Aarthi Ram, MD

"My first problem was that they made me wait a very long time between visits. In the meantime, I sent a message requesting a refill for my medication and asking for a sooner appointment since I was feeling worse. They couldn't help me with that request. Instead, they charged me (my insurance) as a full visit. It happened twice. My sleep problems never got better. I changed physicians, my current sleep doctor has tried several times to reach out to Dr. Ram's office requesting my sleep study records and after 5 weeks no one has responded. Very disappointing."

"(Neurology) told Dr. Ram i was having trouble wearing my mask and that in the middle of the night I kept taking it off unconsciously. Her grand idea, wear mask during the day time. Told her i was having extreme muscle tension while sleeping and waking up with sore legs. Was told im not a neurologist "you realize I am sleep specialist." Waste and very sarcastic doctor. Did not do her job at all and I dont appreciate the snarky passive condescending remarks."

"This video visit was bad from start to finish. I sensed this doctor was NOT going to accept me as a patient before my appointment even began: 1. She starts out the appointment by first pulling up a list of doctors I have seen already. (Apparently, in the EPIC charting system, the doctors can see previous appts you have had - whether they are related to your current visit or not). 2. She then (in so many words) basically accuses me of doctor shopping by stating that I can't keep seeing doctors. My thing is, a person has no choice but to keep seeing doctors if they are not getting the help they need!! Doctors like her are the reason people can never stop seeking help! 3. She then wastes time having me to stand up and move my legs/arms on camera to complete her so-called neuro assessment even when it became obvious she wasn't going to help me. 4. She also said that "If you were my patient, I wouldn't even complete any studies with you until you have been off your medication for at least 30 days. This Is absurd! Mind you I am here to seek help with a disorder that severely impacts my life and she's telling me that she would take me off a medication that is keeping me functioning??? This is a classic example of doctors with no empathy/compassion. Patients have families, obligations, hectic work schedules and for her to not discuss this when discontinuing a medication is careless. 5. She ended the visit by simply telling me to re-visit one of the previous doctors I had seen already. She said just continue to see Dr. X and follow through with whatever they say and if then come see me with your records. Really? Clearly, I wasn't happy with Dr. X in the first place which is why I came to see you! Here's my main issue: I have seen bad doctors before (as I’m sure we all have since there are so many out there) but if a doctor is unwilling OR unable to help you, the proper thing for them to do is say "I’m sorry I’m not able to assist you, there will be no charge for this visit". It is malicious and predatory to treat patients in such a, disregarding manner and then bill their insurance and make them pay their co-pay. As I stated earlier, I felt that she had already determined she wasn't going to take me on as a patient based on her language and demeanor. It was obvious she just scrolled through the EPIC charting system, saw my old visits with other doctors and decided from that point she wasn’t going to take me on as a patient. Mind you, we hardly even discussed my prior records that I as was asked to submit to the office!!!! Also, when I called the office to complain, the office manager Annette was rude, unprofessional and dismissive. Anette tried to convince me that I didn't have a bad experience and continued to defend the doctor. At one point, she began to argue with me! I then said you are entitled to your own opinion and so am I, but I will not argue with you about my own horrible experience. She never once apologized! Just a side note: In my opinion, virtual videos for initial consults/first time visits are lazy on the part of the doctor. There is no way to collect necessary baseline vitals and other pertinent info such as (blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, lung sounds, simple skin check). If any of the above vitals were abnormal the doctor would have to assess these things and take them into account before providing treatment! In my opinion, video visits were clearly created so doctors can see more patients, do less work and make more money! This feels like scamming is being made legal for doctors. I feel video visits should only be conducted AFTER the initial consult! I only accepted this video visit out of desperation and also because the office called-me to say that had sooner availability if i took a video visit. Well, I definitely learned my lesson!"

"Dr. Ram and her staff are very attentive and helpful. They listen to my worries and needs. I could not hope for a better doctor. If I have worries about a medication or treatment, then she will either try a different treatment or further explain why she thinks it is the best course of treatment. Her nurse, Corazon (Cora), is by far the best and most helpful nurse for which anyone could ask. She replies diligently replied to MyChart messages. If a conflict in scheduling arises, she will try to make it work to where you can still come in, which can often be difficult with a specialist. If I moved closer to the city, I would probably still try to see Dr. Ram."

"Dr. Ram is very thorough and discusses many things with you. She reminded me of doctors when I grew up: They took time to get to know you well. She is definitely takes her time to get to know my son. She has a great approach and knowledge. What an awesome doctor to have."