Joel Taubin, MD

I have been seeing Dr. Taubin for years as my primary care/​family doctor. He is exceptional in what he does, and has a sense of humor! Sometimes you have to wait beyond your appointment time, but I guess that is because he takes «emergency» type patients as walk-​ins starting at 7:30 a.m., so he gets backlogged. I know because I was one once or twice over the years. I would highly recommend hm.

Dr. Taubin is obviously a very able physician and a very intelligent man. I am generally satisfied with the experience. He ran a bunch of tests that I needed and I was very impressed with how quickly I got an appointment, how quickly he followed up with me, and how he gave detailed feedback that was explained in a way that was clear and understandable for a lay person. I was also very impressed with the courtesy and professionalism of his staff, especially the woman who took my blood who very kindly gave me ice packs during and after drawing blood. However, I have to second some of the comments left by others, namely that his bedside manner is not the best I have experienced from a medical caregiver and he is probably not the best person to go to if you are a sensitive person by nature and/​or at your sickest. He comes across as somewhat abrupt, impatient and rushed, and though I waited very little time in the waiting room, I was in the treatment room for quite some time before he came around to see me. I will continue with him for now because I think that the positives I mentioned are the most important factors, but I think that the negatives should be mentioned for the benefit of those who are considering him as an option.

Dr. Taubin is nice, I really like him and I believe he is caring and good doctor. However… his office is a mess. Old, dirty office and equipment. Clutter everywhere. Thin walls and you can hear patient conversations, no privacy! And the wait time is so painful. Looooooooooooong wait time even with appointments. Don’t think you’re done waiting after you get in the exam room, there in fact is the worst wait time of all. Some investment back into this business is much needed and long overdue. Not helping the waiting is a not so nice staff, bordering rude and likely also frustrated with the overbooking, process and work conditions.

Okay — I love dr. T. He’s a great guy, but you sometimes do have to wait a while to see him… That said, I’m still seeing him after three years and have no real complaints :)

I love Dr. Taubin! He’s one of the best primary care physicians I’ve ever worked with and his staff are always willing to fit you into his crazy jammed schedule if you have an emergency. Kind, caring and very good about explaining what is going on with you and why.

Best doctor ever!!! He has taken care of 3 generations of my family and we all love his «bedside manner» and his intuitive intelligence in diagnosis. Also the humility to recommend an associate specialist to confirm diagnosis when its not his area of specialty.

Dr. Taubin is a nice guy — no part of me doubts that. But is he who I want to see when I’m at my sickest? Probably not.
For starters, his office staff is unbelievably difficult to work with, both in person & over the phone. I always dread having to call them. They’re unlikely to try to help you squeeze in an appointment, even if it’s urgent, & no matter what time they book you for, you’ll end up waiting for at least an hour when you get there, anyway.
Dr. Taubin talks a mile a minute & doesn’t seem to listen very well. He rushes through consultations, breezes through records, usually prescribes «hot showers & a nasal spray,» & generally doesn’t seem to have time to go more in depth on… well, anything. I always leave feeling rushed & flustered, like I had 10 more questions I wasn’t given time to ask.
I recently had an experience here that has me looking elsewhere for my primary care. Dr. Taubin called me at 9pm on a weekday to give me my lab results, when he broke the fairly dramatic & upsetting news that I have Celiac Disease. He recommended a specialist who he suggested I see ASAP — & when I did, the specialist told me my internist had overreacted & that nothing in my blood work confirmed or even really highly suggested Celiac. More likely, he said, I had a slight gluten insensitivity. I appreciated Dr. Taubin’s calling me personally to give me the results of my test, but I can’t help but feel like the way he delivered them was unnecessarily alarmist.
I’m looking for a new internist, but Dr. Taubin & his office work in a pinch.

Dr. Taubin is awesome. Unlike the other reviewers I feel he provides me with adequate time. He genuinely cares about the individual and finding a solution. Last week I was in a near emergency and called ahead to see what he could do. He and his wonderful staff helped me within a reasonable amount of time.

I’ve seen Dr. Taubin off and on over the years, the only interruption was a few years at a job whose health plan he did not accept. When I changed jobs, I checked to see if he took the plan and he did, so I switched back. He’s very nice, smart, and reassuring. The wait can be long so bring a book, but you’re always seen. He is rushing and talks fast, but when I leave I feel pretty good because if it was something serious, he slows down to give it his full attention. So if I have to wait and he takes a few minutes on me, then fine — I know it is nothing that bad.

Dr. Taubin was my PCP for about a year, and after my most recent appointment, decided I finally had to switch. I had selected him as my PCP after reading really positive Unilocal reviews, but ended up disappointed.
Dr. Taubin is really nice, but every time I saw him, I waited at least 45 minutes — 1.5 hours after my scheduled appointment. His offices are older and feel dirty to me — very cluttered, which disturbs me a bit for a medical office. The receptionists also weren’t the friendliest — I usually didn’t get greeted when I would walk in, and would be put on hold for long periods of time when I would call.
After spending a long time in his waiting room, I would usually spend another 20 – 30 minutes in an appointment room waiting… very frustrating. Because the building is older, it’s also easy to hear other conversations he’s having with other patients he’s seeing — so not great if you’re not interested in sharing your medical history and health issues with others!
My last appointment I waited about 1.5 hours total and saw him for a total of 5 minutes — in which he recommended nasonex (which he had already prescribed me before but had not checked my chart) for chronic sinus pressure I had seen him for before. After the 5 minute exam, he asked me to come to his office. I had to wait in the hall near the bathroom as he was finishing a personal conversation w/​one of his friends who was sitting in his office. Then, sat in his office as he told me to take hot showers and drink lots of water and use the nasonex… definitely not worth the co-​pay or my time!
I will say — Dr. Taubin is very nice. And he gives you referrals easily if you need them. But, if you’re looking for someone who will take time to see you (or have a clean office!), may want to look elsewhere. Also — he accepts Care First.

Visiting Dr. Joel Taubin was one of the worst decisions I made in life. First of all, he makes me wait for an hour an half to see me and then, apologizes and checks me for 2 minutes literally. I couldn’t get all my questions answered. He was just rushing. As much as his time is so important, he needs to realize that I work too and I don’t have all the time in the world to see him and on top of that i am paying for his service. That’s my first and last visit with Taubin. His staff also are very unprofessional and rude. There are many other good doctors in DC area. Think twice before you go see him!

I’ve had several bad experiences with this office. Both waiting for over an hour, almost 90 minutes for a checkup which lasted all of ten minutes and then another time waiting again for almost 2 hours when I was sick and again 2 minutes with him. Not impressed.

He is a great doctor, but his staff are terrible. They run the office absolutely inefficiently. In NYC, I could call my doctor and my prescription would be ready for pick up in about 15 minutes. At Dr. Taubin’s office, they can’t guarantee it will be ready for pick up in 3 hours! Its unbelievable. To top it of, they are rude.
This rating would be a 4 or 5 if he hired a better staff, its embarrassing how they treat their patients… WHO ARE THE CLIENTS!

If you are searching for a Primary Doctor — Dr. Taubin is the Man !
I had been referred to him by another Doctor who is a specialist and he highly recommended him — since I respected this Doctor so much I felt «this guy must be good» — well he is and even better than I expected. He does have a busy practice — you will spend time in a waiting room — but, the GOOD DOCTORS HAVE WAITS ! (think about that)
He is OLD SCHOOL — been practicing medicine for a long time and a very nice man & easy to talk with. Proud to call him my Doctor !

After 6 months of severe pain and multiple doctors, I feel like I’m finally in good hands.
Creative ideas, beyond kind, realistic, non-​judgmental, and full of really really great stories.
He left no stone unturned and worked his magic to get me in to see a wonderful specialist.
His staff always were friendly and kind when i would come by to get a test or drop off a form.
Most important testament: after seeing him, I burst into tears with relief for finally being listened to and finally felt like I was going to be in good hands.

This is the WORST doctor in all of D.C. When you see you him you have about 90 seconds, not even a full 2 minutes to talk to him before he scoots you out the door mid-​sentance so he can get to the next patient and collect another $ 450 for their 90 second appointment. This must be the wealthiest doctor in D.C. given how many patients he must see in a day.
Seeing this doctor gives me an anxiety attack alone. You better have every point written down you want to say and practice saying it all in one breath, because as soon as you take a moment to take a breath he will have you out the door.
Doctors like this give other doctors a bad reputation for having no sincere interest in their patients well being.

Yes, you might wait over an hour if you don’t arrive early in the morning; and yes, Dr. Taubin is direct and to the point, but he is a very smart physician who knows what he is talking about. Primary care physicians are filled way above capacity and are grossly under compensated for all the hard work that they do… so please, before you complain about spending only 5 – 10 minutes with Dr. Taubin after waiting a while to see him, think about the sheer number of other people who are coming in to see him that same day.
I have been a patient of Dr. Taubin’s for about 4 years and every, single time I’ve needed to see him – whether for an annual physical or if I was sick – he took the time to sit down with me in his private office after the examination and answer all of my questions and explain any medications he was writing prescriptions for. I’ve seen him do this with nearly all of his other patients as well… so I know I’m not getting any type of «special treatment.» So, if you have a question to ask, use your time with Dr. Taubin wisely and be just as direct back to him.
Dr. Taubin understands all of the nuances of the symptoms you describe to him and if necessary, will refer you to a specialist – all of whom have provided excellent medical care as well.

I am jealous of those who got a whole 5 minutes with Dr. Taubin. I got closer to 12 seconds.
This was my first visit to him. I got an appointment very quickly (after calling back several times because the phone rang so long it just cut me off). I waited for about an hour and a half, which sounds about par for the course.
I have chronic low back pain. He did not actually examine me although this was the first time he’d seen me; the only thing he said was «But you’re not fat,» which indicates the only diagnosis and treatment he can imagine for this condition is to tell someone to lose weight.
He sent me for X rays and said he’d call with the results, which he predictably did not. I called and left a message a couple of weeks later. A couple of weeks after that he called and left me a voicemail (it was 9:30 pm so he is a hard worker) and said there was nothing wrong and I should take a laxative. To treat chronic back pain that has been going on for several years and getting worse. The callback is what gave him the second star, although it was rather useless.
He had come highly recommended by a friend and I was hoping I’d find a new GP on the first try (have just been seeing interns at Georgetown but finally acknowledged I should take my health a little more seriously). I won’t be back. On to the next.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Taubin for about a year now. I was skeptical after reading the Unilocal reviews, but last year I was convinced I had pneumonia, and called several doctors and no one would get me in immediately. I didn’t want to pay the fees for an emergency room visit, so when Dr. Taubin’s secretary said she could get me in the very next morning as a first-​time patient, I didn’t hesitate.
Dr. Taubin’s office was packed, yes. The wait was long, yes. But when I got to see Dr. Taubin he listened to me, gave me a prescription, and gave me health advice.
I like Dr. Taubin. I don’t want to see a doctor who does thousands of tests, recommends me to ten different specialists, and gives me fifteen different prescriptions. Dr. Taubin is old-​fashioned, to-​the-​point, and best of all, you can get in to see him quickly. He will offer his personal number if you need it or are experiencing major health issues. Turned out I didn’t have pneumonia (just a severe sinus infection). When I told him my mom was a nurse, he offered to speak to her on the phone to explain to her why he was positive it was a sinus infection and not pneumonia. «I love talking to patients’ parents,» he said — which I find pretty comforting.
His office is outdated and he multi-​tasks, but the bottom line is the most important, and I’ve always had a good experience. If you’re expecting a spa instead of a doctor’s office, or a hug from mom and a bowl of chicken soup — then don’t go to Dr. Taubin. For everything else, or if you need to get in quickly — he’s your man.

I adore Dr. Taubin. There maybe a wait at his office but he will always see you. He talks fast but he is super thorough and if he doesn’t know what the problem is he will send you to the person who will figure it out.
Example — my husband had been told by no less than 4 doctors over several he was going deaf in one ear. He was about to be fitted for a hearing aid. Then he saw Taubin. Dr. Taubin thought it didn’t look right. He investigated my husbands problem a bit further — figured out there was a growth from where a small bone had broken in an accident that was blocking his hearing. He sent my husband to a specialist — the growth was removed and my husband can now hear perfectly well!!!