Endocrinologist? (I found a winner -- thank you!)

I'm in the market for a new endocrinilogist -- preferably holistic. I searched the archives and found recommendations for Drs. Nambi and Advani -- neither of which are on United Healthcare or have evening or Saturday hours.

Any other recommendations? Thanks!

If you reconsider on the hours, I saw Dr. Advani last week and liked her approach. (My insurance through United Healthcare was accepted.)

Thanks, jr. I just can't use all of my vacation time to take days off to go to doctors' appointments, and it's getting a little ridiculous because 2 of my long-time doctors have just suspended evening and/or Saturday appointments, so I'm going to have to find replacements for them too. Oy!

I have United and use Advani. I like her very much -- in fact, she was the first endocrinologist in a long time who really helped me, and didn't just expect me to take synthroid and go away and stop complaining.

My husband liked Luigina Vlad in West Orange. Although I've heard other opinions about her that differed...

mim said:

I have United and use Advani. I like her very much -- in fact, she was the first endocrinologist in a long time who really helped me, and didn't just expect me to take synthroid and go away and stop complaining.

I'll have to call and double check (she wasn't on the UHC website). She also got lower marks on the ratings websites, so I was waffling on calling her.

i've found endocrinologists who accept insurance are few and far between. (especially if you're looking for good ratings)
i see nicholas baranetsky out of st michaels medical center in newark. he is very good, and i like him, but he has a terrible office staff and the drive/parking is such a slog.

For what it's worth, here are the four referrals from my very thorough GP:

Dr. Luigina Vlad 973-422-9400

Dr. Shera Siegal 973-665-8100

Dr. Sonoo Advani 973-992-4433

Dr. Sridhar Nambi 973-535-8870

Thanks, jr!

Edited to say that Dr. Advani doesn't have a morning appointment available until January! Geesh!

I like Dr. Amy Toscano-Zukor at Summit Medical Group very much, and she is on United.

FWIW, Vlad did accept our insurance, which was Horizon BC/BS at the time.

I currently go to Dr. Toscano-Zukor and find she ignores most of my symptoms. I am looking to switch as well.

I can't speak about office hours or insurance plans, but in regards to doctors who listen to patients Dr. Nambi excels. When my labs were showing I was in normal range he still asked me about my energy level, and when I said I still felt a bit sluggish he believed me and adjusted my medication.

I have United and see Dr. Advani. I prefer to go a more natural/holistic route with my healthcare, and she is very open to that. She has really helped me tremendously.

mumstheword said:

I just can't use all of my vacation time to take days off to go to doctors' appointments

Couldn't you use sick days?

Dr. Advani is VERY into natural/wholistic approaches. In fact, every time I see her she has some new supplement or superfood for me to try. I believe it's partly just to compensate for the fact that thyroid replacement isn't 100% effective and she wants to have SOME hope/solutions to offer, but I appreciate the effort. She is hypothyroid herself so empathizes with the challenges.

j_r said:

mumstheword said:

I just can't use all of my vacation time to take days off to go to doctors' appointments

Couldn't you use sick days?

I don't get sick days at work. And if I could tell you how many vacation days I've taken off for doctors, house inspectors, house repairs, plumbers, electricians -- none of which have Saturday appointments.....well, you'd know why I don't have any left.......

lixouri said:

I like Dr. Amy Toscano-Zukor at Summit Medical Group very much, and she is on United.

hauscat said:

I currently go to Dr. Toscano-Zukor and find she ignores most of my symptoms. I am looking to switch as well.

She is (in a word) HORRIBLE! I went to her twice. In her arrogance, she wanted to prescribe insulin for my Type II diabetes. I asked her to test my insulin levels, which really got her shackles up. I had to literally demand she test my insulin levels and finally she relented. They came back so abnormally high it wasn't funny. When I brought this to her attention (she wasn't even mentioning it during my follow up appointment) she said to me "don't you think I know what I'm doing?" and my answer was "obviously not"

Has anyone had experience with Dina Prus on Boyden Avenue?

mumstheword said:

lixouri said:

I like Dr. Amy Toscano-Zukor at Summit Medical Group very much, and she is on United.

hauscat said:

I currently go to Dr. Toscano-Zukor and find she ignores most of my symptoms. I am looking to switch as well.

She is (in a word) HORRIBLE! I went to her twice. In her arrogance, she wanted to prescribe insulin for my Type II diabetes. I asked her to test my insulin levels, which really got her shackles up. I had to literally demand she test my insulin levels and finally she relented. They came back so abnormally high it wasn't funny. When I brought this to her attention (she wasn't even mentioning it during my follow up appointment) she said to me "don't you think I know what I'm doing?" and my answer was "obviously not"

Can you clarify which doctor you think is horrible? You're quoting two different doctor comments.

Doctor-patient relationships fascinate me. It's so varied and depends so much on the individual.

I see Amy Toscano-Zukor as well and have been pretty pleased with her. I'm not into diabetes territory, but do have some blood sugar issues and am fighting it hard. Unlike my primary, she was open to the idea that discrepancies between at-home testing and routine labs might be the result of some weirdness in my blood chemistry - and not a function of either poor testing practices or dishonesty on my part about diet. She suggested that we look at less common markers, and sure enough we found that I am one of those people for whom A1C is not a reliable metric.

My primary and I have agreed to disagree and no longer discuss my slightly elevated A1C.

longa said:

mumstheword said:

lixouri said:

I like Dr. Amy Toscano-Zukor at Summit Medical Group very much, and she is on United.

hauscat said:

I currently go to Dr. Toscano-Zukor and find she ignores most of my symptoms. I am looking to switch as well.

She is (in a word) HORRIBLE! I went to her twice. In her arrogance, she wanted to prescribe insulin for my Type II diabetes. I asked her to test my insulin levels, which really got her shackles up. I had to literally demand she test my insulin levels and finally she relented. They came back so abnormally high it wasn't funny. When I brought this to her attention (she wasn't even mentioning it during my follow up appointment) she said to me "don't you think I know what I'm doing?" and my answer was "obviously not"

Can you clarify which doctor you think is horrible? You're quoting two different doctor comments.

There's only one doctor being discussed by all three of us: Amy Toscano-Zukor.

No exaggeration -- I just finished calling 22 doctors and none of them had an appointment available at any time in November (I don't want to hear anything more about doctors bellyaching about how "Obamacare" is putting them out of business). I found Dr. Anna Kissin in Florham Park who can see me -- so fingers crossed!

Thanks, everyone for your advice/suggestions.

Just saw this thread. Husband, who has United Health Care insurance, sees Dr. Melfi in Morristown.

mumstheword said:

No exaggeration -- I just finished calling 22 doctors and none of them had an appointment available at any time in November (I don't want to hear anything more about doctors bellyaching about how "Obamacare" is putting them out of business). I found Dr. Anna Kissin in Florham Park who can see me -- so fingers crossed!

Thanks, everyone for your advice/suggestions.

Endocrinologists are very much in demand these days. It doesn't surprise me. The key is to hitch your wagon to someone you like and who will invest the time in you and listen to your concerns. Not always the case with endos.

mumstheword said:

Has anyone had experience with Dina Prus on Boyden Avenue?

Interestingly I went to Dr. Prus when she was at Summit Medical group. She was compassionate a good listener, willing to try different protocols, and then >Pouf< she was gone.

I ended up with Dr. Bauman by default. I spoke to my GP about him because she noticed I hadn't gone to my last 2 appointments with him. I told her her was arrogant and dismissive, and I was shopping around for someone else. She made a call, and Toscano saw me that day. As far as I am concerned, she is little better than Bauman, and only good for writing prescriptions. However, the worst person in that practice is the nutritionist--she is sarcastic, abrupt and superior. I know more about nutrition than she does.

I like Dr Bauman..a lot. He runs on time, keeps the appointments short, and is respectful of my questions.
Takes UHC and I see him at Summit Medical Group in Berkeley heights. Oh, and I feel fine

OK, I'm back to looking for an endocrinologist. My blood sugar levels are up since I've been going to Dr. Advani, and after my last appointment, I'm just very tired of being told to shut up and listen when I ask questions. What she's telling me (something different every time I'm there) just doesn't make sense and I need to make sense about what's going on with my health. I know she's extremely dedicated, but the personality conflict is just not working for me.

Anyone other than the doctors previously listed here? Many thanks.

i just started with anna kissin in florham park. 973-665-8100.
i liked her well enough and her office staff was fantastic! (the reason i changed from my last endocrinologist. his staff was horrid)

Health plans change all the time, so I would highly recommend going online to see if Dr. Nambi is still out of network. A lot could have changed between October and now.