Cathy Vanden Heuvel, MD

I would not recommend this practice for Primary Care. I went because it was in network and easy to/​from my work and my home. First time I went I was greeted by not very professional front desk staff, only to then find out one of them would be taking the vitals in a small dingy room and just recording it on paper.
Cathy seemed OK the one or 2 times I went to the office, but not super pleasant over all.
Additionally, my biggest concern is with the professionalism of the front desk staff. Calling there half the time it sounds like someone mumbling into the phone, it’s hard to tell if I even called the right place. Any subsequent time I have had to call I have been given attitude by members of that answering staff. Additionally, they have openly discussed info and notes from the dr in the open waiting room while other patients are there. I am not comfortable with that!
I was having some medical issues that OTC meds were not helping, but probably some advice could be given over the phone. Since the «nurse» triage is the unpleasant folks who answer the phone who I am not even sure are medical professionals, would be the ones taking the call I did not feel comfortable stating my concerns to them directly. The Dr is out on Wednesday so when I called yesterday around 930am, I asked if a message with my name and phone number could be taken so she could reutrn my call when she got back today. The girl who answered gave me attitude and was like «well I need more detail» I was like I would just feel more comfortable speaking directly with the Dr. She says «UMMMM WELL I need SOMETHING to go on to give her a heads up or whatever»…I decided to just go along with my concerns being about meds and have her note that and just explain something else over the phone with the dr if and when she called me back.
She did call me back today at 3pm, but at this point I had already had enough and I got an appt for next week at a new PCP elsewhere.
Advice for the DR: have your gatekeepers learn to be more respectful of medical concerns and be more customer oriented — you’re not taking my order at Dunkin Donuts, you’re dealing with confidential medical info and situations– I don’t need your attitude.

I would not recommend Dr. Vanden Heuvel to anyone. I had gone to her because I could walk to the office from work and she had openings so it was very convenient but it is definitely not worth it. The first time I went, I had the first appointment of the day and no one was there when I arrived– front desk staff or the doctor and my appointment started late. I went to her for over a year and each time was worse than the previous. I found her to be very judgmental. She also left me an inappropriate message about needing to call her right back, I thought I had been diagnosed with something terminal the way her voicemail sounded and that was not nearly the case at all. The office is outdated and a little dirty and she wears sandals which I find unprofessional. She spends most of her time during the visit asking questions and typing them into her computer. I was uncomfortable and did not appreciate her bedside manner at all. I have switched primary care doctors and wish I had checked Unilocal before going to her the first time.

No news

I have to disagree with general Unilocaler consensus, I think she gets the job done and I think the front office is friendly. I went to Dr. Vanden Heuvel on a whim as a doctor I had seen closed his practice and it was a real pain finding anyone that would accept my insurance. Luckily after scrolling through a doctor finding website, I found Dr. Vanden Heuvel and saw she accepted my rare insurance. As for my visits with her, she is very down to earth and easy to open up to. Unlike other doctors, she listens to what you have to say and isn’t fixated on doing things only her way. I’m still a fairly new patient so I hope my opinion sticks. Maybe Unilocal lowered my expectations so I find it fine by my standards. At any rate, I would recommend her if your looking for a GP to look after your needs.

I think Dr. Vanden Heuvel is a great doctor. She listens well and never makes me feel uncomfortable about asking questions. She explains what medications do and is upfront about possible side effects.
I’ve also had nothing but great experiences with the office staff. They are very fast to mail out refill prescriptions; I usually get them the next business day!
I really hope I can find such a doctor like Dr. Vanden Heuvel when I finish grad school and move.

Quite honestly I think it is time for this woman to retire. She does not seem to enjoy her job and her secretary is, as many others have mentioned, very unprofessional and rude. I’ve stuck with this office for a few years out of laziness and because I am not often sick. My annual exam yesterday was my last straw… Problems I brought up with dr Cathy were not addressed in my appointment because she «forgot». She is like a robot scrolling through her computer screen asking questions about my health and typing them in (anyone could do that…). She seemed annoyed when I had a few questions to ask about health because I am not there often and wanted to get everything in and she quickly fielded them with very standard webMD answers (you work for me dr Cathy, not the other way around!). No one addresses you by name when you come in or leave the office or when you call, they are just not warm and welcoming. Also one thing I always hated and thought was weird is the secretary wanted to know what you wanted to talk to the doctor about at any visit and would ask you over the phone… Some situations are private hence you one would prefer to discuss the matter with the doctor! Shame on me for sticking with them as long as I have, and with all the doctors in the area there is really no need to.

I was a patient of Dr. Vanden Heuvel for 4 years, during which time I visited her for a multitude of issues. She helped me through one of the hardest years of my life and I will be forever grateful to her. I think she is a wonderful and compassionate doctor and have yet to find someone in D.C. who is half the doctor that she is.

Dr. VandenHeuvel gave decent advice when I went in with a severely strained hip muscle. I even scheduled a full physical for a few months later so that she could officially be my PCP.
Unfortunately, without any notice, they billed me an extra $ 15 more than a month after my first appointment because they had billed me incorrectly the first time (apparently my co-​pay is $ 25, not $ 10). When I called to inquire about the situation, the person who answered the phone was incredibly rude and short with me, so I asked to cancel my later appointment. She said «okay» and hung up on me. In a city with so many good, courteous, and diligent medical offices, there is no reason to put up with this woman or her staff.

DO NOT go to this doctor. She is quite literally the worst doctor. SHe is never available and has a terrible receptionist. I called in bc I had a case of pinkeye and the receptionist told me I had to wait 3 days until I could see the doctor. She was also very rude about it. I will never go back to this doctor.

Wow. Despite the so-​so reviews on Unilocal,I called to schedule an appointment, as I’d been referred to her by my ob/​gyn. Ultimately I did not schedule an appointment and the receptionist was so rude that I finally hung up.
When I called, the receptionist answered the phone with «hello?» (i.e. not «Dr. so-and-so’s office.»). I thought I had the number wrong, because she didn’t answer the way a business/​medical practice would. I asked if this was Dr. Vanden Huevel’s office and she said «yes» followed by… silence. (i.e. no «can I help you?»).
By then I suspected I had a receptionist with a bad attitude on the phone, but I still asked about scheduling an appointment.
She said the earliest would be September. I said I wanted to get a recent heart arrhythmia symptom checked. She said (more unfriendly) «sorry that doesn’t make a difference it will still be September at the earliest.» I said I’d go ahead and make an appointment now, but if I found another place that could take me in earlier I would call to cancel. She said «Um no. Call the other places and that way you don’t take up the schedule here.»
I hung up at that point. She was so rude and unprofessional that Dr. Vanden Huevel — who has several 2 star reviews for each ⁴⁄₅ star one — definitely won’t have me taking up her schedule with a receptionist like that!

This place makes you wait sometimes an hour past the time you were scheduled. My new doctor is only about 15 or so mins off, this place is bad. Then they rush you through like a stat so they can keep going. They never once took my tempature, looked at my ears, my throat… I have changed for they did not even have a nurse to check you before the doctor came in.

I work in healthcare myself and think Dr. Vanden Heuvel is wonderful. I have seen her many times over the past year and have had nothing but positive experiences. I don’t find the office to be dirty at all, in fact I find it warm and friendly, the staff is very professional, and Dr. Vanden Heuvel is incredibly knowledgeable and has great bedside manner. I would recommend Dr. Vanden Heuvel to anybody looking for a primary care physician.

I have been seeing Dr. Vanden Heuval for 5 years. Every experience I have had with her has been positive. She does family medicine, so when I had my daughter, I also chose her as a pediatric dr. Dr. V always takes her time to find out what is going on and make a diagnosis. I have never felt rushed, and have always felt like she listens to my concerns. She has advised me well and helped me resolve issues with mono, my baby’s eczema, etc. When my baby had really bad eczema, she gave me good advice and also referred me to someone at children’s for a second opinion. Her new office is spotless. The one mentioned in previous e-​mails was rundown, but was temporary space as she was waiting for her new office to be completed. the new one is beautiful. I find her to be friendly, rational and reasonable.

I have been seeing this doctor for about 8 years now… only because I never get sick. I would never be seen here if I had real problems. I contemplated changing doctors SOOO many times but I think I am just lazy… someone said «the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.» I sadly agree with ALL the previous Unilocalers EXCEPT that this doctor is actually a good person… she means well and she trys… but I don’t think she actually ENJOYS being a doctor. I think it is what she knows how to do… so she does it. I have found her staff to be helpful when I need them but since we do live in a city area… I never expect warm «fuzzies» from ANY business. If you are going to see this doctor, keep your expectations low.

Among other problems I was really disturbed to be sitting in the waiting room listening to her speak to the receptionist (her daughter) about patients and their diagnoses, by first and last name, and about their symptoms and what tests they needed. Beware of your personal information being spread throughout Brookline. Needless to say this was my last appointment.

Allow me to offer a different experience.
Dr. Vanden Heuvel serviced my Adderall prescription for 3.5 years, and was extremely helpful. She only required me to come in every 3 or 4 months, and her office was quick to mail my Rx whenever I called in – even during the somewhat awkward transition of her office.
If you don’t have health insurance (ahem…hypothetically) she is very reasonably priced and will even give you a discount if you pay everything up front. She also gives me free samples whenever possible, and is willing to call prescriptions in after talking to me on the phone.
So far, I’ve only seen her for bronchitis, colds, and flu, and she has been right on in her diagnosis and prescription. Once, when several other doctor-​friends suggested I take antibiotics for a persistent cough, she didn’t agree, and prescribed an inhaler instead. The inhaler worked perfectly and I saw immediate improvement.
Sure, she doesn’t always remember my name, and her office isn’t the cleanest place I’ve ever been, but she’s always kind and helpful toward me.

One of my friends and her family go to this doctor, so I went based on a personal recommendation that the doctor was okay. Unfortunately, after just one visit, I will never be returning. I was about 6 or 7 weeks pregnant at the time, and she tried to give me a flu shot even though I did not want one. She never asked me if I wanted it, just said, «oh great, you need the flu shot» and proceeded to stand up to go get it. When I refused because I had read that its better to wait until after your first trimester and I wanted to wait, she was extremely pushy and wouldn’t let it go. Then, even though she wasn’t my OBGYN, she gave me unsolicited and judgemental advice about pregnancy and natural birth (at one point calling it «bloody and messy»)!! Her reactions to my medical history questionnaire were also very inappropriate — she made jokes that were not in any way funny. Finally, her demeanor is extremely unprofessional. She was seeing patients in what looked like sweat pants and a matching purple t-​shirt. Looking professional helps your patients have trust in you, and I did not have that impression. After the experience, which happened several months ago, I was just going to let it go and move on. But the last straw happened today. I just called the office to ask for my medical records to be transferred to another doctor, and the receptionist (like on other occasions) had a complete attitude problem and hung up on me. So I decided to write this review to say that I do not recommend this practice to anyone.

If I good give zero or negative stars I would.
why to not see this Dr.
1) her entire office is unprofessional: dirty waiting room (dusty, gross carpet, clutter), political writing hanging on the wall, she wears open-​toed shoes while practicing, she is last in the morning for early appointments.
2) Rude receptionist who acts like she is doing you a favor my looking at you and does not follow HIPA laws re: privacy, i.e. announces info about you loudly.
3) DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU ARE EASILY GROSSED OUT
She takes on cases she shouldn’t. I needed a coposcopy. Instead of immediately sending me to a specialist she did it, in an office that was dusty, and contained what looked like laser hair removal equipment. It hurt so badly and took a very long time. I have never been in more pain. When she was done she left so I could get dressed. Drops of my blood were all over the floor, she had not done anything to clean them up. I bleed for nearly a day. I have had the same procedure done by a specialist since, it took moments and I had no bleeding and little pain.
I went to her because she was close to my house and I liked her NP, but when something went wrong and I needed a bit more care she was horrible.

in early 2005 i got pnuemonia. i didn’t have a doctor so i went to st. elizabeth’s ER and they diagnosed me, gave me meds, and told me to follow up with my PCP. i randomly selected Dr. Vanden Heuvel because she was close to where i lived, and when i called saying i needed to get my pnuemonia checked out they were quick to get me in. while i was in there i really liked the Dr, who noticed something on my face and prescribed me an ointment that made the mysterious inflammation go away immediately. for that i am greatly indebted.
her hours are very inconvienent for working professionals, but occasionally i have been able to get 8AM appointments so i’m not too late for work. over the years the staff has told me that i need to come in for a full history appointment, so the dr can have a full picture of my health needs. i finally scheduled this appointment in april… three months before i leave boston for good. seemed like a waste, but whatever.
i go and sit down, mind you i’ve been seeing the dr for 2 YEARS. she comes out, looks at her chart, sees i’m doing a history, which one typically does when she is a new patient, and says to me «hello, nice to meet you, i’m dr. vanden heuvel.»
WHAT? she absolutely doesn’t recognize me. and unabashedly keeps up this ruse during my whole physical. finally i was like «i started coming here TWO YEARS AGO» but at that point i was disgusted. and done with her. i had my physical, including blood tests and the start of some shots for my upcoming international travel. i scheduled another appointment for more shots and she said she would send me my test results.
i’ve had full physicals before, and my other doctor sent me the actual lab reports so i could see all my numbers and a letter explaining what it all meant. three weeks after my appointment i still had no results. i called… twice. they came a month later, a single sheet of paper that said «cholesterol: normal triglycerides: normal» i was furious. i paid out of pocket for those tests and all i got was a sheet of paper her receptionist typed?
a few weeks later when i went in because i thought i had a UTI. she did the in office test, said it didn’t look like i had one, but let’s send the sample out to be tested. that was oh, june 1^st ish. Today i still have never received the results. i have however, received the bill for the tests. nice.
Vanden Heuvel is personable when you get in to see her but she does sloppy work and clearly is not interested in getting to know her clients.