Commonweath Physicians for Women

Commonwealth is a fairly large group of doctors with several offices in the Richmond area, and a generally good reputation. I think it’s reputation is mostly because of the doctors, who are super nice. I was looking for a doctor who was pretty practical and would take time to get to know me, so my friend recommended her doctor, who is part of Commonwealth Physicians.
Unfortunately her doctor is pretty popular and she was booked solid for months, but when I called in I was able to get an appt with another doctor at an office location really close to my house– right at St. Mary’s Hospital.
However, I have to say that their treatment of new patients could use improving. For example– they never told me that there is free parking in the lot across from the hospital, and that I should park over there because it’s close to the portion of the ENORMOUS HOSPITAL where their office is located. So on my first visit, I parked almost a half mile away and had to hoof it in heels, practically running to make sure I got there in time.
Then on my second appt I went in at 8am and I had to get bloodwork done (Which was done at their lab, on the same floor as the office) and see the doctor, and noone at the front desk told me that I could get the bloodwork done BEFORE I saw the doctor. The doctor was running over an hour late (and they never bothered to call me and tell me) and then on top of that I had to go wait after I saw her to get bloodwork. And all this was during a work day! I had to call my manager and have her cover a big meeting for me because I spent 3.5 hours in the office, mostly waiting! I was so upset that if I didn’t really like my doctor, I wouldn’t have gone back. It would have taken them two minutes to tell me I could go get my bloodwork done while I was waiting for the doctor… and it would have made my day go much smoother.
On the flip side, they sent me a letter to confirm my first appt… that was very nice and a great reminder for me. Way better than calling– I had their phone number on the letter in case I got lost! And they sent me paperwork to fill out in advance, so I didn’t have to sit there and fill it out when I went in! Very cool.
And everyone is usually very nice. The nurses collect a lot of useful info that can make your life easier– like what pharmacy you use, so they can call in Rx automatically for you. You just have to talk to your doctor about little tips and tricks…
For example, every doctor is assigned a nurse. So instead of calling to speak with the dr., try to call and get through her nurse– she is much more likely to be available to speak.
And if you need bloodwork, once your nurse puts in the order with the lab, you can go anytime to get it done– no appt necessary. But when you go to the lab office, be sure to tell the receptionist that the order was not put in that day– they often look for new orders first, assuming patients will opt to get the bloodwork done right after seeing the doctor. But you don’t have to, so you could go in at 8am the next morning if you have to get back to work or something.
Overall, once you get the hang of their operations this is a good doctors office, but you have to proactively ask questions and don’t assume they will take time to «Show you the ropes»…