I walked into the office and could have sworn that I was on the set of the reality show "Hoarders" aside from the mess, one got the distinct impression of uncleanliness. The bathroom was a total gross out experience. The chaos made one believe that your test results may not belong to you. After all, in the mess, who can keep track of a name? Next to the cups in the bathroom there were little pieces of cut up paper. I suppose they were to pin on your cup or something. I didn't take any chances, I wrote my name in bold letters. Good lot that would do as the receptionist could not get my name right. She called me by the incorrect name 3 times, and even after I corrected her, she wrote the wrong name on the prescription for a test. Although Dr. Cole obviously knows what she is talking about the way she runs her office invalidates her years of training and experience. I know why she is always late. She tries to give you a diagnoses for every part of your body. Then she really likes to do biographies of other peoples ailments and what worked for them. An hour or two later, you are still sitting there, shredded robe and all (I do not believe paper is meant to be worn for more than 45 minutes). Now what really worried me is that Dr. Cole does not use recyclable speculums. That would be fine if her house is in order. But, if, her receptionist cannot remember a name 2 seconds after she was told, do you really think that she could remember what color was was the disinfected bucket?? I pictured her in my mind saying "ok, red is clean, yellow is not, or it it yellow is clean, red is not?" Yes gross out to the max not to mention unsafe. And, can I add YUCK!! Furthermore, Dr. Cole must be a pharmaceutical reps wet dream. I had so many samples and pills pushed on me, I felt it was Halloween. All I can say is that I walked out of there feeling very very uneasy about the entire experience and had to make another appointment for the same thing elsewhere. read more

I started going to Dr. Cole based on reviews, and parts of those reviews are true. Dr. Cole is a very kind, caring woman, but she also may want to consider retiring, or going to a limited schedule. She is constantly overscheduled, which results in her becoming scatterbrained. They will call you to inform you that your appointment is being pushed back, but I'm not about to take half a day off of work when my appointment was only supposed to take an hour. I once scheduled an appointment for 3 PM and wasn't seen until 6 or 7 PM. She also doesn't have a trained aide to help her with procedures, and will, more often then not, have her receptionist assist her. I've also never been told to get my blood drawn more often in my life. Seriously she had me get my blood drawn after almost every appointment for seemingly no reason. Like another person said below - she's a pharmaceutical reps wet dream and pushes every kind of treatment and pill on you. She pushed me to get Nexplanon which turned out to be one of the WORST experiences I have ever had. She also became very concerned that I had a heart murmur and sent me to a cardiologist. Cardiologist said I had an extremely healthy heart with no issues, and then I was out of pocket $250 for the appointment. I was her patient for a few years and kept going back because it's so tough to find a gyno with good bedside manner. I left her care because I could no longer trust her as a doctor. read more

Dr. Cole is a kind and warm woman but she acted very irresponsibly in removing my Nexaplanon birth control. She "accidentally" cut the incision too long and used her secretary, who had no formal training, as her assistant. I could see the inside of my arm and she had to put two stitches in. One of them didn't hold together and so the surgical wound got infected. I was uncomfortable and nervous the entire procedure as she and her assistant fumbled with the surgical tools and repeatedly questioned if they were sterile. She dismissed my fear of the wound getting infected and didn't follow up, when I clearly left her office shaken and upset. Dr. Cole may be a fine doctor for other obgyn practices but she is not competent in doing routine minor surgical procedures. read more

Doc Cole really cares Unlike most docs out there, worth the wait and scatter read more

i've been seeing dr. cole for over 4 years now, you'll love her as long as you keep the following things in mind: 1) she is ALWAYS late and 2) her office is cluttered (but clean) she will always sit down with each and every patient to ask them questions and really listen to their answers. she actually cares about her patients and their well-being. i suspect that this is one of the reasons she's always running late - because she's actually being a doctor. i'm moving in a few months and i'm heartbroken that i'll have to find a new doctor. read more

Dr. Cole is truly one of the most thorough, intelligent, genuinely interested and caring doctors I've ever seen. I've been going to here for yearly checkups for at least 10 years. If you mention symptoms outside the ob/gyn field, she will question and probe and seems to truly enjoy the diagnostic part of the job - but in no way will she do this unless you encourage it or ask. I think she was able to get me in on time at least twice in that time, but I definitely schedule plenty of time from work when heading there for an appointment. Time with her patients is a priority over promptness, and it's a conscious choice on my part to accept those terms. Like others, I find the office a little too cramped for all the interesting things she has, I wish she could find a larger office. But, it's clean and the bedside manner can't be beat. read more

Dr. Cole has been my doctor for over 10 years. A few years back another of Dr. Cole's patients asked me if i would trust her to do a particular surgery, and I told her that I would trust Dr. Cole with my life. She is a brilliant, thoughtful, curious, empathetic doctor who is consistently shown her ability to give her all to her many loyal patients. When I moved to the area I was already using naturally compounded HRT.... Dr. Cole told me it wasn't her area of expertise, but educated herself about it so that she could consult with the compounding pharmacist about changes to my prescription. I'm a Pilates teacher and had concerns over the side effects of my ovarian surgery.....Dr. Cole shared an article from a medical journal detailing the fascial and musculo-skeletal effects of abdominal cavity surgeries which really helped me to understand what was going on, and to help myself to heal using my own skill set. As others have said, her yearly exams are thorough, to say the least. You will be there for at least an hour, depending on your questions and needs. Her system of collecting and correlating your personal information is unique and brilliant. She always notices recurring themes in your history and offers suggestions as needed. Any other doctor who needed to find information about me could request it from Dr. Cole, as her charts and notes are as complete as one could want. For a long time, though, Dr. Cole was my only regular doctor, since until recently i was unable to find a primary care doctor of her caliber who took insurance! I'm sure that Dr. Cole isn't everyone's cup of tea..... yes, bring a book, you will probably wait because she'll be giving someone else the same sort of attention that she'll be giving you soon. yes, from the outside her organizational system looks cluttered, but it is a system that works for her. no, it's not a fancy office with lots of staff. but yes, she is a true doctor, generous with her time and knowledge and heart. read more

I also picked Dr. Cole from my insurance list. She's mediocre. The biggest thing that bothers me is that her office is a MESS. And honestly, I am not sure how clean it really is. Not only is it cluttered, but she and her staff are disorganized. Of the 4 appointments I have had, she has been VERY late or cancelled all of them at one point. Go to a bigger practice and save yourself the headache. She's a nice lady and seems to know her stuff, but it's not worth it. read more

I have been trying to schedule an appointment for my yearly for like a month. Their receptionist seems not to care at all for new patients. First someone tells me to wait and they would call me back. Then after not hearing for so long I called myself and was put to wait on line for 10 minutes. I left a voice mail obviously nobody called back, then I called again and they told me the next available appointment is in a month!!! It honestly makes me so mad when they never care about patients and act as if I owe them anything. You are not the only gynecologist in this world and I can find a better one. read more

Going to Dr. Cole is definitely not an in-and-out experience, but she is kind, informative and relatable. She is a thorough doctor that definitely cares about her patients, and when it comes to something so intimate as OB/Gyn stuff, that's definitely a good thing. I've had doctors who were stiffer, more intimidating, and when it comes to your reproductive organs it's definitely worth the extra half-hour. One reviewer mentioned that her office is cluttered, but clean. It's definitely clean, and I would even go so far as to say it's not cluttered. Perhaps people have come to expect the overly simplistic, futuristic style of high-tech hospitals, but Dr. Cole's office isn't full of knick-knacks. She simply has lots of files, medical texts and informational pamphlets. They're all organized and on shelves. It's not like piles of them are littering the floor or shoved into bookcases until overflowing. Personally, I like her. I only ever go for my yearly check-up and I've always expected doctor's appointments to include long waits. Frankly, a pap smear takes five minutes and I've always allotted at least forty-five for any given doctor. If you have questions and want honest, thoughtful answers, she's your doc. If you're just looking to get it over and don't really care if they jam a speculum in ya or if they're more considerate, she's not the fastest draw in the West. But she's a good doctor. read more

Dr. Cole is wonderful! She takes the time to listen to you and doesn't rush from patient to patient. While you might spend some time waiting (she has a solo practice) it's defiantly worth the wait. After months of seeing every type of specialist imaginable, my routine visit with Dr. Cole solved a long standing medical problem. I don't think I've met a doctor that takes the time to listen, consider, and refer patients the way she does... Also her office assistant is wonderful also. I would recommend Dr. Cole to anyone! read more

I have been a patient of Doctor Cole's for over 30 years. She saved my life. Yes she runs late but she NEVER rushes you, is always up to speed on the latest developments in medicine, and is caring and concerned. Her office is small so it may appear cluttered but it is well organized. She has called me personally--even on Sunday evenings--if she could not reach me earlier because she was concerned about medical developments in my case. She does not over prescribe nor over-test ever. If she recommends a test it is because she thinks it necessary and always after explaining the value and asking permission. I am moving from the area but I will return (500 miles) for my regular exams. I dread the day she retires. J. Lansing read more

Absolutely do not trust this doctor with your health. On top of always running at least an hour behind schedule, her staff routinely loses files. I saw her multiple times because she was convenient, and I put up with her being hours late because she was nice. However, I saw her a month ago to get tested for common STIs and they called me a week after that appointment to tell me that my test results showed that I was clean and STI free. Fast forward to today, just called her about another matter and SURPRISE they never sent in the lab from a month ago! So I was never actually tested! The woman who called to tell me that I was clean made a "mistake." read more

Unfortunately, I have gone to Dr. Cole for 4 years. I should have switched much earlier than now. She is always extremely late, disorganized and unapologetic. Her office is old fashioned, very old, messy and cluttered. Her staff is terrible too. What made me finally leave her is the fact tha she was so late all the time. It would take close to three hours from the tiime I got there to when I could leave. I would wait in the waiting room and then the examination room and then to pay. Don't make my mistake. Don't go to Dr. Cole! read more

From the very beginning and over the years, I've found Dr. Martha Cole to be an exceptional and dedicated doctor. You can tell that she really cares about her patients' wellbeing in a genuine way. Her approach has always left me feeling truly valued and prompted me to take much better and more attentive care of myself, including my nutritional and fitness needs. She's very thorough, taking nothing for granted. Her manner puts you at ease and makes you feel very comfortable with opening up to her. She never rushes her patients, always taking the time to explain and clarify everything. When asked questions, I have found her responses to always be well-informed and easily understandable. She encourages discussion. The prescriptions that she recommended for me have suited me way better with minimized side effects, compared to what my former doctors had prescribed. If there are other medical matters outside her specialization that you may need to get addressed, she's so well-connected and will offer you a referral list of great doctors in that specialization. She'll review every lab form before lab work gets sent out, to ensure all the essential and necessary labwork is on there. And she'll explain it all to you and why those lab tests are necessary and advisable for you, whilst you are in consultation with her, in the medical examination room. Honestly, she does tend to run a little late with her appointments, but that doesn't deter me from continuing to go to her; the wait is well worth the quality of care and undivided attention I get from her. As I mentioned, unlike most doctors these days, she never ever rushes her patients out the door. To better deal with the expected wait at the doctor's office and to avoid it from being a very long wait, I often call her office 1.5 to 2 hours in advance, to see how late she's running with her appointments, and then I time my arrival for the appointment accordingly. She is one of those doctors that lives to work, as well as, loves to work; she's so incredibly hardworking. She's even taken the time to call me after hours with lab results and advised me about what needs to be done next etc. Along with that, I've even received letters and documents in the mail from her office explaining exactly what issue I'm dealing with is and what additional steps and precautions need to be taken etc. I find this kind of service very rare and rather reassuring. If you leave a message about a medical concern, she will get back to you. She often works such long hours trying to keep on top of things and provide the best care and solutions for her patients, even to the point where I've seen Dr. Cole skip meals or have late meals, trying to give all the more time to her patients. At first glance, the administrative area may appear a little cramped, but one has to be understanding of the fact that she's running a one-doctor office and therefore the size of the office is comparatively suitable in that perspective, esp. when you look at the convenience of the location, as well as take into consideration how costly the Chevy Chase area tends to be. The two examination rooms and the restroom are of a rather good size and kept very clean, and that's what ought to matter most to patients as far as space is concerned. Also parking is rather convenient; you only pay $1 for validated parking per visit, within the parking lot; that's incredible considering the location. As for what often appears as piles of paperwork in the admin area, is in fact a rather systematic approach - there is a method to it all - I noticed the following whilst in waiting and keenly observing; trying to understand what's going on in that admin area with all that paperwork and patient folders etc. Patients jump to conclusion often based on how the admin side of the office appears, thinking it to be disorganized, when in fact different folders are compiled in different stacks for better organization and efficiency. Take for instance, one stack is for patients that need to be called promptly regarding lab results, another stack of folders is for patient prescriptions that need to be called in, stack # 3 for going through medical coding and billing, stack # 4 is the paperwork for the lab work that will be submitted at the end of the day, stack # 5 is of patient files for which everything has been completed and so needs to be filed back into the filing system, stack # 6 consists of medical files that have been pulled for the doctor's reference when a patient wants a call back for any reason at all - Dr. Cole reviews the patient file and information before placing any call back to the patient. Stack # 7 is of patients' medical files pulled the day prior to their appointment for a courtesy reminder call. This just mentions some of the stacks, but you get my point - we, as patients jump to the conclusion that the admin appears disorganized, but in fact it actually keeps the doctor and admin organized, efficient and effective. read more

Dr. Cole and her staff are extremely kind! Sometimes appointments can take a while but it's because she's really doing her job. Dr. Cole is very knowledgeable and cares about her patients well being. read more

I give Dr. Cole highest marks because she is the most thorough and effective doctor I've seen. She has excellent listening skills and bedside manner. I would recommend Dr. Cole to my family and friends, and I will continue to visit her! The only reason I give 4 stars instead of 5 is because the office may not be for people who are impatient. As others have said, time with her patients is a priority over promptness, and it's a conscious choice on my part to accept those terms. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Cole's for as long as she has been in practice. She is an exemplary doctor! She runs a bit late because she cares about the health of each patient and she will not rush you out. On the other side of this--I was stuck in traffic, and therefore running late for the last appointment of the day. She remained in the office for the extra half hour it took me to arrive, so that I could have my appointment; and she did not rush me through the appointment, nor did she bill me any extra time etc. I have found her to be conservative with regard to medications and tests. So, in response to another comment, if she ordered tests, she must have felt that they were necessary. Her office is full of information--not clutter--and it is clean. Over these many years, I have had 2 very serious conditions, and with regard to one of them, I believe she saved my life. If you want a knowledgeable, caring, dedicated physician--go to Dr. Cole! Joanne E read more

Seeing Dr. Cole is the best medical experience I have had in years. In this day, it is hard to find a doctor who knows their business and who actually spends time talking with you and listening. She puts you at ease and as noted in other reviews, she focuses on finding solutions to your particular concern or interest. She goes the extra mile. I would trust her with any problem and I hope she continues to practice for many more years in this difficult day of changing insurance requirements leading to very harassed and impersonal medical care. read more

I picked up my files from Dr. Cole's office today and I will never step foot there again. Reason-----a yearly mammogram. I scheduled with hospital after receiving their notice in September. Called doctor Cole's office and asked them to fax the order to hospital. I emphasized that they needed to do it that day and they assured me they would. Today (December) I went to the hospital and sat waiting while they tried to reach Dr. Cole's office by phone to ask that an order be faxed. There was no answer, and I could not have the procedure without the order. I went to Dr. Cole's office to see what the problem was. Dr. Cole was there and said that the phone was out and that I should have scheduled an appointment with her at the time I originally asked that the order be faxed. She said it was their mistake that this was not communicated to me. I have been her patient for nearly 15 years and this is the latest in a long string of mistakes, omissions, just plain forgetfulness that I've encountered there. They lose files, don't return calls, and are only in some days. I don't understand how someone this disorganized can continue to practice. Good by Dr. Cole read more