Yaffe Ruden and Associates

I don’t really understand some of the more negative reviews here. My experience over the past five years of using Yaffe Ruden for primary care and occasionally specialties, has been good.
Especially for a primary care practice in New York, unless you’re paying extra to belong to one of these medical clubs or have access to an old school private practice, i don’t see how one can do much better.
1. Relative to most other doctor’s offices in Manhattan, they are incredibly efficient and well organized. That’s not to say that you’ll never have to wait but overall they are cognizant of your time but don’t make you feel rushed while you’re there. If my doctor is running behind I hear the receptionist pinging people in the office to get her attention.
2. It is great to be able to be seen if you’re sick or injured on short notice and to see your own doctor, most of the time.
3. They are organized about your referrals and cycle of care. The refer you to doctors that actually take your insurance and correspond with them.
4. You can call your Dr. and get a call back, even if you end up playing phone tag.
5. They do all the tests they can onsite so you don’t end up going to Labcorp and experiencing that unique misery.
6. They are conscious of the costs of care for you.
7. It may be standard now, but they have been doing electronic records for a while and have done them well.

This place epitomizes hell on earth. Out of convenience, I’ve been going to this practice for far too long, and every time I come here, I spend 2 hours in the waiting room (no matter what hour, that’s the minimum wait time, guaranteed) googling new doctors to go to. In the 7+ years I’ve been coming here, I’ve only ever seen a Yaffe or Ruden once, for 30 seconds max, and he provided the most brainless and incorrect diagnosis. Otherwise, it’s all cranky PAs and, if you’re lucky, a mean doctor, all who seem like they couldn’t hate their patients more.
Yes, it’s great that you can often get same-​day emergency appts., but is this really a convenience if you have to wait in their cesspool of an office all day? My last appointment there was at 9am and I didn’t walk out until after 2pm. I could have been treated at the ER in less time! After all that, I didn’t even get a proper diagnosis, and I left feeling sicker than when I went in.
Today, I discovered that they charged my credit card $ 200, unauthorized, for a visit that they had incorrectly filed with my insurance back in 2013. After hours of fighting with them and my insurance, this is officially the last straw.
As a warning to everyone reading this: AVOID this place like the plague!!! And if you’ve had the unfortunate experience of going here, check your credit card statements at all times!

After being a patient pf dr yaffee for 20 years (not necessarily seeing him since he had no tome), he now requires Concierge service (paying extra on top of my insurance). I switched general practitioner, and i now realize i was getting lousy service and no care w dr yaffe. Concierge is a racket and the office is an inhumane machine. No go!

The real heroes here are the phlebotomists. I don’t think they get as much credit as they deserve. My overall experience (from the front desk to the PA) was a mediocre doctor’s office visit. The lasting impression I was left with was the exceptional skill by the phlebotomists. Not even a bruise was left behind! Perfectly painless and clean stick. Thank you to the people that work behind the scenes in the medical profession. Many times the credit is directed towards the doctors. Rarely do the nurses, medical assistants or phlebotomists get credit for doing exceptional jobs. So, thank you. Thank you for making the worst part of a doctor visit (venipuncture) the most positive.
5 stars to the nurses, medical assistants and phlebotomists. 4 stars for the rest of my experience.

It is a very disappointing office. It starts with the front desk staff and their lack of decent training. Most seem disinterested and bothered by the patients being there.
Delays are a fixture. Their website offers a «tracking system» for delays, which is never accurate or up-​to-​date. This is especially distressing if you work nearby and try to coordinate your time with theirs.
When you DO get seen, the doctors are often harried and visibly upset. It is not uncommon to hear complaints about their patient loads or lack of lunch/​breaks.
Once you ave been seen, the REAL fun begins: billing. All I can say is good luck. Half of my appointments have had billing/​insurance errors. After the last time, I decided to switch providers. It will not be convenient to my job, but will be much better in every other area.

2 ½ stars.
I’ve had mixed experiences in this office and so will you.
My wait times, EVEN THOUGH I had appointments, ranged from 15 min — 1 hour 45 minutes !
The office is big enough that someone will see you, even if its not your doctor.
The medical care isnt horrible and some of the specialists that visit are really good.
At some point they will try to sell you vitamins and additional tests not covered by insurance.
The shady:
The Yaffe Ruden office really, really wants to get hold of your credit card. They try to make it mandatory that you fill out every space on their credit card form. They want your permission in writing to use it at their discretion, and at the discretion of any of their subsidiaries (billers, coders, collection agencies). If any one of those groups makes a mistake — its YOUR problem to deal with because they don’t care — they already took the money from your card. I am happy to say I don’t have credit cards.
The bad
They don’t have enough support staff. Its usually impossible to talk to anyone in appointments, billing, records, test results, etc. You have to leave a voicemail and hope that someone gets back to you. Someone will probably get back to you — eventually — but not always. So be prepared for phone tag. Most of the support people try to have a good attitude even though they are short staffed. It just shows you how little Yaffe Ruden & Assoc values their staff and their patients. HIRE SOME PEOPLE!

I’ve been here a couple of times, and i always get charged a lot for Co-​pay for some reason, (a lot more than any other doctor i go to.) I recently went in for blood works, and ended up getting a medical bill for a substantial amount of money. This is a routine procedure and I have never had to pay out of pocket to the labs. I tried calling the billing department and they ask me to send a copy of the bill to them and they will get back to me. I didn’t hear back for a week. Then i called again, and they ask me to send the bill to them again, and said they will get back to me by the end of the week. I heard nothing. I had to call again and followup and i am promised to receive a call again by the end of the week, so we will see if that actually happens. Given how long i have to wait even with an appointment and how short of a period of time i actually get to speak with a doctor, the cost of this place is definitely not worth it. After this lab bill fiasco, I am definitely going elsewhere for my checkups.

Is it possible to give zero stars? I’ve never seen a circus like this. It took me no less than 10 calls to an unanswered phone to get this appointment. Currently in the waiting room, 30 minutes behind for my appointment. Computer system isn’t working. Doctors and PAs are running around frantically like a scene from a civil war hospital tent. I’ve witnessed the front of house desk agent get into a verbal altercation with a back of house desk agent. Even the chairs in the waiting room are in such disarray, it must be a fire hazard. Every person who has come in has had some sort of problem checking in. This appointment was a referral from my primary. Boy is she going to get an earful. I will never come back to this office again. NEVER.

This is a get you in, get you out organization and you will never see a real doctor. My primary health physician is Bruce Yaffe and have been going to this place for 5 years mainly due to the fact that it is the closest place around me, I can say that I have never seen him or been seen by him. Whenever you go in you see any number of different Physician Assistants that are all young and don’t really know anything when you tell them your symptoms.
This place is so popular its like going to Grand Central Station and you are treated like cattle. The place has an army of barely qualified-​to-​do anything receptionists that all have an attitude that you need them more than they need you so, and they believe it and they always give you an attitude and put you on hold for 15 minutes at a time for example.
The procedure is, is to get you in have you see a PA, if its more complicated than a cold or flu diagnosis they then go talk to doctor, so its like the phone game, you tell it to the PA then the PA gives a less descriptive version of whatever it is they remember that you said. This results in miss diagnosis in my opinion, and much much longer wait times.
Continuing off that, you will never develop a relationship with a doctor at this office because you will never see them, you could literally meet a new PA or get diagnosed by a different doctor everytime you go her because they have them on different schedules, so there is no continuity.
The once a year physicals are so quick and impersonal it makes you question whether or not you got your money’s worth or value out of the interaction at all and it is like that everytime you go there.

Dr. Yaffe:
–didn’t examine me or touch me at all
–asked limited questions relating to my health or the reason for my visit
–boasted of his celebrity patients and after telling me who they were, said to the 2 physician assistants witnessing this, «see, she’s impressed now,»
–showed me a YouTube video of one of his celebrity patients on his phone
–did an impersonation of a Japanese woman (the wife of one of his patients)
–checked his emails while I spoke, answered 3 phone calls during our brief appointment, left the room twice to talk to other staff, and answered every knock on the door
–was focused on writing prescriptions and rushing me out, so I had to interrupt him and speak rapid-​fire to tell him my reason for visit and concerns before he cut me off
–clerical (less of a big deal): saw me a half hour late and didn’t give me a form for Checkout, so a physician’s assistant had to run after him and then when he said no he wouldn’t make the form, she tried to make up a form herself so that I could check out and leave
I don’t really know what to say so here’s a few: «Wow.» «Not kidding.» «Was this Candid Camera?»
Pros: Dr. Yaffe had heard of my medical condition, mentioned a medicine for it that I hadn’t heard about before and might look into, and he gave me a prescription for pills to treat symptoms of an issue.

Impossible to reach a human. The support staff here is HORRIBLE and rude. The doctors are solid but the constant wait times on the phone AND in the office are unbearable. The fact that your website has a clock to advise how late appointments are running is an indication wait times are the norm there. I have to clear my evening when I book an appt bc you never know if you will wait 5 mins or 45! …even with the «lateness» clock.

I have been going to Yaffee Ruden for almost 10 years and I have to tell you the doctor’s and PA’s are top notch. I’ve never left feeling like I’ve been taken well care of or have had to wait too long for an appointment. The doctor’s and PA’s deserve 5 stars!
That being said, the support staff is absolutely HORRIBLE! They’re rude and nasty and I always feel like I’m putting them out when I go in there. I hate to say it but many times I’ve called and the person answering the phone doesn’t have a great command of the English language. I understand that immigration is an issue and one that I support. However, a doctor’s office may not be the best place for learning English.
Dr.‘s Yaffee and Ruden, please get your support staff issues under control. No matter what your doctor’s and PA’s do for people, we will only remember how poorly we’ve been treated by your support staff. It is unacceptable in any environment let alone a medical office.

I think I’m pretty picky in regards to doctors. I change doctors when they have poor bedside manner, when they screw up, when they don’t test something that they say they are going to test, etc. I have been using Yaffe Ruden as my primary care physicians for over six years and don’t plan to make any changes in the future.
It is a huge office and yes, there are sometimes delays but everyone of their PAs, DOs, and MDs are attentive and pay attention to my symptoms and worries. There are so many medical staff members that when I do need to see a doctor same day, I know that I can.
A few years ago, I sustained a kitchen injury on my hand and was sewed up at the ER. I knew I was having issues working my hand but the ER just sent me on my way. I went to YR to get the stitches removed and the PA tested my hand, even though I told him that the ER said I was fine. He just wasn’t convinced and sent me for a second opinion. I ended up needing surgery on the hand and it was definitely caught by the PA, not by the ER.
I refer all my friends to YR and will continue to do so in the future.

This office is factory health care at it’s worst.
The wait times are terrible, but they didn’t bother me for my first 6 years because I felt I was getting topnotch care.
Until … the first crack in the armor. I’m having a one-​on-​one consultation with Dr. Ruden before my physical and his personal cell phone rings and he answers it because it might be his wife calling about their evening plans? Turns out it’s his writing partner calling from London. They chat about life and stuff for about 5 minutes, while Ruden cuts our consultation short and urges me to get ready for the physical.
In my gown, he proceeds to conduct the physical while on the phone?! WHAT??? I booked this appointment 3 months in advance, waited 45 minutes in the waiting area and now you’re going to talk on the phone while you conduct my physical?
I also experienced several rash diagnosis that resulted in unnecessary drugs and/​or visits to specialists.
Needless to say, I’m on the hunt for a new GP …

I have been seeing Dr. Julie Bikhman with Yaffee Ruden for about 3 years and I couldn’t be more satisfied with how kind she is, and how she really takes her time with me to listen and address all of my concerns, and refer me to the best specialist, when necessary.
There are hopefully very few times in one’s life when one requires (and receives!!) their doctor’s immediate and full attention in an emergency circumstance– I can happily report that she was not only there for me in such an instance, but provided excellent follow-​up and communication with me AND my other doctors. As a result, I felt like everyone was on the same page, and I was a valued patient with with concerned and caring doctors, not a number.
I cannot recommend Dr. Bikhman’s services highly enough — many other doctors should take a page from her pad.

This place was ok.
The good — they scheduled me in for a same day appointment at 1:30 p.m. The PA who saw me was really friendly and professional. I felt that she cared and she knew her stuff. Also, she was very thorough and even took a blood sample when diagnosing me to make sure that she didn’t miss anything. The next day she called me up herself to check in on me.
The only reason I didn’t give a 4 is because like the other people said the service is not the best. There was at least a 20 – 30 minute wait. Also, I am not certain I would rely on them for my primary care if I am only able to see P.A.‘s.
However, on the whole, they seemed decent.

Five stars for the good doctors, DO’s and PAs at Yafee Ruden.
It seems like the naysayers don’t like long waits. I have yet to find a doctor’s practice worth their salt that doesn’t have that problem. Good doctors are worth the wait. Anyone who disagrees with that probably hasn’t been terribly sick before in their lives. Even though the doctors run late at times, they don’t try to cut your appointment short, or try to shove you out the door. You will have their time and their undivided attention, because they want to hear you out and provide good care for you.
I’ve seen both Dr. Yafee and Dr. Ruden, both of whom are frequently booked 2 or more months in advance. During a health crisis of mine they were essential to my recovery. These two doctors are in high demand for a reason, and the reason is that you’re not going to find better doctors unless you have the kind of money it takes to hire a private one.
I’ve also received great care from Dr. Rosen and Dr. Julie Bikhman, members of their practice who I had seen on numerous occasions when Dr. Ruden was booked too far in advance, and I wound up going to see her instead after a while. All of the doctors and medical staff I’ve encountered are genuinely concerned about performing their job as compassionate healers, and they’re good at it. That’s surprisingly hard to find these days. They’re not medication pushers, they’re not closed-​minded or quick to make presumptions regarding one’s health.
Here’s a tip: Book the FIRST APPOINTMENT OF THE MORNING if time is of the essence and you don’t have a flexible schedule to deal with appointment delays.

If you’re looking for a physician’s office that feels like a factory, boasts obscene wait times and conveys the general sense that you have entered a for-​profit business rather than a medical facility– this is the office for you!
I’ve been coming here for 6 years and I have seen a variety of doctors and PAs. While my experience with the doctors has generally ranged from sufficient to good (I miss Dr. Balboa terribly), the operation as a whole has gone downhill dramatically. Wait times often exceed an hour. You have to resubmit paperwork at every visit, even if nothing has changed and there are often between 15 – 20 sick people packed into the waiting room. Perhaps worst of all is the fact that as you sit and wait in the hallway (which you will have to do should you need a shot or blood draw) you will be forced to listen to doctors, nurses and PAs discuss other patients at length. As I sat and waited today I learned about the results of Mr. So-and-so’s last colonoscopy, heard a lengthy discussion of whether or not Ms. So-​and-​so is on birth control and learned that the phlebotomist’s favorite sandwich isn’t listed on the deli menu anymore… Apparently, that’s «sooooo retarded.» But the most shocking and unprofessional comment of all came from Dr. Ruden himself who, as I walked out of the office could be overheard telling a secretary «I’m done, I’m f$#*ing done!» Nice. Way to keep it classy, Dr. Ruden.
I think Drs. Yaffe and Ruden have lost sight of what’s important and are in the business of building an empire that simply churns through as many people as possible with no regard for the value of patient’s time. Such a shame. I will be looking for a new physician.

The doctors are good. The administration is obnoxious and unfriendly. Here were my hold times for today while trying to call back my doctor for my lab results. She did not leave an extension, and there wasn’t an appropriate choice on the answering system that would lead me to her quickly, so I had to just hold for someone to pick up.
3.5 min — Call picked up after holding in the general queue. I explained why I was calling and the receptionist asked me to hold for my doctor.
+10 minutes — Call picked up again by someone who had no idea why I was calling or who I was. She said they’d have to see if my doctor was still in for the day.
+ 2 minutes — Apparently she’s not in, so they’ve taken a message for her to call me back.
15 minutes just to *attempt* to return a call, unsuccessfully.

i have been a patient of Dr. Yaffe for 32 years. During this time i have had 4 operations. I credit him with helping to save my life by providing support and great referrals. He has always been available to me and provides almost immediate responses to any medical problems i face.
He treats the entire person. He cares. What more can one ask from a medical professional?
I happened to be in for a yearly physical exam and while in the waiting room Karim and Danielle both PAs came in and stopped by to say hello. I am bringing this up to show that most of the professionals in the office are caring & professional and actually remember regular patients.
One of the best things about the practice is that you can come in 6 days a week with just a few hours notice. They can always fit you in.
Just a shout out to Vera who really makes Yaffe Ruden work