Piedmont OB-GYN

I just came here because I live nearby and can walk.
When first tried to make an appointment, I called many times over the course of a few days and did not get an answer.
At the office the woman behind the desk was popping her gum and the other woman whisper yelled to me across the room ‘can you give us a urine sample’ in a waiting room full of both women and their husbands. They told me to check my results online, but they don’t give you instructions and the initial passcode. When I called for it, you guessed it, no answer. My second visit same thing. They took my tests and no instructions on how to access them. When I asked, it took three people to print me out a piece of paper with my passcode.
They also don’t send reminder cards and wouldn’t book my next years regular appointment.
Their major issue is the support staff and processes. They seem unprofessional. It’s a shame because I really like my doctor.

I love my doctor and the nurses, they are all very helpful and kind. I can honestly say that I refuse to go anywhere else. The only issue that I have and has had since coming here is their timing. My appointments are never on time and it’s bothersome at times when you have to get back to work. I would just like if they would consider their patients schedules. Great place to come though!

I first started going to this office when years ago I was suffering from massive pain on my left abdominal. I couldn’t get an appointment, the staff simply said there would not be any opening for any new patient until 3 months later. I had to call back my primary physician and spoke to his assistant telling him I could not get any appointment. The very sweet Bob said not to worry, he would call the Piedmont Ob-​Gyn office for me. Less than 30 minutes later, he called back and said he got an appointment the following week. Granted, I did not get to see Dr. Kleiss or Dr. Comb, I am fine with Dr. Bennett. She is nice but I would not compare her to a leading ob-​gyn i have been seeing in Singapore for a long time. It is just not fair.
Fast forward to 2014, my pain has gone. Not because of any medication or procedure, the problem simply resolved on its own. Mind you I have extremely high tolerance of pain, so when I complained about my pain, my mom and everyone at home were concerned. I supposed to have a yearly appointment last January but the office called to cancel my appointment due to the «snow storm» we had. Of cos, that was easy to understand. The staff said they would call back to reschedule.
One day I received an automated call from the office confirming an appointment that I did not set up nor being consulted. I could not make it and I called the office to cancel it. I did not reschedule another appointment to a later date. Why?
Let me briefly describe the office, the waiting area is huge but the noise can be unbearable. I am not sure if it has to do with the huge number of patients in that practice or the babies/​toddlers crying. The whole environment gives me anxiety. Not to mention the noise from those doors kept slamming many times within a minute. It is like a slaughter house. This is possibly the noisiest doctor’s office I have ever been in my life. So you can imagine my reluctance to go there even for a yearly visit.
This is year 2015. Ok I feel guilty about skipping my yearly appointment last year. I clearly remembered I scheduled an appointment today at 11.30am. When I reached there at 11am, I was told my appointment was 9.30am. I was not happy. I dragged myself out in the cold rain, sat in one of those uncomfortable chairs (I am not sure where that plushy chair one Unilocaler was raving about was) and endured the noise from crying toddlers, doors slamming and people in general talking loudly, I was ready to get home and take an Advil. The staff gave me another appointment alright, almost a month later on ⁴⁄₃ just cos I prefer a morning appointment. Oh to rub salt in the wound, I was told Dr. Bennett was not even in the office but was conducting a surgery. Why didn’t anyone call to let me know this morning or if I was running late since to them my appointment was at 9.30am?
My friend just asked me why don’t I change another doctor, I said I might. I like Dr. Bennett, she is nice but the whole environment is not doing me any good. Let’s see what happens to my appointment a day before my birthday. Now I am thinking… Absolutely dreadful!

Appointment at 11:00 AM, done and in car by 12:20 PM. Dr. Jennifer Williams is the best… spends quality time with you, doesn’t rush and has the best personality! Wish all doctors were as great as her.
Front desk staff nice and efficient and Dr. Williams nurse was great too!
Rooms are comfortable, everything is clean! Highly reccomend!

Dr. Kleiss is the best! She has been my dr. For 10 years and delivered my daughter 2 years ago and was amazing! This practice has great doctors who care about their patients. Can’t wait to meet our new addition in 4 weeks. I drive here from 45 minutes away because of how great I’ve been treated.

Feel like I have to leave a review so that others doing what I’m doing today will have information. I like my doctor, Dr. Williams, and don’t feel that there is a problem with the care I received. However, for the second year in a row, I called to make an appointment for my annual exam and can’t get in for SIX MONTHS! Ridiculous. I worry that if they have such a crazy patient load, there is no way to get individualized service. I’m currently researching new practice groups so I can find a doctor who has time for me to be their patient.

I started seeing Dr. Adrian Bennett when I became pregnant in August of 2013. I really can’t say enough good things about this practice. They are so much better than any other Ob-​Gyn practice I have ever been to. I really appreciated Dr. Bennett’s candor throughout the entire pregnancy. The office operates very efficiently in the way that they handle appointments, which is important when you have to make regular visits during pregnancy. The office is up-​to-​date and clean, and it’s in a building that is conveniently attached to Piedmont Hospital. During your pregnancy, they schedule you for appointments with all of the other all-​female doctors on staff in case one of the other doctors is on-​call when you go into labor. I really liked all of the other doctors in the practice, although Dr. Bennett is my favorite. On a slightly off topic but related note, my experience at Piedmont Hospital for my delivery was top notch. I would definitely recommend this practice.

This is the worst place. I will never step foot back in this office ever again. My doctor was rude as soon as she walked in the door, never smiled or shook my hand. She also told me there was nothing wrong with me, after I told her I have had an ongoing problem for months. Very rude, unprofessional, and mean, how could you treat someone like that?

This is one of the worst practices that I have ever had to deal with. I had to leave my amazing doctor in NYC for this joke of a practice. As a New Yorker, I am extremely comfortable with the fast pace lifestyle and with doctors dealing with high volumes of patients. This group cannot handle anything… secretaries never answer the phones and never leave courtesy appointment reminders. They dismiss people from the practice for not showing up to appointments but no one is there answering the phone so that appointments can be canceled or changed. It’s a huge disappointing mess.
Dr. El Gammal not only broke Hippa Violation by having her secretary leave test results on my voice mail. actually not my voice mail because she had the wrong number, but also sent BRCA1&2 test results to me through the mail that were lost in the process. I have never heard of anything like this. I never leave bad reviews, but women need to be warned about this doctor and this practice. I have already filed formal complaints against this practice. Stand up for yourself ladies in order to protect others.
EEk! Me thinks not on Piedmont OB-​GYN !!

I was there 30 minutes before my appt time and I ended up sitting in the waiting room
for an hour and half :-(… way too long!!! other than that, the Ob-​gyn was nice and considerate, but the wait was definitely a waste of my time! plan ahead for being there for 2 – 3 hours in my opinion!

I was there today as a new patient, and was early for the appointment (about 15 – 20 minutes) because I wasn’t sure how parking would be, etc. I waited in the front office area for an hour before even being taken back by a nurse. I had vitals taken in a shared location, with no door, which I found a little weird, considering that I was being asked questions relating to what kind of lab work I wanted to have done. Another woman was seated directly across from me during the middle of the vitals… so whether or not I wanted to hear what the nurse was telling the other woman, I didn’t get a choice. Talk about lack of privacy!
My meeting with Dr. ElGammal was terrific (and redeemed my visit)! She patiently answered all my questions, without appearing to be rushed or in any kind of hurry.
As for the facility, I asked the front desk about parking, if they validated, and she looked at me like I was crazy. Parking over 30 minutes is an automatic $ 5. I had to walk over to the main lobby of Piedmont Hospital to find an ATM machine to get cash to pay for parking.
Although I loved Dr. ElGammal, I was not impressed with the front desk staff at all. I found them to be short, curt, and somewhat rude. If I wouldn’t have had such a great experience with the doctor, I probably wouldn’t go back.

Is it weird for a guy to be reviewing an OB/​GYN? In short, yes. But hey, I saw Dr. Combs the first few times around when I accompanied my then newly-​expecting wife. Dr. Combs (and rest of the practice) was highly recommended by Unilocalers and non-​Yelpers alike. They also were located where my wife wanted to give birth – in Piedmont Hospital. So yeah, I reviewed them. Besides, I paid for it.
Now my sample size for OB/​GYNs with whom I have experience is exceedingly small, but I’ve met some pretty arrogant docs with Mengle-​like bedside manners; to my panicked soon-​to-​be-​a-​new-​dad-​and-​wtf-​was-​I-​thinking? Dr. Combs was the complete opposite. She took care to explain everything in great detail, and believe me, since she was planning on a purely drug-​free, natural birth, my wife was asking plenty of questions – question after question. Meanwhile, I sat there transfixed, most likely on some nearby plastic anatomical model of a vagina, not because it was sexy, mind you, but because there was my child growing adjacent to a vaj right next to me and I was quietly freaking out.
Anyway, my wife LOVED Dr. Combs. However, pregnancies being what they are, she did inform us that there’s always a chance she wouldn’t actually be there for the delivery. And, yep, that was the case. My wife did as was suggested and rotated her visits among all the docs and gushed about all of them. «They’re all relatively new moms too!» she would tell me as my eyes glazed over in unspoken hysteria. I wish I could remember who was the one who actually delivered our baby, but it was all I could do to remember to breath at that point, especially when she shoved those scissors into my hand and asked me to cut the umbilical cord.
One last note that only tangentially relates to the practice: there’s only one exit and entrance AND it’s a fairly popular practice so, if you happen to be accompanying your wife on her first few visits, don’t be surprised if you run into a friend long before you’re actually ready to tell anyone what’s going on. If I had one quibble, it’d be the lack of ninja trap doors for a speedy, covert exit.
The wife gives this practice 5 stars and, as you husbands would understand, that means I give 5 stars too.

Vagina’s are scary. There, I said it. Let me preface this in a tone that won’t make this review as awkward as it should be by throwing out the brutal honesty that vagina’s are scary. Not only are they scary but they have a bad reputation in society and in the media. There are commercials for tampons, douches, that mystery «itch», a new cream for its scent or to stop the scent, burning sensations, pads the size of small cars, leaking issues and now they’re telling us about a vaginal mesh. I am so over vaginas and I have one!
Imagine my surprise when one of my good guy friends called me and asked me to take his daughter to her first appointment. He was a widow and needless to say, his daughter was relieved a female was going. At the end of our phone conversation he tells me, «I am too scared to go!» See, what did I tell you?
Dr. Kilroy was nice and talked about everything with us and I mean everything! Even stuff I didn’t even know. I could only prepare my friends daughter so much as to calm her nerves but Dr. Kilroy was professional, answered all her questions and helped her realize maybe the scary v-​word isn’t so bad. At least thats what the doctor claims but I still have my doubts…

I love this office. I don’t know if it’s because I see a nurse practitioner instead of an MD, but I can always get a last minute appointment. I also never have to wait long once I have checked into my appointment. I see Mariea Kilroy, and she is great. I never feel insecure or embarrassed to talk to her about my lady parts. I will say that sometimes the front desk seem to not always know what they are doing, but the entire staff is friendly. I know my review says I have only checked in once, but I have actually been here several times. I recommend Mariea to everyone. She does everything that an MD can do, and she has been with the company for about 20 years.
My only complaint is that I wasn’t forwarned about the side effects of some antibiotics that were prescribed to me, but I didn’t ask either. In this day and age, most people could care less about side effects anyway. She always asks if I have any questions, but I was just worried about getting the infection taken care of as quickly as possible. I hate that other women have had bad experiences, but I have yet to find anything to complain about.

I wasn’t going to Unilocal my experiences here, but I decided that giving other women a chance to avoid the horrific nightmare I experienced as a patient at Piedmont OB-​GYN was worth reliving what I endured at this practice.
Among the reasons I will not be returning:
–I was literally handed a prescription as I walked out of the exam room, and I was given absolutely no explanation at all of how to take it, what it was, what the side effects were, or what follow up would be needed. The doctor literally pushed it into my hand in the hallway as I was walking out.
–A test was scheduled at the wrong time because the doctor did not communicate with the scheduling staff, resulting in me having to repeat an invasive procedure at a cost of over $ 400 out of pocket beyond my insurance coverage.
–No pre-​test instructions were provided, from what to do or not do before the procedure, what to wear, what the side effects would be, and what to expect during the procedure.
–Test results were given over the phone by a medical assistant who was incredibly rude and condescending and was not able to answer any of my questions. Furthermore, she did not offer to find someone who could answer my questions, leaving me in a panic for days.
–The front desk staff did not know how to process my insurance, even though they are an approved provider, and mis-​checked me in at my second visit, beginning one procedure before they realized I was actually there for something else entirely.
–After all of this, I was given the diagnosis that «everything is normal,» except for the fact that the problem I went to Piedmont OB-​GYN in the first place for is still there, meaning I went through two tests and several weeks of panic and still have the same concern. They showed no desire to help me find the root of my health concern.
Overall, my interactions with the staff and practices of Piedmont OB-​GYN left me feeling dehumanized and scared. No doctor should have the opportunity to make a patient feel like this.

Long story short, I needed a pap smear ASAP. So I checked the list of doctors I could go to in the area via my current provider (Aetna). So I’m going through the list and googling the doctors of course… and ran across several at the Piedmont OBGYN.
So I called at about 8:30am, and very politely inquired about seeing a doctor the same day. The girl on the phone, in her valley girl/​airhead/​boujee tone responds, «Liiike, we-don’t-have anything, like I definitely can’t get you ta-​day» Of course I understand not being able to get me today since it’s last minute, but then I inquire about openings. She says they’re all booked until January. So I asked, «Every single doctor booked for the next 2 months»? She arrogantly replies back, in her valley girl voice“Yea-ea, sorry”.
Maybe she didn’t mean to come off so rude. But I mean geez! To have several doctors that are supposedly some of the best, you would think they would have really great nice receptionist/​front desk people, but that’s not the case.
She didn’t even offer to schedule me in, nor did she suggest calling back next week b/​c this doctor or that doctor may have an opening.
Also, they haven’t updated themselves online/​in the system b/​c even though it says they’re all accepting new patients, she said that only one doctor was.
Idk, I was just taken aback. I think OBGYN’s should all be very nice and accommodating since they’re dealing with women and their bodies — a very sensitive area. So for the front face of their practice to be so rude, is just… bad.
I called a few other Piedmont practices, they weren’t too nice, but they atleast offered to schedule me in within the next week or so.
Finally I got THE nicest receptionist for one practice associated with Northside Hospital, and wow world’s different (seriously COMPLETE OPPOSITE). She was articulate, soft-​spoken, just so nice. The doctor I wanted, who has very high marks and is rated very high, had an opening for about a week and a half from now. She’s actually ranked higher than most if not all of the doctors at Piedmont OBGYN. That said, my matter is slightly urgent, so the very nice receptionist scheduled me in for Monday with another doctor at the practice. If all goes well (or if not) I’ll be sure to review that practice as well… or maybe I won’t so that I can keep it my secret :-)
Of course I sorta prefer to go to the practice at Piedmont since it’s just an 8 minute drive down the street, but I definitely don’t mind driving 12 minutes longer (20 minutes longer) for better service.
Also, sidenote: Why isn’t this practice a bit more diverse in terms of the doctors at the practice, sorta weird, but hey that’s life I guess.
UPDATE: Went to the other practice, associated with Northside Hospital.
OMG you guys, they were super amazing. Everyone in there was nice, even the patients were classy (fashion forward, stylish, and articulate). I was at home there. Diverse staff, asian, black, white, latino. It was lovely. Honestly, it was a complete blessing that I got rude service from Piedmont OBGYN because otherwise I wouldn’t have ended up at this one.
Cheers!

These ladies comprise the practice that took care of me for the pregnancy and birth of my child. Dr. Kleiss is my doctor, but throughout your pregnancy you meet with each doctor at least once, (since there’s a good chance that your doctor will not be the one delivering your child). Having done that, it really does feel like I’m a patient of the practice, not just my doctor. This is a really good group of women — all knowledgeable and friendly. Don’t be worried if one you’d heard good things about isn’t available when you first call, because all these ladies will listen and address your concerns. Dr. Williams ended up being my doctor through the delivery, and she was absolutely wonderful. She kept me informed and thoroughly explained everything that was happening and all the possible scenarios, so that I wasn’t freaking out from fear of the unknown.
I will say that I’m normally a no-​questions-​for-​the-​doctor kind of girl, and these women are so busy that they don’t volunteer as much information unasked. So be prepared to talk it out and know what you want to ask. Now that I’ve been through one pregnancy, I’m prepared with plenty of questions along the way for the next one.
The thing about doctors’ offices is that you spend a lot more time with the support staff than with the doctors themselves. And this practice has a great support staff. Each doctor has her own primary nurse and her own secretary, so that getting in and out is fast and easy. I never waited more than 30 minutes, and most visits, I was in and out in under an hour (which is important, because the parking deck is $ 4 for that hour, cash only!). They helped with all the corporate paperwork, even reminding me when my signature was lacking on some FMLA documentation, and then faxing it in for me.
There’s a board on each side with all the baby announcements, lots of applicable reading material, and there are festive socks on all of the stirrups. The atmosphere is pretty relaxing, considering where you are.
They have a $ 75 paperwork fee upfront, so that they don’t have to process co-​pay payments every single visit, which is really nice toward the end when you’re there every week.
#Yelp365 — ⁴⁰⁄₃₆₅

Dr. Combs is the 4^th gynecologist I’ve had in my life and she is hands down the best!
#1: the only option at the campus clinic. very detached and primarily concerned with dispensing drugs.
#2 (Dr. Law of Atlanta Medical Center): friend of/​referred by my parents (awkward). really old man (awkward x2) who I only had 2 visits with before he retired.
#3 (Dr. Lemon of Atlanta Medical Center): default transfer from Dr #2 after his retirement. looong waits despite making an appointment, very impersonal, get to see the doctor for maybe 5 minutes max during your 2 hours there (mostly spent in the waiting room). there were visits where I never saw her at all because she trained a midwife to do paps!
After 4+ years with Dr. Lemon, I finally decided to see what else was out there and found Dr. Combs. Granted, scheduling an appointment a few months out seemed like a hassle, but it also reassured me that she would be worth the wait.
My first visit was much better than I imagined:
* huuuge & comfy waiting area
* the waiting area WASN’T packed with 5 other moms who each brought their 2.5 loud & obnoxious kids, running around, jumping on the couch and trying to play with my hair… yes, that’s what I had gotten used to at Atlanta Medical Center
* my appointment started ON TIME and I was out of there in 1 hour!
* the staff were all super friendly
* the stirrups had Christmas socks on them =)
* I got to speak to Dr. Combs (who is, by the way, the easiest person in the world to talk to) in length about anything and everything prior to getting undressed
* $ 35 copay compared to $ 45 at Dr. Lemon’s
Post visit, I got a followup call from Morgan (Dr. Combs’ secretary) exactly when she said she would call to get an update about whether my insurance policy covered certain birth control options that I had discussed with Dr. Combs. Morgan was also able to answer alot of my questions over the phone which I was very impressed with.
I won’t be switching doctors for as long as I live in Atlanta.

Dr. Combs is the newest addition to the Piedmont OBGYN doctor group — and what a fabulous addition she is!
I absolutely adore Dr. Combs. She spent time speaking with me (while still clothed) before she began the exam. This makes me feel like I’m not in a Vag Factory, as I have felt elsewhere, and as though she actually gave a flip to get to know me. A little foreplay before the real deal goes a long way!
In all seriousness though, she is very easy to talk to and made me feel as comfortable as one can be considering the, uh, angle of conversation. In a few years my husband and I will be ready to try for children and this is definitely who I want to delivery our baby. She’s just got a warm and inviting personality. Love, love, love her.
The front desk staff at Piedmont OBGYN can be a little spastic because it’s a busy practice and I’ve felt a little uncomfortable during a couple of phone conversations — as though I was really inconveniencing them by calling. HOWEVER, Dr. Combs’ personal secretary Morgan is sweet, efficient and awesome. Once you are an established patient, you really only have to deal with the front desk for scheduling changes, but all of the pertinent stuff — follow-​up questions, insurance questions, etc. — can be done through Morgan, thank Goodness.
I was tempted to give 4 stars because of the sometimes snotty front desk staff, but Dr. Combs, the nurses and Morgan were too wonderful to punish.

I’d read quite a bit at this point about the legendary, Dr. Kleiss (the superstar of reviewed gynos), and was determined to see her. Alas, she wasn’t to be available for another three months (!!!). So I met with Dr. Combs instead – who by the way is new, accessible, and awesome.
Highlights: the stirrups have fuzzy socks on them for you to rest your feet, making the whole chair look markedly friendlier and less «Inquisition”-like. The dreaded apparatus rests on a heated pad before use (I can’t begin to say how much better that is than the alternative). And finally, Dr. Combs was lively, engaged, and friendly.
I’m blushing (and yes that’s possible) just reviewing the lady doctor. But in searching for a new OB-​GYN, I found these reviews extremely helpful, so I figure I need to pay it forward.