Northwest Community Healthcare Medical Group

I am new to this doctors office and had my first appointment today. I really love how everyone in this office is so friendly. You really feel a sense of community there as you see staff, nurses, and doctors interacting with patients. The front desk staff are very friendly and customer centric, which at my last doctors office was non-​existent. The nurse was friendly as well. I saw Dr. Behara, she is a an excellent doctor. She was very friendly, helpful, and caring. I would recommend her to anybody looking for a GI specialist just based on the way she carries herself. She has great patient communication skills and seems really vested in helping her patients. Very great doctor and great office! :-)

No Show Doctor…
Doctor Charman asked me to schedule a followup appointment in 6 weeks. I scheduled the appointment with his office
3 days prior to my Appointment I received an email asking to Confirm my appointment and then a text 1 day prior reminding me yet again.
Monday morning 7 am I was in Doctor Charman office, I waited 30 minutes in the exam room. A nurse came in and said Doctor Charman would not be in until later and did I want to see a Nurse Practitioner!
Doctor Charman office requires me to verify that I will show up, shouldn’t he give the same respect.
I understand that things happen, but at some point someone in the Medical office knew he was not coming in.

Some doctor are great others watch out they seem to busy to really care about your pain, but the doctors who are great are worth it. Dr. Kotcherian, Schukla, and Moss are all great and will make sure you are healed up right.

Don’t come to NCH Medical Group if you have kids who need flu shots! You can’t make an appointment for a flu shot (walk in only) and they require a doctor & nurse to be available before the flu shot can be administered children. We waited for an hour before getting our flu shots. Next year, I’m going to the CVS Minute clinic instead if nothing changes!

I have been seeing Stephanie Bartels for about 1 1l2 years now. She is always friendly, focused on my issue and straight forward with her remarks and answers. She is receptive when I think I have a diagnosis and explains what she thinks of my thoughts. I appreciate a Dr who doesn’t confuse me with alot of talk I don’t understand. I never wait more than 15 minutes to get in a room and for her to come in. Check in and out procedures are less than 5 minutes.

Was in with my mother a bit hesitant to make an appointment in this clinic but hopeful that the reviews didn’t reflect this place.
We were so wrong…
Well for starters, they booked my mother for the wrong appointment. We weren’t so mad about it at first but the front desk woman was harshly rude and snappy. She replied «not my problem» and «it’s whatever» to my mothers questions. Couldn’t imagine hiring someone like her. We’ve been waiting for about 20 mins passed my appointment time. I wouldn’t recommend or refer this place to anyone I know.

Fed up with this location! Went here twice, at first not so bad, just their availability is not very flexible. Then I tried to make an appointment with the doctor I’ve seen the two times and she is booked for the next 2 months. Cool, so I ask for whomever available… nobody is available for the next 2 months. Okay fine, I’ll wait as long as I can possibly do a Saturday for I work full time and have a toddler who will need a sitter… WE DON’T DO SATURDAYS. Alrighty then! Then I ask if there is another one of their locations I can call to get in on a Saturday. The receptionist tells me no. Well guess what, I got a referral for a doctor at the location in Mt. Prospect and it was the easiest minute of scheduling an appointment on a SATURDAY… WITHIN 2 WEEKS OF THE PHONE CALL!!! So glad to have found another doctor but so infuriating that the B that I spoke with from this location wasn’t helpful AT ALL!

Stay Away.
I dont want to comment on the doctors, not sure of their competency.
However, you will get a shock of your lifetime, if you use their lab & doctors will write all the blood work required under the sun, for your simple sickness (may be).
I know, its better to do a complete blood work, but you dont need to depend on the blood work to identify the cause of a sickness.
Anyhow, though we do have a decent insurance & never been so appalled by the bill, but this time.
You will straight away pay 1000’s of dollars, believe me, at least a minum of 900 $ for a 10 minute office visit, followed by a blood work & thats it.
Stay away.
Tip: if blood work is advised to you, check with nurse/​lab tech on how much your insurance covers.
I had never to do this, until i was with NCH.

Dubious business practices. Will order a bunch of test. Whatever is not covered they will not only ask you to pay out of pocket. but will charge you through the nose.

Very conveniently located. Dr. Elbaum is a wonderful doctor. The staff is also nice and very prompt on phone calls and requests made for the doctor. I’m glad I made this office and doctor my primary! I also downloaded the iPhone app for northwest community which is very convenient because once you make a login, you can view lab results right from your phone!

This medical group has really expanded since I joined over 2 years ago. They have added several internists and other specialties along with several new offices.
I really appreciated the time my doctor (Dr. Elbaum) took to look at my chart and my medical history.
The medical office is very nice and the receptionists are pleasant.
I appreciate the fact that they now have extended walk-​in hours if you are already a registered patient. The hours are convenient so I can stop by after work if I am not feeling well.

I, too, have had a problem with NCH billing since Northwest Community Hospital took over the practice. In years past, I would go for my annual physical and have related routine blood work done by the lab downstairs. For many years, the lab was run by Quest Diagnostics. The laboratory bills always came in under $ 120 after insurance. In late 2011, AFTER the hospital took over the practice, the lab work was still done by the lab downstairs, but the bill came from «NCH Medical» and was just over $ 300, leaving me to pay less than $ 3 after insurance. However, in late 2012, unbeknownst to me, the lab changed hands again. It was no longer NCH Medical but Northwest Community Hospital. The bill came to $ 1500, leaving me to pay just over $ 1200 after insurance. I’ve appealed to both the hospital and insurance, but the best response I can get is that I can set up a payment plan. As others have mentioned, not illegal. But certainly a questionable practice to not inform patients when such a drastic increase in rates occurs. They have lost my trust.
The care received from the doctors is acceptable to good. Communication with patients (call backs, clear explanation of procedures) is weak. But the problems with billing, unnecessary exams, errors in coding,…the general business aspect… are a constant hassle.

First, I have just about zero faith in doctors, as it is.
Without going into a drawn out story, NCH, it’s hospital, affiliates, etc. are morons & crooks. This includes my doctor. Last time I was at this place was almost 3 years ago… I had to pay out of pocket, $ 3,000 for a test that was unnecessary.
Because of the idiot nurse who didn’t perform the first test correctly. leading me to get another more detailed one that I didn’t need! And all the problems afterwards. I will not see any physicians, or go to any practices attached to Northwest Community Hosp.
Question your doctors, people! Don’t be a passive patient! they are ruining your health & depleting your wallets!

A doctor’s office that is…
a) Conveniently located in AH with lab work done at LabCorp in the basement of the building.
b) Staffed with friendly and competent nurses and admin
c) Situated in a nice, clean and modern office building
d) Complete with knowledgeable doctors who pay attention to your medical history and ask detailed questions about your health. (Dr. Elbaum is great)
e) On-​time with appointments… at least first patient of the day appointments, in my case.
It sounds like they also take walk-​ins — so that must be mighty helpful for those who wake up feeling none too grand. That, my friends, is as good as it gets with physician care.

I’ve been going here for years. They do a thorough, detailed job. My doctor is Katherine Kotcherian — and she is nothing but WONDERFUL! She takes the time to really listen to you and she also tries to rule every possible issue out instead of just throwing a random diagnosis at you. I appreciate that so much about her.
When Dr. Kotcherian is busy and I can’t get in for a quick appointment, I generally see Kelly Caruso, who is also sweet and wonderful. She takes her time as well and really listens to you when you speak about what’s going on.
I appreciate the nurses and staff as well. They return phone calls promptly and are gener
The only people I don’t care for are the 2 phlebotomists that work there. The man is cold and bland and the woman is crotchety. But it doesn’t affect my perception, as I don’t get my blood drawn often. And even still, it takes a few seconds and you’re done.

If I would have written this review about 6 months ago it would have only gotten 3 stars… so the first thing I will say is that it truly makes a difference which doctor you are working with.
That being said, first of all, the office is in a prime location. Right off the highway and easy to find.
Its always clean and has a friendly atmosphere. The girls at the front desk are always polite and ready to answer whatever questions you may have.
I started going here about a year ago. The first doctor I started seeing is no longer at this location, but she didn’t seem to care too much about what I was going through. — needless to say I had not been diagnosed with anything by this point.
After the new office was opened in Mt Prospect, that doctor left this location and to stay here I needed to choose a new physician. DR. ELBAUM IS AMAZING. She took the time to look over my history, listened to my concerns, and we finally found my diagnosis. Today we are working closely together on getting me feeling better and finding the right dosage for my medication.
I already live a good 5 miles south of their location. Soon I will be moving 25 miles further. I can honestly say that I will still make the commute to keep Dr. Elbaum as my primary doctor.

I had the best care and concern from two awesome people in the Diagnostic Imaging Center — Nuclear Medicine. Christiane Doherty and Chris Kushner. The best you can ask for. I was so scared (big baby) with the MRI and they were so patient and understanding. If you need this service to to them.

I was a «frequent flyer» this week at Affinity Immediate Care, and both times because my general practitioner just couldn’t squeeze me in.
I had no qualms because the staff in general is friendly, patient, and compassionate. While I have only seen 2 of their staff (a doctor and a physician assistant) on different occasions for different issues, they were both professional and thorough. Even when they are busy, I have never felt rushed or that I was simply just a number.
My visit today stemmed from a car accident I was involved in yesterday. I saw Regina Williams (certified physician assistant) both times. She was EXTREMELY thorough with her examination of me, explained how my body reacted to the accident and how it related to the pain and soreness I was feeling, and sent me to have tests done immediately. She also had me come right back to the office so she could go over the results.
Ms. Williams prescribed me medication in order to help alleviate the stiffness and pain symptoms (it’s helped tremendously!) and suggested some things for me to do at home to also help (stretches, ice). She was very clear about what medications I could take, how often, and what dosage… she also was nice enough to give me some samples.
The results of the tests were not completed by the time I met with her again, but she assured me she’d call me before she left for the day, either way. She did, and also took her time explaining the results and discussing what follow-​up care I might need, named some locations, and told me she would mail me a script.
I was probably at Affinity Immediate Care today, in and out, for a few hours due to the nature of my symptoms. During that time I felt valued, cared for, and that my concerns were taken seriously. I would definitely recommend this practice; they’re your compassionate doctor when your regular compassionate doctor isn’t available!

I go to the location on Arlington Heights Road and I have to say I am amazed. I love this place. I rarely wait and it’s a one stop shop. I get my blood drawn there and all the minor things that most HMOs make you run around for. My doc is Dr. Katherine Kotcherian and she’s great. If you need an urgent appointment for that day you can get it without a problem.
I’m so happy with this office.

I’ve been coming here to see a primary care doctor for around 8 years. My original GP left the practice a couple years back, but I’ve seen other doctors here since then and I like them. Even though I live about a half hour away, I’m loath to change.
Specifically, I recommend Dr. Stephanie Bartels (who replaced my original GP) and Dr. Nancy Koch (pronounced «coke»). They are compassionate, listen well and spend the time to examine me properly and explain things. I’m never rushed out of their office.
On my latest trip here earlier this week, I arrived in pain — sure I’d slipped a disk in my back. Dr. Koch felt the area and promptly diagnosed a muscle spasm/​strain (a relief). She discussed the causes, what to do and not to do for it, and was very empathetic. After writing some prescriptions and giving me a sheet with some back exercises to do, she urged me to come in again in 6 weeks if I’m not better.
There was nothing extraordinary about the appointment, but I got what I came for and left with a good feeling about Dr. Koch. Like, she cares. And that’s what I want in a doctor.
I also like that, when you call during office hours, you’ll get to speak to a live person — not an answering machine. And I appreciate that, most times, they can get you in that day — if not with your GP than someone else. That matters when you’re sick/​miserable. (If they can’t get you a same-​day appointment, you can always go to the immediate care office, which is also at this location)