The care I've received at Highgate is typically fine and occasionally bad. I think this office suffers from the same problem plaguing many practices: the doctors simply don't have enough time. This isn't their fault, but it does mean that you aren't likely to be treated as thoughtfully or thoroughly as you should be in a perfect world. Oftentimes I will have an issue, get an appointment quickly, be seen very briefly, and leave with an RX in hand. And most of those times, that is all I truly need and I'm satisfied with that. I liked seeing Dr. Semidey because she was very bright and astute, but she has left the practice recently. One of the worst visits I had was a same-day visit I requested because the lymph nodes in my throat had been painfully swollen for a few days. I saw a male doctor whose name I can't recall and he dismissed me completely. He said it was likely due to allergies and recommended I take allergy medications that I already take daily because yes, I do have allergies! I knew that this wasn't a typical symptom for me. The next day, I could barely speak and was in immense pain. I had tonsillitis. The office was helpful when I called back and prescribed me antibiotics, but I would never accept an appointment with a male physician again. I have been reassigned to Dr. Jacobs now that Dr. Semidey is not available. The advice I would give to patients (in general, not just Highgate patients) is to inform yourself as much as possible so you can best advocate for your care. Ultimately doctors are the authority, and I'm not the kind of person who is skeptical of the medical field as a whole, but knowing as much as you can about what is going on, what could be causing it, and what kind of solutions you're searching for can help you direct your care and advocate for your best outcome. read more

Stacey and her PA's (Jenna)will not see you if you are sick instead they push their work to ER or urgent care. Do your job better or switch careers. they will neglect you read more

Always amazing care here! Dr dlugosz and crew are personable, professional and caring

very professional and clean prompt and very nice easy to talk to and understand your needs

have been a patient for 20 years and i absolutely love love love Highgate... I have the best doctors... I love Dr. Luzi, Kim Mac Donald and Candy my diabetic educator... all three of these amazing peeps have had my best and their hand at guiding me to successful health so I can live a strong healthy life... All three are ROCKSTARS IN MY EYES and ask they would be recognized... I just appreciate them so much and truly this Thanksgiving I am so thankful for them and Highgate...praying blessings all over them as they have been a blessing in my life... they are a gift to this world! read more

Highgate is what happens when a bunch of textbook narcissists decide to open a medical practice together. Their staff are awful, sure, but it's the absolute lack of compassion or competence in patient care that makes this practice dangerous. My elderly parent came in complaining of an innocuous symptom that became excruciating over the course of a couple of months. Dlugosz told her she was "too emotional" and sent her to a sleazy sports medicine place. When we consulted with a neurosurgeon, we found that several vertebrae had almost severed her spinal cord. Nobody at Highgate did so much as a visual exam, much less ordered an x-ray or MRI. Even after imaging proved she had a serious condition, they still treated her like a liar, and remained far more interested in setting up gotcha scenarios than clearing her for the necessary surgery. The other specialists and primary care practices we dealt with in the Buffalo area all rolled their eyes when we mentioned my mom was a former Highgate patient, one doctor even saying they had several "Highgate refugees" in their practice. These people seem to despise their patients. And, for those of you praising this practice for same-day appointment availability, or little to no wait in the office, does it occur to you there's a reason they have so much room in their schedules? read more

I worked here. do not go here. They complain about you, make fun of you , the call center is not responsive. I have seen nurses on dating sites rather than answer the calls. i got fired because I was sick and no one offered to help me, just made fun of me. some doctors you cannot even approach with patients questions and they repsond critically to you when you reeach out to them on behalf of a patient read more

I have gone to Highgate Medical for over 30 years and have NEVER EVER experienced anything but excellent care. I call them very infrequently and have always gotten an appointment that same day, the receptionist(s) are very friendly and knowledgeable. I have Dr. Palowski as my primary physician and I certainly don't need to see him, the professional PA's take excellent notes and if need be, they talk to the doctor in my behalf. I have recommended Highgate to all my family and friends be a I know they will be cared for properly One time on a Sunday I was enroute for a 10 day cruise and realized I had left my thyroid medication at home. I called the answering service and the doctor called me back within 10 minutes. He instructed me to call the office on Monday and they faxed the prescription directly to the cruise ship. It definitely doesn't get any better than that! read more

You take the Highgate and I'll take the Lowgate and we'll never go to this Doctor's Office again. I was a regular patient here for years before I switched to Gumberts on Sheridan and some doctors in Lockport. I didn't have particularly good experiences here, to be honest. The Highgate Medical Group aren't awful, but having been to a really lovely doctor in Lockport, and to Gumberts, the best doctor ever over on Sheridan, all I can think is that this place could learn a hell of a lot about fees, customer service, and how to treat patients from the aforementioned. I never enjoyed a visit here, and never felt really cared about. read more

I was surprised by the overwhelmingly negative sense in the reviews here. I had my first visit today and it was a positive experience. Everyone was very pleasant and the office was on time, which is hugely important. The nurse and PA were friendly and personable. I got what I needed from the visit and felt very comfortable throughout. The girl at the counter checked my copay for me since I have new insurance and had no idea what it was. The reason I chose this practice is because I was looking for someone who is a PCP but also does sports medicine. Dr. Frietas came highly recommended from a bjj friend who blew out her knee in an MMA fight and needed surgery and rehab. She was very happy with the care she received (she fought and won her first fight since the surgery just the other night). I'll keep the review updated as I spend more time here. But overall, this was a much pleasanter experience than I've had at some other places. I felt comfortable, welcome, and taken care of. read more

mmature staff, I have never seem my real DR . Not even once. I had a dry cough and was told I had an "upper respitory infection even though my ex was crystal clear. I took all the medication as she prescribed and them on the last day I started to cough up blood. I call the office and they WOULDENT EVEN SEE ME. THEY JUST WANTED TO WRITE ANOITHE SCRIPT OF A STRONGER ANTIBOTIC! I left immediately and started seeing a DR at lifetime health. He ordered me an Cat scan and found 3 " nodules" on my lungs. I think leaving highgate saved me a hell a lot of heath issues down the road. they have no experience or just simply don't care! read more

My primary doctor is/was Dr. Freitas, after I went there just for a regular check up I left with the feeling that they don't care about patient at all. I have thyroid and when I said I need a medical prescription that is nursing friendly doctor was like "there is no other options" to me. It was upsetting. I wish I could find anything better at this point and change my physician at Highgate Medical. I already cancelled my husbands appointment, because I know they would not care! read more

Dr Luzi was the on call doctor this Sunday afternoon. I was in a lot of pain and When she called back, I explained to her my problem. I was SOBBING. I won't get into details but I interrupted her Sunday with my severe pain and she said two sentences and said "ok" and HUNG UP. Heartless awful person. read more

I have nothing but great things to say about this practice and its employees. Any time I've called, wait times have been minimal and staff has been helpful. I've received same day appointments as well as prescriptions over the phone. Each time I've had an appointment I've never had to wait more than five minutes to be seen. The care staff is very friendly and attentive. Specifically, nurse Kim and PA Stephanie are wonderful, caring and down to earth. Going to the doctor is never fun but Highgate makes it a positive experience! read more

Recently, I called to make an appointment and the person who greeted me on the other end of the phone was WAY less than enthused to be working. After that, she continued to be rude, judging by the tone of her voice. To me, going to the doctor is already no fun, and bad customer service makes it all the worse. read more

I am shocked by some of the reviews here. Dr. Frietas is by far the best doctor I have ever seen. All of the staff is personable and the PAs know what they are doing. I would never go anywhere else. If I had any criticism it would be that you do have to wait on hold sometimes. I have never had a problem scheduling an appointment right away if I was ill. I have and will continue to recommend them to other family and friends! read more

i was sorry to see the negative reviews on Yelp. I started out with one MD. When he left the practice, I was concerned about the treatment I would get with Dr. Freitas. He is great! His PA Alisha, is wonderful!! I am a Medical Marijuana patient and she is very supportive of me!! Not many medical personel are. They have evebn started a new serivice where a MSW calls and checks on you. This is a completely optional service. Wait times on the phone can be long, yes, HOWEVER, primary care is brutal. Overworked and medical professionals are leaving the field. There are people who are having bad days. The person that left the review about being in pain- I get it. I was in the ED for foot pain 4 weeks after surgery (No relation to Highgate). The ED sent me home without any tests. 2 days later a raging infection. You can get a rotten apple in the bunch. Overall, great people, great care. Recommend them highly. Last time I was in the PA asked me "what can I do to make your life better?" That meant a great deal to me. read more

Absolutely terrible office staff. The latest fiasco is that they denied me an Rx refill because the person didn't recognize a former doctor in their group's name. Once they realized the mistake, tried to cover saying they can't refill without an appointment. I was just there 5 months ago for my annual physical, so now they want another $200 from me to come in to pretend they need to see me to refill the Rx from my records. read more

If I could give this place negative stars I would!!!!!! The staff at this office are inconsiderate, immature and rude. I cannot call this office without being put on hold for a minimum of 20 minutes-30 every time. I have been here on several occasions, my first required me to get an MRI. They did not fill out the paperwork to give to the insurance company correctly, so it took me A MONTH before I could actually get an MRI for my torn ligament in my ankle, meanwhile I am in agony and can't walk. Then I finally get the MRI and they don't bill me correctly and charge me $200, when the whole reason it took a month to get it was so the insurance company could approve it. They act like treating their patients is an inconvenience to them. There have been instances where I needed to be seen for a re-occurring injury were I went into the office sobbing and they just hand out muscle relaxers and painkillers and send you on your merry way. I do not need or want to be popping muscle relaxers and pain killers everyday. I want real treatment but the staff at this office will not give you the time and attention you need as a patient to properly diagnose and care for you. There are more examples I could give you, but to keep it on the shorter side, do NOT waste your time here. They do not care about their patients. If you call and ask for anything the receptionists acts like it is the biggest inconvenience. You can get much friendlier and more accurate healthcare elsewhere. Be wary of the kind reviews, they don't know what they have gotten into yet. read more

I would give them a zero if I could. I was there for 5 years, before I received a letter in the mail that they would no longer be caring for me. I have Neurofibromas type 1 and they are growing all over my neck and back, I've also had them on my tongue and small intestines and bowel. Every time I went I would have to explain to the PA and Dr. Pawloski what it was. They never took my pain and bowel issues seriously. The doctor released me because I swore on the phone with the nurse. The report states that the nurse admitted that I wasn't swearing at her, or towards her. I explained that I was driving in the car and said bull **** to another car. I did say excuse my language, this car just cut me off. I asked that the recording be played back to me. Once again the nurse said I wasn't swearing at her, but they have in the policy that they can discharge you for language and she used that against me. The office manager which was very nice tried her hardest to keep me on, but it was the head nurse who wrote up the report. The office manager really expressed how sorry she was, and that she didn't think it was right, but the head nurse made a big thing about it. To make matters worst I was going through she serious medical issues at the time and would needed to go to two specialist and I almost couldn't go because I needed a reference. The office manager gave me a number to call and it did help me out. My husband is in the process of moving away from them as well. His blood pressure is extremely high and they keep giving him low doses of medication and his foot has been swollen for months and they keep telling him to take Ibuprofen for it. He finally called a foot doctor to find out he has gout. They were shocked and said he didn't show any signs to them that he had it. This place doesn't care about their patients and it seems like the doctors, PA, and nurses got their degree off line read more

I'd give them 0 stars if I could. Terrible excuse for a doctors office. I am fairly healthy and only go for my annual checkups, but I have literally not seen my physician, Dr. Pawlowski, in about 6 years. He should be ashamed of himself as a professional. I get one of his nurse practitioners or inexperienced PA's with terrible people skills and bad bedside manner. Calling in for prescriptions and appointments is a nightmare and always a hold. The receptionists are not friendly nor happy and they're clearly understaffed and overworked. Just do yourself a favor and get a new doctor and yank your medical records from them like I just did. Good riddance to the worst medical group in town. read more

I've been a patient there for many years but lately I am left with the feeling that the doctors there don't care about the patient's, just the $$. Sadly, I am left with the decision of do I even bother trying to find another doctor who actually does care or do I just not bother going to any doctors anymore and sticking with using the internet to self diagnose and treat. My visit today with the actual doctor, not even the PA, made me feel like I wasted my time and money. I won't be returning there again. Why bother?? read more

I do not recommend this doctors office. They are absolutely impossible to get ahold of. An hour minimum wait time just to call in and make a basic appointment! Once you finally make the appointment, its usually several days for you to get in, even for an emergency. Then once youre there, it take at least an hour for them to see you. I have only seen the actual doctor there ONCE, and that was for a car accident claim which is mandatory (yet again, it took them a week to fit me into see him after a major car accident!) The PAs are all very nice, but you only see them for about 3 minutes a visit. This doctors office is all about over medicating and not about testing to find the underlying cause. Terrible Service, not worth your time. read more