Brian Lavery, MD

Unfortunately, Dr. Lavery appears to have retired from general medicine at the height of his game. I just received a letter stating that he was leaving the practice to specialize in geriatrics at Hines V.A. in Maywood.

I would give them 4.5 stars if I could. Solid staff, Dr. Lavery is knowledgeable and takes time with the patient. Keep in mind that insurance coverage and billing is something the patient should be actively involved in. It’s not fair to blame healthcare providers for services not covered by YOUR insurance. The location is convenient if you work in the Loop.

Went in a week ago for a first time visit /​physical. The office staff and nurses were very friendly. Dr. Lavery took a great deal of time and care in going over all my concerns. The nurse who took my blood did a wonderful job. I was surprised when the next day Dr. Lavery himself called me with my blood test results. Very friendly, very personable, calm and reserved. I highly recommend him if you’re looking for a new GP.

I have tried a few doctors around Chicago and while some can be much too brisk and all business Lavery was really down to earth, friendly and open. He seemed really willing to discuss anything and on my first visit we chatted about my family history, diet plans and a few other concerns I had. Overall a very relaxing experience.
The nurse that drew my blood also seemed professional and she knew what was going on. Unlike other reviewers it was a painless experience overall.
That being said, I was just in for a check-​up and didn’t have any medical issues that needed treatment. Not sure how professional they are about more serious health concerns.
Also I took a star off because their appointment process for a new patient is rather obtuse. You have to use their website to download a form and fax that even before you know whether they can take you on or what time they can schedule you.
Finally, their hours are a bit inflexible and if you don’t work or live downtown getting there on time could be an issue.

AVOID! I had Lavery as my PCP here for YEARS until the office basically scammed me and then were outrageously rude when I inquired about it.
Not only that, when I challenged them about the bill, they actually dumped me as a patient and Lavery sent me a letter telling me I wasn’t welcome back again. (Well, at least he sent it certified?)
The story: I came into see the doctor for a couple issues, one of which was getting up-​to-​date on immunizations before traveling.
The doctor curtly refused to address this issue, telling me I would have to see Jennifer, who took care of travel issues. Ok, fine, so I talked to the nurses up front and scheduled an appointment with Jennifer instead. She gives me a few shots, I walk to the front desk, and they demand $ 360 for services, telling me that my insurance won’t cover it.
Surprised, I tell them that I was never informed they wouldn’t bill my insurance for these services. The nurse who scheduled my appointment overhears apologizes and says she’s sorry, and that she forgot to tell me, and that travel appointments are never covered by insurance. The front desk tells me to not worry about it and they’ll «take care of it.»
A month or so later, I get a bill in the mail for the same amount. I call the billing department to inquire – the manager of which is difficult to describe politely – and she completely fabricates a different story. She claims (even though she was obviously not there) that the front desk told me they would try to bill insurance instead, and that I have to pay up, and offers no discount or apology whatsoever. Throwing a customer a bone that had paid his bills on time dutifully for three years? Nahhhhh.
Basically this office separates «travel» services into its own separate thing as part of a money grab. You don’t just pay for the immunizations out-​of-​pocket (which would be understandable), but you have to pay for the whole appointment as well, to the point where your regular doctor refuses to even acknowledge it or talk to you about it. And if they fail to mention this policy to you – too bad, so sad, pay up.
I had recommended a couple colleagues to this place, but no longer. Awful, awful service. And a terribly shortsighted way to run a business.

Finding a good doctor is like finding… well. Something that’s really, really hard to find.
Dr. Lavery is great, truly. Several years ago, a girlfriend at work found him on Unilocal,and we’ve both passed his name out to several people since then. We are both women, but my brother goes to him, and even several ex boyfriends, as far as I know! So he must be equal gender opportunity good doctorness.
I have had a number of extremely positive experiences with him. He has the professionalism that a doctor should have, but also a really nice bedside manner.
I am a bit of a hypochondria (the kind afraid of going to the doctor and finding anything out), and I came in for my physical this fall with 5 crazy things that had messed with my immune system for the prior 2 months. I was kind of a mess. He reassured me that even HE gets nervous about going to the doctor (ha!), and told me that I am young and healthy, and the blood tests would prove it, i just needed to wait and see. We also discussed possibly having a low dose of anti-​anxiety meds for the hypochon nervousness (among other things), and he urged me to try yoga and working out and drinking enough water. He is very much in favor of natural remedies and not medicating unless it appears absolutely necessary.
I have asthma, and when i first came to him, I was thinking about getting off my singulair in case of pregnancy, etc., and he was totally in favor of it, if the results of the spirometry test were good enough. Note: I was diagnosed with az when I was 12, and no one had ever done a spirometry test on me to measure my lung function — come on!!!
Also, I was laid off a couple years ago, and didn’t have insurance for about 10 months. I had a terrible asthma attack and knew that I would likely need advair to prevent future horribleness, but I couldnt afford to go see Doc Lavery or to pay for the advair, so he was able to help me figure out alternative/​cheaper ways to get the meds, and didnt require I come see him right away.
He always calls himself with test results and doesnt leave some cryptic «call the office baaaaaack» voicemail, he just tells you whats going on with your stuff on the damn voicemail. A very nice, personal touch.
Many thanks to Dr. Lavery and for the friend who discovered him — and for Unilocal for existing!!!

Dr. Lavery is a great doc. Have seen him a few times for multiple health issues. He is down-​to-​earth, and isolates issues right away. He pointed out some isses affecting my long-​term health and gave me a blueprint of the long– term problems I would face if such issues were not corrected. He did a very in-​depth health screening on my first visit, setting a game plan for future improvements.

I’m reviewing on behalf of my husband, who doesn’t utilize Unilocal!I’d like everyone reviewing to remember this is for Dr. Lavery and not Loop Internal Medicine. I understand that administration and such might not be good (although they have been in my experience) but make sure to review this under the practice and not the Dr. specifically! Anyway, my husband loves Dr. Lavery. He always makes him feel calm and comfortable, although he only sees him once a year (knock on wood). He’s a thorough doctor with a great demeaner.

Dr. Lavery is fantastic. He knows his stuff, is able to listen, and will have a real conversation with you about your health. I completely agree with some other comments here — he is easily one of the best doctors I’ve ever had.

Of all the places I’ve lived (6 different cities at last count), I’ve never had a doctor anywhere else who I’ve liked as much as I like Dr. Lavery. I went to him for the first time last summer when I moved to Chicago, based on Unilocal reviews (and he’s super close to my office). I love that I don’t have to wait forever to get an appointment, either. Despite his popularity, he seems to always be available a day or two after I call. Not only that, but the wait in the office itself is never excessively long. Actually, it’s usually the contrary. More often than not, as soon as I sign in and they take my co-​pay, I’m called in. Honestly, sometimes I wish it would take longer because it doesn’t give me time to read the latest edition of US Weekly they have sitting in the office!
Most other doctors that I’ve gone to always seem to want to rush me in and out, hand me a prescription and send me on my way. Dr. Lavery is not at all like that. He’s extremely thorough and doesn’t seem to have a problem taking his time to make sure he’s answered all of your questions. If he ever says he’ll get back to you after blood work or other tests, he does, and usually sooner than you’d anticipate.

Dr. Lavery is, in a word, outstanding.
He is easy to talk to, cleary very bright, understanding, and funny. Not to mention that he knows what he’s talking about so you get the right treatment the first time. I highly recommend Dr. Lavery.

Dr. Lavery was nice enough to let me schedule an appointment at the last minute shortly after the holidays. He is very kind, professional, and sincere. The staff is very warm and welcoming as well.

I can’t believe that I spent almost an hour and fifteen minutes in the Dr.‘s office, and didn’t mind! You see, I was on the hunt for a new doctor. I needed to find an awesome doc in the city (let’s just say going to Downers Grove every time I got sick was not efficient). I stumbled across his name here on Unilocal,and couldn’t be more happy!
Went to see Dr. Lavery this AM, and wow, I can honestly say, I’ve NEVER had this thorough of an initial exam ever in my life! He took the time to discuss different concerns that I have, as well as went through my family’s medical history. He listened to EVERYTHING I had to say, and took the time to talk to me as well in regards to my concerns.
All routine lab work is done in the office, so it was great not having to schedule a different time to go to a different office for blood work :-)
I’ll be back when I’m sick for sure :-)
Also, I do have to say, he’s the best doctor, because he studied under a doctor who is Deaf back in Rochester, NY. That alone gets 5 stars from me :-)
PS – it did take me almost 3 weeks to get into see him, so if you need a new doc schedule an initial BEFORE you really need to see him!

I’m not entirely sure how I ended up calling Dr. Lavery, but I’m so glad I did. I’ve never gone steadily to one doctor as I’ve never felt that comfortable with a practitioner. I didn’t know what to expect but now, I’ll never go to another doctor as long as I’m in Chicago.
From the start he was friendly, went over my entire medical history, got to know me and all my family to know what to watch for in the future. We went over what brought me in that day and covered everything thoroughly. What’s really wonderful about Dr. Lavery is the way he makes time for you. He reads your chart to refresh what you’ve gone over in previous appointments before coming in to talk to you that day and he refers back to previous appointments to follow up on those things in addition to addressing the new.
In a time where Doctors are notorious for rushing patients in and out as fast as possible and too often you leave feeling like they don’t know or care about you, it’s nice to see Dr. Lavery take his time with you to make sure you get the treatment you deserve and need. He’s definitely more than your average Dr.

I hate getting sick. Hate. It.
I came here for a few reasons. One of my clients loves going to Dr Lavery. raves about how attentive he is, calls her back, her husband and her sisters all go to him.
Unilocalers are raving about him.
I thought I was coming down with a sinus infection or the cold that wouldn’t go away and wanted to see him about a physical down the road. I made an appointment and they got me in to see him the next day. Despite the CTA screwing me over and barely a taxi cab in site, I did manage to make it to my appointment with literally a minute to spare. If you are 15 minutes late, you have to reschedule and will be charged a late fee. Whew…
Well, I got it all answered for you. Dr. Lavery is nice, quick, informative with out going over your head, gives you all your options when faced with decisions and let you make the choice. He’s about business, but with a smile and wants to make sure you are comfortable. Not about wasting your time, but still giving you the time you need. He actually did the physical and made sure everything was working order. They were. Which, of course, makes me happy. Hopefully I don’t have to see him until my next physical, but at least I know I will be in good hands.
Now, turn your head and cough.

I like Dr. Lavery. I ended up here when I thought I might have strep & since the Unilocalers LOVE Dr. Suh, I tried to get in with her. Since I couldn’t wait a month, I grabbed an appointment with Dr. Lavery the very next day. He was VERY thorough – honestly, I am not used to my doctor really going through an intense medical history, so that was kind of nice & reassuring. I plan on sticking with him.
Also – he listened when I said that I WILL pass out when my blood is taken. Most doctors think I am bluffing. I am not. So they made sure I was lying down & stayed there for awhile AND I got the good phlebotomist. Nice.
I got a phone call directly from him within the next day or so to go over my blood test results. It’s always nice when you get a call directly from the doctor – great bedside manner.

I really liked Dr. Lavery.
I was most impressed that he paid attention to the fact that I keep a copy of all my medical records and so mailed me a copy of each of my test results even just the basic cholesterol and stuff.
He also called me with each test result so quickly, I was caught off guard as to who was on the phone.

After running into month long waiting lists, I found Dr. Lavery, who was able to fit me in after a couple of days. He’s very friendly. Before I even began listing out my woes, he said he wanted to get to know me and my medical history. I was a little surprised since most doctors rush, but he pulled up a chair and we had a conversation; it was really nice. He even called a few days later to go over my blood results. Definitely a first for me!
His nurse was also super friendly, but I have to admit, she scared me when she came in to draw blood because the first thing she said was, «Don’t worry, I’ve done this before.» She talked a lot, probably to calm my nerves after that comment. But she was fairly fast and efficient, so I guess she has done it before. She just really needs to come up with another opener.
I took off a star because he doesn’t do lady issues. I get that he’s not a gynecologist, but I’d prefer someone who knows a little bit about that area and is willing to talk about it.

I’ve seen Dr Lavery a few times and he is world class. Always takes time to listen to my symptoms and ask further questions. If I ever call for results, he always gets back to me the same day.
I’m almost always able to get an appt and he runs on schedule.
I would definitely recommend Dr Lavery.

After coming down with mono two weeks ago, I had to find an internist to do some follow-​up blood work ASAP. Unilocalers seem to love Dr. Anne Suh, but she was booked through February, so I took an appointment with another doctor in her office, Dr. Lavery.
The problem wasn’t really with him, although he did criticize my drinking and recreational drug use, and then almost immediately offer to write me a prescription for happy pills.
The problem was with the nurses. A young nurse with an Olympia College name badge came in to check my height and weight. She seemed unfamiliar with how to use a balance scale and it was obvious she was nervous.
Later she returned and it was apparent that she was going to be the one drawing my blood. I’m alright with needles and my veins are easy to hit, but when she ties and reties the rubber strap more than once and then asks me whether or not she should be tying a butterfly knot, I started to freak. Everyone needs to practice, but I didn’t want to be her pin cushion. I asked her if she could find someone to help her and she said, «Are you sure? I’ve done this SEVERAL times.»
YES, I’M SURE.
She returned with another nurse who acted like her presence was unnecessary, yet proceeded to correct the first nurse’s choice of needle, retie her knot, and readjust her supplies.
Even after all that, they ended up poking me three times. Jerks.