I was recommended Dr. Leonid V Karkanitsa by a friend who told me that this doctor is great and "really goes out of his way to get to know his patients."
I came to my physical (with many questions about some health concerns) hoping to see a doctor that lived up to his reviews. My experience was the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of someone who "likes to get to know his patients." The entire visit was a ABSOLUTE waste of time. He asked me the normal questions such as medications I am on, family history of illnesses, and then I told him some of the reasons why I came to visit a doctor. Every time that he would ask me a question, I would start answering and a few words in of me replying he just kept shaking his head and going "Ok, Ok, Ok..." and put his hands up to stop me from continuing to tell him IMPORTANT details. His first judgment of me was when he saw the medications I am on (prescribed by a psychiatrist) and with every medication he went on to say "I don't like that medication" and telling me to not take them (despite years of time spent working with a psychiatrist because I have PTSD). He was very rude and asked me why I was on any medications to begin with. I replied that I had PTSD. With little to no sensitivity he said "what happened to you that you have PTSD?" I replied I had been sexually assaulted at a young age and again in college. He had no reply went back to his computer. I told him many of my symptoms have to do with anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, depression and again he cut me off as I was speaking. He smiled and said something along the lines as 'people these days always saw they are anxious, what is there to be anxious about?' as well as "Everyone these days complain of being depressed, why can't anyone the days just deal with it?' Next, he told again to stop taking one of my medications as he claimed my slightly high blood pressure was/must be caused by this medication, knowing literally almost nothing about me. I told him in all honesty that at all doctors/dentists appointments my blood pressure and heart rate are always higher because I am get so nervous. He didn't listen to that and again just said he didn't agree with any of my medications.
When it came to asking me about my family history of illnesses I would tell him one family member, and then continued with a few others and again he raised his hands, signaling for me to stop talking. (What doctor doesn't want to hear about your family history even after asking?? It was as if he just had a couple boxes to check and wanted to move on to his next patient (I am pretty sure he got me in and out of that room in ten minutes). I told him multiple concerns, he tried cutting me off again saying "we will talk about this next appointment." I walked out of his office legitimately pissed off that I wasted my once a year covered physical by insurance on this guy. I waited till he hastily got his next patient and closed his door and I said the one of the office workers that he was rude, unprofessional, and didn't listen to me at all. Her reply was "do you want a female doctor??" I said I honestly did not care and that I just wanted a good doctor.
The hell of this visit did not end after I left after I made it home. A few days after my appointment I received a bill from his office for a $25 copay. I called the office and said that this was a mistake and it was a covered physical (I even specifically confirmed when checking in before filing out the vast amounts of paper work (I forgot to add HE DID NOT EVEN HAVE MY FORMS WHEN I WAS IN HIS OFFICE, they were still sitting at the desk of the woman who checked me in when I was leaving). The office when I called said that my appt. was listed as a "new patient intake appointment." I was at his time incredibly angry, I told the woman on the phone that this was a mistake and I clearly confirmed it was a yearly physical when checking in, it took ten minutes of basically arguing with her and then out of the blue she goes 'oh you are right....this was a physical. My god. Don't waste your time going to see Dr. Leonid V Karkanitsa. He was inconsiderate, rude, unprofessional, and not willing to answer any of my questions or health concerns. Seems like he was just trying to get everyone in and out as quick as possible, not "go out of his way" AT ALL to "get to know his patients."I would give him less than one star if that was possible. This man should honestly just retire. read more