Optum Family Medicine - Riverdale

"I give this place an unfortunate ZERO stars. I had been going here for years and my father as well. The lady that picks up the phone was very unhelpful and rude. I have new insurance from my employer so I confirmed with my insurance that this office is within network. I told her it is Independence under Bluecross, she didn’t understand what I said and said we don’t think we accept. When I said this is a Bluecross company how can you not accept it (they also confirmed it with me) has been a terrible time trying to get an appointment she said “well my manager actually says we don’t accept your insurance” and hung up. I had been going here for years but this had been a terrible office for the past few years with 6 month wait times and rude staff. They don’t care about your health they will drop you like a hot pan."

"I still love Dr. Groves, she is amazing and the doctors who have seen me have all been wonderful to me and my family. Unfortunately… since Optum took over it has been a disaster. Impossible to make an appointment, everything is “go to urgent care” and walk-ins are no longer accepted. I’ve been coming here for over 20 years but must now start looking for another office. So sad."

"I’m sad to report that I have decided to look for another primary care physician if Optum does not improve. My prescription was sent to a pharmacy in Brooklyn. I live and work in the Bronx. It was intimated that I was a lair about where my pharmacy was. I did give the wrong address, corrected the address while on the phone. In my records my pharmacy has been the same for many years, I was told that in their records my pharmacy was in Brooklyn….why? When I suggested it was an error, the response was”maybe but that’s what listed”. I’m trying to be fair but the impersonal approach to deliver health care is concerning. A simple call to me would have prevented the error. Where is the spirit of my Riverdale Family Practice? I am trying my best to remain, but very concerned and currently shopping around."

"The physicians that have been there since Riverdale Family Practice are still good doctors, but this office is a hostile, unprofessional disaster. This is no longer a healing environment. Staff dismisses people on the phone and in person when walk-ins are instructed. Staff is noticeably annoyed in having a patient-facing job. There is a palpable level of indignation in communication toward each patient I've watched while I'm there. One man was offended enough last week to make a profane remark at the desk after traveling there for care and being turned away in a very cold manner. While other patients subtly nodded their heads with him, I realized why. Corporatizing of family medicine is a shame, and if it has all of the corporate workings, Optum should at least overhaul and replace front office staff with appropriately trained medical personnel. It's really a sad thing to see-- had been going there since adolescence >15 years ago."

"I used to go to Family Riverdale Practice for any medical problem. My son and husband did the same for two decades. After Optum bought Family Riverdale Practice, everything was a nightmare. Forget about calling and trying to get an appointment. That would be a new part of the Mission Impossible saga. When you finally try to use their portal to get an appointment, it gives you a wide array of doctors, all under the Optum brand. The problem is that I don't want an appointment with any doctor; I want an appointment with my doctor. The one I have seen for 20 years and I'm familiar with. The one my son and husband have seen for two decades and is familiar with their medical history. What brought us to Family Riverdale Practice was the convenience of getting an appointment when you needed it and the doctors, nurses, and the people who worked at the desk. I'm not sure we will ever be back. Simply sad!"