Need pediatrician recommendations in Stone Oak area (vaccine friendly) (San Antonio: school, office)

[devriendte]

We are new to San Antonio and are searching for a great pediatrician. We need a doc who is willing to work with us on immunizations(we're a little behind the recommended schedule because we opt for the DT instead of the DTaP)...any recommendations are appreciated.

[m22]

Highly recommend North Hills Family Medicine (Sonterra & Stone Oak Pkwy) for children AND adults. Clean waiting room, clean exam rooms, no wait and easy to get in any time, even in semi-emergency situations (cuts, falls, allergic reactions). They go the extra mile to make sure you & your family are well cared for, and they are happy to spend the time needed in every appointment. I love that they speak directly to my kids and ask if they have questions, etc.

I switched our kids from Stone Oak Pediatrics (off Stone Oak Pkwy) after having some bad experiences there (long waits, dirty toys in waiting room, extra charges for copies of shot records for school, etc.) The icing on the cake was when my 5 year old daughter spent a day in the ER on a weekend with a very serious/life-threatening diagnosis. After treating & releasing her, the ER docs told me they would fax the all the labs & findings to my regular pediatrician at Stone Oak Pediatrics. Not only did my regular doc NOT call me on Monday, she did not even return my calls until a few days later. This was par for the course unfortunately, so I guess I was foolish to assume that our doc would take a special interest in a patient who had spent the weekend in an ER. It was our first and only glimpse of how an emergency situation might be handled by their practice, and we promptly switched practices to North Hills once we realized how inattentive they were. (When I called North Hills, by the way, they made a new patient appointment for my daughter for the very next day, no wait, no red tape.)

I have no idea why Stone Oak Pediatrics is such a popular practice...each time we went, we certainly felt it. We waited (sick and well together) along with a million other patients and spent a lot of time waiting in the exam room too. The doc never appeared to remember our names (she called me "Mom," a personal pet peeve), rarely even greeted the kids and then directed all questions about them to me ("So, Mom, where has Johnny been experiencing the pain? Now, how old is Johnny?")

This was just our experience with them, obviously they have a following, but I'd be up front with them about expectations, if you prefer a certain level of care.

I also looked at Tejas Pediatrics (Stone Oak Pkwy) when we moved here & didn't make it past the glass window in reception, literally.
(The receptionist noticed me standing there and without even cracking the window or saying one word, she directed me to take a seat by pointing at one).

[d-train]

My wife is the one who has better knowledge on the subject but I know we've taken our kids to ABCD Pediatrics (Stone Oak Parkway at Huebner) for six years now. We've seen just about every Dr. there and don't have any complaints. Sure, we have a preferred Dr. and you can schedule regular checkups with the same Dr., however walk-ins will get whoever you get. I would highly recommend them. I only wish they had nighttime and/or extended hours.

[devriendte]

thanks for the feedback. Have heard ABCD will only accept you as a patient if you are willing to follow their strict shot schedule (which we will not do). Do you know if North Hills is willing to work on an alternate schedule...we DO vaccinate, just at a slower pace. Really hoping to find a doc who is willing to take our concerns to heart (we're not flaky about vaccinations, just a little more cautious because there is a family history of severe adverse reactions). Does anyone have any experience or knowledge about Dr. Kempf (off bitters, I believe)? I read on here that she is willing to accomodate shot schedules, but when I called the office today, felt REALLY rushed by the receptionist...)

[Chaka]

I'm willing to bet every receptionist is going to make you feel rushed...

Not in Stone Oak but the Med Center, we've been happy with Pediatric Associates (Drs Ozer, Rocha-Davis, Ross). Tho we do vaccinate, I have altered the schedule a bit (infectious diseases is my specialty), and they're fine with it. Now, others I know have had some issues with certain doctors, so I think they can be a bit biased - they know what I do, they know my research, so they don't question my decisions, but friends who are not so well versed on vaccines have felt a bit pushed. So, if you have good research backing up your decisions, they're very receptive to an altered schedule.