Somerville Family Practice

I’ve been seeing Dr. Leora Fishman for a few years. She’s an easy to talk to, non-​pretentious, smart person who listens well and offers sensible ideas and solutions. Her follow up is very good as well. I’ve also seen Carla NP who is similarly easy to talk to, caring, and helpful. My husband sees Dr. Maurice Martin and is satisfied as well. Medical assistants and phlebotomist friendly and good. Front desk staff may have been rude to others, but I have seen none of this. Each time I need to schedule something, get a referral, or need a follow up the desk staff have been friendly and helpful. I recommend this practice. Glad to see they have hired a new female MD. Wish they could hire a male MD to send my young adult sons to, as I’m guessing Dr. Martin will be retiring in the next 5 – 10 years or so.

As a Midwest transplant, it took me awhile to find a doctor’s office that makes me feel at ease. Somerville Family Practice is the place. The receptions staff has been great! Unlike other doctor’s offices where I’ve had to wait on hold or leave messages and wait for days for a doctor to return my calls, I always receive an immediate response here. Even if I have to leave a message, my NP calls me back within a short time period. Also, the reception staff is really friendly and responsive.
Now to the haters of the NPs… Carla Collins is awesome! Why do you need to see a MD when you can receive just as good (if not better care) from a nurse practitioner. Carla is so patient and thorough. She never makes me feel rushed, and I actually feel like she cares about my health & safety instead of treating me like just another patient. The other thing I really like about her is that if she isn’t sure about something, she will take the time to call a specialist and consult with the on my behalf. Then if she realizes there’s an issue that she can’t help me with, she will refer me to that specialist.
I love this place, and I continue to drive/​take the T there even though I’ve moved out of the area. I highly recommend checking it out.

I have been a patient of Dr. Fishman for years. Dr. Fishman is great. The folks at the front desk specially a lady who says she is the office manager doesn’t believe in customer service. I hope the office picks better folks that do a better job of customer service.

Somerville Family Practice is appropriate for routine doctor visits, such as basic bloodwork, gynecological exams, flu shots or non-​serious health complaints such as bladder infections.
Heaven help you if you have a more complex problem that actually requires time and attention!
As a patient at Somerville Family Practice, you will almost always see one of the Nurse Practitioners, rarely an actual MD. In the many years I was a patient here, I saw a doctor only two times. This is just not okay.
I came into Somerville Family Practice at least 8 times during a two year span complaining of the same health issue, and was always placed with one of the Nurse Practitioners, who seemed calmly indifferent and clueless as to how to help me. No. help. at. all. None.
I began thinking of switching to a different doctor’s office a few months ago, and finally, this month, I met with my new primary care doctor for the first time. It was like night and day! Within ten minutes of talking with this new doctor and sharing with her the same information about my health issue that I shared with Somerville Family Practice, I had a wealth of insight into what is going on in my body, compared to two YEARS of fruitless visits to Somerville Family Practice.
My new doctor is competent, motivated and concerned, where the staff at Somerville Family Practice was blank and staring — nothing is more frustrating for a suffering patient than an indifferent healthcare worker.
If you are enjoying excellent health, and never need any care beyond routine yearly checkups, then sure, stick with Somerville Family Practice. But if you have any actual health issues that require an involved and caring doctor, run far and fast from this place!
You deserve a real doctor.

I have been with Maggie for over 15 years now I followed her from Everett to SFP. I cant say enough good things about her. She has always been there for me with all of my crazy ailments and never once made me feel like I was a hypochondriac. I have seen both DR’s, Fishman and Martin and find them genuinely sincere and caring and always listen and answer questions without making you feel like your a number. The only negative I would have to say is the front office/​support staff. I have watched it change over the years and not for the better. They are impersonal and when leaving messages for the Dr.‘s they only write down your name and number even though you go into detail about why your calling it would save the DR’s and the patients a lot of time if they would write down the messages as it is hard for patient and Dr’s to get hold of one another throughout a work day.

Dr. Martin has been my primary care physician for more than 20 years. I feel blessed to count SFP as my healthcare providers; they are warm, attentive, organized, and, best of all, terrific doctors, nurses, and assistants. I moved to Lexington 16 years ago and still go to Somerville to see them.

I am so sorry to say that after 7 years of making the trek back to Somerville (only for these docs/​nps) I am finally having to leave. I moved up north and drive over an hour to see them but with a small child am finding it difficult am not very happy about having to leave them. I have been with Somerville Family Practice for over 10 years and have been impressed with everyone I have encountered there, from the receptionists to the medical assistants to the NPs and of course the docs! I have been putting off leaving them and dealing with the commute because they are so worth it!!! They have been most accommodating and professional yet personal. I would most definitely recommend them to all of my friends in the area!

I love Somerville Family practice. I started going there because it is a short walk from my apartment. I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes and that’s always how it is when I’m there. I can get a same day appointment like when I have this scary spider bite or I can get an appointment in a week or two if I need. Yael is my favorite. She is so warm and friendly. I have only met my primary dr Leora Fishman once because I usually see Yael which I don’t mind at all. I have seen Maggie too and she is great. I just feel so comfortable there and that’s why for the last two and a half years I’ve gone there and I will continue.

I’ve been going to SFP for about 10 years and I hope I never have to change doctors. They are always on top of things and any time I need them to check records or see me in a pinch, they are accomodating and super efficient. Maggie is who I see regularly and she knows my whole history without even looking at my chart. Any of the doctors and nurse practitioners I’ve seen over the years have been great with a fantastic bedside manner. I can’t say enough good things about SFP.

My family and I have been seeing Dr. Martin and Dr. Fishman since 1982 and feel very fortunate to have hooked up with them way back when. They’ve been great over the years as docs for both body & soul. Their staff has always been very professional, its a well run office. You can’t do any better than this practice IMHO.

I have been going here for my annual physical and GYN exams for the past 2 years and I have always had a good experience. I’ve met with all of the female doctors and nurse practitioners (there’s only one male physician here), and they have all been great. Always very friendly and unobtrusive, they answer my questions thoughtfully, examine me delicately, and make me feel comfortable. You do have to call in way in advance to get an appointment, which can be a little frustrating sometimes, but I have never tried to get a same day appointment so I can’t speak to that. Overall, this is a solid, professional, and pleasant practice.

I have been going to Dr. Martin for close to 20 years. I never feel rushed and his advice has always made sense to me. I believe and feel that he truly cares about his patients. My mom sees Dr. Fishman there and has had nothing but a positive experience.
Rick F

Grrrrr —
Yael and Maggie are still great — but the reception staff has been less than stellar. I was initially scheduled for an August appointment, showed up for it, and was informed there was no appointment for me. They scheduled it for the same day and time… in September.
This has happened to me twice, which is most frustrating.

So far I’ve been here once for a general checkup, and once to get checked out when had some flu-​type thing that didn’t go away as quickly as I would’ve expected.
For the checkup I saw Dr. Martin. He asked all sorts of good questions, was happy to answer mine, and gave me no-​nonsense advice on my way out the door. He even told me to spend more time on my social life! I appreciate a doctor who understands the importance of someone’s whole well-​being.
Unfortunately, I don’t remember who I saw when I had a bug. Everything was handled very efficiently, and again I left with simple advice. They took me seriously but things didn’t get blown out of proportion either.
I don’t think I ever waited more than five minutes for anything here. The staff are always on top of things. You couldn’t ask for a better bunch of family doctors.

I have gotten really good care through SFP. I have seen Dr. Martin once and he is a nice guy who is caring as well. I see Joel Myers, an FNP. I like her because she is knowledgeable and understanding. She sees the patient as a whole, not as a disease, which is becoming more uncommon in world of «Speed Check-​ins». I highly recommend them. I know they are also respected Gerontologists.

I recently changed my primary care from a practitioner in Longwood to Somerville Family Practice. I was not expecting anything spectacularly good, but I was happy that I made the switch. Dr. Leora Fishman is probably the most caring doctor I have met in my life — she does not mind explaining things in plain English to me and making sure that things are going fine. She even showed me where the exits are. The wait is short (with appointment) and the staff efficient.

I chose these guys for my primary care provider because they’re like a 2-​minute walk from my apartment, and they’re on my health insurance plan. I was pleasantly surprised by how nice everyone is there! I see Yael Myers, a nurse practitioner, who is very sweet and attentive. The practice includes another nurse practitioner and two doctors, but I can’t comment on them as I haven’t met them. I have a few chronic illnesses that bother me off and on, nothing major, but annoying enough to want something prescribed to me. Since I started visiting Somerville Family Practice for my medical needs I’ve been referred to two specialists and am trying some new medications that seem to work well. They’re willing to work with me toward the goal of better health. Yay!
Getting an appointment is pretty easy — I’ve called at 8:30 when I stayed home sick from work and gotten an appointment later that same morning. If it can wait, they’ll see you within a week or two. And for the women reading this, they do routine gynecological exams here and give you a CLOTH gown, which is so much better than the itchy paper kind, and warm up all the instruments. It’s the little things that count for so much in these matters.
After years of visiting my college health center whenever I was sick, I’m happy to have a real medical provider again, and I’m very satisfied with my choice.