Joanne C Kirby, MD

I went to visit Joanne Kirby over a year ago and was not thrilled with her bedside manner either as others had pointed out, but I gave her a pass. My prescription was on auto-​fill, and I was never contacted by anyone to set up another appointment with her.
I decided I wanted to find someone who was more concerned about my overall health and scheduled an appointment with another physician highly recommended by a friend. My auto-​fill prescription was not filled this last time, but the pharmacist couldn’t find a reason why it was denied. After two days and many, many phone calls to an automated phone system to try and resolve this, I learned Joanne wanted to see me before she refilled the prescription. Since it is a daily prescription I said that I could come in today. Her assistant checked and learned she didn’t have time to see me today, so they would fill my prescription to cover me through my appointment with the new physician. That was over an hour and a half ago.
As I write this, the pharmacy has not received the prescription, and the night service is now answering the phones for the office. Would not recommend.

Awful bedside manners. Extremely rude and dismissive of the explanation of my symptoms.
I get that any doctor is going to say «well based on what you’ve told me I just don’t think it’s anything but this.» That’s fine. That’s why I *go* to the doctor, because I am not one. However not only was Dr Kirby extremely rude and dismissive to me, she repeatedly went on asking about my mental health. Of course I have some anxiety over my medical condition, how could I not?
If she doesn’t have the easy answer she will make you feel like complete and utter shit. I don’t care how good or right she is, if I feel like shutting down when talking to her then there’s no way to have a good working relationship.
I’d give this zero stars if I could. What an awful experience!

After reading the other reviews, I was really worried about seeing Dr. Kirby. I like coming to this practice because the doctors and staff are very efficient (they appear knowledgeable and organized, they are not unfriendly, and they handle patients really quickly).
Dr. Kirby met and exceeded these expectations. I didn’t feel rushed at all and she even went out of her way (exceeding my expectations above) to make sure I left feeling like my issues were noted, my history thoughtfully considered, and we had a concrete plan to fix the issue.
Given the disconnect between my experience and the Unilocal reviews, I felt compelled to leave one myself. I assume Dr. Kirby was available with one day notice due to these reviews, and to be fair, they nearly caused me to reschedule my appt/​request another doc. I’m happy I didn’t and would be comfortable seeing Dr. Kirby in the future.

I would not recommend Dr. Kirby to anyone. Terrible bedside manner. I had to see a doctor immediately and should have known there was a reason that Dr. Kirby was available that same day. She made me feel like I was imposing on her time. I felt incredibly rushed and she was extremely condescending. I never found out what was wrong with me and ended up having to see another doctor elsewhere to get some actual answers. I left the office feeling totally defeated after my appointment.

I went to see Dr. Kirby for a follow up from an ER visit for a burn. After seeing the same family doctor for over ten years, I was a bit skeptical of anyone new but Dr. Kirby, was prompt, professional and through. She took time for my questions and reassured me about the condition of burn.

Poor bedside manner, dismissive tone to her voice. I would not recommend.

Awful, time waisting experience.
I usually don’t write reviews, but I bothered this time.
I needed to get in ASAP due to stomach pain and that was the only MD I could get in to on the short notice. Now I know why.
Due to the fact that I was a new patient, I thought I would be asked more about my medical history and Dr. K would spent more time with me. I could have not been more wrong.
Walking in the room, not only she did not give me a diagnosis — stating basically that I do not have my symptoms often enough to be worry about them (I’m not a doctor but I obviously know when I am not well). She barely asked any questions, barely did the exam.
Not informative. I had to ask question myself in order to get anything out of her.
My other issue was totally ignored, she briefly spoke to her MA assistant about it, not explaining much to me.
And that was the end of my visit.
When I asked if that would be considered as my annual wellness (just because that was one of the questions on questionary and I had one upcoming 2 months later with the physician I wanted to be my actual Primary Care) — she said to cancel that appt because my insurance won’t cover it, since she did it today.
You gotta be kidding!!! I’m not a hypochondriac, but if thats the way annual should look, especially if the patient brings more than one issue to the attention… something wrong with her.
I wish I read reviews below before the appt. You can learn more in the internet about your health than by seeing Dr. K.

I wish I had read other reviews before I went to see Dr. Kirby. I thought anyone at the 676 building and at NW would be helpful for my last minute appointment but in all my life I’ve never had a doctor or staff treat me with such indifference and lack of follow through. She gets 1 star for ordering the test I asked for in the first place.
They were very accommodating to squeeze me in last minute and to give me a test I needed to verify I didn’t have a critical issue. However, Dr. Kirby (who has a lack of bedside manners and almost seems to be ignoring you during your exam) flat out didn’t get back to me with a diagnosis. When I called to follow up she had an assistant tell me «Dr. Kirby told me to tell you to wait a few weeks to see.» To see what? I called to talk to a manager who apologized profusely, told me the test result was clear but then after 3 – 4 more conversations with managers no one was able to get any doctor to call me back with guidance as to next steps or any other diagnosis.
I finally called a 5^th time to ask to have part of my bill credited since I was paying for nothing and instead I had some cranky woman not listening to me at all, cutting me off and being condescending and rude.
Spare yourself more agony and have another facility provide your healthcare, these people are not worth your hard-​earned money and should be reviewed for their business practices.

I wish I could give zero stars. This lady has a terrible bedside manner.
So I finally decided to see a doctor after being very sick with cold/​flu like symptoms for over a week. Not to mention I am pregnant and concerned about my baby’s well being. I was able to make a same day appointment with Kirby… I should have known there was a reason for this. What a snide, know it all, unsympathetic, miserly woman. She’s the kind of MD whose years and years of experience have made her unhappy, and bitter toward humanity.
After explaining my ongoing illness and concern for my unborn child, i was comforted over and over by Kirby stating, in a nutshell «You’re the 4^th patient, 2^nd pregnant patient, that I’ve seen today with the same symptoms. It’s just a cold. «Pretty much get over it… I wanted to run out of the office with my tail between my legs. I really loved when she shared with me, «I get sick 5 times a year.» La-​dee-​da lady, maybe you need a medal for that and for being the jerkiest general practitioner on the planet.
Last bit of priceless medical know how she shared with me…“It doesn’t sound like you have pneumonia right now but it can progress into it that later.» This was followed by crickets chirping.
Anyways, I’m not asking to be babied, but a little compassion and professionalism would have been nice. I feel like patient confidentiality was breeched when she kept yammering uselessly about her other patients with colds.
I’m so upset that my insurance will reimburse this lady hundreds for the BS care I received. I should have waited for an appointment a few hours later with Dr. Ng.

I created a Unilocal account just so that I could write a review and share my experience with Dr. Kirby.
My husband made me an appointment because I’ve been having some major chest pains. Dr. Kirby informed me that it is merely a cold and proceeded to belittle me and ask me what I expected her to do.
When I asked her an unrelated medical question, she flippantly talked over me and refused to advise me, saying «That’s really up to you.» I tried to explain some of my history and get an educated opinion, but she continued to talk over me and was extremely condescending.
She might be a good doctor, but her social skills are terrible.

Hands down the worst doctor I have ever seen. Seriously people, do not go to her. There is a reason she is always open for appointments.
I was sick for 5 months before finally seeing Dr. Kirby. My regular doctor (Dr. Boston in that same practice, who is AMAZING) was on maternity leave. Symptoms were a cross between a bad sinus infection and the flu, weight loss and inability to sleep. Dr. Kirby spent about 3 minutes with me, did not listen to me or ask what was going on, and just diagnosed me with anxiety. I have never had issues with anxiety, nor do I like to be on any medications (which I told her). She prescribed me a strong anti-​anxiety medication, along with Ambien. She then told me that if I were her daughter, she wouldn’t want me taking the Ambien, but that I didn’t have many choices at this point. WTF??? I was back in her office a week later with what seemed like a terrible reaction to the anti-​anxiety meds she had prescribed me. When I told her I had stopped taking them because of this, she called me silly and ridiculous. I have no words, and get extremely angry all over again as I type this!
Turned out the REAL diagnosis (after landing in the ER a few weeks later) was a reaction to several rounds of antiobiotics I had been on for a sinus infection. Dr. Kirby had dismissed my suggestion that my symptoms could be related to these antibiotics, and instead prescribed strong anti-​anxiety meds and sleeping pills. NOTHING to do with what was wrong with me, and probably would have made me sicker had I not gone with my gut and stopped taking them. Not surprised since she literally spent no time asking about the history of my sickness, what I was eating, or took any interest in what I had to say.
Terrible, terrible doctor. Rude, lacks empathy, condescending, arrogant, and is everything you do not want in a doctor, ever. I honestly do not know how she is still employed in this office.
If you currently go to Dr. Kirby and want a good doctor in the same practice, switch to Dr. Boston. I cannot say enough good things about her. She is one of the best doctors I have ever seen, extremely thorough, and has the best bedside manner. Fun little fact… she is requested by certain celebrities to be their doctor when they are in town :). She is GREAT.

This doctor seemed nice, but she talked way too much. I had a list of questions I was ready to ask and she would go on huge tangents and tell me pointless stories and then get impatient when I wanted to ask my prepared health questions for her during our limited time… of which she spent the whole time telling pointless stories! I just quickly glanced at someone else’s review and agree she seems quite arrogant.
I’m also ticked because the reason I went in the first time was to get one prescription but she charged me for a full physical (which includes a blood test) which I never got. I had to call multiple times to try to remove the charge. The second time I saw her, I commented to her about it, and she said «oh yeah, I always put down a physical for new patients» and I told her «but you didn’t give me a physical» and she said «I didn’t? Oh well, if it still shows up on your bill in 2 weeks, call this number.» And of course I had to. She didn’t even apologize or anything.

I found Dr Kirby attentive, knowledgeable, friendly, thourogh. She is efficient, does not dawdle.
I’m shocked by the number of bad reviews. I’ve been reading through the neg reviews and notice just saw none of this in the times I have seen her. If I want my hand held I’ll go to a pediatrician.

I found her to be knowledgeable and efficient, but also unnecessarily personal, condescending, and arrogant. I came to see her after complications of a motor vehicle accident, and she immediately got hung-​up on the fact that I hadn’t yet been vaccinated against HPV.
She fills the role if you need a female physician, but I think you can do much better if quality of care/​bedsire manners are a important to you.
Alternatively, I found the nurses at the office to be incredible, patient, and caring.

I’ve lived in 8 major cities in the U.S., and I’ve visited a lot of doctors. Having just moved to Chicago, I needed a good doctor here.
I’m an athletic work-​a-​holic who is also a father/​husband. So, I’m very picky about my doctors. In addition, my work doesn’t allow me much time during the days to visit a doctor. So, I take the time to review my doctor’s credentials BEFORE I visit them for the first time.
Based on Angie’s List, Dr. Kirby was highly recommended. I found all of the reviews of Dr. Kirby and the practice to be true. They were courteous, prompt, professional and thorough. She asked all the right questions, asked me to schedule my physical, handled my prescription needs — all with a great demeanor and a no-​nonsense approach.
I’ve read reviews on Unilocal for years — for work and for personal research. I’ve found the reviews to be extremely erratic. Every review, whether there are substantive explanations or not, seem to be posted without any filters.
The people who had bad experiences with Dr. Kirby are entitled to their opinion. But, I encourage you to join a better review service (like Angie’s List) and formulate your opinions there.

Dr. Kirby, to be fair, is very knowledgeable and thorough when it comes to her specialty, but as a GP, I found her to be lacking at times. She does not have a great bedside manner, particularly if you are upset or worried, but if you discuss your symptoms with her in a reasonable (and logical) manner, she will listen to them and help you to find a diagnosis if she can figure out what is wrong. However, she sometimes comes across as though she knows better than other doctors, even if the other doctor was a specialist.
What made me decide that it was time for a new doctor was the fact that she was extremely unhelpful over several health related problems over the past few months (including ignoring my calls when she was the on-​call doctor for the practice– I had to call the call center several times while ill with the flu before she responded to the call center’s pages).
What really deserves a 1 star review are the staff at her practice. The only way to speak with the doctor or get and appointment is to speak with the receptionists and physician’s assistants, and I have had messages passed on to the doctor that said the opposite of what I needed to be communicated. And, when Dr. Kirby would speak with her assistant, the assistant would either never call me back, or have me come in for an appointment that was not necessary.

I honestly thought I was being punked during this doctor’s appt. I came to this lady as a referral from my OBGYN for some pretty serious testing. Not only did the entire appointment consist of her talking about her past and opinions on minorities, but my medical issues were barely addressed.
I was offended at the time by the things she said and am even more offended now when I received a bill in the mail for the appointment but have still yet to hear my test results.
Unprofessional. Condescending yet ignorant. Don’t go.

As everyone else has noted, Dr. Kirby is not only rude, but she made me feel like i was making everything up. I had been getting bad anxiety, extreme fatigue/​dizziness, nauseous, and sometimes not even being able to talk after I ate my meals… she told me it’s just a coincidence and nothing is wrong with me. She also told me that my COMPLAINTS (not my symptoms) weren’t specific enough for her. She told me there was nothing I could do, and didn’t recommend ANYTHING. She was extremely rude and I hope to help some people out there to not waste their time with her. She left me feeling hopeless and cried my way out of the office. Please, please, do not see this woman, she is not someone who wants to help anyone.

I try not to get on Unilocal just to complain but I had a horrible experience with Dr. Kirby today. I have been having back pain for a few days and yesterday the pain started going down my leg. I really wanted to see someone before the holiday, I should have known why I could get in to see Dr. Kirby the Friday before Christmas. She laughed at me when I told her I had seen a chiropractor and when I told her my pain was a «9» she laughed again. She was dismissive and rude. By the end of the appointment I felt my time would have been better spent ANYWHERE but there. Please do yourself a favor and do not go see this woman, she is obviously heartless.

If I could give this woman zero stars I would. It makes me very angry that I didn’t read reviews before I made the same mistake others on this site have made!
As someone mentioned earlier… «There is a reason why she had openings when no other doctor did.» Red flags should have went off, but no.
Let me just tell you the story that is Dr. Kirby (I honestly don’t know what kind of Dr. she is because she clearly doesn’t give anyone any sort of diognosis.)…
I went to see her for the first time when I was extremely sick and didn’t get out of bed for about 3 – 4 days. I had all the symtoms of salmonella poisoning. She said ‘well you are at the tail end and getting better and I have seen people who have had it way worse.’
*Thanks Dr. Obvious!
Anyway… Rants can go on for months… she sucks. End of story. Save your $$ and your co-​pay and call your mom and ask her what to do… It’ll be better advice anyway.