Fingesten Alexandra MD

i have been a patient of Dr Fingesten’s since 1999. The previous 10 years of the 90’s, I had been hospitalized over 30 times due to a chronic condition that could not be stabilized. Since Dr Fingesten became my primary internist, I have not had a single hospitalization for my condition since her successful management of my illness as an outpatient. This is astonishing! She listens and makes adjustments, closely monitors me and works with what I am able /​willing to do to heal myself verses what I «ought to do». She is pro-​active and motivating. I think she is an acutely discerning observer which accounts for her great diagnostic skills. She really cares about her patients as an individual who happens to reside in a body that needs her help. Despite being in a financially challenged position, she wants me to see the best the profession has to offer. She has personally called specialists on my behalf, asking them to waive fees uncovered by Medicare so that I can have access to expert care. I am also very grateful to her office staff who work magic to get me seen on even short notice. There is always timely follow up with test results and prescription refills. I am very lucky to have Dr Fingesten as my doctor.

My original review of this doctor was reject by Unilocal and I respect that since my review did not meet the Terms of Service of Unilocal.
Therefore, without much ado, I will just advise you to not see this doctor.
That is all I can say.

Dr. Fingesten has been my primary care doctor for over a decade and I can say with confidence that she embodies excellence in practice. I have always found her to be the most competent, compassionate and thorough physician. She goes above and beyond for all of her patients to address not only medical issues but personal needs as well. As a nurse I have worked with a number of physicians and I can honestly say as an internist her skill set and capabilities are unparalleled. She is committed to quality care by remaining current in her knowledge of changes to evidenced-​based practice. Her reputation as an excellent physician ensure, if needed, that her referrals are to the best specialists in the field. Rest assured her expertise and personal dedication to her patients is remarkable and unwavering. I recommend her to anyone seeking the best doctor available for themselves and their loved ones. They don’t make physicians like her and trust her fully with my care and my life.

I love Dr. Fingesten. I’ve been seeing her about three years and I think she’s a fantastic, no-​nonsense physician. If I have questions or concerns she always take time to talk to me thoroughly and I feel well-​cared for. She’s been encouraging as I’ve improved my health and it’s very easy to schedule appointments via ZocDoc.
Most of the time, the wait is no longer than 10 – 15 minutes. But yes, sometimes the wait has been longer — I think that’s perfectly fine, because when I’ve needed it, she’s spent plenty of time with me. If you expect a doctor to spend quality time with patients when needed, sometimes there will be a wait. That’s just reality. And it’s a tradeoff I’m willing to make for such a fine doctor.

My first appointment I waited over 2 hours before I was seen, and then I waited another 30 minutes in the room before I actually met with the doctor. Since then, I have had two follow up appointments where the waits were equally long, and I have received 4 bills for services that were not provided to me. I will be filing a dispute against these claims as both my appointments lasted all of ten minutes. Will not be going back.

Owing to several long-​term health issues and many insurance coverage changes, I have had at least four primary care physicians and seen thrice as many specialists in the last 7 years. Only Dr. Fingesten has fully earned my loyalty and confidence. I started seeing her in 2008 in the midst of an untreated medical crisis. Not only did she take the time to absorb my entire medical history and find the appropriate specialist for me, she telephoned me from home two days later to make sure I was ok. My subsequent care and experiences have been no less satisfactory. She is receptive to my concerns and complaints, and has always been willing to work with me My sole complaint about Dr. Fingesten is that she identifies herself to me as Dr. Fingesten, but addresses me by my first name. Beyond that, I like her, and Jamie, the primary receptionist very much.
My experiences with Dr. Fingesten’s office are very much at odds with those of several commenters here. Some of this may be attributed to mere differences in expectation. For instance, I generally expect my doctors to run behind for several reasons. First, one late patient early in the day can cause a traffic jam that only gets worse with each subsequent late patient. Also, she may be squeezing in patients with urgent needs at understandable inconvenience to the rest of us. I try to avoid waits by scheduling early appointments or calling before I come to find out how far behind she is running.

I gave this doctor a shot as I was looking for new primary care and my gynecologist recommended her to me by saying she was a big fan. Dr. Fingesten was very scattered, she was flustered because her computer was not working and she asked me how old I was 4 times in the 20 minutes (at most) that I spent with her! In addition, she interrupted my consultation to say goodbye, kiss and chat with the previous patient as the patient was leaving. I found this to be rude of her given that she was barely listening to what I was saying as I explained my medical history to her.
When I told her my father had died of an aneurysm, she was sympathetic but she quickly said I had nothing to worry about, that I would not get one. She is no neurologist and I found this to be extremely misleading as I myself have seen neurologists for another issue I was diagnosed with and her comment was inaccurate.
She took blood samples and said she would call me with the results. I had to call her office to get the results from her secretary. She never called me or tell me that some of the results should be of concern to me. Her secretary was helpful but she was condescending as I asked her if she could fax me the results of the blood work. I will most certainly not go back to this doctor and would not recommend her to anyone else.

Run, don’t walk to Dr. Fingesten. She is amazing. She listens carefully, asks questions, let’s you know what she is thinking and why, explains everything in detail and engages you as a partner in your care. Best of all, she REALLY cares. I am especially happy that not only is she experienced internist, but she is also a gerontologist. They are very rare and very special. Yes, you have to wait a while to see her, but call ahead and Jamie will let you know if she is running behind and you can schedule your arrival accordingly. In my book, every minute spent waiting is worth it.
Myra
New York, NY

I switched to Dr. Fingesten because my old doctor stopped taking my insurance. She was thorough, attentive, and professional. I got a call with my results a week or so later. Very pleased with the experience.

terrible doctor, dismissive and rude. will never go back.

I have been going to Dr. Fingesten for a few years and I think she is a great doctor. She is a tell it like it is type of doctor, but that is why I like her. Yes, you sometimes have to wait long to see her, but what doctors office isn’t like that? She does spend the necessary time with you and doesn’t just shove you out the door at least. A few other people from work go to her as well and all have liked her.
Jaime, the front desk manager is also great, she is very on top of things.

Since my last review, I’ve made a request to Dr. Fingesten to waive the fee for my ear «procedure» since she made it worse and I had to see a specialist. She did waive the fee so I’ve upped the rating to 3 stars. She is a fair doctor but I stand by my earlier review that I don’t feel she gives me the care I expect. It’s not about being self-​important because I’ve learned to deal with the long wait time (per Michelle’s note) but maybe she just treats some patients better than others. I also want to echo Michelle’s review about Jamie, the receptionist. Jamie is awesome and very friendly… never had a problem with her and so glad Dr. F hired her.

Where to begin with this doctor…
For my appointment I waited 2 hours to see her. Yes, 2 hours. An hour and a half in the waiting room and then another half hour in the exam room. Not good for someone who has white coat syndrome. When I finally saw her, I felt very rushed. And like Mel V., I found her dismissive. She just brushed the problems I had aside.
The icing on the cake was the witch receptionist, Jamie. She is very unprofessional and was cursing and ranting to her friend who came to visit her at work. I didn’t provide my SSN on the info form and she harassed me for a week with phone calls, threatening to sue me & such although not only is a SSN not needed but it’s ILLEGAL for a doctor’s office to persist for one. Anyway, I filed a complaint with my insurance company and I won’t be back.

I started seeing Dr Fingesten a few months ago, and have been to her office several times. She is a great Doctor! She listened to my concerns, and gave me referrals to good specialists for things I needed to follow up on. She is a bit quirky in a NY way, and always busy, but I have not at all found her dismissive. The one drawback is that she is always running behind, but frankly, I find that to be the norm in NY medical offices. I have recommended her to many friends.

My appt seemed to be her last one on a Friday afternoon. I am guessing because of the way she walked in, sighed and said «fridays.» I was thinking «yeah nice to meet you too.» I mean, I sympathize and all being a working lady myself but, come on, isn’t there a better way to greet a new patient?
Strike 2 was when I wanted to confide about some possible sleeping problems. Right away, she dismissed them and said there was nothing wrong. She didn’t seem to care to hear me out.
I won’t go back!