2 1/2 stars. I was a patient of Dr. Kovacs' from November 2011-12, during which time I had 2 appointments with her.
Synergy Medical & Wellness' office is extremely small, & though doors are wheelchair accessible, there is little space there for either a wheelchair or a large stroller in the waiting room or in the exam rooms. Otherwise, its facilities are adequate.
One must pay to park here. Alternatively, park alongside the Houston Museum of Natural Science as space permits, or at Hermann Park.
My first appointment was brilliant. Dr. Kovacs was thorough w/o resorting to over-care. Moreover, she was kind, courteous, & helpful, & went out of her way to keep my shy 1 1/2 year old son happy--affecting my well-woman exam while he sat astride my chest. That's patient-centered care. Both the general physical & gynecological portions of the exam were efficiently & ably handled, & gave the impression that Dr. Kovacs has good clinical skills.
I became pregnant with twins just weeks later, & when my back began to give out, 6 months later, Dr. Kovacs' office afforded me a referral to a chiropractor, w/o insisting on an office visit. This took some time to complete--Dr. Kovac's nurse needed a reminder or 2, & the referral was ready w/in a month, though no sooner.
Ten months later, I returned to the office in the wake of the extremely problematic & horrific deliveries of my twin daughters, & their grim first month of life (grim, b/c one of them underwent open heart surgery at 3 weeks of age & was hospitalized for the whole of the month). My experience at my OB/GYN practice, reviewed elsewhere, was so degrading & humiliating, & the quality of care so poor that I had chosen to forgo the aftercare that my insurance had already paid for. Too late, I learned that no other OB/GYN would see me until I was 4 or 5 months postpartum, unless it was for issues unrelated to my deliveries (Though how could one be sure they were unrelated, so early on. ?). One nurse suggested that her surgeon might agree to see me, if I obtained a doctor's referral; & so I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Kovacs. In addition, I was suffering from unexplained bleeding, & was concerned that the the internal incision from my c-section may not have been sutured well--as even my staples had somehow been botched, & worried that I was becoming depressed.
I would like to say that I believe that I was treated with respect & compassion, though I am unsure that this was the case. The office staff was not exactly gracious about the fact that I arrived with a 3-seat stroller, & left me in an exam room large enough to accommodate the stroller, w/o it, holding in my arms both of my 2 month old daughters (one of who's sternum had been broken in the course of her surgery & was not yet fully-healed--& I think it must have been painful for her to be held w no other support than my arm). Luckily, as at my first visit. we were seen promptly. As before, Dr. Kovacs was generous w her time. She was reassuring regarding my bleeding, though advised me to seek the opinion of an OB/GYN. She seemed annoyed that I was requesting a referral that my insurance doesn't require. And regarding this, I am sympathetic--I frankly don't understand the system of patient referrals here in the States, & it certainly could be that I shouldn't have asked Dr. Kovacs for help, in this regard, though she would be receiving monetary compensation for this. But she also seemed both annoyed that I questioned the adequacy of the stapling job (or rather, as I told Dr. Kovacs, the very experienced nurses who'd removed the staples over a somewhat grueling 2 hour period had) & surprisingly unsympathetic to all I had been through--so much so that I chose not to confide in her my fear that I was suffering from postpartum depression, though this would certainly have been obvious to any competent medical professional. And Dr. Kovacs is undoubtedly a capable Dr., not just a competent one.
Ultimately, Dr. Kovacs offered sensible advice regarding my other problems. More importantly, she did promise to procure the referral for an OB/GYN, but though I called her nurse once or twice with a reminder, she never did follow up.
I was left again w/o care, bleeding, afraid, & depressed.
I do not think too badly of Dr. Kovacs. While I was well, she was a wonderful doctor. And doubtless, the total lack of compassionate & quality medical care I received from my OB/GYN makes me overly sensitive to it elsewhere. Had her staff not been so incredibly inconsiderate, & had her nurse followed up, I would no doubt have continued on as her patient--& a happy one at that.
Regardless, Dr. Kovacs; her nurse; & her office staff weren't there for me when I was afraid I might be unwell. And this, of course, was the very time I needed their care. Dr. Kovacs is a capable Dr.; but I recommend you look elsewhere for a practice that provides compassionate care & follows up when you need it most. I will too. read more
