Marc R Shepard, MD

I had to see Dr. Shepard twice when my GP was booked and he was not particularly helpful. But, the main reason for my less than stellar review is the fact that I have had absolutely terrible experiences with regard to this medical group’s billing practices. One time Medstar billed me under a Dr. who was not under my plan resulting in high out of network charges. Another time they took months and months to bill me. I had questions about the bill and it is hard to get in touch with billing. Before I knew it the bill was in collections. I will never use a Dr. in this practice again.

After a particularly difficult health incident and bad interaction with my primary care physician’s practice at GUH with whom I’d been for 15 years and adored (I could not get in to see her, had to see and continue to be followed by an awful resident, and it got worse from there), I made a new patient appointment with Dr. Shepherd. A friend who has been seeing Dr. Shepherd for years referred me. Since my ob/​gyn, oncologist, and other doctors are MedStar-​affiliated I had hoped to find a pcp in that system. I had a very good experience at my initial visit. Dr. Shepherd is not a typical pushy, cold, DC doctor. He is a little silly, likes to chat, and seems very caring. I am most comfortable with compassionate doctors. We discussed my major concern at length and he approved of the path taken by my specialist. He suggested another diagnosis idea but explained why it should likely be ruled out (a med I’d taken should have addressed it and it did not). I felt like he listened to my concerns and was interested to learning about what my deal was – all marks of a good diagnostician, as sometimes hints to problems can be found elsewhere in one’s narrative and not only through medical/​scientific inquiry. He convinced me to get a flu shot too. The staff was sweet and everything worked well. When the nurse gave me my flu shot she asked how it went and I told her that it was a good visit. She seemed genuinely pleased that I had a good visit with the doctor. I am glad I switched and feel comfortable in his care and with the practice.

With Dr. Shepard, I get the impression you don’t need to worry about him going overboard with prescriptions and treatments.
«Yeah, we could order that test. Would it help? Hard to say. It would probably be expensive. It’s up to you».
If that kind of honesty and down-​to-​earth style is appealing, I recommend Dr. Shepard. If you’d rather have someone suggesting all the newest, fanciest treatments, you might try someone else.

I agree with the other comments that Dr. Shepard incentive and brusque. His front office staff was incredibly rude. It is impossible to reach Dr. Shepard or even leave a direct voicemail for him. I highly recommend going to any another doctor.

My one visit with him was the worst interaction with a health professional in my life.

This is my second time here with a client. I guess it was ⁵⁰⁄₅₀!
Last year we waited for 3 hours to see the doctor although we were on time. And this year, we got to see him in 10 minutes although we were 15 minutes late.
Dr. Shepard is not really personable and rushes to see his patients.
Would i recommend this office? No not really. Find somewhere that respect you and your time in general.

Dr. Shepard was absolutely terrible. I went in as a new patient, and he spent no more than ten minutes with me. During that time he informed me he didn’t know what was causing my condition, that I probably couldn’t be cured, and the best I could hope for was to manage it. Not to worry though, the good doctor sent me a bill for $ 180 dollars. $ 180 dollars for ten minutes? That is $ 1,080 dollars an hour for doing absolutely nothing. Shepard would make a great politician, but he is a terrible doctor.

I went and saw Dr Shepherd Today. He was very professional. Listened to all my concerns and gave realistic answers that were applicable to the questions I asked. Appeared to be very intelligent and motivated and happy to be doing what he was doing.

Dr. Marc Shepard is very friendly and approachable. I have been a patient for almost a year and every visit has been enjoyable. I also appreciate how I do not have to wait long to see him, He usually comes in right away so I can make my appt during working hours. He is smart, honest, and blunt. he is not going to beat around the bush but will you tell you what is going on and what he recommends.

Dr. Shepard was professional and very knowledgeable attentive to my needs. I’ve visited his office on more than one occasion and will most likely use him again in the future. His staff is very helpful and are able to accommodate me with last minute appointments. Every now and then I may have to wait a few mins past my scheduled appointment time. I’d recommend to anyone who is seeking a family practice physician.

I’d first like to say I love Dr. Shepard. He has been my internist for years and I have never had an issue. I honestly can’t say when I started going to him but when I have had a complaint, I’m not one to shy away from going to the source and stating my issue. I appreciate the professionalism I always get and he is quite knowledgeable and that goes a distance in my opinion. When you go to the doctor as much as I do, you want the best on your team and I do rank Dr. Shepard as being one of the best. I can recollect one issue one time but it wasn’t his fault. It was actually in his absence, I had an issue with the nurse practitioner. I contacted the doctor and everything was worked out. I love the convenience of him having an office in DC as well as one in MD and the flexibility of always being able to get an appt seemingly with no notice. Clearly everything isn’t for everyone but I have referred several people to Dr. Shepard and I have never heard anything negative. I think you should go into your doctors office like you would any business arrangement with an open mind and like I stated if you have an issue broach it when it happens head on with the doctor. I would never go to a doctor’s office have an issue and not say something and leave unhappy and dissatisfied. How is anything to be solved and for what it’s worth it may be something that if brought to his attention he may be unaware of. He’s a doctor by trade but he’s always human and errors due occur. One major thing I love is that I know I’m not just a number, as I’m sure doctors have tons of patients they see, he’s aware of who I am and of my history so it’s not like everytime if my first time as I’ve experienced with some doctors in the past. I feel comfort in knowing that my team of doctors are on board and in the loop of where I am physically. I’m sorry for those that haven’t had an enjoyable experience with Dr. Shepard, because I sure have. He’s referred me to specialists that also turned out to be great doctors as well, which is also a plus.

I recently contacted Dr. Shepard while he was on vacation and he got back to me within 12 hours. He didnt even mind that my question was not important and could have waited. He genuinely cares about my well being.

I thought I’d submit a review because I think the one star ratings are unfair.
I’ve been very happy with Dr. Shepard. I have found him pleasant and interested in my health a well-​being, as any good doctor should be. I suppose his personality might not be a perfect fit with some people. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that your doctor wants to assess your health status and risks in order to make sure he is giving you the proper advice and/​or treatment. This shouldn’t be read as being judgmental. At the same time, if you are overweight, or drink too much, or eat poorly, he’ll probably tell you to change your behavior. He has recommended several good books for me regarding eating healthier.
I have found Dr. Shepard to be very an extremely rational doctor. This means that he provides you health advice based on the the best available evidence and statistics. If you are a hypochondriac, that might make you feel bad because he doesn’t seem in a rush to get you to a specialist if your symptoms don’t necessarily warrant it. If you need to be pampered by your doctor, maybe he isn’t right for you. But I trust his judgment, which is really all I’m looking for in a doctor.
I gave him 4 stars, because he can be a little gruff or direct. I suppose he could improve his bedside manner a little. But frankly, I’m very happy to have a competent doctor I trust. I feel very confident he is neither homophobic nor hates his life. It is too bad that several people gave him one star. I actually signed up on Unilocal to write this review (my fist), because the ratings seemed unfair.

I started going to Dr. Shepard when I moved to DC in 2012, and I’ve never been happier with a doctor. Dr. Shepard is efficient and effective. He listens carefully to my complaints and questions, but he’s a straight shooter and doesn’t waste time. That makes the appointment brief while you’re there, but more importantly it means that long pre-​appointment waits are blessedly rare. He’s *definitely* the right person if you’re a professional and want a great doctor, but don’t want to sit in the waiting room while the two guys before you (who appear to have written reviews here…) cry it out for an hour. Highly recommended!
Edit: I should add that I always go to the downtown DC office, and the staff there is very pleasant and helpful — whether on the phone, at the front desk, or in the office. (Can’t speak to the staff at the MD office.)

Seriously the pits. First, he asked me whether I «lived a homosexual lifestyle.» Now, it’s clearly important for my doctor to know who I’m having sex with, but this came across as judgmental and, frankly, a little homophobic. Seriously, dude, you’re a doctor in Dupont Circle. What are you expecting?
Beyond that, things just got worse. I’d agree with the other reviewers who say he’s less than interested in your problems; he sounds like he just wants you to leave so he can take a nap.
When I got blookwork done, his nurse didn’t wipe down my arm with alcohol before putting in a needle to take blood. And then he calls with test results that say one thing, while a letter arrives in the mail from his office the same day that says something that is completely the opposite.
Take your healthcare dollars elsewhere, folks… your health is worth it.

First, Dr. Shepard & his staff squeezed me in almost an hour before my scheduled appointment when I showed up early, which was amazing. He was thoughtful and professional, and saved me so much time after another doctor was extremely careless in referring me to get xrays from a place that consistently told me I would have to wait an hour+ to see a technician. My appointment with Dr. Shepard was quick & efficient and I am glad to have found a new doctor.

Not only was Dr. Shepard rude and condescending, his front office staff was incredible unhelpful and never returned my phone calls. I have since switched to another doctor.
If you need a primary care physician I would HIGHLY recommend thinking about someone else. Oh and his office only accepts cash or checks…