Let's share our experiences with doctors in the DC area. Send any reviews to doctorsindc@gmail.com - Thanks! For a thorough resource check out http://www.washingtonian.com/health/topdocs/list.html (List compiled by fellow doctors, however, so lacks the patient perspective.) One more note: this site is hard to search right now. But you could try doing a Google Advanced search on the domain name if you're looking for a specific doctor or area.
Dr. Eliot Aleskow
2141 K Street NW Suite 701
(202) 466-7266
Dr. Aleskow is a great internist. He isn't the warmest person in the history of the world, but incredibly thorough, which is what you want in an internist.
(Recommended by: Alexandra)
posted by zzzzzoe @ 12:46 PM
14 Comments:
Dr. Aleskow was referred by a co-worker; She told me how Dr. A. was extremely helpful when she was violently ill in the middle of the night, calling the hospital, helping arrange for her admittance, etc.
Don't be put off by his poor "bedside manner"; he diagnosed a bad case of bronchitis after listening to my lungs for about 30 seconds, a diagnosis that two Dr.'s assistants at another practice had completely missed.
I could have overlooked his poor "bedside manner" but my experience with Dr. Aleskow was very negative. Before seeing Aleskow, I gave his med student a detailed synopsis of my problems. I don't think he read any of it and he didn't even bother to ask me what was bothering me! He seemed to dismiss my problem because I wasn't keeled over in pain. When I asked whether my prescription would have any side effects he said "all drugs have side effects." No kidding. I guess I'll google to find the answer!
My visit left me confused and I found him to be patroninzing and unempahtic. He offered no advice or an explanation of my illness.
My experience was that he is not caustious at all. I had a bad insect bite with a rash and a recurring fever. He told me it was an allergic reaction and that I didn't need any mediciene. I told him that there was a strong possibility of Lyme disease and he basically said I was wrong because the rash didn't look like Lyme. I then saw an infectious disease specialist at GW who said there was a 50% chance of Lyme disease and a 50% chance of a bad skin infection. Upshot was the specialist prescribed a 3 week course of anibiotics that would protect me from both possibilities. If I ahd gone with Aleskow's advice, I might be even more sick than when I saw him! Maybe his other patients are not assertive but his approach was unacceptable.
I agree that he has a poor bedside manner, and can be condescending. I'm very assertive during my visits, and make sure he doesn't discount my concerns. I'm happy with the treatment I've received.
Dr. Aleskow has been my primary care physician since 1985. He is knowledgeable, helpful, and technically skilled. He (and the members of his staff) has provided compassionate services for a variety of ailments. I am dubious of "anonymous" descriptions of his services posted here. If I have any criticism, it would be only that because of his excellent skills and reputation he is in demand and has a busy practice, making it somewhat difficult to get an appointment for routine checkups. (On the other hand - and more importantly - when there have been urgent medical issues over the past 20 years, he has always been immediately available, weekdays, nights, and weekends.) I highly recommend his services, and unlike some others, I am also pleased to sign my name to these comments.
-Christopher A. Sterbenz, Vienna, Virginia
I originally went to Dr. Aleskow about 10 years ago after seeing him listed in Washingtonian magazine's list of the best doctors in the area. I've been in and out of the area ever since then, but have always gone back to Dr. A. His staff couldn't be nicer or more competent, and he's given me good medical advice every time. Others are right that he doesn't coddle his patients, but I don't want that type of behavior in a doctor, anyway. I highly recommend him.
Dr. Aleskow is gruff, but very thorough. I was his patient for 10 years, and recently moved. I had one chronic problem, and he supported all sorts of diagnostic tests to narrow it down, using resources in his building as well as nearby. He was very pro-active in such things as blood testing, vaccines, and examining your overall health. Much more so than most family practitioners/internists. My only problem with him occurred when undergoing a full physical. He should take more care with women patients to keep them covered. His demeanor was completely and totally professional, but the total exposure was a bit unnerving. Your OBGYN cares more about these things...
So, get past these quirks, you'll get great care. If you have problems with letting it all - I mean all- hang out (when it is not unwarranted), you may want to visit a different doctor.
Dr Aleskow isn't going to extract the problem from you - and his lack of small talk and gruff manner as others have described don't exactly create an atmosphere that makes you want to open up. he is the model of efficiency, however, and the lack of dialogue leaves me hoping he knows what he's doing without much input.
you'd be wise to be assertive and ask what he can do to alleviate your concerns rather than letting them be dismissed. he is quick to make a referral, will take see you when you need it and has great staff. i'm sticking with him, which i would not do if I wanted to be coddled, but if enough of us share our concerns, maybe he'll create a better environment for dialogue.
I agree that Dr. Aleskow's bedside manner is horrible. I've had one visit and was startled when he insisted I be exposed for parts of my physical (taking my heart rate?) that could have been done more discretely. My OBGYN doesn't make me feel that exposed. He literally removed my gown as I was trying to hold it up before impatiently requesting that I remove the gown. The gown was ripped in several places by the end of the visit. I felt he rushed me through my appointment and wasn't thorough at all. As a new patient (who waited months to see him on recommendation), I would have thought he'd slow down a bit and get a more comprehensive understanding of my medical background. I will not be returning.
I moved to the DC area about 3 years ago. I found Dr Aleskow in Washingtonians Finest. I had a very unpleasant relationship with Dr. Aleskow. I felt he was going thru his check list in order to justify an outrageous code/bill for my original physical (about 10-15 minutes). When I raised medical issues he would write down a name and phone number of a specialist that he recomended. Many of these were problems that I thought an experienced internist would deal with. When I questioned the bill for the physical with his office I received a very defensive call from the doctor himself. He spent 20 minutes of lame explanation, which, having been in the physician practice business for many year, I knew to be hogwash. This 20 minutes was more time than he ever spent discusssing medical issues!
His office staff was generally unfriendly to rude. When I called for a prescription refill, they would tell me that I needed to see him before he could order the script. The last straw was when I asked him to refill a subscription for my sleeping pills that I had been taking for years. He said " I don't manage sleeping issues, you'll have to see a psychiatrist for that". Needless to say I have found a new PC who is terrific!
I agree that Dr. Aleskow is rude and disrespectful. He definitely needs to allow women patients to be covered for more of the time. He absolutely needs to learn to knock before coming in, like every other doctor does. He told me to call for test results anytime after 2:00 -- when I called, the receptionist told me he'd call me later today or tomorrow. If he needs to deliver the results himself he should call the patient, instead of waiting for us to call and leave a message.
I keep going to him because it takes so long to get a new patient visit anywhere, so if I'm sick, I just go to him -- and his office if good about getting you in fast. But I'd love to find a new doctor.
I went to Dr. Aleskow today. It was awful. He asked all the same questions that I had just answered on his forms. He, as the other women said in their posts, left me very exposed while HE TOOK A PHONE CALL during a breast exam.
He had me in the office while he delivered test results via phone to another patient. He had me outside his office with open door while he reamed out a staff member. And, he left me with the parting message that it is of "paramount importance" to my health to lose weight. I am 5' 6" and wear a size 4 or 6. I am at the low end of normal on the BMI range. I am most often described as thin (although admittedly not skinny).
His recommended diet for me included a bagel for breakfast, two diet sodas a day, had almost no recommendations for vegetables and cautioned against eating peas or lima beans.
His staff was very pleasant however.
I've been seeing Dr. Aleskow for more than 15 years and I think he's great. He probably saved my husband's life by diagnosing his prostate cancer (unexpected at age 48). And while he's not the warmest or fuzziest guy, he is also not completely humorless. When I went to him with stomach pains in 1996, he elicited the news that my then-fiance and i were planning to elope that weekend -- and correctly diagnosed "the jitters."
Dr. Aleskow is a mediocre doctor at best. While the general logistics of the visits flow fairly smoothly, he performs his diagnoses from an arm chair and passes out referrals for specialists rather than preform the most basic examinations himself. Please see the below event as an example of Dr. Aleskow’s inadequate practice:
I came to the doctor for a specific medical issue/concern along with a visit for a yearly physical. Immediately upon explaining my symptoms to not Dr. Aleskow, but his assistant, he brings me in to his office and hands me a written referral for a gastroenterologist before doing any form of physical exam. (It turned out that I had a simple hernia, but the Dr. was preparing me to go to his referral to get tested for worms! While it is likely that one can get worms in a first world country, that is not the most logical conclusion one draws when someone describes anal itching. Even a quick google search or WebMD search knows that). When the exam did begin, it was quick and haphazard as if he had other things to move on to. He never even examined me for my specific issue I came in for. I ended up going to another doctor three days later because it was obvious that Dr. Aleskow’s exam was inadequate. The new doctor was shocked that Dr. Aleskow was negligent in performing the most basic check. It turned out that it was a simple hernia. The new doctor diagnosed this within a minute of me explaining my symptoms, and confirmed it with a simple exam.
A week later I tried to get a hold of Dr. Aleskow’s office, as advised by him to learn the results of my blood work. It then took Dr. Aleskow another week to finally get back to me with my results, only after I called a second time and noted that this was not my first attempt to get my results. To Dr. Aleskow’s credit, he did call me back within hours of my secant attempt to get ahold of him. Dr. Aleskow then asked to schedule another appointment for further followup. I politely declined Dr. Aleskow’s request for a followup visit and told him I would be seeking future medical treatment from a different practice. One would think this was the simple end of the story, but Dr. Aleskow called back within 15 minutes trying to get me to come back to his practice. I told him no and restated the reasons above. Dr. Aleskow then went on to explain that he did not make a mistake as this was part of his reasoning for giving me a referral. I noted the doctors error in his logic, as a rectal exam is indeed part of an adult male’s physical, with or without a hernia. He claimed that this is an invasive procedure and he did not want to subject me to it. I responded to Dr. Aleskow by informing him that not only is this a standard procedure in male physicals, but he failed to even perform a visual exam (which would have shown the simple issue). Dr. Aleskow arrogantly and belligerently continued to try to argue his case. Not only is Dr. Aleskow a bad doctor, his response to this whole situation was unprofessional.
For those that read this, please seek your medical help from another doctor.
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