S. Lorae Womack-Batzdorf, M.D.

Reviews 3

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Clare D

This review is responding to some of the reviews I’ve read in Yelp. I’m very surprised by the negative reviews I’ve read here concerning Dr. Womack-Batzdorf. I couldn’t disagree more. My husband and I recently moved to the area. We’re over 50 and have several prescriptions that must not lapse (blood pressure, etc.), so I started looking around for a new primary care doctor on our insurance plan. Due to the negative reviews here, I contemplated going with a different doctor, but a registered nurse recommended Dr. Womack-Batzdorf, and I decided to trust the nurse’s opinion. I was pleased to be able to get a first appointment within only a week and a half. I found the telephone staff and office staff to be friendly and competent. Our insurance isn’t one of the big names, and they did the work to make sure the appointment was properly covered. The nurse was sweet and careful, retaking my blood pressure manually when the machine’s reading turned out to be pretty high. The clinic was pleasant, light-filled, and very clean. And Dr. Womack-Batzdorf was not only thoughtful, engaging, and considerate, she was also personable and warm. She spent a lot of time with my patient history to make sure she understood the ways my chronic conditions might be overlapping and my medications interacting, and she is putting in the referrals to bring my routine tests up to date. Her approach with medication was conservative, which I appreciated: we may need to alter one of my blood pressure medications or augment that treatment with another medication, but she wants to try lifestyle changes first. She asked me if I think I can lose weight, and I said yes, so she gave me a concrete goal to work toward: four pounds in six weeks, and we’ll check the blood pressure again. I didn’t find Dr. Womack-Batzdorf to be in the least haughty or annoyed at questions. She didn’t try to rush me, either. I asked lots of questions, and she answered all of them honestly and carefully. And I found her to be well-informed and up on the latest study data, and willing to listen to a patient’s input, too. For instance, she was supportive of my taking evening primrose oil to manage my migraines and even noted the brand I always take. (As the news reports have been telling us, not all herbal supplements contain the strength, or even the ingredients, that they claim to have.) My impression is that Dr. Womack-Batzdorf is a very intelligent person who very much wants what is best for her patients’ health. And honestly, that may be part of the problem with some of these negative reviews. What a patient wants and what is best for a patient may be two very different things. Some patients don’t want to make lifestyle changes. Some patients want more symptom-relieving medication than is good for their health. My impression is that Dr. Womack will not try to make friends with a patient at the expense of that patient’s health. She will put health first, even if that means upsetting the patient by doing things like suggesting (as she did with me) weight loss or other lifestyle changes. And that may put her on some patients’ bad side. Other than that, I’m at a loss for a reason for the sort of character assassination I’m seeing in these reviews. It really makes no sense to me. Dr. Womack was everything a doctor should be during my lengthy visit with her, and I’m looking forward to working with her toward a goal of better health.

CA

Carol Hurwitz

I had an infection that I thought was due to an infected tooth but the dentist couldnt identify it, then the prosthodontist couldnt and I got an early morning appointment with Dr. Womack-Batsdorf after been told nothing was available at the nearest Sutter office. When I walked in she knew exactly what was wrong, and sent me to emergency at Alta Bates. They knew I was coming and handled my case when I arrived. It was a dangerous infection, parotitis, that was out of control. Her instantaneous diagnosis was amazing after others had missed it entirely. And the care was wonderful. I have continued to see her on non-emergency matters and I both enjoy and respect her.

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Isela Gonzalez Santana

I saw Dr. Womack for a shoulder injury in January 2017. When I asked for an MRI, she responded, "You want an MRI for that?" Luckily, I insisted on the MRI which ended up revealing two labrum tears. After a strong attempt at PT, pain and stiffness kept increasing and so I ended up needing arthroscopic surgery. Im just glad I insisted on an MRI instead of acquiescing to Dr. Womacks suggestion to only do PT.