This was my first visit with Doctor Alpern. I have had a number of gastroenterology, doctors and by…read morefar. He is the best from my first visit with him. This past week, the office personnel was wonderful, helpful, friendly and just really made my first experience at this office feel welcoming and comfortable Dr. Alpern is kind. Understanding reviewed all of my records and immediately went into a plan of action. I am so glad that I found this provider. And I will continue to go to him. If you are nervous about going to a gastro doctor because you have issues that you are afraid to deal with know that they will offer you the compassion, kindness and time that you need. I highly recommend this practice. Doctor has set up a number of tests for me. And I have confidence that we are going to resolve the issues that I have

This guy is a real piece of ****. Run away. He doesn't care about his patients and is very…read moreinsulting. Switched to Dr. Mariwalla in West Islip And now I am getting proper treatment.

Visiting a friend here for the 1st time. Never knew this…read moreHospital existed. The Security at the front desk are very polite and courteous. The staff upstairs are very helpful.

Recounting my family's experience at St. Catherine's of Siena Hospital is nothing short of…read moregut-wrenching. We lost my mother a few months ago in the ICU of this Hospital; I am just now bringing myself to do my part to help future residents of Smithtown and the surrounding area -- especially the older population. I have always respected the medical profession in general and never based my assessment of a facility or provider on whether an outcome was a good one, or even on bedside manner. I have seen the inside of several hospitals in this country and abroad; some had great reputations; others not so much; some offered exceptional care in certain specialties, or had a handful of doctors that stood out in each Department; some were clean, some were dirty; some were in areas with a higher crime rate; others run down by financial scandals; some had a great nursing staff that overcompensated for a slow response by physicians; some doctors talked down to patients' families, but were competent; a few hospitals and physicians/providers were incredible all around, while two friends had post-op complications from hospitals with superior reputations. No hospital or system can be perfect, but I would never have imagined that the worst ICU of any hospital I have seen would turn out to be situated in a quiet middle-class town in Suffolk County. On the day that our loved one was brought here, I told two friends (one from Suffolk, one who studied there) that I would be going to see my mother; one said, "she'll be fine; Stony Brook, right?" When I told them she was routed to St. Catherine's of Siena, both friends looked at each other, stunned; they then put their heads down and said not a word... The lack of communication, low energy, inadequacy of bedside oversight, overuse of PAs, inconsistencies, nonchalant arrogance/rude comments/insensitivity of ICU hospitalists, reliance on external consultants who were delayed/never came/were never called and the lack of accountability (in one or more instances the Physician on call being listed as "Intensivist", and may have been a PA), can only be described as the opening chapter of a poorly written novel.What would transpire is pages of hardship with the patient improving and then regressing at the hospital's sleepy schedule of evening hours and weekends; we became aware that the Hospital did not have certain technologies that could have helped our loved one; meanwhile they didn't want to try others that they did have available, and we knew that we had to transfer her. The drama escalated when they repeatedly refused to transfer the patient at the request of the family. The hospitalists became hostile, and several providers gave every INCREDULOUS excuse in the book to not have her transferred; that she wasn't severe enough to transfer her for a technology that they didn't have; then that she wasn't stable enough to move, that we have to wait till Monday; that nothing is going to happen on a Sunday night; that they didn't have transfer forms "that's over my head"; that we'd have to speak to Legal; that Medicare has to get involved, that we would have to pay for transport (we agreed), that we have to provide the specific name of a receiving doctor, even though the receiving Hospitals were asking that they call their Centralized line etc. etc. The grand finale came when we tried to escalate through patient advocacy, WHICH IS VIRTUALLY NON-EXISTENT. Family members were told that they were being annoying and that St. Catherine's is as good as Cornell and Columbia. There were numerous comments made that risks shouldn't be taken on older patients. Sadly, our vibrant mother passed away in an overall spiritually defunct and cold ICU, weeks later. None of us know when we or our loved ones will need medical care or where we will be when that happens. In life we have to be humble. That said, residents of Smithtown/surrounding area should make themselves aware of the routing protocols for 911 calls; many will be sent to St. Catherine's even if a patient's records are at Stony Brook, as in our mother's case; she was routed to St. Catherine's but still had to wait over 20 minutes in the waiting room. You/your loved ones must strongly advocate for your health and/or your transfer from this ICU if you sense you need to be moved. It's possible that the Administrators, having learned of some of the comments, actions/inactions of the ICU staff at the time, might have since made changes; still, I suggest being prepared. The Dept of Health number for emergency situations when the patient is in the hospital, is 1-866-881-2809. Consider calling a Health Care Lawyer and going to the media/social media if ICU won't respond to your wishes. I would love to see a moratorium on admissions to this ICU pending investigations, or for the hospital to morph into a non-urgent Clinic. I will offer the star in this review to the handful of nurses who understood what had happened and cared.

He is a sweet and knowledgeable doctor . Helps you to feel calm and confident that you are in good…read morehands