Brooklyn Heights Pediatrics

After being a patient here for approximately 8 or more years I feel saddened to look elsewhere for a pediatrician. We had a 3pm appointment and drove in from central NJ. We ran into unexpected traffic and I was unable to call the office. We arrived 40 mins late and I know the rules. 20 mins or later we have to reschedule. Upon arrival the receptionist Nancy was I’d say her normal blunt self. After explaining the commute and that we were willing to wait if we could be seen. .the situation escalated. My fiancé got involved due to the lack of professionalism displayed by the receptionist. We were late… I would have rescheduled… we could have done without all the extra sarcasm. .neck twisting…“Jesus Christ” comments and the constant interruptions while trying to speak. To: Nancy, you may feel that you are professional and you may think no one else has an issue with how you carry yourself as the receptionist there but the other reviews don’t lie… you definitely lack a certain level of respect, professionalism and grace that Dr. Dehovitz deserves in a staff member.

For the 15 months I have been a patient my son never had an issue. The one time there was an emergent issue I was advised that unless he was not breathing he could not be seen on a few hours notice. When asked to speak to a superior a second PA came on the phone and essentially blamed me for not calling before the end of their day at 5pm. I am appalled at the policy and that the Dr. did not even bother to talk to me. I would not recommend this place at all. All is well when you are scheduling an appointment but if you have an emergency after 4 forget it– the dr and their staff have to go home and your child is unimportant. Totally unacceptable and frankly they should be ashamed of themselves. As a professional, I would never treat a client like this.

I’m finally getting around to finding another pediatrician after the birth of my second child. I’ve had it with this practice. They gave me the worst advice on my baby’s first visit, telling me not to feed her when she cries and to use a pacifier instead; Go ahead and submerge the umbilical stump, etc. Maybe that advice works for some people, but it doesn’t seem right to me. They also asked my nanny what vaccines my 2-​yr old needed and refuse to fill out her yellow med history card. The receptionist is always on her phone texting. Overall, this place sucks.

I have never been treated with more disrespect or a lack of preofessionalism. I would not trust this office to treat my child with more than a common cold… and even then you will be greeted with the rude and disrespectful staff. Our latest and last dealing with this office was when my 7 year old son woke up with a mild rash… I called to speak to the doctor and after waiting 4 hours for a return call was told that the doctor would not speak with me because my son was not an established patient. My son has been a patient of Dr. Dehovitz since we moved to Brooklyn in 2010? When I explained this to the receptionist she hung up on me!
Do yourself a favor and find a new pediatrician… I know I will.

While Unilocal is focused on food reviews in general, there are some other reviews which can actually make a big difference in our lives. When it comes to the offices of doctors, you usually either read a glowing «he or she is the best doctor ever» or a disastrous «this doctor is a quack» review because the elation or lunacy is what drives someone to write about something of this nature.
My experience at Brooklyn Heights Pediatrics has been very good over the past year and a half. The staff is friendly, the doctors are attentive and they are not pro-​testing and pro-​medicine. This does not mean they will not treat your child, it means they are not going to try to charge your insurance unnecessarily when your child has a common cold and needs rest, fluids and care. I appreciate their point-​of-​view and they are always available on short notice for a visit.
In the end, any relationship with a doctor is based partly on how your personalities work together and if you appreciate a laid back, but caring approach to helping your children, I would recommend Brooklyn Heights Pediatrics in a second. They have a nice, small office with two exam rooms and plenty of toys for your kids to play with while they wait and in the end your child will leave with a lollipop, which we know now as adults, cures any ailment.

To all who worship at the altar of Dr. Cohen, consider yourself warned: we have been going to the Warren Street location since our child was born, as Daniel G. pointed out that there isn’t much competition in the neighborhood as far as pediatricians go. We understand that their philosophy is minimal intervention and minimal medication when possible, which is why I’m having a very hard time understanding why they prescribed our 2-​year old Lotrisone, a cortisone cream (read: steroid) which has a warning label on it from the manufacturer stating it’s not advised for children under the age of 17, and particularly for treatment of severe diaper rash that she has had for two weeks now. This, and a research article we found by the Wake Forest University University School of Medicine stating it was not for use on children, left us very alarmed when we start seeing risks such as «hormonal imbalances» and «stunted growth» as side effects of using this medication. I’ve pasted the actual warning from the article below to illustrate how egregious this oversight is, and I hope others agree.
When my husband contacted them regarding this matter, the response we got was casual and dismissive, in which they stated they prescribe this cream regularly. I just about fell off my chair and I hope you are too. We’ve decided to pull our child out of their practice a) because of their negligence in prescribing a medicine where medical journals and its manufacturers clearly state the risks associated with being administered to children and b) the lack of concern and understanding on behalf of the Warren Street location’s practitioners when we brought this matter to their attention. Therefore we are out, but not before we share our learnings with other parents who may not be reading the fine print.
Actual copy from the article which can be found on the Dermatology Online Journal, Volume 8, No. 2: [14] The published product information for Lotrisone agrees with these recommendations and also states that the agent should not be used for children less than 12 years of age.[3] Betamethasone diproprionate, a high-​potency agent with the potential to cause skin atrophy, striae, and tachyphylaxis, may cause suppression of the hypothalamus-​pituitary-​adrenal axis, Cushing’s syndrome, intracranial hypertension, growth delay, and other systemic side effects in the pediatric patient due to their greater skin surface area to body weight ratio as compared to adults.[3,15] The use of topical corticosteroids for diaper dermatitis is especially risky as the percutaneous absorption increases significantly under such an occlusive dressing.

We have been with Tribeca Pediatrics since the birth of my daughter in ’08. We were originally with Dr Tholany who was very good and responsive during the crucial first year of my daughter’s life. However as she started interacting with more children she would get sick more often and we changed to the new Park Slope office as it was closer to our house.
At first I was frustrated that I had seen a nurse practitioner 3 times before I had even met Dr Gold (who is the primary doctor at this office). But when i finally did meet Dr Gold I was happy we made the switch. She has a great no nonsense approach to patient care. However still remains compassionate and very open to a parents concerns and worries. She often talks about her own children and how she deals with similar things not only as a doctor but as a mother. I found this very reassuring especially when my daughter had do extensive blood work just a couple of months ago. Dr Gold talked about the day she had to take her daughter in for her 2 year blood work and how it was very difficult for her to watch her daughter get poked.
As if I needed more reassurance that we had the best pediatrician out there a few weeks ago my daughter dislocated her elbow and we had to take her to the ER. Dr Gold not only responded to my calls after business hours, she called me back to check on the progress and even called the ER doctor to check what was going on. She even called to follow up with us the next morning.
Unfortunately I do think Tribeca Pediatrics has expanded too quickly in that last couple of years and that is why there are so many mixed reviews about the practice as a whole.

For those of you who think your kids doctors should NOT be as casual as your favorite bistro, Tribeca Pediatrics is not the place for you.
Bottom line: Dr. Cohen’s practice is 2^nd rate, maybe 3^rd. Maybe if he worked on the quality of his practice as much as his tan he’d at least get close to 2^nd.
Everyone is way cool… and unfortunately similarly casual about care and incompetant. I took my son after a sudden 104.5 temp & nasty cough, their «highly qualified» (according to Dr. Cohen) nurse practioner said «his lungs are clear and something nasty’s going around, he should just push through it.» Maybe this is the casual french ‘holistic way’.
Assuming I’m the uninformed as one does when new to a practice, I let it go. The fever and cough persisted; I came back again. Same answer. Finally I came back a third time DEMANDING to see an actual doctor — which they NEVER GAVE ONCE me despite these conditions. The prognosis: PNEUMONIA! After 4 days!!! This doctor said his lungs were NOT CLEAR. Antibiotics presribed. I go back to complain to Dr. Cohen about my issue with his office protocol… after NOT taking any responsibility, he says: NOT pneumonia — quite arrogantly/​defensively saying how obvious this would be even to ME (offering me a listen in his stethoscope) but «lets send him for x-​rays.»
I ask then why did THREE «highly qualified» nurse practioners give me the «all clear»! No response; tongue tied. He thinks it is asthma despite high fevers and absolutely no asthma in my family.
I am NEVER going back to this place. He only gets business because there is no competition in the neighborhood and people are just simply smitten by his good looks and hipster environment. PUHLEASE…

I go to the Tribeca location on Warren Street. Great facilities. Perfect for children — open roomy area so you don’t feel cramped and crazed with sick children. Best of all, they take Child Health Plus Empire plan.

I was referred to Tribeca Pediatrics by my midwife, who understood that we were looking for an open-​minded, more holistic doctor than most. I interviewed several doctors before having my baby and was very disheartened to find that most of them were dismissive of my questions and concerns and treated their patients as if they were on an assembly line.
Fortunately, Dr. Tholany is fantastic – she’s friendly, knowledgeable, and very open to a customized treatment plan for my child. There’s no pressure to undergo tests, procedures, or other treatments that make me uncomfortable, and I appreciate her willingness to answer even my dumbest new mom questions. It’s obvious that she genuinely loves children and she is very good with them from what I’ve seen – certainly, she’s very gentle and attentive to my son.
I’ve heard many horror stories about pediatricians in this city, so it’s been a huge relief to have found an office with respectful, caring staff and a very convenient location.
Highly recommended.

Jana DeHovitz, M.D. is a wonderful pediatrician! The entire practice [inc. Dr. Michel Cohen’s office on Harrison Street in TriBeCa (212) 226‑7666] has been excellent. The staff and professionals are all always extremely helpful and provide loving care. Even before «The New Basics» was published we knew that Dr. Cohen’s intelligent-​laissez-​faire approach to wellness would work for us. We have survived some of the usual traumas & illnesses of childhood with our nerves (& child’s health) intact.