Whole Child Center

We have been with Dr. Rosen since he and Karen were with Old Tappan Pediatrics almost ten years ago. We moved practices with them and have been so happy we did. We have always felt like each of the doctors, nurses and the nurse practitioner within the practice have been thorough, caring and very good. And have actually followed up if i needed to see a specialist, etc. The ladies taking appointments and doing billing are very nice. I find that you get what you give sometimes. Some of these people should think about what their own review would say before you bash an office that is filled with rational people just trying to help you and stay organized while they do so. Like I said, I have known this group for nearly ten years, and I have four kids. So I’ve seen them quite a bit. I am yet to have a bad experience, they are not perfect, they are human — but they are pretty darn great. I hold them in very high regard and would recommend any family or friend there confidently.

I chose this practice because I am a fan of holistic approaches and have a problem giving babies/​toddlers/​kids/​even adults often a ton of medication. What I’ve found is lackluster care. The first well baby visit for my newborn was fine. It was with an NP. He’s my second so I generally did t need much but a weight check. The next visit for my toddler was supposed to be a well visit plus a shot as we were new to the practice and I wanted to have a dr examine him. Call me crazy for wanting to meet an actual dr in the group. Emily is the gate keeper for every appt and regardless of what you request, she’s going to give you what she thinks is best. Despite asking for a well visit, we had a shot only. Dr Karen came in to do what, I have no idea. Something about a dr popping in before a nurse gives the shot. Here’s where it all started going south for me. She did not try to engage one bit with my son. It was so bizarre. It must be that if its not a proper visit they can charge dr rates, there’s no point in trying? I’ve never seen a pediatrician do this. I decided to skip her from them on. Next well visit with my little one was with dr Jenny. It was pretty standard. Not a lot of small talk. The beginning of the end was trying to still schedule a well visit for my toddler. He hadn’t had a check up in at least 8 months and I wanted him to be seen so they would full out his school paperwork. Instead of asking my former pediatrician to do it as emily said at least 3 times, I wanted them to do it. Driving to Astoria for the paperwork wasn’t high on my list of things I have time for. First they tell me over and over my insurance won’t cover it. They do actually. I also wanted to get my newborn back on the right schedule as we moved when he was 2 weeks old and while child couldn’t see him until he was about 5 weeks. He was behind one standard well visit. They space them out for shots and milestone. Emily insisted my insurance wouldn’t pay for it. Ok one moe time. Let me call and verify it does. It does. When I allows to explain that yes, isn’t this great it is covered (even though I said I had no issue paying out of pocket for it) I get to the real issue. They will not schedule a dr’s visit unless its on their one schedule fits every child list. I have also never had so much talk about what MY insurance will pay and what they won’t. You think they care? No it’s a cover for their spreading their actual MDs really thin. Even asking Emily to ask the dr too confirm something was like pulling teeth. No thanks. I’ve used «concierge» care for me that comes with a fee. It’s a guilty privilege because I get a clean office and the nicest staff ever. There is no upside to paying their fee. The staff is really crap. They openly talk about other parents in a snotty way behind the very open desk. Access to care is poor. I should have noted all these red flags. Too bad bc what they tout is how we parent. I found another pediatrician who is def not on the same page with everything I am but we spend time TALKING and came up with a plan that we can both agree with.

Like you read others say, there is an admin fee. I found it a bit strange, but ok fine. Then the day we went for our 1^st visit, we waited 15 minutes outside and 1 hour inside the doctor room for a total of 1 hour and 15 minutes wait. The doctor was un-​engaged and did not ask thorough questions. I thought it was «whole child», so where are all the concerns about what he eats, drinks, plays, etc? Just a standard pedi, nothing special here. I called one day to ask a question of the doctor and told my question to the nurse. It’s now been 1 months and have not heard back.
The reason I give 2 stars, is that the doctor prescribed we give probiotics and cod liver oil.

We have been with Dr. Rosen since my first daughter was born in 2010. We do see his other Doctors, physician assistants and nurses. Nurse Karen is by far my favorite! But that doesn’t mean that the rest of the practitioners are not also fantastic. I have experienced the scheduling staff being brief and even a little rude but I put up with it, along with the annual fee (YIKES!!). I put up with it because anywhere else you go for eczema; the doctor is going to almost immediately prescribe a steroid cream. Here, they suggested Calendula Cream. And guess what… IT WORKED! Also for fevers and other ailments they try to let the body heal itself before intervening. My 5 year old has maybe taken an antibiotic 1 or 2 times in her life and my 14 month old never. This perspective is RARE in medicine today and I will gladly deal with the fee and the occasional bad day for the receptionist to be with Dr. Rosen and his team. Since we are not new and we do have the privilege of being able to schedule with him, I just schedule the yearly visit a few months ahead so I can get him. We love this office and the staff; even the cranky ones.

I have been taking my children there for 5+ years and have observed and experienced this office since it was just Dr. Rosen and 1 other doctor until now. I cannot believe any of the negative reviews here and after having just been there the other day and witnessing some of the behavior of the parents in the waiting room, it finally hit me. The office has not changed — it has always been a peaceful place for us — Dr. Rosen and the other doctors and practitioners ARE great, thoughtful, patient and communicative. The staff is also GREAT — what I have noticed over the years, is that as Dr. Rosen and his office have received more media attention, perhaps the clientele has changed — people seem more entitled, like they are special and expect to be treated uniquely. This is a DOCTOR’s office. YOUR child is no more special than any other. For those who complain about the annual fee — again, I have been there almost since the beginning and there is history to this. Dr. Rosen has gone through various machinations dealing with insurance companies throughout the years — trying to get them to understand that the WCC is wholly different and the amount of time and comprehensiveness of their approach is not the same as a typical pediatrician’s office — so that they could continue their model of treating patients — but insurance companies don’t care. If they are to continue their approach, they still have to pay the bills. I have no problem paying the annual fee — if you think it is expensive, see how expensive it is to be at a rushed Dr. s office with limited dialogue and consideration to anything beyond getting your kid in an out, rx with antibiotics/​meds and their shots. The annual fee is a drop in the bucket compared to the additional co-​pays, medicine costs and lost time due to run of the mill care (not to mention your child’s health!!!). I fully support and love this office — those parents who truly support the doctors, the staff and the entire approach have far greater perspective on this than the complainers. Lastly, Dr. Rosen is our doctor of record for my boys — however, why would I DEMAND to see him every single time I step into the office? That is completely unreasonable (and unnecessary) on every level — my children have received outstanding care from Dr. Jeney, Dr. Sheely, and Rebecca (nurse practitioner — made excellent emergency diagnosis on my child that was correct before any of his labs came back for Lyme Disease). The staff and clinicians here are great — they are all highly integrated in the knowledge of your child!!! It saddens me to see poor reviews, but if these reviews will keep impatient and self-​oriented folks away, then so be it.

Sometimes when a medical practice or organization grows, they lose sight of what really made them special and focus instead on growth and revenue. It seems this is the disease that has struck the Whole Child Center. Conceptually, who could argue with a practice which prides itself as a provider of «high-​quality, state-​of-​the-​art integrative and ecologically sustainable healthcare?»
Here’s the thing. You are not going to get a high quality of care or service at this place. Money is their primary aim – not health or well-​being.
Each time you call, they will ask you if you are aware of their annual $ 150 administrative fee. This is very important to them. Either they are trying to filter out people below a certain income bracket or they are focused on income or both. Whatever it is, you will be sure not to forget that there is a yearly administrative fee.
You agree to the administrative fee, but if only you were dealing with competent administrators. Forget about quality customer service. These people are rude and arrogant. I am surprised Dr. Rosen doesn’t have higher standards for his staff.
Speaking of Dr. Rosen or any of the other doctors, you probably won’t see a doctor at this place. Instead, you will be seeing physician’s assistants. As I stated earlier, when practices grow, they want to increase revenue. For this, they hire the physician’s assistant and pay them a fraction of the salary a doctor earns. Sure, these assistants are certified to prescribe medication and check your baby’s breathing. But any medical doctor will tell you, physician’s assistants are not doctors and they do not have the years of training and expertise you pay a doctor for. In my experience speaking to Emily, if you request to schedule a well-​child visit with a doctor, she will tell you that if you want to see a doctor, the Whole Child Center is not the practice for you and hang up on you.
Calling parents entitled for wanting to schedule an ANNUAL (not last minute sick visit) with a physician is nonsense and laughable. I work as a professor at an elite university and in the past have taught high school, and I have dealt with my share of entitled and privileged students and their parents. I’m sure some parents who visit The Whole Child Center are of that ilk, but that doesn’t ENTITLE their secretaries to take a harsh and dismissive tone with anyone they encounter regardless of whether their request is reasonable or not. I certainly don’t let my own assessments of my students affect the way I treat them or the level of respect and professionalism I conduct myself with.
When you read other reviews, it seems my experience with rude staff is common.
Find another place for your precious little one. Preferably one that doesn’t give you so much grief you have to walk over to the computer (now twice) and write a review to warn other patients about them.

It seems to me that if you are inflexible and demanding, you are not going to be happy anywhere. That is what it seems all of the negative reviews are based on. I take my three children there, and every doctor is nice, every staff member makes every effort to accommodate. They can’t always give me exactly what I want, but that is life, right? I think «normal» people who are not spoiled brats will be very happy here, but these «follow the crowd» moms who only want to go here to say they go here, not for real reasons, will be unhappy. Want to be able to say you see a famous doctor? Watch Dr Oz. Want a good, integrative, caring family practice? The Whole Child is for you.

We have been taking our 6 children here for over 2 years. We cannot say enough great things about the doctors, nurses and desk staff. They ALL go above and beyond to make sure our family stays well. The doctors truly care about the entire family, not only the child being seen at the visit. We are always seen that day if someone is sick. The nurses are caring and always help if I call with a question. We even contact the doctors directly online if we need to. Many of my friends have just transferred to Whole Child Center and are so happy with the difference in care. Dr. Rosen is such an amazing doctor who has helped us so much. There is an annual fee and worth every penny!

NOT WORTH IT! The billing/​office managers are the WORST! Extremely rude and cut you off. Hardly anyone answers the phone and they charge an additional annual fee and make you sign a waiver to pay any additional costs they want to charge that your insurance companies says they should not be charging for. It’s not worth the hassle dealing with the administrative staff. The doctors are nice and professional however, they’re staff is AWFUL!
DON’T BOTHER!

Dont bother! You will never be able to see Dr. rosen because he is not accepting new patients. The receptionists are extremely rude. When asked why they charge a $ 150 annual fee, they will be even more rude. The other doctors are nice, but all that hastle and the fee just isnt worth the trouble!
Also, worst emergency answering service as well.