI scale should prove why it is NOT an indicator of overall health for women, or especially, WOC (all of my health tests were normal other than BP, which was never an issue until I got pregnant—which I explained several times but was ignored EVERY SINGLE TIME due to my BMI & race). She then enrolled me in a BP study, which I also DO NOT RECOMMEND. One day during the study, I had another normal reading. I was then called, accused, and questioned by a nurse to see if someone else used my monitor because the reading was normal. Dr. Patel even had to admit at a later appointment towards the end of my pregnancy that my BP only seems to be high around her after reviewing my chart. My 2nd appointment I saw Dr. Boone. After trying to explain that my anxiety has increased since the pregnancy due to a lack of sleep (and having to constantly watch my weight) and that my BP was always normal prior to the pregnancy, she then cut me off and proceeded to say, “You check a lot of boxes because you’re obese and African American.” This is an example of the implicit biases that make AA women afraid of the type of medical care they will (or won’t) receive. If a doctor feels comfortable enough to say that out loud, I’d be terrified to know what insensitive things are said behind AA patient’s backs or while developing care plans. At that point, I realized that I was not going to be taken seriously by the doctors who weren’t my OBGYN, but unfortunately, I kept getting scheduled with several other doctors other than my own. This occurred during the height of the pandemic, so I had no one in the room with me to help me advocate for myself. I’m blessed to have a healthy baby (the L&D nurses are wonderful!), but I do not plan to return to UAB for my next pregnancy (although I LOVE my OBGYN—her partners, not so much) and cannot recommend it to other WOC who do not fit an antiquated (1800s) European male-based weight system. You won’t be seen as a patient; you’ll be seen as a BMI number."

"A diagnosis was missed pregnant with my son after 2 trip to EMU. With inaccurate diagnosis being diagnosed with Placenta Accreta at birth. I would not recommend UAB at all for pregnancy. My sons heart rate dropped ,much me blood pressure dropped and lost lots of blood at delivery. My doctor didn’t even call to tell me the diagnosis after they took my placenta after birth for testing. Some random person did after I being told the possible diagnosis after delivery . Glad I checked getting pregnant again could of been fatal for me. Was told to come off iron after being diagnosed during pregnancy of severe anemia. Just save you and your baby Grandview is awesome from my understanding."

"I adore my doctor. She’s kind, knowledgeable, and enjoys helping her patients. We also truly had a great experience with the doctor on call who delivered our baby 3 years ago!"

"Horrible horrible horrible. I waited for weeks for an appointment. The appointment went well people were nice. Waited days for results and ended up getting a surgery scheduled within days. I take off three days of work one for Preop, one for the surgery and one for a recovery day. Well I go through all the preop process the day before and after I leave I get a call stating they have to reschedule bc the Doctor made a mistake with my financial paperwork. I explain to them my situation about work and they say they will call me back. They call back saying I will have the procedure just a few hours from the original time. They then call back and say no I can’t have it. This goes on two more times till the final decision ends up being no I won’t have. All this less than 24 hours before I’m scheduled for a procedure. It was a lack of communication on their part that I literally have to pay for by missing work. The lady was very rude and says “well I will give you an excuse for work but I can’t pay you”. Seriously??? Honestly the whole process was super fustrating and confusing I wish I could get in contact with a head person so maybe they can fix how they communicate and don’t call the patient until they are absolutely sure of the outcome. I was on edge everytime my phone rang not to mention wasted a whole lot of time not knowing what was going on. Wish I went somewhere different because now I’m having to wait for another appointment and do this whole process over again. While still in pain and dealing with these symptoms."

"My wife had to wait for days before they could give an appointment. A doctor who has no time for patients and is not in office 90% of the time. Test results take days. They never call back. Staff is incompetent, diagnosis is inaccurate misleading and inconclusive 95% of the time. The prescriptions take forever to be prescribed. Did I miss anything? I recommend going somewhere else. Bunch of aging idiots in a stable government job."