I would agree with the other reviews, her bedside manner is terrible. She always seems distracted and rushed. Every time I have had an appointment she is always running at least 30 minutes behind. I would not recommend her and am trying to find a new Dr. read more

Dr. Starr has been my PCP for over 15 years and she is great. I agree with all the positive remarks on here. She is attentive and efficient and refers me to top notch specialists when necessary. Dr. Starr has called me after hours to give test results or to give a referral I requested. Her assistants and office staff are also great. Making appointments is easy and they were very helpful with some insurance changes I went through last year. read more

I picked Dr. Starr after looking for a doctor for days and no one was accepting patients, but her... My visit was ok... She was a little weird to me and I'm sorry I decided to be so honest with her... My honesty was the reasoning to anything going wrong with me... My potassium levels were low and she blamed it on my honesty... My leg hurt... it was my honesty... I went home and cracked up with family and friends -- even though my dad agreed with her!!! Anyway, I like the waiting area, it wasn't crowded and I didn't wait long to see her after I saw the nurse... I didn't notice the picture of the sons, but I loved that she did such thorough blood work and the technician taking the blood was great with me! I still cry when I get shots... LOL! The receptionists were kind of lousy, but I just chalked that up to them being miserable... This was interesting... I had to make an physical appointment and didn't have the phone number so i googled her, saw the YELP reviews and started reading... If I could change, I might, but the trouble I went through finding her was enormous... I like the location and it gives me an excuse to go to Golden Temple!!! :) read more

I also had a nightmarish/ traumatic first & last interview with Dr. Fern Starr. As prior people said, she was glued 2 her computer; payed more attention to the # of minutes we took; (highly inappropriate for an 'Interview Meeting" 2 see if was expert enough about autoimmune problems; i.e., whether we could work together)? My prior excellent PCP, who no longer accepts my Insurance, is willing/eager to be available 2 consult with my new PCP. Can U imagine a physician telling a patient that 1 of their potentially serious diagnoses does not exist, (1 that COULD jeopardize a life, of which my prior PCP was SO aware-that she saved me 9 years ago; through judicious & aggressive use of particular medications.) First of all, Dr. Starr said THAT Particular Diagnosis (which can progress to fatal) does not exist, except as proven through blood tests. When I told her it had been diagnosed through blood tests MANY times, she somehow 'dismissed all my testing as invalid (not having seen 1).' She always had a comeback. Then came my next diagnosis, which is autoimmune & progressive; yet highly treatable. The prescription that helped me the most, she almost pridefully stated, "I've never prescribed THAT in my entire career!" OH Boy! Having multiple medication allergies, (including antibiotics) I often need to rely on 'alternative' methods. When I said that, Dr. Starr paled, & stopped looking at her computer. I had the Odd Feeling I'd said something "Obscene!" Trying to use humor, I asked, "Why, is that against your religion?" She said, "No." Bravely, again I suggested she could consult with my prior doctor. Then, she seemed to LOSE IT! She raised her voice, yelling, "I would NEVER call." I cannot see you as a patient. It will NOT work. You'd have me calling for every little thing, & I don't have time for it! My visits are supposed to be 15 minutes; we've spent close to 40 minutes. And WHO is going to pay me my $50, & WHAT will I will I write for a Diagnosis? So I tried to be helpful & humorous stating, "Well, there is a long list of diagnoses I came with. Certainly, you could choose from one of them. For clarification: (I said), "Let me get this straight. You do not know me & assume I'd have you call ALL the time. That's not who I am. " She:"No, I'd not call EVER! I don't have the time!" Trying to collect myself, I asked, "Would you please give me a written letter that you are refusing to see me & why?" She said she would. Next came 'THE CLINCHER,'@ which I can relate to one patient above, & ALSO had me make a tearful 'support call' from her Parking Area. YOUR CHILDREN (about whom she knew nothing) OUGHT TO BE PAYING $4,000 a year to have a CONCIERGE DOCTOR AVAILABLE TO YOU," followed by her storming out of the room! The waiting room was under construction (about which I thought they'd forewarn an individual with asthma); I needed an Aerolizer Treatment on the spot, as soon as I got a whiff of the air. AND personnel looked inefficient, tired, or annoyed to have to type anything. When I asked for my letter, I was told to wait. I DO have deep pride, & do not like to shed tears in public. When I asked the secretary about what this 'Concierge Thing' was, she merely stated it was "a physician that would be on call to you personally 24 hours a day!" Oh Boy! Then, while waiting for the the rejection letter, I could feel tears welling. WHAT AN INSULT! Just because it would take more than 15 minutes, I' m told I need a 24 hour a day Doctor! How NICE, Dr. Starr? I thought there was a rule to physician "Above all else do not harm!" Dr. Starr seems wrapped in her computer, her rigid & dangerous belief systems about how to treat people, or patients...ensconced in her own small world of self-contradictory belief systems. I felt so bad for the people above with the anxiety attacks & with the heart palpitations. After reading all of YOUR comments (Bless You for sharing them) I felt validated & LUCKY she did NOT agree to be my Doctor. That may have saved my life, yet! As for Stars, I vote that Dr. Starr get MINUS STARS, or give up the small # of Stars she has. To me, Dr. Starr merits NO stars, & IS no Star(r)! I believe she could be a potentially dangerous Doc to a person in a state of Emergency, if it arose @the 15'th minute of her time with them. BEWARE...Dr. Starr is wedded to an antiquated, robotic mode of practice. I fear for those to are yet 2 come. I believe she is a Malpractice Suit 'waiting for a place to happen!" G*D help us if she's the best BI/Deaconness has to offer us! Had I not been referred specially to her, AND had I not called ahead the day before to find out if she usually handled multiple diagnosis patients, & was told to, "Come along and discuss it with Dr. Starr" I'd not have been so appalled. This is scary, a waste of time & energy, & potentially hazardous... System Problem...It will NOT POST unless you give at least ONE star. I think NO STARS & Minus Stars ought to be allowed in such cases. read more

I am a guy. I had Dr. Starr 6 years ago as a PCP but left when my plan changed and ended up with Harvard Vanguard. I mostly went for physicals and once when I had the flu. Physicals must be boring for Doctors. Anyway she did not regale me with her bedside manner when on a physical, but she was knowledgeable and always direct in answering questions. She does not appear to be a fan or have extensive knowledge of alternative treatments, but I have that covered. She fit me in when i bruised my ribs recently and was on vicadin (sp) and came in hour late. I got better advice than the emergency room. I struggled the last few years trying to find a pcp. I have come to appreciate Dr. Starr. i had a real loser from Brigham and Woman's who did not know what core training was and said "I was wasting my time on anything but a treadmill''. He thought core training was weight lifting. I like Dr. Starr she cared in my case. i come prepared and she answers my questions. it works for me. read more

I have been to see Dr. Starr a couple of times over the last year, and I am generally unimpressed. The office is pretty crowded, and there's always a wait. Like other reviewers mentioned, Dr. Starr is an odd lady. She is not really warm and friendly, but I wouldn't call her cold - she's just kind of in the middle. She can be a little sarcastic, and she's VERY business-oriented. She does rely on her computer system a lot. She referred me to a couple of specialists for things that I would have expected her to be able to handle. And I've seen her chewing gum during at least two visits. read more

My experience with Dr. Starr was an absolute joke. After arriving 15 minutes early, I wasn't seen until 25 minutes after my appointment time when her nurse came out to fill her water bottle and casually mentioned to me I could come back with her. After the nurse took my vitals (and wrote them down on a post it note, no chart?!) I waited for another 30 minutes before Dr. Starr came in. After talking with me for about ten minutes and ordering a prescription for me (and sending to to the wrong pharmacy), she handed my urine sample back to me and asked me to run it up the stairs to the lab. Incompetent, inconsiderate and totally unprofessional, don't waste your time! read more

I just read the reviews of Dr. Starr while looking for her phone number. I feel that some of the reviews were unjust. Most of the people reviewing Dr. Starr had only visited her office once or twice. As a long time patient of Dr. Starr's (over 10 years). I find her services adequate and thorough. She doesn't have a seasoned bedside manner and her style does lend itself to the 1980s, but she has always been helpful and will even stay late if you need an appointment. read more

I have been a patient of Dr Starr's for many years. She is no-nonsense for sure. She does not try to your friend, your mother, you grandmother. She creates a very professional relationship with you. I have found that over time the relationship has grown and that we know each other well. Dr. Starr is conservative about medication prescriptions and prescribing off-label. On balance, I think that's a good thing. She is a very good doctor without a doubt. The only thing I would ask her to add to her routine is to make me aware from time to time that she has heard from one of my specialists and is aware of what's going on with me. However, now-a-days I can understand that she doesn't have the time. read more

She has been my pcp for over 10 years. Yes she stares at the computer but she is listening, recording and asking pertinent questions. She is an excellent diagnostician, a smart woman, a good person and she makes appropriate referrals when needed. read more

I needed a prescription for a medication suggested by another health professional so I made an appointment. My PCP was out of the office and Dr. Starr was covering. In the 24 hours since I made the appointment and the actual appointment I developed the flu virus. I am in the medical field and have had a lot of medical problems throughout my life. Usually I can walk in, or call, and say these are my symptoms, this is what I have and this is what I need. She acted like I was just asking for drugs, spoke to me in a condescending manner, and when she found out I had the flu (I had notified the front desk and nurse upon check-in) she acted like I had leprosy. She didn't really lay her hands on me, and kept prying for information before seemingly reluctantly giving me a prescription for the medication I came for. Although my chart is long and complicated there have been several instances over the last several months with multiple providers suggesting a need for the medication I came in for. When she handed it to me she said "now don't lose this. It's irreplaceable" ummm ok? I'm in my late 20's and came in reading a medical journal. I think I can be trusted to hang on to a prescription until I get to the pharmacy and can handle a medical conversation without dumbing it down. Overall not a fan, she was odd, had awful bed side manner, and treated me like a freak. In the end I got what I came in for without a follow up visit, so I guess it could have been worse. I'll be glad when my doctor comes back, and am going to avoid scheduling appointments with her if my PCP is out again. read more

I have been going to Dr. Starr for 20 years. I am a nurse and discontinued my prior MD because of his lack of empathy. Dr. Starr is amazing! She is thorough, she always pursues my each and every concern. She diagnosed my Lyme disease, she diagnosed whooping cough, both tough to call. I highly recommend her! read more

I've been going to Dr. Starr for years and think she's excellent, if a bit quirky. I don't mind her chewing gum; I find it endearing. She isn't exactly "warm and fuzzy" but she is kind. Her manner is appropriately serious, but she has a sense of humor. Around her, I remember that I'm an adult, which helps me feel calmer and braver. (I'm the nervous type.) What I like most is that she's smart, competent and listens. She is connected to a lot of very good specialists, and she's up-to-date with new research and recommendations. And best of all, I seldom have to wait more than a day to see her. She has gone the extra mile for me a few times -- when I had a breast cancer scare, for example, and was very anxious. The radiology dept at Beth Israel wanted to schedule my follow-up tests in about 6 weeks; Dr. Starr made some calls and I went the NEXT DAY. If you're anxious, scared and need tests, and your doctor can speed things up, that's pure gold. She also calls me (at 6:30 am sometimes) to explain test results, which I appreciate. Once I had weird visual migraine symptoms, at about 7 pm, and called her office, thinking I might be having a stroke because I couldn't see. She was still working at that hour, and calmly talked me through it. I can count on her when I need her, and she's come through in unexpected ways a number of times that make me glad she's my PCP. read more

I am a patient of another doctor in this practice, but I recently saw Dr. Starr when my doctor was not available. I agree with the comments about the long wait--there is always a long wait for any of the doctors in this practice, sometimes as long as an hour after the appointment time. In addition, some of the staff seem a bit out of it and lacking in empathy (although some are very good). However, I really was shocked by how very good Dr. Starr was considering how negative the comments on this site are. I presented Dr. Starr with a somewhat unusual and complicated case. She was very empathetic, very thorough, took the time to listen to me, and took action (including sending an email to a specialist who I believe she knew personally) in order to move things along for me, which was very appreciated because I was in considerable pain as a result of my condition. And she did all this even though I was not her patient, and she was in effect filling in for a colleague. I have no problem with the fact that she seems to use the computer a lot. She is in a complicated, difficult profession, and no doubt she knows the importance of taking good notes, and (I am assuming) checking databases that are available to her to confirm her conclusions. In addition, I think that her sense of humor/sarcasm may just not be understood by some people. I had no problem with it. Finally, I can't criticize her for chewing gum or doing whatever else she has to do to maintain her concentration in an environment where managed care requires her to see a ton of patients every day. In fact, I would give her five stars for the quality of the care she offered to me; I am reducing the number of stars only because I think that the office is poorly run. read more

My PCP since 2003. Yes, her fashion sense is nonexistent, and she knows it! Dr. Starr listens very carefully to her pt. and remembers every little detail from med school to make intelligent diagnoses. I like the 'relax' sign on the ceiling when she is doing a pap smear - never thought the pics of sons was inappropriate. She has shared personal information that made me feel she was human and that she understood what I was experiencing - not inappropriate info. to share. I find the office efficient, pleasant and like that it is accessible by T - in fact, parking is so tight, you are better off taking Green Line to Washington Square. They respond quickly when you need an Rx called into a pharmacy in or out of town. I have no complaints with Dr. Starr or anyone in the practice. Unlike another poster, I did have problems with Arun Mukherjee, who made an inappropriate comment to me in an appt. (totally inappropriate - I would never see him again after that first encounter) when he covered for Starr, who was out. Mukherjee also emphasized the wrong result and gave wrong in response to lab tests for my spouse, who has a lot of high risk problems. Mukherjee also was too strict about writing Rx's. To their great credit, the practice has replaced Mukherjee with a WOMAN MD who recently started. read more

Dr. Fern Starr is friendly and I honestly believe wants to offer the best she can to a patient. Unfortunately, the problem I have with her is a problem common to many Doctor's, and that is that you are viewed as a 'case' more than as a complete person, and will order every test known to man whether it is really necessary or not. As it was my first visit she wanted to order a whole bunch of "normal" blood tests. I am new to having my own insurance and was still figuring out how it all worked. I made this clear while I was with her, and specifically asked whether or not she believed these tests would cost me more money. Of course I do not expect her to know the details of my insurance plan, but would have appreciated a simple "I am not sure, you should check with your insurance company prior." Instead I got the "your policy is a pretty good one, they should be covered." Of course, they were not, and I was hit with a rather large and unexpected bill afterwards. So if you are thinking of seeing Dr. Starr, I believe that she will offer you sound medical advice, just be aware that she is one of the many Doctor's who prefer to order every test in the book, whether it is necessary or not. Check with your insurance prior to even taking "routine blood tests" at your annual physical. I certainly learned a lesson! read more

Wow I am shocked! I worked for Dr. Starr prior to becoming her patient. I became her patient for exactly some of the reasons some have stated make them give her a bad review. I have worked for many physicians and not many do I place in her category. Dr. Starr is an excellent physician, very thorough, very knowledgeble, and very dedicated. She is the first one at work in the morning and the last one to leave. She stays late reviewing test results, calling patients, and doing research. She may not be warm and fuzzy but she gets the job done. I'm not bothered by her sitting in front of the computer, she does this to review your history (she can't remember everything) and she does it to record new data (she'll forget later). Every problem I have come to her with she has diagnosed correctly and sent me to the proper specialist or for pertinent test. I remember once I was at work and felt a serious asthma attack slamming down on me, I raced to the pharmacy because my emergency inhaler was empty. I get there and I have no refills.... oh no I have to call my doctor after hours for a script, I thought I'd be dead for sure. Luckily for me Dr. Starr was on call that night, she called me immediately and I heard worry and compassion in her voice when she asked me what was going on. She demanded that I put the pharmacist on the line, she was really upset that they would stand there and not give me the medicine. I can tell many stories, but what's most important is she is smart, capable, and extremely competent and I wouldn't trade her for anyone! You may not get her, but I can tell you firsthand, she cares about her patients, she worries herself sick about her patients at times, and she drives her staff crazy over her patients lol. If you're looking for a doctor to give it to you straight, look no further. If you're looking for the sugar coated version of your promblems and ailments, see someone else. read more