Raby Institute for Integrative Medicine

Dr.‘s are wonderful. What is not wonderful is being on hold for over 35 minutes (this 35 minutes was over 3 different calls since after a certain amount of time they just hang up on you) just to talk to someone. When this first occurred I chalked it up to being really busy and maybe short staffed but after 3 – 4 times of this happening I realized this is not the case. Great Dr.‘s but good luck actually getting a hold of them.

This is place is a joke. If you are truly ill dont waste your time, they will hide from challenging cases. Was referred here and left three messages about my wife, who has life threatening auto immune case and didnt receive a call back. Sounds like they just like the easy money, selling supplements. No science here.

I found the staff and setting to be very nice at this practice. The doctor… If you’re looking to explain your symptoms to a doctor for 3 – 5 minutes and then have her simply hand you a pamphlet and no feedback… go see Dr. Buchanan. It’s like the whole time I was speaking to her she was thinking about what she wanted to do for lunch.

I wanted to like this place, as I prefer holistic medicine. I hate writing bad reviews. But it’s just a regular doctor’s office experience with better paint colors and up selling on supplements. A lot of people have mentioned the supplement thing. That’s because the way they do it here is off. I’ve bought supplements from my chiropractor for years, but never felt pressured the way I did here. Offer, okay. Pressure, no thanks.
You can buy good stuff elsewhere for less. (Check
for independent reports on more affordable supplements free of contaminants.) It felt like they cared more about their bottom line than my well being. They have a special room for all the stuff they sell, and the gynecologist, Dr. Thurer, was very forceful that I should buy theirs and not ones from another good source that are cheaper. There’s a conflict of interest here. People are picking up on that. It’s not that most of us mind the money, or we wouldn’t have come to this place in the first place. It’s the way they do it.
Dr T was also VERY cold personally. I was seriously worried about something and she laughed at me and mocked me a little as though my question was stupid. She did not call me names or anything outrageous. Just made it clear that my feelings and worries were beneath her interest. She knew I was vulnerable, but didn’t seem to care. I think doctors sometimes forget how much that can hurt coming from someone in their position. I felt dismissed and that she really didn’t care much about me as her patient.
I also saw Dr Buchanan. She was professional and thorough, but over an hour late. And she also had that reserved physician demeanor that just makes it feel like you’re not having a normal human interaction. These are reasons enough for me to keep looking elsewhere for someone i am more comfortable with, but she was much better than the gynecologist. I didn’t feel actively dismissed or uncared for and she took her time. Her exam and instructions were clear. Maybe she was having a rough day. I’m looking for someone else, but wouldn’t feel like I couldn’t go back to her if I needed something urgently.
Overall, I was sadly disappointed. I hope this review helps others.

About a month ago I called to make an appointment during business hours. I waited for about 20 minutes on hold until I finally hung up. Then I filled out an appointment inquiry and sent an email, and there was no response ever given. As a business owner, I decided that they were not worth my time, even though it seemed as though our views on medicine aligned. But my client raved so I decided to give one more try. I just called and was told you cannot see my child because he is 7. Thats weird because they have an entire INTEGRATED PEDIATRICS section on your website. Keep up the good work!!! Hope it works out for you. (EXTREME SARCASM)

I saw Dr. Raby a number of years ago and was not impressed. I was told that I had a vitamin D deficiency and needed to come see her a few times a month for supplements and follow-​up bloodwork. When I said I could not afford the supplements, but could afford the same ones from a local health food store, I was told that that wouldn’t do, that I MUST purchase them from her. (The mark up on her supplements at the time was astronomical.) Basically I felt like I was being taken and that this was an institute that was used to push add-​ons like the supplements and acupuncture instead of really helping me with whatever ailed me. When I decided to move on and asked for my records, it was like fighting tooth and nail for them. I honestly felt taken advantage of. Over the years I have met other people who had the same things to say. (Also, I should mention I did see Dr. Raby herself, and he bedside manner left something to be desired.)

I love this place and have been a client since day 1. Very different for a doctor’s office and I actually look forward to seeing the doctors here. It is a very pleasant atmosphere and I’ve learned a lot, too! However, the front desk ladies are not the friendliest. Whenever I call in they act like I am an inconvenience. I know they hired a bunch of new people recently so maybe they are still a little lost but I really think they could lose their attitudes!

My husband and I were patients here for years and had numerous bad experiences. You might question why we didn’t change but we’re both super busy with work and raising kids and, frankly, don’t use doctors very often so just never got around to leaving.
I have to go in regularly for TB tests as a teacher. Most doctors just sign off on the form saying I am not at risk for TB and that’s that. Dr. Raby always made me make an apt and come in and this took many weeks or months and I always waited to see only the nurse. One time, after waiting months for my apt and my boss hounding me to get my records right, I arrived and parked ($ 15) only for them to tell me there was no TB test and I would have to come back when they had the serum. I was charged both times and had to make a third appt to read the results. And this was every year I had to do this! I finally started going to WAlgreens.
I hurt my back in Bikram yoga and was in incredible pain. I tried to come in and was told I would only be able to see a nurse and she could give me no pain relief or muscle relaxant. I asked what she might be able to do and was told «probably not much.» I was in such pain I went home and got in bed for a week. But after 7 days I realized I was getting worse and could no longer turn over and find a comfortable position. There wasn’t a single position that wasn’t painful and I got very concerned and my husband took me to ER in middle of night. I was in the hospital for 3 days! No word from Dr. Raby.
Over Thanksgiving this year my husband spilled a vat of boiling turkey broth on himself. He was at his parent’s and I was in another city at a class reunion. The pictures he sent were horrendous and I showed 3 doctors at my reunion who said he belonged in a burn unit. and he would need to see plastic surgeon and probably need skin graft. When I saw him back at home on Sunday I was horrified at his horrific burn and cried. I called Dr. Raby’s emergency line at 9pm Sunday night with two questions: 1) should we come see you tomorrow or go to burn unit tonight? 2) should we go right to plastic surgeon tomorrow? We didn’t hear back and called again at 11pm. At 2 am we hadn’t heard back and went to bed where he slept terribly. The next morning I called again and got a 1:30 apt. As soon as we arrived Dr. Raby walked in angry and annoyed asking why we had been calling her the night before. «I was on a plane until 2 am,» she said. My husband said we were trying to make an appt or determine if there was somewhere else we should go. She chastised us like small children telling us never to call her emergency line for an appt. She looked at my husband’s burn, didn’t touch it at all, not to clean it or look at it more closely. She told us to clean it daily, put cream on it and leave it open to air as much as possible. She was condescending to any questions I had about pain, antibiotics, etc. She acted as if I were being over-​reactive and was very dismissive. She told us to come back in 3 days but when we did she said wounds were not her specialty and she gave us the number for a wound nurse. But when we called her the nurse said she only saw patients in hospital. I had repeatedly asked about a plastic surgeon and was dismissed but finally got a call from Raby’s office agreeing to a plastic surgeon referral. The surgeon immediately put my husband in hospital for third degree burns and a skin graft. He was horrified that we had waited so long! My husband was in hospital for a week with no word from Dr. Raby. Horrific experience!

I have been going to Raby for about a year and I could not be more pleased. I went for an initial check-​up, but arrived with an unexpected and unusual issue that needed to be addressed. Dr. Buchanan had already done some research before I arrived and was as helpful as she could be. More recently, I needed to go in, but Dr. Buchanan’s schedule and my schedule didn’t sync up, so I saw Dr. Rivera. Once again, a great experience. By far, Alejandro is the most professional, conscientious and thorough medical assistant (I think that’s his title) I have ever encountered. I am a procrastinator, so when he called to find out if I had followed Dr. Rivera’s orders, I was surprised, yet pleased. That means they follow-​up with their patients, they want to know what’s going on. Better than anything else, I left a voicemail about a prescription refill last Wednesday and felt that I would have to follow up again next week. When I got home today, the refill was already here. Maybe that shouldn’t be so impressive, but I’ve been to enough doctors’ offices that make me work hard, I am quite thrilled. I would recommend Raby to anyone.

Except for Dr. Patawaran (who is wonderful), most of the staff here lack basic customer service skills and seem to care less about patients’ health and much more about making sure they bill you in as many creative ways as possible. This sham of «integrative health» is a marketing façade that is in no way part of how they run their money-​greedy business. Don’t waste your time complaining about the admin staff, because no one cares. They could benefit from integrating compassion training into their administrative staff, as instead they go out of their way to make it clear that they are more interested in your money and maximum insurance money than your health or well-​being. I no longer trust the integrity of this business.

This place (can’t even say practice) is a true disappointment. Customer service is by far the worst, but more sadly are the doctors who are not up to par in their industry and really only know how to listen and print off documents from a simple Google search, then read it off to you as if their own words only to pass the search showing all its key terms… I can do that from home. They over charge the patient as well as the insurance companies to a point where normally covered issues like annual exam becomes no longer covered in full. Not to mention, they use a separate place for lab work, and NO LIE, first visit with Dr. Dominic Patawaran was all talk the next thing I know, over 35+ labs were ran, which their practice manager John calls normal and resulted in the most costly first visit EVER. Then I had a visit with Dr. Katherine Thurer (OMG — THE ABSOLUTE WORST EXPERIENCE EVER) she’s super aloof, coming into the appointment unprepared and took very lightly my cares, to the point that something she expressed casually with no concern as «common», only allotted her to give me the most pathetic response of «I DON“T KNOW» when I asked her my options. This place while nicely set in city centered with a nice décor, is NOT where you want to go if you have serious needs, cares around your health. There’s no substance… its only poorly on the surface look sound good talk with the exception of «clueless» chats that go nowhere. Complete rip offs. I’ve been working with the BCBS to resolve this costly mistake of choice but am awaiting a response from the practice (BCBS has called and I have called) still NO RESPONSE — customer service is poor and their call back response rate (not to mention the poorly patient portal that doesn’t allot for you connect directly via its messaging) is bafflingly. It took me a long time to get to the point to express all of this, but definitely I wish someone would have warned me about such a place, its really no different than the bigger giants screwing up people trust in the healthcare. I do NOT recommend this place!
UPDATE: After posting this, the billing issue was resolved, thanks to Melissa (billing manager with some support from John, the practice manager) and apparently it was at the fault of someone who no longer works there who submitted the claim wrong. I still do not recommend Dr. Thurer and think if you just want a doctor to listen to you… and send you everywhere else and not help you directly and then bill you insanely for it, then by all means go see Dr. Patawaran, he has excellent listening and nodding skills.

After being diagnosed with a medical condition, I set off to find a PCP. I searched for 5 months and finally found Dr. Raby. She’s the first doctor who has actually been able to help me, and I have seen incredible improvement even though I didn’t believe in half the things she recommended at first. I knew it was working when I stopped the treatment plan she laid out and my symptoms came back.
Dr. Thurer has also been amazing, never leaving me hanging when my symptoms wouldn’t go away after all the standard treatments. She went beyond a normal gynecologist’s roles to help me alter the health of my digestive tract as the culprit for my symptoms.
One of the most helpful things has been seeing massage therapist and healer Rick Hayhurst. He is just incredible. He is able to work magic and knows exactly what you need at the time.
I also was not sold on customer service when I first started at the Raby Institute, and felt like I was being sold a bunch of expensive supplements. As I continued to go, the staff got to know me and was so incredibly helpful with any questions I had. When I mentioned financial concerns, they also worked with me in order to avoid excessive out-​of-​pocket expenses.
My only criticism that it still is not cheap. But if good health is your priority, it is more than worth the cost. The money you save from eating out a couple times a week less is an easy exchange for the price of health and a team to help you along the way.

I honestly don’t know why there are so many few stars at this place — I’ve been going to Raby since June and my life has changed so much for the better!
I was afraid I was going to be overcharged, over tested, over booked with something that looks so fancy. None of those happened. I came to Raby after my own doctor refused to do some additional testing I asked about. I wanted to use alternative therapy with traditional medicine, and she poo-​pooed me away, telling me to find an «integrative doctor.» Thank goodness I did.
Dr. Patawaran is the first doctor in years that listens to me and wants to actually HEAL me. Not shove another rx in my hand and get me out of the door like so many other traditional doctors do nowadays.
He listened to my needs, the additional therapies I was doing, and gave suggestions and actual care to my medical needs. I am now off a medication I was told I’d be on for my entire life, I take supplements and have more energy than I had in years. The supplements change each visit as my condition begins to get better. I am so thankful I’ve met him.
All the support staff I’ve met have been very helpful — no complaints.
They have an onsite apothecary. Buy your supplements directly from them. I already found out the hard way that you won’t save any money or time buying them somewhere else. I tried to save money buying Vitacost vitamin supplements and the taste is poor — and the ingredients not as top notch as the brands they carry. When you find the same brand somewhere else, it’s always at the same price, but you still have to pay for shipping and wait for it. Just buy it from them for peace of mind.

I absolutely agree with the previous reviewers. The administrative staff could use some lessons in customer service and the billing practices are questionable. I have been a patient of Dr. Raby’s for several years and love her. However, the recent changes to her billing practices are sending me running for the hills. I recently received a $ 450 bill for an annual visit (after insurance) that did not include a pap smear or lab work!!! When I called to inquire, Amy in billing was very rude and condescening. I essentially was charged for two office visits because under the new billing policy, you can’t ask a question outside the scope of an annual physical (should I consult a dermatologist regarding this mole). If you do, the coders will add an addtional diagnostic code to your visit. They billed almost $ 750 total for a 10 minute office visit!!! Let me be clear, no additional procedures were done, no other physicians examined me or even a referral was given. I simply asked, should I see a dermatologist about a mole and it cost me $ 300! I’m done with this practice.

Let me start by saying that you will spend a lot of time on hold trying to through to someone. I also had to call back multiple times to try and get through to someone. They are consistently delayed with returning calls and often times don’t.
I’m not sure if all the Dr’s are as difficult to talk to as DR VICTORIA C BUCHANAN, but I highly recommend going somewhere else. After seeing Dr Buchanan for my initial checkup I was $ 200 out of pocket after insurance. MUCH HIGHER because you have to go through an entire physical regardless of what your issue is. She then demanded that I come in and see her again after only 4 months since my first check up.
The next step after I went out of my way to transfer records and continue seeing Dr Buchanan to try and make up for the HIGH initial expense I incurred: SHE CALLED ME FRIDAY NIGHT AND LEFT A VOICEMAIL SAYING SHE NO LONGER WANTED TO WRITE THE PRESCRIPTION FOR MY MEDICATION AND TO GO SEE ANOTHER DOCTOR. She gave me a couple recommendations, but this is now going to be another big expense to see a different doctor. Why she didn’t tell me this in our initial apt I will never know, but I hope this saves someone from a HUGE NIGHTMARE OF PROBLEMS and EXPENSES. BEWARE… she just doesn’t really care.

I’ve been a patient at the Raby Institute for a few years now. I’ve seen several different people within the practice and here is my review of each of them:
Dr. Raby: 4 stars
I like her approach to medicine. I like the blend of Eastern and Western medicine and I like how she lets the patient drive which approach you would prefer. I prefer to start with an Eastern approach as these often have less side-​effects but like to have the option of the Western approach when necessary. Unlike other doctors, Dr. Raby takes the time to talk to you about your life, your concerns and actually get to know you. This makes me feel more like a person than a number and makes me more comfortable opening up to her. In an effort to heal some long-​term health and digestive problems, I’ve been trying different different food styles (GAPS, WAPF, FODMAPS), unlike every other doctor I’ve been too Dr Raby has been familiar with these and support of the idea of balancing and healing the body through food. It’s very empowering to have a doctor who supports this and doesn’t tell me that I’ll never get better. Ultimately, this is why I sought her out and this is why I’ll continue to have her as my PCP. Docked one star because it can be difficult to get an appointment scheduled with her that works with my hours, although she does hold a certain number of spots per day for immediate needs and they did get me in within 24 hours once when I was sick.
Dr. Thurer: 5 stars
She’s the resident gyno and she rocks. She totally listened to my various concerns with the birth control I was on and what I was looking for in a new one. She was honest and up front about the pros and cons of each them. And bonus points for never making me feel like a crazy person for over-​thinking it all. She’s very non-​judgmental and gentle (important qualities in a gyno) and just like Dr. Raby, she makes me feel like a person, not a number.
Dr. Chavez: 5 stars
I haven’t seen her in a while because my insurance dropped the coverage of naturopathy and it’s a little too pricey for me w/​o it. But if you don’t have those constraints, a visit with her is awesome. I’m personally interested in using food and my lifestyle to manage my health. She asked me a lot of questions about my current habits and then suggested very manageable things I could do to balance out my vitamin and nutrient deficiencies. While building this out, she was mindful of my personal food preferences and didn’t make me feel judged.
Napropath: 4 stars
The napropath I went to see no longer work here, so this is not a review of any current person, but the service in general. I used napropathy as a complementary approach to physical therapy for a running injury. It was helpful, I recovered from my injury w/​o needing to resort to steroid shots and I finished my half-​marathon in tact. Docked on star for recommending that I buy something to strengthen my ankle that cost over $ 40. There was no way I was going to do that for a minor injury.
Overall staff and customer service: 4 stars
They helped me work with my insurance when they suddenly decided not to pay for my annual visit. They allowed me a lot of time to work this out with my insurance (and called them on behalf a few times) without the pressure of reminding me that I had an outstanding balance. They’ve given me time to call my insurance while in their office to see if certain procedures would be covered and have always been transparent with pricing for services that weren’t covered. I’ve also never felt pressured to buy something from their store. Everyone I’ve talked to is very pleasant. Docked one star because the notes on their patient web-​portal and emails are always so full of abbreviations and short hand that I don’t understand and have to follow up requesting clarification and also because one time I had a frustrating experience with someone in the billing department, but I consider that a one-​off as it has never happened since and the issue was quickly resolved when I asked to speak to someone else.
Atmosphere: 5 stars
It’s so tranquil inside. The decoration reminds me of a spa. They have a small store you can browse through while your waiting; some tea you can drink. The colors of everything are very peaceful. Even the decoration of the exam rooms is calming. As someone who often has anxiety when going to the doctor, I appreciate these little touches.

I’m giving this place 2 stars because while I am happy with my doctor there, the customer service I get has been consistently poor. I’ve had multiple incidents with front desk staff being rude, staff neglecting to follow-​up with me as promised on various points, staff not showing up for appointments, and staff shifting blame when they drop the ball.
So, if having a great doctor and a well decorated office is all that you need from your medical provider, then this will likely be the perfect place for you. If experiencing good service from the the entire team is as important to you as your 1:1 experience with the doctor, you may not get your needs met here.

I want to write a thorough review, but I’m too sick right now to do so, so will update when have more energy. I am hugely disappointed with this practice and Dr. Raby & Thurer in particular.
I went to this practice with very high optimistic hopes, unfortunately, I have to add these Dr’s to the list who failed to help me.
THANK GOD, I did just find a doctor (not at Raby) that diagnosed me after many years of me not feeling good and having health problems.
I waited over 4 months to see Dr. Theri Raby, she rushed me in and out making my head spin. She felt my neck and throat for about 30 seconds but failed to feel my enlarged thyroid or my nodules, but did take the majority of the few minutes to prod me about my personal life and give me relationship advice which was completely unsolicited. Because of a few screw up’s in this office which I will get into later, I decided not to return after about 4 appointments here. In a way I’m glad Dr’s Raby & Thurer failed me as a patient, because if they didn’t, I probably would not have the diagnosis’s that I finally have from my new amazing Dr, Dr. plotkin.
Unlike Dr Raby, Dr plokitin immediately felt my enlarged thyroid (goiter) and the nodules in my lymph nodes and ran several tests and sent me for a few ultrasounds.
There is more, but like I said, this is not a full review, but like others that i just read, I had a bad experience and feel compelled to express that. Rushing people in and out and making mistakes is not okay when it comes to my health. At least now, i found an amazing Dr., Dr. Martin Plotkin, Who i highly recommend to all who have been sick and cannot find a good Dr to diagnose and treat them and get them healthy. Now, I can start treating my illnesseses and eventually return to health.
I’m not saying this group is bad for all and that they don’t help people, I’m sure some people have good treatment here, but for me, missing my Hashimotos disease and insulin resistance among many other missed health issues and other mistakes and problems with the Raby Institute to be announced later, I had a horrible experience at the Raby institute.

You know that ABC show «Private Practice»? Well Raby Institute for Integrative Medicine reminds me of that; classy, upscale, smelling more of a high end spa than an antiseptic room with New Age music softly playing in the background.
The first time I pulled open the door, I thought I was actually in the wrong place. There are accent pieces of Chinese furniture throughout, whimsical glass chandeliers and some type of hot tea offered that is delicious.
And if your treatment calls for vitamins or other homeopathic medicines, the small store within can sell you whatever you need.
This place is a one stop shop. Need bloodwork? They can do that right there at the lab in the back. Need a bone density scan. . they’ve got that covered too.
I like that they run on time and in the rare instance that your doctor is running late– they will work to move other parts of your appointment up (bloodwork for example) so you are not just sitting there wasting time.
I like the holistic approach that they have to healing. It is very different from my «regular doc» but impactful just the same. And I learn something about my body every time I step through the doors as they want you to understand what is going on, not just slap a label on it and give you a perscription.
They are also very progressive in the use of the Internet. You are assigned a code and can get your lab results, check on upcoming appointments etc all without having to call. And the appointment reminders that they send are also very helpful.
If you drive– they will validate parking at the Intercontinental Hotel across the street which will end up running you $ 12 for about 2 hours.
Like any Doctor visit– you need to check out what your insurance will and will not cover as this is not a cheap date. My initial consultation ran about $ 500 and when you add in the blood work, etc you need good insurance to make sure you are not paying for all the niceties out of your pocket.
As I get older, I like to continue to learn how I can take better care of my body as it has to last a long time. And Dr. Raby and her team do a nice job of bringing that to life.

I have had mixed experiences with the Raby Institute.
Last year, I decided I wanted to take on my recurring health issues and I had heard so many great things about Dr. Raby’s practice. It was important for me to work with someone who practiced integrative medicine.
I was given an overall evaluation and had blood work done. I found out I was deficient in several vitamins and followed their advice, came in for shots there and bought the suggested supplements.
I was thrown by a couple things:
1. I was given the impression by Anna that much of the cost of my visits would be covered by my health insurance. I anticipated a little out of pocket expense, but when I got a bill for an amount larger than I expected, I got scared and angry that I wasn’t aware of what I’d be paying out of pocket.
2. I don’t think this office has great follow through. Perhaps their list of patience is overflowing that they assume they’ll lose some. I was prescribed a certain number of doses of Vitamin B. I only finished ½ of these doses. I am surprised that their system doesn’t flag that I have not been back since my initial consultation. I know it’s my health but I read into their lack of initiative that either they are too busy or unequipped to follow up with their patients.
I want to give the Raby Institute another try. I feel I am much more aware of how this practice operates so I can decide what course of treatment I’ll agree to that agrees with my pocket book and my willingness to commit to a prescribed treatment program.