Barnett Irene MD

Dr. Barnett is the best — I’ve never had to wait long for an appointment, she responds to my emails within hours, she remembers everything my husband and I have come in for over the past years — she is exactly what I’d want a primary care physician to be. The referrals I’ve gotten from her to specialists have been excellent, her assistant Nelly is always helpful and on the ball. I just referred my best friend and her husband to her — I wouldn’t go to anyone else.

Dr. Barnett is the only doctor I’ve had who remembers my name, medical history, my whole family’s medical history, and everything I’ve told her about my personal life… and I only visit about once a year. She is warm, personable, and not intimidating.
She has a million patients (I think I’m not exaggerating). The complaints about having to wait six months for an appointment are sadly true unless you’re deathly ill. I believe this says more about the current state of medical affairs and the business of being an HMO doctor than Dr. Barnett herself. However, I can always call the office and have Dr. Barnett call me back, e-​mail her and get a response right away, or ask for a referral to a specialist. If you have blood work done you need to be responsible for calling the office for the results; I would not rely on them to call you.
I believe that she’s closed to new patients but if you have the opportunity to see her, you’re getting a good doctor.

I was referred by a friend to Dr. Barnett and waited 6 months to see her. I went into her office for a routine annual check-​up. The visit was fine, but I did not find her very thorough. Anyway, 3 weeks later I received a bill in the mail for $ 200. This made no sense to me since I should only have a co-​pay of $ 30. After 5 weeks of calling the office and dealing with her assistant, Nelly, the situation is still going on and Nelly is not being particularly helpful.
To top it off, I’ve asked to speak to Dr. Barnett over 5 times and she has not called me. She has not called me to go over any of my lab results or called me when I was sick with laryngitis for the first time in my life or called me to help change the diagnostic codes so I do not have to pay the $ 200 bill. I should mention that the reason the bill came to me is because Dr. Barnett sent the wrong diagnostic codes to my insurance company.
Obviously, do not go to this Dr.

I was referred to Dr. Barnett from a really nice guy that came and trained us on CPR and my job. I’ve been living in LA for several years and did not have a general practitioner.
I called for my appointment an was shocked to hear that I would have to wait 6 months for an appointment but I chalked it up to her being a great doctor at Cedar Sinai and I put it on my calendar and waited.
Turns out that after awhile I was thinking let me check my calendar to see when my appointment was and I had missed it! When I called I was nonchalantly informed that they do not call and confirm appointments. I WAS LIVID! I informed her that it would be nice to be informed that my appointment would not be confirmed so that I would make a point to set a reminder on my calendar and I wanted Dr. Barnett to know that she had lost a potential patient. I was then informed that the doctor did not call people that she has never seen.
I am so infuriated at how I was treated before I even became a patient and I am really glad in retrospect that I didn’t get in to see her and was treated with such disregard after the fact. Patients are obviously not important and I’m glad I didn’t have anything serious that I was seeing her about. But I guess I won’t know until I find another physician.