Always available, not always on time. I like Dr. Berlin's forward, no-nonsense approach. Unlike other doctors who've embodied that quality, he's also pretty nurturing and has the kind of curiosity you want in a doctor. He doesn't seem bored with you or beaten down. He is my primary care doctor because he was in-network. I hate that every time I am there for an afternoon appointment, I have to wait up to an hour to see him. I'm of the belief that an appointment is an appointment. I am now trying for a morning visit, in hopes it won't be so crazy. I think that's the casualty of having a caring doctor - he takes time with everybody! read more

I had one of the worst experiences I've ever had with a doctor in my entire life. He was presumptuous, offensive and unyielding. I'm a medical provider and his approach is definitely of the old school, where doctors can say what they want to their patients without feeling there are consequences. I only went to his office once so have no idea how he manages medical problems. All I know is that first impressions are lasting and in this case I found Dr. Berlin unacceptable as medical provider. read more

Great experience. Professional and intelligent! Explains well and gives all his time. I felt he was to my best interest. I highly recommend Dr. A. Berlin! read more

Dr. Berlin has been my primary care physician since 1993 and he is an excellent physician. His diagnostic skills are truly impressive; through all of these years he called it right every time. His manner is frank, direct and sincere. Some might confuse his intensity for hostility, but Dr. Berlin takes pride in his skill and he actually has a very good sense of humor. Dr. Berlin puts his resources into what counts and he has a lot of equipment on site and a very capable staff. The facility itself, while totally adequate, is not fancy but it is very functional. I have always been impressed by the fact that if I really needed to see Dr. Berlin, his staff found a way to fit me in. Dr. Berlin is as fine a doctor as I have ever known. I would recommend him without hesitation. read more

My husband and I have been terrible about getting annual check-ups. The only time we see a doctor is when we're sick. So, we made an appointment with Dr. Berlin and had no idea what to expect. The other 2 reviews were positive; we were looking forward to establishing a long-term doctor/patient relationship. Unfortunately, Dr. Berlin isn't the doctor for us. Our appointment was just really bizarre! From the frazzled ladies at the front desk, to Dr. Berlin loudly discussing a billing issue with Verizon for nearly a half hour for everyone to hear, we witnessed a doctor with a lot on his plate and a staff that isn't able to keep up with him. He's very high energy and seems to know what he's doing, but his multi-tasking can backfire. He answered his cell phone in the middle of the examination to discuss his sons qualifications for some program! He was also very abrupt with us, at one point making a comment about knowing all he needed to know about us since we're overweight. For a simple check-up, we were in his office for over 2 hours. He requested my husband come back to follow-up on his blood pressure readings. His office called a few days later and said he would be doing an echo cardiogram. This sounded serious. When he got there, the ladies were still frazzled and told him they made an error- the guy doing echo cardiograms didn't have enough patients lined up and canceled. Why didn't they call us to reschedule? No wonder, our blood pressure readings were high while we were there! We've decided to find another doctor. Second opinions are always good, especially since we don't know if his readings were truly accurate. We wanted to give him a second chance, but the scheduling mishap really upset my husband. UPDATE: 9/11/09- received a bill for $150 from Dr. Berlin's office from this end of February appointment. I hate surprise medical bills! Wish we would have known to expect this. We never went back to Dr. Berlin and will never recommend him to anyone we know. read more

I've been going to Dr. Berlin for more than a decade and I find him reassuring and calm. He does not order a lot of unnecessary tests and realizes that most of what ails us -- even when we're feeling bad -- is most likely pretty ordinary stuff. His office is crowded but so what? To me, that only means he's like every other doctor on the planet. I've never not waited for a doctor but of course I've only lived in NYC my whole life. Maybe it's different elsewhere but not here. read more

Worst. Doctor. EVER. Really. I do not say this lightly. I had several bad to mediocre experiences with Dr. Berlin, until this weekend when I had an experience that left me speechless and enraged. I have seen Dr. Berlin, in total, three times for back pain, two times for colds/coughs. I called to ask if the doctor would re-write prescriptions for an anti-inflammatory and a painkiller that he has written me prescriptions for in the past. Dr. Berlin called me back, claimed he didn't know who I was and that I'd been to his office once, over a year ago for tonsilitis (I've never had tonsilitis, and I'd been to see him in January). When I told him I had been there less than a year ago for my ongoing back pain, he said, "NO, you were here in September. Oh. Yeah that was 8 months ago. But I'm still not writitng you a prescription." AND THEN HE HUNG UP ON ME. He did not ask me about the nature of my pain. He did not invite me to make an appointment to see him. He didn't ask me anything. He simply hung up on me. When I called him back immediately to ask him why he hung up on me, he put me on hold, took another phone call (I could hear him speaking), and then HUNG UP ON ME AGAIN. I should say here that the whole conversation lasted about 1.5 minutes. I was not pushy. I stated facts that should have been in my chart. This man is supposed to by my doctor. My primary care physician. The person who will treat me when I am ill. And my back pain - which I have seen him 3 times about before - is very, very real. Suffice to say I would NEVER recommend Dr. Berlin to ANYONE, EVER, not even in an emergency. My experience was the most callous, rude thing I have ever seen or heard of a doctor doing. He is lacking compassion, professionalism, and basic logic and common sense. Awful, awful, AWFUL doctor. read more

I had very negative experiences every time i went here. I chose him as my PCP because he was close to where I lived and was board certified. However, I didn't see HIM for almost a year. The Physician's Assistant or NP was the one who always saw me. There was always an argument about my prescriptions and any treatment. I complained to my insurance company that I could never get an appointment to see my DOCTOR, not these wannabes. When I finally saw Berlin, he was the worst of them all! I had to get new referrals from him to see my specialists because the insurance co. required it. He was pompous and told me I shouldn't be taking this and that, when a board certified specialist told me I should be. He said he could handle any thyroid problems in his office and would not give me a referral to my endocrinologist, or for that matter, anybody else. He said let's try you on this & that. I told him off, that I am not a damn lab rat. I had courses of medicine that were working fine for me and I was not about to risk messing up my health to suit his ego and fill his pockets. He wanted all the business for himself. No cake for the specialists! But he was to busy to actually see me except that one time. I reported him to my insurance co. and changed doctors right away. I'd say if you don't really know anything about your medical condition, you might find him to be OK. He's a good talker. But if you have seen good doctors and specialists before, for the same conditions you tell him about, you might want to punch him. read more

Worst doctor experience of my life. I called to ask if I could come in as a walk in. They said they could squeeze me in if I got there in the next 10 minutes. I did and then proceeded to wait 1 hour and 45 minutes. His staff talked about ordering food this whole time. It made me want to puke. Dr. Berlin would come shuffling out to the reception area every once in a while. He seemed confused and overwhemled. Finally got into a room. A woman came in and checked my vitals. She didn't smile once and was overall unconcerned. She didn't write down any of the info gleaned from the vitals. The doctor came in 20 minutes later and asked what was wrong. Then he left. 2 minutes later another "doctor" came in and asked what was wrong. It hurts to talk. My throat feels like it's bleeding. I tell him my throat feels like it's bleeding. He looks at it with one of those wooden things and in the same sweeping movement goes to the prescription pad. Wow, a z pack. This "doctor" who really just was an assistant wrote me a presciption in 90 seconds flat. Rude, rude, rude. If you want a thorough doctor who doesn't just hand out prescriptions to z packs like candy go somewhere else. read more

I relocated to the NY area recently and Dr. Berlin is the designated contracted industrial medical physician by my employer for my annual physical examination and random drug screening. Coming from a family of professional medical physicians, it is very apparent that Dr. Berlin and his weekly office rotation of several Physician Assistants are not well organized or have any genuine interest in the average patient which they see. In addition, the office and staff is very unorganized in general and their practice is to request many additional tests on the patients even when not required, to include incomplete or the wrong tests for their diagnosis while creating a large bill often not covered by average insurance companies. Expect long waiting times and mediocre service. I have decided not to return to his office and location, and highly "NOT" recommended! read more

So you will think I work for this guy because I've never reviewed before but it took my profound love and admiration for this doctor and his staff to impel me to finally write a review. Both my husband and I are patients of Dr. Berlin. He is by far the best clinician I have ever had the misfortune of needing to see. His diagnostic abilities are sincerely miraculous. He can hear a cough in the waiting room, from three examining rooms away, and know its reason. The guy is a star, plus he has a great sense of humor, is not a tragedian (in other words doesn't cause you to freak out when you've been told you have whooping cough, which I unfortunately was once; misdiagnosed several times by other doctors before he got it right, by the way). I love his staff; lovely people. I even bought a Barnes and Noble gift card for his main receptionist (sue me for supporting a monopoly) because she is so responsive and helpful with scrips and appointments and lab results. Last minute appointments can usually be accomodated, which is critical for me because I always wait until I'm half-dead before I make a call to see a doctor. Dr. Berlin is witty and lots of fun but he is also a sensitive, serious-minded professional with a warm heart. I almost look forward to getting sick, almost. Anyway, I just can't recommend this g.p. enough. He is so well-rounded that I haven't needed a dermatologist, or allergist for that matter since seeing him. He can do everything. He seems to have a lot of diabetic patients for some reason so if you are one, he might be the guy. Also, he somehow compelled my husband to stop smoking, though my husband said he wasn't rude or harsh. He takes people where they are without judgement. He even haggled for me to get a cheaper ultrasound for my kidney (had a stone) when I was transitioning from one insurance company to another. He's so thorough in his care. Also, he's not someone who just treats symptoms. I mean, he is pretty informed regarding nutrition, etc. He figured out that I was lactose intolerant even as I had NO gastrointestinal symptoms. My allergies went away the minute I cut down on my dairy-intake. Anyway, I love him. Dr. Berlin, THANK YOU, if you ever read this. Sorry to ramble, yelpers. read more

I laid at home for three days with what I thought was bad strep throat and a fever. When it was clear that my condition was worsening, I called around to local doctors - no one near my house would take my insurance, but Dr. Berlin's office said to come in anyway - that they could hear that I was very ill. Dr. Berlin immediately diagnosed me with a rare case of tonsillitis that could rapidly move into the blood stream and be very dangerous. He was calm and responsive to my worried state and he answered all my questions. He spent time making me feel better and even making me wait at his office while he ordered shots and antibiotics for me. Then he called me the next morning to follow up. I was planning a trip abroad in a few days and he stayed in contact with me to monitor my condition and make sure I was ready to go. He was very personable and is obviously a physician for the right reasons - it was very clear that he cared about my health. Highly recommended. I will be switching to Dr. Berlin as my primary care physician. read more

I have only seen him once so far but I really liked Dr. Berlin. He spent a lot of time with me and was very thorough. He is funny and has a personal touch. His staff is very nice too. I hope I will be healthy and hardly ever have to see him, but I will definitely return when needed. read more

Need to watch out with Dr. Berlin. He was my doctor during a routine checkup. I wanted to get a blood test so I asked the clinic how much I can expect to pay. No one had an answer. When he got to the room I asked him. He was friendly and I liked his sense of humor but his reply: "don't get one, it's a waste of your money.' So I asked him how much and his reply was "You're uninsured right? It'll be like $75." Being ignorant I told him "that's less than I was intending to pay today, just do it!" My blood work came back fine (woo hoo!) and then I get a bill for $906 from Quest Diagnostics. I take full responsibility for my ignorance on the matter but he should keep his mouth shut when it comes to other peoples money. I felt betrayed. And I did my part to contact him but no reply. I contacted the clinic and all I got was "oh my god, that's terrible. I'm sorry that happened." Sorry doesn't pay off an annoying debt collection agency. I hate to post something like this but hope that this helps someone else make an informed decision. read more

i was very unhappy with dr. berlin. a long long wait for a simple blood test, the assistant could not remember why i was there, endless on-hold waiting, i heard dr. berlin chew out his younger associate for making mistakes in front of all the patients, dr. berlin told me i should stop taking my anti-seizure mediation without even seeing my brain MRIs [this would provoke seizures, according to my excellent neurologist]. and they never told me the lab they use does not take my insurance, so now i have to pay for my labwork [s very small sum, but still]. the office is a visual mess. he is, however, very nice and personable. read more