Town Center Family Medicine

Dr. Bowers is a disgrace to the medical profession. I left in the middle of my appointment. I came to him cause I have had various tests from other doctors and he told me without looking at the tests or results on my first visit with him (3 minutes in) that I need to see a psychologist if the tests didnt show whats wrong. I was so offended. Zero bedside manner. I will never return.

My family and I have been going here for quite a while and I have never been impressed, but after this past week, I will never go here again. The most unprofessional staff I have ever seen!
I had my yearly physical and got some blood work done a while ago. I told the nurse that I got sick around needles and blood but she paid no attention. I was almost in tears while she was doing it. When it was done I just needed a second to sit but she rushed me out of the room. I know they weren’t taking a pint but they should still offer juice or crackers for people who naturally get weak from having blood taken. Well wouldn’t you know it, I passed out in the lobby as I was leaving. They had to wheel chair me back into a room which was beyond embarrassing. And that wouldn’t be the last time someone in my family would be rushed out of their office.
My little sister went in for a checkup because she wasn’t feeling great. Well she was 3 minutes late to her appointment. GASP! She was late because she went to their old address which hadn’t been updated online. Firstly she was berated by the reception staff and when she was seen by the NP Toni Nelson she was rushed through her exam in a total of 7 minutes and wasn’t even offered time to ask questions which is why she went in the first place because her thyroid was swollen. If that wasn’t bad enough, Ms. Nelson yelled at her (a 21 year old woman) like a child and told her to «try and be on time next time, its my daughters birthday and I was supposed to be there 3 hours ago!». How the hell is it my sisters fault that you are 3 hours late to your daughters birthday?! Maybe you should have taken off work! Ever think of that?! And even if it was her fault for being 3 minutes late to her appointment, you NEVER bring in your personal life when talking to a client. So unprofessional.
The last straw was when I had to take my mother for a follow-​up appointment for an ER visit due to shingles. She had an appointment at 2:45. The nurse didn’t take her back until 3:15 and then she sat in one of the examination rooms for an hour… AN HOUR… before the doctor got around to seeing her. I asked the receptionist why it was taking so long, did they over book appointments today? She just said that the doctor was running behind and had 3 patients waiting to be seen. Um… what? So if I run behind on my appointment, you yell at me like a child or worse, you cancel it and charge me anyways. but if the doctor is 3 patients behind, I just have to deal with it? Please… find yourself a different patient to screw.
My mother said that Dr. Dolich was good and thorough and gave her everything she needed that the ER didn’t, so that was a relief.
Would still avoid this mess of a doctors office.

I’m a former patient of Dr. Dolcich, who is amazing in every way. Not only is he knowledgeable, he is quick, extremely intelligent, personable, and kind. He takes time with his patients, explains things thoroughly, and is genuinely concerned about their health. He has the sympathy and passion a good doctor should have. I recently visited TCFM on a Saturday morning and saw Dr. Toni Nelson. She was also as thorough as Dr. Dolcich and very honest. TCFM sees people regardless if they have insurance or not and offers discounts to those who pay in full as soon as their appointment is over. The staff is also friendly. I wish every medical institution was run like this place.

Dr. Garvert is extremely rude and cold. Thankfully, I only had to see her when Dr. Bowers was unavailable. But even he is incompetent and too quick with misdiagnoses.
It took 5 days for a prescription for an ulcer to get to the pharmacy, even while going through lots of pain. Dr. Bowers first said I needed a «PrevPak», but when I showed up at the pharmacy, they told me that it would cost $ 300, but if I’d gotten the scripts for each medicine separately, it would only be $ 50. Hmm, 300 vs. 50? Someone is in a pharmaceutical pocket. The test to see if the ulcer was fully gone was botched due to supplying the wrong container, and they wanted me to come back in to get it. I asked them to mail it to me. I’d already taken time off work and I wasn’t about to do it again for their mistake.
The last straw came when Dr. Bowers cancelled an appointment that I’d made a month in advance, just so that he could extend his vacation. I’ve moved on.
If you’re trying to make the decision of whether or not to put your medical health in their hands, choose not to. Save yourself the headaches.

Today was my first visit at the Town Center Family Medicine practice and I have to say I am impressed. I was very nervous given the number of negative reviews, especially about Dr. Terry Garvert but after today’s visit I have no more concerns.
My impression of Dr. Garvert is that she is very thorough and extremely helpful. I found this practice after visiting the ER for a DVT and them telling me I needed to follow-​up with a PCP, which of course I didn’t have. Dr. Garvert took down all of my information, history included, and proceeded to consult with one of her colleagues prior to making her final recommendation. I would certainly recommend her to anyone else.
In response to all of the old comments about nasty receptionists and incompetent front desk staff… I find that to be bogus based on my experience today. I had no issues scheduling the appointment. The receptionists were very helpful and listened to my needs prior to assigning me a doctor. The paperwork was painless and I was called back within 10 minutes of arriving (hadn’t even finished my paperwork yet).
I say give them a shot!

Today was my first visit with Town Center Family Medicine.
The Nurse Practioner I saw was very nice and understanding. She asked me a lot of questions about what was going on and help me understand.
I was in and out in less than an 45 minutes (paperwork and all). I will definitely be returning to this office.

There’s a never-​ending dialogue about how a good doctor is hard to find these days, that no one processes insurance properly, or that the doctor’s office is far away, parking isn’t free, etc.
Well, get ready for your medical world to get rocked. I’ve been a patient at Town Center Family Medicine since 2008 (when they were in their previous location). I’ve always seen Dr. Terry Garvert as my General Practitioner, and I absolutely recommend her if you need a solid GP for everything from annual physicals, to routine visits, to specialist recommendations, etc. Personally, I love that Dr. Garvert isn’t ever pressed for time (at least she doesn’t extend that vibe onto her patients). She is more thorough and conversational than pretty much any other medical professional I’ve encountered. She doesn’t just come in, prescribe a pill, and leave. She is very proactive and exploratory in her diagnosis, and I appreciate that. Plus, she and the RN/​nurse practioner team use laptops to take notes, and these notes are shared from the nurses to the doctor, so you don’t have to repeat yourself.
The office is located on the 7^th floor of the high-​rise building in «Old Reston» (aka Reston south of the Dulles Toll Road), nearby the Reston Chili’s, Westin, and Sheraton. Parking is in a surface lot and is completely free of charge.
I’ve never had a hard time getting an appointment, the receptionists are friendly and do their jobs well, and I’ve never experienced an insurance/​billing issue in the 6 years I’ve dealt with this practice.
The waiting area is clean, spacious, has plenty of television and recent magazines, and as long as you arrive on time for your appointment, I have yet to experience a long waiting time to see Dr. Garvert.
As of October 2013, I believe they have a nurse practitioner on-​site who accepts walk-​in visits from patients without appointments from 8 – 9 AM certain weekdays.