Hands On Medicine

I have a great distrust of most doctors and medical stuff in general. This place and Shelda and her staff greatly put me at ease and helped me to deal with some very difficult chronic issues. We are moving out of state and I will be hard pressed to find the same kind and intelligent staff and service as Hands on Medicine. I recommend them ‘hands“down!

Originally I’d given Hands On Medicine two stars and was going to do a follow up adding more start after the clinic and my doctor apologized to me and inked in a followup appointment. But what happened instead was that I was met not by my counselor and as planned afterwards, my doctor but Shelda and the office manager who apologized and then began interrogating me on their policies, practices and how I feel about them. Shelda then brought out my Unilocal review and essentially told me to take it down or be refused care. I chose to leave Hands on Medicine today after one month and strongly urge others to do their research about their health care, customer service, mediation and retention policies.

I usually never go out of my way to say anything negative about a person, let alone a small business, but I left this place upset. The one thing I needed was a refill for my ADHD medication, the same prescription I’ve had for five years. Kim Kelsey raised concerns about the prescription that only a pre-​med naïveté would raise. You can tell a lot about the competence of a nurse/​doctor based on how they listen and ask questions. This Kim Kelsey had some weird smirk on her face as if she was actually a smart, competent nurse-​practitioner. She comes off as a fairly daft impersonation of a med-​school dropout. She said she wouldn’t fill the prescription unless I was evaluated by some kind of psych person. As if that hadn’t been done like 8 years ago by a prestigious local doctor who specialized in ADHD. For some reason Kim Kelsey didn’t believe that any doctor who treated me had ever existed. Before she could ask me if I had shared needles with homeless crackheads on skid row, I left and told the receptionist that I would not be coming back. I hate to be mean, but honestly Kim Kelsey is apparently not a very bright person, so if you have any medical conditions outside of a blister or hangnail, look elsewhere or bring some medical books for her to read.

Was assigned here for primary care through Oregon Health Plan/​Medicaid. When I tried to schedule an initial appointment, I was told repeatedly that they needed to take a credit card to set up the appointment so that they could charge me $ 75 if I cancelled with less than 24 hours notice or didn’t show up for my appointment. I explained that OHP/​Medicaid patients cannot be charged for healthcare. I confirmed with my OHP provider that this is illegal. I also learned that other OHP patients had complained about the same problem. Needless to say, I am looking elsewhere for my primary care. Other OHP patients should do the same — you should NEVER be asked for a credit card in order to schedule an appointment or charged $ 75 for cancelling or not showing up.

My whole perspective on health care shifted when I began going to Hands On Medicine (HOM). Prior to switching to HOM I had been experiencing horrible life altering symptoms for over 10 years. I went to several different doctors, specialists, anyone I could think of to try to get a diagnosis. Their responses ranged from my symptoms being a fluke, to my symptoms all being in my head.
When I finally went to HOM and saw Shelda, everything changed. She really listened to my story, what I had been experiencing, my concerns. Immediately Shelda validated my feelings, ND told me that she would help me figure it all out. She scheduled tests, and before I left my first appointment she told me that she thought she knew what was going on, and soon we would have confirmation.
Shortly after my first visit, I finally had two diagnoses. It was one of the biggest reliefs of my life, to finally have names and explanations for the pain I had experienced for over ten years. Together Shelda and I developed a care plan and began to tackle the conditions I have so I could begin to feel better and move on with my life.
The fact that I spent ten years bouncing between doctors who didn’t take the time to really listen to me and help me figure out what was wrong never ceases to frustrate me. I could not value Shelda and the entire staff at HOM more than I already do. The level of care and compassion they have for their patients is absolutely unique. Not only are they knowledgeable and competent, but they truly and deeply care about the health and lives of the people who come through their door.
I would recommend HOM to anyone, and everyone. I never knew that healthcare could be so welcoming, warm, and enjoyable. No more dreading a visit to the doctors!!!

Extremely unhappy. I was a patient for over 3 yrs with hom. Treated for allergies and asthma. I did all they asked i even underwent immunotherapy as suggested. It didnt help me it made me worse. I kept getting bronchitis due to medication. All of this caused a lot of issue’s doing daily life to the point i was out of work for several months due to treatment. The office told me the best thing was to do short term disability but then provided different info to the insurance company saying i requested time off for self reasons? I feel that after the last time i got sick they started to provide me less and less care. Due to my asthma i have had so many episodes that my childhood doctor previously always gave me time per month thru fmla. The doctor decided that i was well enough to no longer need that option. So it caused me to not get paid for any of the time i was out due to treatment and days i was extremely ill i was forced to work making it extremely difficult. I feel like they dont care about their patients. These are just some of the problems i dealt with. I had a lung doctor prior to starting with that office i see about once a year but my situation is just extremely difficult to control. Hom let me goHom as a patient because i was sick with a eye infection and couldnt drive to my appt that wasnt even with her it was with my specialist for a different office. Im sorry i didnt leave the office sooner but i wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Please do your self a favor and please dont chose this establishment.

Shelda is an amazing practitioner. I refer to her professionally (with great results) and see her personally. She is able to get down to business and get whatever is needed accomplished.

I was a patient of Shelda Holmes from 2010 to 2013. In 2013 I was given a prescription for an SSRI. When that prescription ran out, the office of Shelda Holmes did not respond to my refill requests. My pharmacy faxed them and called them twice. Then after 5 days of abrupt interruption of my medication, I called the office Dr. Holmes to explain that I was experiencing horrible side effects from withdrawal and ask why my refill request was not being addressed. The receptionist told me that Dr. Holmes was too busy to respond to my refill requests. Later I phoned again to reiterate that I was in a state of distress and was lectured by Dr. Holmes that I should not bother the clinic but instead should phone a mental health crisis line.
The average terminal elimination half-​life of plasma sertraline is about 26 hours. Most literature shows that adverse symptoms start appearing after the second missed dose of the SSRI. Yet I was told by Dr. Holmes that my withdrawal was purely a psychological issue that was not stemming from any physiological changes in my brain chemistry.
I do not believe that Dr. Holmes nor the clinic is properly prepared to handle critical issues regarding prescribed medications. While a clinic can not be perfect or right all of the time, a doctor should be aware of well documented side-​effects from SSRIs and the half-​life of a medication in the human body.

Tried to book an appt over the phone… when I asked if they were accepting new patients I was told «it depends». Um, ok… le’ts see if I make the cut. After determining I did make the cut, I was asked for a ton of private info, and was told it was mandatory to provide this info over the phone.
Me thinks not. I will be going elsewhere.

Shelda began my appointment by asking if I had any other doctors (I don’t have a primary care doctor & was hoping she could be mine) but then told me that I should stop seeing my Gyn, Naturopath, and Accupuncturist and just see her! Shelda said that she wasn’t going to be on call to «fix the messes that they made». Oh boy. Not at all what I was expecting from a Portland doc– especially at a clinic called Hands On.
She also brought in a student without giving me a heads up. I came back for a follow up visit and never went back. I would not recomend Dr. Shelda Holmes but maybe other NP at the clinic are a more comfortable ‘sharing’ their patients with alternative care/​women’s health providers.

I have had nothing but wonderful experiences with Hands On Medicine. The entire staff is great. I absolutely trust Shelda Holmes for my primary care needs; she is knowledgeable, compassionate, and attentive. I also see Mark Pruitt, their allergy specialist. Undergoing immunotherapy treatment has literally been life-​changing. Hands On Medicine is a wonderful community clinic – after years of (mostly) competent yet completely impersonal care at Kaiser, it’s pretty cool to walk into Hands On Medicine and be on a first-​name basis with everyone who works there. A neighborhood gem!

I can’t say enough about Shelda Holmes or Jodi her assistant. They are so kind, helpful, understanding and unjudgemental. She doesn’t talk down to you and gives you all the personal respect you always wanted from your doctor.
I feel like I’m dealing with real humans here, people with a heart.

I’ve have had very positive experiences with Hands on Medicine. Shelda Holmes, the main practicioner and owner, is attentive and caring and listens to my concerns without seeming at all judgmental or rushed. She takes my medical concerns seriously and works with me to resolve them. Jodi, the medical assistant is also great. She’s very friendly and competent. Both of them have been quick to communicate my test results to me in a way that I can understand and to offer an effective treatment plan.
I’ve had very difficult and frustrating medical experiences in Portland with the exception of Hands on Medicine. I’m 24 years old and I have a lot of digestive issues and I had a kidney stone that were not taken seriously before coming to Hands on Medicine. Just recently I went in and found out that an infection that I was worried about had cleared up and Shelda seemed genuinely excited to give me the good news. I’m not always the easiest patient to have and they have definitely taken good care of me!
I’d highly recommend seeing Shelda Holmes if you are looking for a practicioner that will take the time to listen to you and help you find solutions to your medical concerns and will always treat you with the respect that patients deserve!

Disappointed. The nurse practitioner who owns the practice attempted to go over my full medical history while a CNA was in the room — no confidentiality. Then she made two mistakes on my prescription slip which raised eyebrows toward me at the pharmacy. This place seems ok for minor medical problems but I’ll be seeking a GP elsewhere.

Kind doctor, solid listening skills, but not entirely competent.
Good for basic needs, but get a second opinion for anything serious.

Shelda Holmes is a caring, knowledgeable nurse practitioner desiring to serve the families of the NE neighborhood. There are no other medical practitioners within biking distance to my knowledge. She is thorough, personable, interested in your well being. I recently got travel shots there — and they were painless! She provided me with an excellent hand-​out about the area where I was traveling. Shelda’s objective is to serve and she deserves the support of families in her area — and, as well, farther afield.