Mazzoni Center for Community and Family Health

I love Mazzoni! I’ve been going here for about a year after not being super happy with Jefferson Internal Medicine. Mazzoni picked up on some health problems that other doctors missed. I typically see Max, and I have never been as happy with a healthcare provider as I am with him. I feel comfortable talking to him and he is a great listener.
My only con is that they don’t have weekend hours and it can be hard to get a convenient appointment time. That said, they do squeeze people in as best as they can for sick visits.

Pros: I’ve been a patient her for years. When I first found them, I was without insurance but they still provided excellent care. Additionally, the staff was not judgemental and very friendly. They put me at ease. I was with Dr. Borgia, who I adored until she left to go to another practice. :(
Cons: No weekend hours

I have been going to the Mazzoni Center since 2002. At the time they were in the beginning stages of offering services for Trans patients. I was in awe with their mission and purpose so much so that I left my employer of 3 years to work for them. I later relocated to New York City to continue the same work this time at Callen Lorde.
I returned to Philadelphia in 2007 and knew that I wanted to return to The Mazzoni Center for services, this time things had changed. Now part of Jefferson University Hospital the attention to detail was not the same. Perhaps this is a result of now having gotten larger but it seems that I am always having to follow up with them for anything and everything or else it won’t get done. It is most frustrating when you are told that something has been done when in fact it hasn’t and now you have to call them back, wait on hold, recant your story and request, yet again for the task to be done. This is especially the case when it comes to requesting a RX to be called to your Pharmacy. Emailing is a waste of time as well. I am really so over it! I continue to support their mission because I believe in what their doing and I love my Doctor however they really need to get it together.

So I’ve been going to mazzoni for several years. First, the positives. The medical staff is phenomenal. They are clearly the heart of the operation, and do everything to make you feel comfortable and welcome. This is a huge win, especially when they’re targeting lgbtq folks like myself.
Downside: billing and support staff. It’s gone up and down over the years, but never have I consistently been billed correctly. The check out staff often asks for the wrong copay for the service (ie any copay for a free wellness visit, no copay for labs, etc). Currently, we’re trying to get mazzoni and jefferson to sort out all the billing from my wife’s recent visit, all because they’re submitting incorrect diagnosis or reason codes. And it’s not like we have a small no name insurance plan that they’re not familiar with. We’re having a rough time even getting staff to return our messages through the portal about the bills and still pending test results that we’re told would take 3 hours to be sent over.
So overall, medical staff is great, and I go because they take a holistic approach to health. But billing and support staff is inconsistent at best, incompetent at worst. I’m lucky enough to work in insurance and be quite savvy, but this could be a deal breaker for a lot of folks who don’t know their plans, and get stuck paying for services that are covered. So if they fully want to have that patient centered medical home type feel, they need to get their books in order and get a handle on billing, office staff (wait room can be a nightmare, no clear sign in sheet, office staff hidden from view so they don’t even see you come in), and all the other day to day persons

Love going to the Mazzoni Center! The amount of cultural sensitivity in receiving primary care is great! From being asked my pronouns, to a wonderful case work team and extensive understanding of LGBTQ health needs makes this clinic revolutionary.

The director reached out to me and heard my concerns, never over talked me and corrected the situation with staff. I feel 100 percent better. My follow up visit was a complete turn around.

Every visit I have had here has been quick and simple. There were some hiccups in not having a certain lab test available because of backorders, but overall it has been a great experience. The waits are not long if you have an appointment. The staff is relatively friendly, and the physicians are great. Most importantly, while I was uninsured, Mazzoni Center was a great resource for low cost healthcare. Now that I have insurance, I will continuing going here, if for nothing else but the fact that they cover all of my needs efficiently, and have been there when I needed them most.

My review is more specific than most. I’ve had two doctors at Mazzoni center that are exceptional. The first I saw was Dusty. His bed side manner, knowledge, and authentic care are an outstanding thing to see. When so many doctors treat you like a number, he takes the time to make sure your comfortable, that he understands your issues and you understand what you need too. The other doctor I’ve been impressed with is dr. Borgia. Same bedside manner as Dusty, and a great all around doctor. As far as the office, appointments can be difficult to get. There is one particular care giver that I won’t name who things seem to be consistently messed up with –I don’t know if it is staff mistakes or their mistakes. But the two doctors I mentioned are top notch. And as a gay man, I feel very comfortable in the office. Everyone is friendly and inviting. Overall I do recommend the center. (And I believe they do a lot of good for the lgbt community)

the mazzoni center has been nothing but a nightmare for my partner.
she has been feeling fatigued and wanted to get a blood test. after waiting over a month for a «new patient visit», she was hardly five minutes late for the appointment after accidentally walking to their old location (which we’ve always passed when walking around the neighborhood) first. when we got there, she was flatly told to leave, and told that the next appointment was three weeks away.
strange, because neither of us have been refused an appointment in a doctor’s office after being so hardly late. (in fact, our experiences have been more typically that we’ve waited absurdly long periods of time for our appointments.) but nonetheless, i told her to call back to try to get an appointment sooner, and they had a cancellation that same day.
when she got there, the doctor and nurses claimed that, based on her weight and height, she didn’t «need a blood test» and that she was «healthy», and since she typically doesn’t argue in these situations, she left.
after deciding that she’d been coerced not to get the test she wanted, she tried to reschedule. using the online scheduling service, she made an appointment. when she went in, they said that she could not receive the blood test because a doctor must be asked before any blood work is performed. so, she could now make yet another appointment to speak to the doctor about getting blood work. exactly the doctors that refused her before.
so, getting routine blood work seems impossible to do at the mazzoni center. just as getting through to speak to someone in the office during the middle of the day lunch hours. (great for working-​class people who might try to make appointments during /​their/​lunch hours) their draconian late policy is also great for those taking public transportation and might be slightly late. overall, the experience they offer people looking for a good general practitioner leaves a lot to be desired. better off going to a small practice where care is at the forefront instead of image.

Subsequent visits have been quick (blood testing and family planning consultations; no more than a few minutes of waiting in either waiting or exam room for either) and pleasant. Dr. Borgia was even willing to wait for my fiancé since he was running late to our fertility appointment as he had required personal matters to attend to.
My only quip is maybe the administrative side is a little understaffed. I was on hold with a recording telling me I had 7 callers ahead of me when I was calling to ask a question.
Still grateful for discovering them.

Pros: Excellent medical staff
Cons: Horrible administration
I’ve been told different things regarding my insurance, forced to pay extra when they quote me the wrong amount. They have «lost» a prescription for a controlled substance in their office. Hold times are unreal. I cannot wait for my Dr to open his own practice and leave this place.
1 star for staff
5 star for dr

Everyone down at the Mazzoni center is friendly and extremely helpful. As I waited for blood work to be done several employees I otherwise had no contact with stopped, smiled and said hello which as a patient made me very happy to see. The only problem I’ve encountered was that I noticed the person who takes care of the transgender intake seems to be doing the work of several employees on her own, it would be nice to see her gain some help with everything she does. With such excellent service I look forward to all my future appointments, going here is well worth the hour drive without a doubt!

I really, really want to love Mazzoni Medical, but they just keep failing me. If you want lovely medical staff and you can make an well appointment a month and a half in advance to see them, they are great. I really love being able to get respectful and sensitive gynecological care from people I already trust to take care of the rest of my medical needs.
Unfortunately, I have repeatedly experienced two things (beyond the usual running late or having difficulty reaching people) and they are: an inability to get sick appointments and doctors giving up on trying to solve my problems. I have called to get a sick appointment on many occasions at 9am sharp when they open, just to be told that there are no appointments available and would I like to make one two and a half days from now? No, I had to call out of work and I would like to get meds so I can go back to work, instead of losing several days pay and potentially my job for unexcused absences. This issue has caused me to seek care at Urgent Care locations, instead of from the doctor who actually has access to my medical history. That’s supposed to be the reason for well visits — to establish a relationship, get a baseline, etc. When I have to take care of all of my pressing medical issues with a doctor at a walk in clinic, I feel like there is no point to having a primary care provider at all.
Second, I have a couple of chronic health problems that they can never remember (even though I give them a detailed history and update at each visit) although they each have a laptop containing a file with details of my medical history. I have to hound them for treatments and when something doesn’t work, they just sort of stare at me blankly instead of investigating further. I feel like I’m bothering them by following up with them, when they are supposed to follow up with me.
They are very nice, but I don’t feel like they are very invested in my health. I wish I could say otherwise. They are great at giving me what I ask for in person (refills of rx’s, tests for things I think I have based on my own research, lab tests I do regularly, etc.) but in terms of actually finding solutions to ongoing problems or seeing me when I am sick, they are a disappointment.

I have to say that I found this place deplorable… from the way the staff treats you to the way they never call you back to the fact that you can’t even get a simple prescription filled.
I am glad I left this place for good. I switched to Penn and the care there is much better.
Furthermore if you sincerely value your health don’t go here — period. I received poor medical care and a wrong diagnosis and went to another doctor and received the correct diagnosis and treatment.
Avoid.

I have always been a fan of the Mazzoni Center, and would have given it a full 5 stars if it not been for my extremely negative experience with Nurse Practitioner Dane. He was completely unprofessional, seemed aggravated and arrogant, and did not do a thorough job on trying to get to the bottom of my problem. He was dismissive and very rude when I called back a week after my appointment because my symptoms were not getting any better, and I will make it a point to never meet with him again. He brushed off my symptoms on something which turns out was completely unrelated and seemed like he was rushing me out the door. I had to stop him from leaving and ask him to check my chest– when a pain in my chest was the reason I was there for the appointment. To be honest he seemed like he was more interested in being the cool guy than doing a thorough, thoughtful job.
That being said, everyone else I’ve ever seen at Mazzoni over the past few years has been excellent. I’m uninsured and (aside from my experience with Dane) have always received excellent care at very fair prices.
I’m not usually one to write a Unilocal review, but I thought it was important this time– I’d hate for someone’s first impression of Mazzoni to be a negative experience with Dane. The rest of the staff is wonderful!

Hmmm — it’s hard to review a doctor’s office. It’s not like we can compare the taste of minted tongue depressors or the warmth of the doc’s exam fingers. Well, we could, let’s try.
Things I love:
Doctors and nursing staff are great. Nurses drawing blood are great. Counseling staff is great. Lots of greatness. Rooms are comfy and magazine selections does not suck. noise generators in each room to keep conversations quiet are also great.
Things I do not love:
I show up early and still am taken back late. Annoying. No clear check in area when you walk in, windows at counter are closed so you wander around looking lost if you don’t knock to get someone’s attention. Online portal service SUCKS. I have NEVER received a response to an appointment request generated here or a question asked here. It’s useless and I ignore it.
In short, the staff and care levels are really exceptional. The implementation and business portion, as with many doctor’s offices, leaves a lot to be desired.

I unlawfully got kicked out. They are the most unprofessional group, the do the opposite of help you. Cherie Older took a personal vendetta to make sure I could never come back because I expressed my rights as an American and told her that i didn’t like her and they refused to give me a new therapist. I have reported Dr. Scott Stevens and social worker Cherie Older to all people necessary.

It’s a shame seeing negative reviews on here for the Mazzoni Center. I have been going to Mazzoni for over 5 years now and have never had a negative experience that I wouldn’t have had at another doctor’s office. People need to realize that Mazzoni is a major resource for LGBT clients not only in the city, but southeastern PA, South Jersey, and Delaware. People come from all over, especially for trans-​related health issues because Mazzoni Center is capable of providing service. That being said, they are very overtaxed with the amount of patients calling and needed appointments. Sure, they have forgotten to send something for me on occasion, or I’ve had to wait 30 minutes past my appointment time to get called back (just looking at other reviews on here), but in the end everything I needed was taken care of. People on here need to look past the few poor experiences they’ve had and look at all the good Mazzoni does for the city, especially with HIV/​AIDS awareness.
When I began going there, I had just graduated college, I had a minimum wage part time job and no insurance. The people there made sure I was taken care of and did not turn me away. I could not afford a medication that I needed and a generic version was not offered in the US at the time. I was assigned a case worker who helped me fill out paperwork to receive the medication for free through the state. They also provided me with free samples until I received the medication in the mail. There have also been many times where I called due to being sick and needing to see a doctor immediately. The insurance I have through work is an HMO, and since I listed Mazzoni as my primary healthcare provider, I can only go there. Whenever I have called to request an immediate appointment they have almost always managed to fit me in that day or the following. The people there will do anything to help their patients, and they treat everyone with respect and kindness, which is something I have always wanted from a doctor’s office.

My experience with this place has been generally very bad and revolved around transgender healthcare.
–Almost had to postpone my top surgery and lose a $ 500 deposit because they had not sent over my physical to my surgeon, despite me calling multiple times, telling them in person on multiple occasions and providing them with the address/​fax/​phone number every time.
–Vast majority of times they put my birthname on their check-​in roster at the front desk. This means when I checked in I had to be identified by my birthname, despite me providing them with my preferred name on my first visit and telling them EVERY SINGLE TIME I went back. This happened for over two years. Even after I got a legal name change and provided them with documentation this still happened for a year. Unacceptable if you say you’re a trans-​friendly health care provider.
–People messed up my pronouns regularly.
–I went in and mentioned I had a wart on my hand — the Nurse Practioner Dane said, and I quote, «Ok so it’s only on your hand right? Because I can’t deal with it being anywhere like on your genitals today, that is really disgusting and hard for me to look at.» Well… turns out I don’t but if I did have genital warts I sure as hell wouldn’t be getting it treated that visit or potentially ever in the future! Highly unprofessional. I was shocked.
–hung up on multiple occasions when I’ve been waiting to make an appointment over the phone, usually I wouldn’t mind but when you’re already been on hold for 20 minutes…
They are really great with social services — if you want a letter for surgery, lost cost hormones, low-​cost legal name change or just a piece of paper from a physician to get your gender marker on your ID changed. They give these things without a hassle and in a financially accessible way and that is GREAT for trans people (can’t be emphasized enough). And if you don’t have a dollar to your name this is where to go for basic services that’s more trans friendly than the free clinics.

Let me preface this update with the comment that the medical staff here is absolutely amazing. They are everything you could hope for in an empathetic, competent provider. That being said…
My partner had an appointment which he had to wait about a month for (not that bad since some places take several months), but had problems getting to the clinic. Happened to be a particularly rainy day and he was given the wrong address (the old location on 12^th & Chestnut), so naturally he tried to call and let them know he’d be a little late and for directions. The man on the phone said he couldn’t notify the doctor he was going to be late unless he knew which doctor. My partner didn’t know who since he keeps getting rotated between people and he doesn’t come in too often. He asked if they could look it up and they hung up on him. He wasn’t even able to get directions. He finally figured out where they were located after calling me at work, found parking on 13^th street, and when he showed up, albeit late, he was told they «gave» his appointment away.
He did everything possible to make his appointment and let the staff know what was going on and they all but threw him out into the rain. Of course, I called them infuriated and, for their credit, the administrative supervisor called my partner back (they couldn’t call me apparently since they didn’t have a disclosure form for me) and assured him they would rectify the situation. My partner did get another appointment scheduled and they made sure he was treated well, but for me this is all too indicative of the level of control they have over their clerical staff.
I think my partner’s absolutely crazy to continue going here, but he still thinks the medical staff is worth it. I think the medical staff is great, but I couldn’t disagree more. No one is worth the treatment you receive from the clerical staff. What’s the point of having the best medical providers around if you can’t get to them?