When I first moved to Chicago, I made the mistake of picking a doctor, specifically, an OB/GYN near work for a number of circumstances at the time. Out of pure laziness, I stayed with this practice because it was nearby and whatever other excuse I had at the time. I excused some behaviors I shouldn't have especially with someone who would one day deliver my future children. Around the time I was getting married, I decided that I was tired of being treated poorly with this important doctor need. Through a friend's recommendation, I became a patient of Dr. Catherine Chen's. I booked my appointment well in advance to meet my insurance timeline, etc. I got to my appointment on time and did the paperwork thing. Despite the main office supporting a number of doctors, my appointment occurred on time and promptly. I had a nice meeting with Dr. Chen before doing the examination. She rolled her eyes when I told her that I hadn't been listened to where I previously went. She thought it was absurd that a doctor would ignore some basic bloodwork for the peace of mind of their patient. After the meeting, I had my exam. She's gentle and through. For me, it was the first time having a woman OB/GYN, so she fits the bill as a great one. Before I left the office, I had some bloodwork done. Honestly, I look forward to working with her when I'm pregnant. She's nice and kind. After going through my first appointment, I could see her being a friendly, warm face in the delivery room not someone who I want to constantly yell and fight about with my care. read more

After yelping i decided to chose Dr. Chen as my baby doctor. The office staff is friendly and efficient. After going to this office for more than 7 months, I have never waited to see the doctor. Back to Dr. Chen, she is awesome. She is extremely knowledgeable, understanding and not pretentious at all. Several times she has put me in my place when i was resistant to the truth. As an added bonus she treats my husband (who comes to every visit) like a partner in this not a spectator. Ladies if you are looking for a lady baby doc--Dr. Chen is your girl! read more

I am super picky with doctors and asked a lot of people for recommendations before I went to Dr. Chen. She is currently the ob/gyn for my best friend's pregnancy, and she could not have spoken more highly of a doctor. I just returned from my first visit, and she was fantastic. She is young, completely professional, but very personable and direct. She LISTENS to your history, concerns and makes great suggestions. I am the type of (annoying) patient who asked a millions questions, and she answered every one of them in a way that was easy for me to understand. I did all my annuals and was in and out. The doctors and nurses are incredibly efficient here. I started exactly at my appointment time, had to do little to no waiting, and I was on my way. I definitely recommend Dr. Chen for anyone looking for a new doctor. Parking is available across the street on Erie, and they validate. read more

Ok, so the first time I left Dr. Chen's office, I was already considering a switch. Blame it on the nerves, I guess. She is awesome! I had to a call a couple of times to change my Rx for BC because of various insurance brew-ha-ha, and she was amazingly easy to get in touch with. Where else can you e-mail your doctor and receive a response within a day? She listens to my concerns and addresses them frankly, honestly and with care. read more

Dr. Chen is the best. She is incredibly enthusiastic and encouraging, extremely knowledgeable, and really supportive. My primary care doc recommended Dr. Chen, and I was so glad that she did. My pregnancy was pretty smooth, so most of the prenatal visits consisted of Dr. Chen informing me of what to expect next, and of me asking questions. She speaks quickly and smiles all of the time. She never makes you feel rushed. She welcomes questions and is great about giving honest answers. She encourages partners/husbands to be involved in the prenatal visit process. I really appreciated her enthusiasm. I was past my due date and was set to be induced. Dr. Chen asked if we could set the induction date so that she could be the OB at the hospital that day to deliver our baby. It meant a lot to me that she really wanted to be there to see my pregnancy through the end. Dr. Chen's excellence became acutely evident during my delivery. There were a few complications, and I am confident that the reason that everything turned out fine for me and my daughter is because Dr. Chen is a fantastic OB. Also, during the "push" part of the delivery she was really encouraging and supportive. Lastly, she truly went above and beyond with my postpartum care. I had a tough recovery, and she suggested I see a pelvic physical therapist, who completely helped me work through my postpartum healing issues. Dr. Chen also was a great listener when I had some postpartum emotional issues that I was struggling to handle. I spent a long time in her office during my six-week follow up visit. I know she had other patients to attend to, but she was willing to give me the time I needed, and I really appreciated that. Dr. Chen is a great OB/GYN-- I would recommend her to everybody. read more

Dr. Chen is absolutely amazing! I switched to her (after much research) right when when I discovered I was pregnant- one of the best decisions ever! She was such an amazing support throughout the whole pregnancy & she shared all of her knowledge and expertise with my husband & I throughout the process. She unfortunately was not on call when I went into labor, so she did not deliver our son. However afterwards, I had some postpartum issues- had to be readmitted, had surgery & also dealt with some 'baby blues' and again I can not speak enough of her unbelievable support. Seriously do not know what I would have done without her! read more

Dr. Chen is amazing. She is brilliant, friendly, thorough, kind, patient and absolutely dedicated to providing the best health care she can. She truly cares about her patients. When I had an emergency last year, she followed up with me not only via numerous appointments but via many phone calls - from both she and her wonderful nurse, Karen. I knew I was getting the best care I could get. Additionally, Dr. Chen is wonderful with significant others - every time my boyfriend has been with me at her office, she has sat and talked with both of us and made sure that all his concerns and questions were addressed as well. She is a great listener, and she welcomes all questions. I can't say enough wonderful things about Dr. Chen - she's just fantastic. I absolutely refuse to see anyone else! read more

LOVE the NMPG group! All the providers in this practice are fantasitic, they even care for my 2 sisters who are very pleased with them. Punctual, I have never had to wait more than a few minutes for my scheudled appoitment, I am in and out in a reasonable amount of time depending on the type of visit. The physicans have excellent bedside manners, they meet you in their office if you are a first time patient and speak with you prior to the exam, all of the support staff are nice. Now that I am pregnant with my first, I have been rotating with all the different MD's (you never know who will deleiver you) and they take the time to listen to your complaints and the visit is never rushed. scheulding is a bit of a pain, not many late evening hours for the hubby to make the visits with me, but overall very happy! read more

LOVE Dr. Chen! She was referred to me, and I'm so glad she was. She's SO efficient! In and out, no run around or fluff, and I appreciate that, especially when you're there all the time during pregnancy. I have never had to wait or have my appointment pushed back. She's sweet, funny, and an amazing dr. Go see her! read more

I had to write a review for Dr. Chen and her practice because they have been so incredible for me and my husband. As context - We have now had 2 kids. My first pregnancy and delivery went incredibly smoothly - and Dr. Chen ended up being on call when I delivered 3 weeks early. My second pregnancy was incredibly complicated with two week-long hospitalizations, several emergency visits and 3 months of bedrest, followed by an emergency procedure post-delivery. Via that pregnancy I interacted with every single doctor in the practice in a substantial way. I cannot speak highly enough of this practice. Dr. Chen - As everyone has said, she is incredibly down-to-earth and easy to talk to. She has such good energy and has patience for as many or as few questions as you have and speaks matter-of-factly and directly to you - with easy-to-understand explanations for some complicated issues. She cares a lot and stays close to your case. During my more complicated pregnancy, even if she wasn't the doctor on call, she would call me to check in, both in the hospital and at home, and gave me a number to reach her with questions. And, as someone mentioned, she was fantastic with my husband and he really likes her. Often at our weekly visits, she would ask how he was doing (if he wasn't there) because he was more of a nervous wreck than I was and she knew this was difficult for him. When he was there - she spoke to both of us & was very inclusive of him in everything. And in the delivery room for my first, she was fantastic! She kept me calm and was reassuring every step of the way. And fun to talk to - during the moments when you can do that! BTW, her nurse Karen is great too! The rest of the practice - While I would still pick Dr. Chen first for me, I cannot speak highly enough of each doctor that I interacted with. Dr. McNair is a favorite of mine. When I first met her with my first pregnancy, I thought she was a bit 'tougher' to get to know. But she happened to be the doctor on call for a couple of my major issues with my second pregnancy and she was fantastic. Exactly the person you want to interact with. She listened to me and was reassuring that my concerns were real (vs some doctors' - not at this practice - tendency to think you are blowing things out of proportion) and her confidence made me feel like things were very much in control. She was easy to talk to - and even made us laugh at a stressful time. I can now easily say that I would probably go to her if I didn't have Dr. Chen. But, in all honestly, I liked every doctor - both because they were personable and because I felt confident in their competence -- each knew me and my 'case' so I wasn't back-tracking every time I spoke with them. And felt like I was getting very good care throughout both pregnancies. read more

Catherine is fantastic! She operated on me laproscopically to remove an ovarian cyst and did a really great job -- what could have been a terrible experience (given what I've heard from others who have had the procedure) was actually very smooth & easy and I recovered very quickly with very tiny scars to show for it! She's a great doctor who does a great job of listening to and communicating with her patients, and I encourage anyone looking for a great OBGYN to give her a try. I've never found an OBGYN I was very happy with before now, but I trust her guidance and am looking forward to continuing to see her in the future for 'all of my OBGYN needs'! read more

It's been over a month after my first and last appointment with Dr. Chen, and I still have not received the results of my PAP smear. The staff is unfriendly and rushed. Dr. Chen is quite rushed as well and did not answer all the questions I had. The pelvic exam was extremely painful (and I've had gallstones and kidney stones) and very rushed as well. It was the worst I have ever had in fact. I was told by Dr. Chen that the exam was particularly painful because I wasn't currently sexually active, but I'm pretty sure this is an erroneous statement as vaginas do not shrink. As I was rushed to end the appointment, Dr. Chen said that I would be mailed results if the PAP was negative, or called if it was positive, which as I mentioned, was about one month ago. Dr. Chen quickly made her exit, leaving me with several unanswered questions about my condition. I was not even given a lousy brochure, and no follow up visit was requested by Dr. Chen, which has never been my experience with any physician. Northwestern has changed in the last eight years, and patients are treated as if they don't matter. and are simply one pesky part of their administrative processes. This is probably because Northwestern is perceived, and I say the word perceived, as one of the better places to go for competent healthcare. They fall quite short in my estimation, and Dr. Chen was just one more example of this failure. I will be taking my business elsewhere. Although I would have to drive a greater distance, both Rush and The University of Chicago are teaching hospitals that would be good options for me as they have leading physicians on staff and are not as massive an entity/corporation as is Northwestern. Northwestern is like a meat market and should care far more about quality of care and patient satisfaction. read more

Could not be more pleased with Dr. Chen- she is very knowledgeable and is very easy to talk to. I've lived in several different cities over the past 6 years, and she is one of the few doctors I have ever had that I go out of my way to recommend to others! read more

This review isn't for Dr. Chen per se, but rather for the office and method for booking appointments in general. After extensive research and reading many amazing reviews for Dr. Chen, I knew I wanted her as my physician. I called her office, and the staff member who answered the phone took all my info (contact info, reason for visit, insurance info) and informed me that I would receive a call back in 2 days to schedule my appointment. I thought it was a little weird that the person who answered the phone couldn't just book the appointment for me, but was ok to wait a couple days. When several days passed and I didn't receive a phone call, I called them back to follow up. The person who answered the phone that time confirmed the information they had in their system and then told me they'd send a reminder and I would receive a call the next day. It's now been 1.5 weeks, and I haven't heard back at all. Desperate to have my first prenatal appointment, I abandoned the idea of going with Dr. Chen and found another doctor who had just as amazing reviews, but was able to book an appointment over the phone right away. Very disappointed and confused by their booking system! read more

Dr. Chen is the absolutely best physician that I've ever encountered. She is the complete package - amazing bedside manner (genuine care and concern), incredibly knowledgeable and easy to reach. Our pregnancy was somewhat risky as there was an area of concern presented in the ultrasounds. While, eventually, we were under Children's care, Dr. Chen remained completely engaged and was always so easy to reach. She was part time - but always available by phone or email. Even though she was "off" at the time of delivery - she came in to perform the emergency c-section... She also dropped by the following day on her way to the office - simply to check in and see how we were doing!?! I can't say enough good things about her... She's fantastic! PS - her nurse, Karen, is wonderful as well!! read more

As a testament to how great Dr. Chen is, I also received a referal from a friend who sees Dr. Chen and spoke highly of her. And I agree with everyone else's comments about Dr. Chen, she is smart and I can tell she's one of those rock star MD's. The only complaint I have is it takes FOREVER to get an appointment with her because of the demand. It took 3 months before I got in for a new patient exam and when I had some concerns it took 3 weeks to get an appointment. Although Dr. Chen is a 5 star practitioner, it takes way too long to get an appointment!! read more

Dr. Chen is incredible. She is so personable and so smart, which I think makes a perfect doctor. She is caring and thorough. Couldn't ask for a better experience with her. read more

I just realized I have to share my thoughts on Dr. Chen. I was about 7 mos pregnant when I decided I just wasn't happy with my current obgyn. I had tried to make it work, but just could not imagine this woman delivering my baby. So, after two friends recommended Dr. Chen, I decided to make a change. And I am SO HAPPY that I did. Dr. Chen made the experience exactly what I wanted it to be. She made me feel totally comfortable and as if she were really excited to share in this experience with me. She was not the doctor on call when I went into labor :( however, was scheduled to come in later that day. When she found out I was in labor, she came to the hospital early so she could deliver my baby. I can not say enough good things about Dr. Chen. My daughter is 9 mos now and it is funny b/c I actually miss Dr. Chen. I have a slight crush on her and just think she is the greatest! I highly recommend her if you are considering. read more