Dr. Mariana Marcu

Please DO NOT see this woman! She is completely incompetent and unprofessional. I have been sitting with this for a year and her incompetence continues to come back and haunt me. She misdiagnosed me with a life threatening disease, brought her student in to show her something «she will never see again» and I really suffered anxiety after seeing her and became very afraid of the medical system. Go elsewhere. City MD is really amazing on the upper east side– go to them instead!

She was awesome. Very smart very thoughtful, actually listened. She and her staff were busy but took all the time I needed to get to the bottom of what was happening with me and to make sure I knew how to use my medication properly (which I hadn’t!). I’d def go back, def reccommend.

They rescheduled on me TWICE in 2 weeks and they call at the last minute to do that as well. Not cool. Then, when I called them back, within seconds they put me on hold. Not a doctor I care to see. I hope she doesn’t treat her patients the way her staff does. Terrible client service. I am finding a new allergist, plenty in the city to choose from.

This is the first time I have ever written a review on Unilocal,but I couldn’t stand to be silent knowing that this doctor is trying to scam patients and insurance companies.
Please listen to all the negative reviews about Mariana. She is a terrible doctor and a terrible human being. Her office is a scam and it has tried to charge my insurance a ridiculously high rate! I don’t know how people have given positive reviews for this doctor.
First, I waited over an hour before seeing her! Then, I told her nurse that I had taken Zyrtec the day before and the two days before and asked whether the test would still work. The doctor did the allergy test and then told me the test didn’t work because the anti-​histamine was still in my system — the doctor should have known that I needed more time and — she should have TOLD ME instead of me asking whether it would work. Then, while I was having my test done, a phone call came and Mariana started yelling at the person on the phone saying «why are you bothering me?» I was terrified! After all this, the doctor billed my insurance the full price anyway.
I called her office and asked to confirm that I wouldn’t be charged another office visit fee and that my insurance wouldn’t be charged another allergy test. The person I spoke with said no problem, we will not be charging you since it was our mistake. Then, when I came to see her again, she asked me to pay another copay and that she would charge my insurance again for the visit! When I asked her why she would charge again, she said well, we always charge again. We usually do consultations and not tests on the first visit anyway, so you would have been charged twice anyway. What?! Seriously?
This place is a money making scam! I just left. I will NEVER go to see Mariana again and I will tell everyone I know to stay away!

Dr. Marcu is one of the best doctors I’ve ever visited. I have been going to her for a few years now and am so happy to have found her practice. She is incredibly attentive, knowledgable and funny to boot. You really feel like she gives a shit about you.
You might have a bit of a wait in the waiting room listening to horrible top 40’s music but everything else is perfect!

Dr Marcu was firm but kind, but unfortunately doesn’t listen to her patients. She said she was a great diagnostician. However, despite me telling her that I had taken naproxen and that a doctor in Sweden thought the cause of my skin blistering was either medicine or food, she insisted this was not the cause of my skin issues to the point that I was given anti-​viral medication I didn’t need (my poor liver) and told NOT to use cortisone cream (which is exactly the opposite of what the Swedish doctor said). She also told me she suspected it was herpes («don’t they have healthcare in Australia» she asked me, which was not only insulting but kind of laughable considering the amount I’d just had to pay for what in Australia would be free). When blood tests came back completely negative she referred me to a dermatologist. Months and useless tests later, it turns out the Swedish doctor was right. If Dr Marcu had listened rather than jumping to conclusions and giving me unnecessary anti-​viral medication, and telling me to stop reading the internet, I wouldn’t have had to go through this horrible reaction again. Thanks to the Swedish doctor I had cortisone on hand. I could forgive a misdiagnosis but a complete unwillingness to listen to your patient and even consider their opinion I cannot.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Marcu for a few years and quite honestly she is the best doctor I’ve ever had! Most doctors these days, take 5 minutes to look at you and then they are out the door but not Dr. Marcu. Now, if you’re the type that likes to be in and out without any of the pleasantries then maybe she’s not for you, but she is extrodinarily thorough and makes sure she goes over everything with you. And there were no hidden fees, just my regular copayment. She asks if you have any questions or concerns and addresses everything. They do a lung function test, take your blood right there in the room, she went over concerns I had of breast cancer running in my family in more detail than my gyno did! I love her and will never go to another doctor. :)

I recommend you avoid this allergy practice.
In fact, I recommend you avoid any physician or business where the price is not listed, and when you ask what different (non-​crucial) tests cost, they can’t give you a straight answer.
Got my bill and, even with the insurance negotiated rate, it was astronomical. I know it isn’t cheap to run a medical office in Manhattan, but I figure if it’s hard to book an appointment (and it is), that means you’re busy. And busy is good for the bottom line. So you don’t have to charge people a shitload for a few tests.
However, medicine these days is really screwed up and everything is about jacking up the bill and passing it along.
I asked several times what each test was going to cost so that I could (as a consumer/​patient) exercise some discretion over my own medical care. (thought that was the whole idea going forward.)
I asked in the waiting room and I asked in the exam room as they were reaching for new things to test me with. No one could answer my question and they seemed a bit put out by the fact that I was asking at all. The closest thing I got to an answer was some mumbling about how my insurance would tell me. Bullshit.
This is an upselling type of place. Definitely avoid it.
Also, for anyone suffering grass or tree pollen allergies, I HIGHLY recommend you go and buy some nettle tea. I tried it and it worked incredibly. I’m not a big supplement guy, either. In fact, I’m almost anti-​supplement. But the tea really seems to work well on my allergies. Only four dollars and it did more than my appointment with Dr Marcu, for which I was billed over $ 1000. No bullshit.