Mount Auburn Hospital

NB: I can only speak about my experiences with the Day Surgery unit at Mt. Auburn as that’s all I’ve ever been there for.
I had two surgeries (both hands) in Nov and Dec of 2015. Dr. Jennifer Green (of Pro Sports Orthopedics) is absolutely fantastic and I recommend her to anyone in need of hand/​wrist procedures.
These surgeries were the first time I have ever gone to Mt. Auburn for anything and I didn’t know what to expect. The staff, from Registration to the many medical professionals working in the Day Surgery unit, were polite, professional, and caring, and also very good at what they do. They also all seem to have a good sense of humor, which always helps!
I have had some truly vile experiences at other Boston area hospitals and my trepidation has been utterly assuaged. When (and with me it’s when, not if) I need another procedure done, I will certainly agree to have it done there if at all possible.
Lastly, for those who need to know these things, in my experiences there the staff were entirely LGBTQ+ safe and accepting; it was literally a non-​issue, which was wonderful.

I received the worst medical care I have ever experienced at this place. I went 2÷13÷15 for very bad breathing problems. I had been having problems catching my breath for over 12 hours which is not normal. It took forever for them to see me and normally, not breathing right will get you fast tracked in because it is an emergency. When they finally did see me, the «Doctor» told me over and over that there was nothing wrong with me and that this problem was «in my head». Sorry, but what the f*ck kind of crap is that?! He very reluctantly wrote me a script for an inhaler which ended up costing me $ 52 with insurance — way over priced for an albuterol inhaler.
I got outrageous bills from this place when they didn’t even help me. Almost $ 2,500 for them to tell me that this was all in my head. I had to go to another hospital not even a week later and they told me I was having a severe asthma attack and that I needed to go on steroids to help fix it. (Much better service and care at Charles River Community Health, which I recommend instead).
I did my part and payed my bills even though they didn’t deserve a penny from me. It put me in a horrible financial position. Now I have just received a bill with a service date of 11÷10÷15 when I haven’t stepped foot in there since February. I tried to call to talk to someone about it and no one even answered the phone. It just eventually stopped ringing. So I called again and pushed the button to speak to a representative instead of billing and no one answered again.
The worst hospital I have ever encountered. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.
I wrote this same review on Google+. This place deserves a bad review on every platform. I am completely appalled by their total lack of service and care.

My PCP, Dr Hartunian, is affiliated with mt auburn and works out of the main practice in Cambridge. My OBGYN is affiliated with the center for women also at Mt Auburn and I have always had an amazing experience With both practices. The staff is warm, welcoming and very competent. Dr Hartunian typically has a 9 – 10 month wait list for new patients and she is every bit worth the wait. In between the annual exam, if you call about a health issue which she perceives to be a problem, she will immediately make herself and her wonderful staff available to you and if you need diagnostics done from the common hospital lab, she’ll be sure to get that taken care of immediately. Highly recommend this place if you want a comfortable homey environment over the zoo that are some of the bigger hospitals in and around Boston/​Cambridge

I’m currently in the ER for a couple of stitches and have been waiting for over an hour for anyone to even come acknowledge I’m here. I should have driven to St. E’s because this is really bad. Does not seem like anyone gives a flying f*. I’m about to go and find the cafeteria and get myself a bite to eat and will still probably not see a doctor.

Ended up having emergency knee surgery here last year while on vacation, as I dislocated my kneecap. My knee is bad and I had surgery twice when I was a kid for loose bone chips and a bone disease. It has been uncomfortable for years but I just didn’t really know any better and was used to the discomfort. I work out A LOT and and had been told by my orthopedic surgeon that I would eventually need total knee replacement, that if I asked there is not any Dr that would say no to it at this point. Dr Carlson was able to fit me into his schedule on August 3^rd before my trip back to Alaska on the 10^th. He looked at my Xrays and said he could for sure fix my knee cap and at least buy me some time on my bad knee. He did a lot of work on in my surgery, 2 partial menisectomies, cleaned up some bone spurs, fixed my patella groove so my kneecap would track properly, and since I had bone against bone he did whats called a lateral release to help make a little space. I was up and walking by day two without crutches, and was able to make the 10 hour plane trip 7 days later to Alaska (mind you I don’t recommend it as my knee looked like a balloon, but I had no choice) I used one of those cryo cuffs and iced my knee frequently, and elevated when possible, and started PT within a week of my return. Swelling took quite awhile to subside (about 4 months) and I ended up having to go back to Mass for another family emergency about 2 months later, so I stopped in to see Dr Carlson for a 10 week follow up. He gave me a cortizone shot at that time and I returned back to AK again and continued on with about 20 sessions of PT twice a week over 3 months.
It took all total about 5 months to totally heal (I’m in pretty good shape and a fast healer so I was actually about a month ahead of the normal schedule) I returned back to my regular workout schedule at about 4 months, but had to ease into it as I still had some discomfort until I got to the 5^th month. Overall now though my knee is WAY better then it was before. I can do stuff now that I couldn’t do at all previously or since I was a kid. I do a lot of weight lifting, I’m able to do full squats, lunges, jump, run, and kick now. I can step up and down with no issues or pain, and honestly feel like I have a brand new knee. I suspect that if I lasted 51 years with the previous one in worse shape that I should be able to keep this one until I die with no need for total knee replacement. I was very happy with the treatment I got at Mt Auburn and the care from Dr. Carlson and would totally go there again. I have nothing but good things to say about my experience there.

The whole system is sloppy. Registrations mistaken your appointment even you double checked the time with them and they can took wrong email address from you, twice. That makes me late for my appointment because they never send me an email successfully (although they have phone announcement but it is not clear enough). Hope the doctors are responsible enough though.

I’ve had several occasions to be at this hospital since I moved to Watertown 3 years ago. That includes a few ER visits, lab work, nuclear med, CT, and my husband’s hospitalization for a perforated colon from a routine colonscopy (but that’s another story).
My experiences have been routinely awful. Missed lab tests (the last involved 2 out of 5 tests on a specimen being missed, meaning that I had to come back and give another), failure to give important instructions (I had to learn what to do after a CT from another patient in the waiting room. When I asked the tech about it, she said, «Oh, yeah. Make sure you have plenty of water afterwards.» There were no written or verbal instructions to help me out.) and seemingly uncaring staff. I worked in ERs myself for 30 years, so know how the patient flow goes, and staff can be overworked, but this place is really poor. Even when I wrote my evaluation survey, no one contacted me to discuss it.
During my last visit, I ran across at least two departments where HIPPA violations were shocking.
That said, the building is lovely and the nuclear med department was terrific.
I’m currently looking around for another hospital.

If I were hit by a bus on the sidewalk inches from the front door of this place, I’d rather bleed to death than receive treatment here. Don’t get me wrong, the doctor was nice enough. But they harass patients, don’t return phone calls, and retaliate against patients who try in good faith to correct a problem with their insurance provider’s payment (or non payment) to the hospital.
Long story short, my insurance company screwed up my payment, and I’ve been trying to get it fixed. I called the hospital to let them know. But do you think that was acceptable to them? No. i got three-​times weekly robocalls harassing me. I repeatedly called and spoke to a human being and explained the situation. They told me they would not stop with the harassing calls unless I paid them what I did not owe them (my insurer did). Then, despite the fact that I regularly contacted the hospital to follow up and asking them for help in re-​submitting the claim to my insurer (because the insurer claimed that was necessary), they sent my bill to collections. TO COLLECTIONS. They know they’re going to get paid. They know why they haven’t been paid yet. The only explanation for their conduct is malice.
If you want to be bullied, harassed, and maligned by people who are supposed to be there to help you, then choose Auburn Hospital. If you want actual human beings and quality care, go elsewhere. If I am ever seriously injured again, I will insist to my dying breath that the ambulance drive straight past that hole and bring me to a real hospital.
Disgusting.

I received services from the Radiology Department. First, I want to highly commend the two nursesfor the care and extra effort they took to maximize my comfort level before, during, and after the exam. Kudos to them!
However the Radiologist, Dr. Shortsleeve, was very knowledgeable, but his technique/​patient interaction could’ve been better. As part of the examination I was instructed to drink a liquid substance. Since I was having initial difficulty drinking the substance, he tried to force me to drink faster by lifting my wrist. This action was uncomfortable and belittling. Aside from the fact that it was condescending and left me feeling like a child, it was dangerously uncomfortable, since my «swallowing» did not align with him lifting my wrist, and I almost choked.

My PCP is at Mount Auburn and she is phenomenal. Her staff is great and appointments are seamless. They get 5 stars. However, the emergency room services leave much to be desired. I fell down my stairs after waxing them (thanks Mr. Miyagi for teaching me ‘wax on, wax off’) to perfection and almost being able to see your reflection.
Being the clutz that I am, while wearing socks, I took a major tumble down all 16. EMS was called but I didn’t want to deal with the cost so I opted to drive myself (while still in pain). I get in, inform them of the tumble and the fact that I hit my head on the way down. Ugh. I really wish I’d gone with EMS. The wait to see a doctor was nearly 3 hours and after getting in I was there for another 6. This ER needs to get it together. ASAP.

I’ve been coming to mount auburn for 5 years now. The staff is usually very helpful and friendly and I’ve never had a problem with the doctors. The radiology area is where I have had problems including long waits and some of the staff have serious issues with rudeness, but all and all a great place to get care.

By Far the worst hospital I have been too! We have had several incidents gone wrong, like giving my 80 year old grandmother to much Anesthesia an she was in a coma for 6 weeks, talk about scary! She came out of it but when she awoke she had the mentality of a 5 year old an thank God for rehab because they got her back to normal.
In 2009 I went in for stomach pain (very bad) 5 months after having my son the doctor told me it was acid reflex an thought I was a typical 25 year old looking for pain pills, little did she know I needed my gallbladder out, had gallstones an a blood clot the size of a softball. I was in more pain then labor, the nurses didn’t even know I had a blood clot, well maybe if they had read the chart they would have known!!! My mother was complain to the nurse that she had never seen me in this much pain an was begging her to get me something to help, The nurse turns to the other nurse an asks «is she a junky!!» Are you serious? I had never been more uncomfortable, My mother then got the doctor and the doctor came in himself an helped me. After me calming down there was talk of my family getting me to Mass General, but the surgeon was nice enough to make me stay. I ended up in there a week an it was the worst experience I have ever had.
My son is now 5 an is smarter then most of the nurses an sad to say the ER doctors as well. If you ever need proper care don’t ever go here!!!

Have your baby here. Don’t you just hate it when people tell you what to do, particularly when it comes to birthing babies? So, let me temper that suggestion: I had my kiddo at Mt. Auburn and was extremely pleased with every single thing: the nurses, who were amazingly patient and funny, the doctor, who was quiet, assured, let me have the birth I wanted… I was able to give my boy a wonderful birth. And then, I ate cheeseburgers, which was also delightful. Order one of everything on the menu. You just had a baby!!! Yay, you! Top-​notch everything. The Lactation Consultants, particularly Jenny Weaver, are lifesavers, making you feel completely normal because breastfeeding is hard and we all need help.

I gave birth to my baby girl here back in April and even though I went in for orientation three months prior, I was still apprehensive about labor & delivery. The facilities are nice and both the labor and post partum rooms were huge and comfortable for my husband, baby and I. We didn’t have any additional family at the hospital.
The reason for the 5 stars? The nurses! Each one of them was awesome– from the triage/​check in, to helping me with labor, everything that immediately followed the delivery and the move to post partum, the first 24 hours and even the check out. Totally efficient, easy to understand, friendly and human! I saw the nurse that was with me for most of my labor (before shift change) and I couldn’t stop thanking her. Very supportive and helpful with visualizations and relaxation. I loved my OB but I really felt I couldn’t have done it without the nurses.
P. S. If you are considering breast feeding, definitely meet with their lactation consultant. I went to the meeting room and I was the only one there! Talk about a private tudor. And, when it came time to check out, another consultant came by our room just to see how everything was going. It really helped and it was nice to have the support.

This is a review for Mt. Auburn’s Labor & Delivery unit.
As a doula, I have had the privilege of being present at births in nearly every Boston area hospital at this point. I’ve had several clients who have picked Mount Auburn recently and it’s truly not often I have the chance to say this, but I wanted to share how wonderful & refreshing it is to attend a birth in a facility staffed with individuals who respect both birth & the families laboring.
The labor and delivery staff at Mount Auburn Hospital are amazing– consistently, across the board, without fail. They are unfailingly patient, they recognize variations of normal, they allow families to make informed choices, and I’ve yet to see a midwife or a nurse there use fear or their own personal agenda to pressure anyone into changing their plans. I was there again recently with a new family & the care this couple received is what prompted me to give credit where credit is due. They helped make sure this mama was an active participant, informed of every step, & she birthed on her terms, even when plans had to change.
I definitely cannot say that for every facility I’ve been in… and I can’t thank them enough for being such a positive force in women’s health and the beginning of each new family they serves journey.

Slowest hospital ER I’ve ever been in. Tried to go to the walk in clinic as I’ve had good luck there in the past, but they decided I needed a CT so they sent me to the ER. Both reception areas were staffed with unprofessional, cranky, gossiping women that didn’t seem to care about their appearance, hygiene or manners.
I’m writing this review after sitting in my ER bed for 4 hours without any treatment. After I saw my doctor for the first time 2 hours ago, and then a confused resident after that (had no idea id already been seen– great job being efficient!!). I don’t know what results came from my blood tests and have no idea when I’m going to imaging. Thank goodness my nurse was able to snag me a turkey sandwich while I wait!
Also– if the creepy resident in the bright green scrubs stares into my room one more time I will tell at him.
If I spend another hour here it would be awesome to get another pillow. Or some entertainment.

Coming from the burbs it was a bumper to bumper ride — bright hospital, really prompt and friendly service. :-)

After cutting the tip of my finger off with a vegetable slicer and not being able to get the bleeding to stop at home, I decided to take a trip over to MAH.
I’m not quick to run over to the ER for every little thing, and sheepishly went inside, terribly embarrassed for having cut myself so badly…
The staff from reception to discharge were all great!
I was greeted and registered without delay, immediately seen by the triage nurse who re-​dressed my finger, checked my vitals, and returned me to the waiting area.
Not five minutes later, I was in a private suture room, having my finger cleaned, and redressed by the PA on duty. They had some magic gel foam which capped off my cut finger and stopped the bleeding. A little gauze and wrapping and presto. All set… No stitches!
I would have been in and out in less than an hour, except that my blood pressure and heart rate were still high, and they asked me to hang out in my private room while it dropped. I must have been dehydrated, because after a some fluids, I was all set to go.
What was most impressive were the promptness of the nurses. They told me they would check in with me from time to time (in 15 minute intervals) and were back in my room, on time to the minute. I could also hear them chatting outside my room as it was right across from their station, and when they said they’d ask the doc something, they actually would, right away. None of the BS check-in’s to buy more time that I’ve experienced at other hospitals…
After a third vitals check, I was walking out the door not 5 minutes later.
I don’t hope to be back anytime soon, but can’t imagine a better ER experience.
Thanks MAH ER!

Boy oh boy do people love to whine in their reviews. I think your hospital experience has a lot to do with your attitude. If you have a tendency to treat people who serve you poorly anywhere else, you will do the same in the hospital, and likely will receive same «only what is required» response.
My experience with Mt. Auburn has been nothing but stellar.
#1. Our baby was delivered in this hospital and it felt like we were in Hilton of hospitals. Staff treated my wife like she was their only patient. Just endless amount of attention and care! I hope we are still in Boston and get to deliver our next baby here.
My wife chose this hospital, because her girlfriends had phenomenal experience. And she made a wise choice.
#2. I had a horrible case of pneumonia and ended up ambulanced to ER at Mt. Auburn. I was in a really bad shape, but so were about 80 other people. I marveled at how they handled such a volume of people. After 4 hours in ER I got moved to a room upstairs. Same experience as when we were delivering a baby. Really attentive staff, going out of their way to make sure you are comfortable, they threw every specialist they had at me. What really moved me is that these people are obsessed with their craft. No half-​assing! One of the doctors spent way over half hour answering my questions, explaining every detail in plain English, and making sure I understood everything.
I love Mount Auburn, I love the staff. And you know what, just like if you treat your grocery store clerk nicely, or barrista, treat your doctors and nurses with respect and you will receive the same. Rules of life and courtesy are not suspended in the hospital.
What Mt. Auburn could do to improve? FOOD! Cafeteria closes too early, which is not very helpful when you are up 24+ hours with the baby. Also, 1 in 4 times they get something in your order wrong.
All in all, Mt. Auburn rocks!

I hate to be writing a less-​than-​spectacular review for this hospital. I delivered a baby here in late May and I LOVED the midwives, I LOVED every single one of my nurses (I’m even Facebook friends with one of them now), all of the meals were delicious – basically every aspect of my delivery and hospital stay was really wonderful. I couldn’t have been happier. Just keep that in mind – this negative review is about their BILLING OFFICE ONLY.
Their billing office called me in mid-​May and wanted pre-​payment for my copay. No problem, thanks for helping me check one more thing off my list before I bring a new baby home. I happily paid it. A month after the delivery I received a bill for the copayment. I call and they say, «Oh, we applied it to the wrong thing but we see it here, we’ll take care of it, you can ignore future bills if they come.» Okay, great.
Not.
I receive another bill, and then another. I call again and they say they’ve refunded my copay (WHY?! they can’t tell me) and that I still owe them money. I don’t see the credit on my bank statement so I ignore them. And I receive another bill.
I called again this morning and after being bounced around by the staff, I asked to speak to the manager. He was unpleasant at best. After sharing my experience, I straight up asked for an apology for the frustration and inconvenience and he refused to give it. Then when he emailed me my receipt he had omitted my last name from the debit card charge, and so I called him back to make sure they payment had gone through. He argued with me for a second about what my name really was (?!) and then interrupted me and said, «In any event, regardless of what your name is, the payment went through.»
Right, lest I forget that hospital management doesn’t actually care about PEOPLE, he had to remind me that so long as they get their money, who cares what my name is?!
Suffice it to say, after speaking with multiple people in their billing office, while the hospital staff in Labor & Deliver and Mother/​Baby is wonderful, their billing staff is incompetent and their manager is rude.
I would deliver here again regardless (if I still lived in MA), but I’m just so annoyed that I had to write a review.