My family has been with this practice for almost 10 years. We started out with Dr. Downey (sad to see him retire!) and then switched to Dr. Christian for our primary care. We have seen almost all of the other doctors in the practice, at one point or another, for sick/urgent visits. Each of our experiences has solidified my confidence in their decisional processes and abilities! The physicians share a joint philosophy of care, so I am always confident that whichever doctor we see will take the same approach as our primary physician would take...excellent!
A few examples of superior experiences:
While many pediatricians write off fussy, "spitty" babies as just colicky or within the norm, Dr. Burnstine diagnosed my daughter's severe reflux when she was just 4 weeks old. He referred us to a GI specialist who treated her reflux for the next 2.5 years. With proper treatment, my daughter was a completely different baby and was spared the pain and long-term consequences of GERD. I cannot thank Dr. Burnstine enough for that!
My son was diagnosed with the allergy/eczema/asthma triad and struggled with respiratory illnesses for years (pneumonia 3 times while under 5 years old). Dr. Christian has been very thorough in helping us to eliminate any potential triggers and to prevent eczema outbreaks. We were also referred to an immunology specialist who ran some blood tests that revealed a "weak spot" in his immune system. By following recommendations and with one additional vaccine, he has been a much healthier kid!
One of the greatest things about this practice, though, is the collaboration amongst physicians. One of the scariest moments for us was a visit we had with Dr. Elwell. My son had a strange red rash on his face, and Dr. Elwell was the doctor available to see him that day. She was concerned that it was a "malar" rash (potentially indicative of an autoimmune condition, Lupus). She took pictures of the rash and showed them to one of her senior colleagues who thought that it might be indicative of Fifth disease, a relatively common viral illness. The pictures were also sent to specialists (I believe at the University of Chicago, but I'm not 100% sure which institution it was) who agreed with Dr. Elwell and recommended a complete autoimmune workup. Dr. Elwell took a conservative approach (another thing I love about this practice!) and recommended waiting it out over the weekend. If it was Fifth disease, my son would develop a lacy rash over his entire body within days. If he did not develop that rash, they would draw labs Monday morning to check for an autoimmune condition. It was a stressful weekend for us, and Dr. Elwell called multiple times to check in and to offer support. Thankfully, the lacy rash appeared early Monday morning. No needle stick was needed, and we were spared the substantial fees that would have accompanied the autoimmune workup...excellent!
I highly recommend these physicians. They are among the best on the North Shore, and they work together seamlessly! read more