I had my last annual physical with Cullen Kelly, MD (internal medicine) at Piedmont Physicians at…read moreAtlantic Station. In short, my visit and follow-up communication from Dr. Kelly were great and I'm happy to have him as my new primary care physician (PCP). Based on this experience, I look forward to the appointments to come.
I've been a patient with Piedmont Physicians at Atlantic Station since 2006, starting with James Harrington, MD (internal medicine), but mostly with Belinda Brown-Saddler, MD (family medicine). I saw Dr. Brown-Saddler for my annual physical every year from 2007 to 2023. She left Piedmont Physicians at Atlantic Station to help pilot and lead the relatively-new Piedmont Concierge Medicine program.
At my last physical with Dr. Brown-Saddler, she recommended Augusta Essuman-Nelson, DO (internal medicine) to be my new PCP. I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Essuman-Nelson, but then she had a baby (congratulations!), so I switched to Dr. Kelly at the last minute. Everything worked out well because I was very happy with my visit with Dr. Kelly.
As a longtime patient at Piedmont Physicians at Atlantic Station, I noticed a new wave of younger doctors and nurse practitioners join this practice in the last few years. The last man standing / OG doctor at this location is Alan Perry, MD (family medicine). If I recall correctly, Dr. Kelly took over for another one of the OG doctors at this location: Patrick Coleman, MD (internal medicine). The only other longtime person I still recognize here is Shonda, who works at the exit desk/counter and often wears a phone headset. She's wonderful.
Dr. Kelly is a young doctor (in his 30s). He conducted my annual physical differently from Dr. Brown-Saddler. To be clear, I love Dr. Brown-Saddler and would have kept seeing her if she didn't leave. With Dr. Kelly, I felt like I was getting a "reboot" on my physical. He was very thorough and spent more time with me than I expected. I appreciated that. He recorded our conversation on his phone, I believe to aid in dictating notes for my electronic medical record. He reviewed my numbers on the computer screen with me. He introduced new guidance to me. For example, he didn't do a testicular exam / cough test, which Dr. Brown-Saddler always did.
Also, Dr. Kelly didn't suggest an A1c test for me, I assume because I'm low risk. He said A1c tests were something Dr. Brown-Saddler did for all of her patients. I told him to keep ordering the A1c test for me because I always had it done and my health insurance covered it at no additional cost. By chance this year, my A1c came back elevated for the first time ever. Time to reduce eating out and Yelping.
Less than a week after my appointment, Dr. Kelly sent me a message on MyChart (Epic) summarizing and explaining all of my lab work. Typically (at least, in recent years), Dr. Brown-Saddler would shoot me quick messages like: "As you have seen, your cholesterol level is improved and your other lab results are within normal limits. Keep up the good work!" Real example. She might also include an informative attachment (e.g., tips on how to lower cholesterol).
Dr. Kelly's message was probably about two pages long, and, like the exam, was very thorough. Again, I appreciated that. Dr. Brown-Saddler's messages were straight and to the point, telling me exactly what I needed to know. I think both doctors are great, they just do things differently. Also, I saw Dr. Brown-Saddler for 17 years and I've seen Dr. Kelly only once so far, so things could change.
Overall, I did think the office experience and quality of care with Dr. Kelly and the rest of the staff at Piedmont Physicians at Atlantic Station was excellent and I plan to return next year for my 20th (!) consecutive year.
Note: In recent years, something changed at Piedmont where I can no longer schedule my next physical less than one year after my previous physical. I used to be able to reset the time of year that I get my physical, but not anymore. I'm guessing it has to do with insurance. However, my insurance benefit is on a calendar-year basis, so I don't have to schedule my physicals a year or more apart.
Piedmont Physicians at Atlantic Station also has a separate Yelp listing here: https://www.yelp.com/biz/piedmont-physicians-at-atlantic-station-atlanta
Parking: The best place to park is in the Atlantic Station garage on level P2. Enter via 20th St NW on the back side of the property. After entering, turn left and park in the purple-colored section near stairwell 4. Take stairwell 4 up to street level and Piedmont Physicians is right there. Parking is free for the first two hours.