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May 2022 by Richard D.
I was a one-time client of the Institute this year. I had NO problem with the doctor assigned to me BUT the nursing staff is LESS than satisfactory! The doctor prescribed an allergy nasal spray for me that I have been using for the past several years. I have had NO problem with getting the year-long prescription refilled when it lapsed..... UNTIL NOW! The administative nurse assigned to submitting "prior authorization" requests for medications NOT automatically insured claimed she HAD submitted the request to Medicare Insurance Company and that it was DENIED because they will "NO LONGER" cover it!! I was a bit SUSPICIOUS of WHY this was SUDDENLY the case and contacted the insurance Company myself. I found out the nurse had apparently LIED to me because they had NOT DENIED the request since they HAD NO RECORD OF EVEN HAVING RECEIVED IT!! I had to request the Company myself to process the request!! I think I am going back to GWU allergy clinic where I didn't have such a problem.
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March 2022 by Seth M.
I can be one tough customer when it comes to medical care. Look at my other reviews. I was a patient years ago but l left due to distance. Now that they have a more convenient location, I was happy to use them. Their founder Mike Kaliner is long gone, but he was outstanding as was his nurse Doug. Dr. Kaliner was not just an amazing doctor but an amazing manager. I can see that in the current team.
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November 2021 by Eric M.
Office open but shots end at 3:30. Four patients rejected for arriving at 3:31. They absolutely have the right to set any rules for their practice that they see fit. We feel ashamed to have given them our business and providing profits to their owners given their interest in patient care or customer experience.
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November 2021 by Leora Raskas
Very grateful for this practice!
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September 2021 by Wendy Weisbard
Everyone in the office is very friendly. The two doctors I saw were great and explained everything in a easy to understand way.
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June 2021 by Lakeisha M.
During the start of pandemic the only way to get an allergy shot appointment was to be scheduled in an office, instead of sitting in the waiting area (the usual waiting area was closed to the public). After you received your shot and were required to wait the 30 minutes in the office room, a doctor would occasionally walk in and check to see how you're doing. Months later, the office is now billing patients for "Office Visits" for every time a doctor invited themselves into the office room you were required to wait in. No one at the billing department seems to care. There are many other allergy offices in DC to go to.
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May 2020 by Catherine Pruett
Love this place! Staff is friendly and knowledgeable and my quality of life has increased dramatically since getting tested and treated. Their hours are great and I have rarely had to wait to get my shots. There’s no allergy clinic that compares!
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May 2020 by Victoria Tillson
I took my daughter to see Dr. Scarupa a month ago to have her tested for allergies. He claimed she was only mildly allergic to dust mites, yet the wide array of allergy medicines that she has since been put on over the last month by her primary care physician and the "atomic" eye drops that an opthamologist has given her, as well, seem to indicate otherwise. Either Dr. Scarupa gave her a faulty examination or he doesn't know how to do his job. I have since called to get an explanation, and have been given the run around and have not been called back by the doctor himself. Needless to say, I am very unhappy with the service, especially since I took her to see this doctor to get the treatment she clearly needed.-------I would like to amend my review from 3 years ago. Some friends suggested that we keep pushing until we could meet Dr. Athena Economides, because she was supposedly fabulous. Our friends were right. Dr. Economides is unbelievably thorough, more than any other doctor in the area, and we credit her with saving our daughter's life. Our daughter kept getting pneumonia over and over again, and no one could figure out why. Dr. Economides did, because she kept persisting and she believed us when we said that something was really wrong. If you want the best doctor in the DC area, go see her! I would give Dr. Economides 10 stars if I could.
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February 2020 by Jennifer C.
My allergy testing experience was just fine... but there was a big problem with my prescriptions. Maybe because I'm a new patient? I was told when I left the Chevy Chase location that my prescriptions would be sent in to my local pharmacy. When I went to the pharmacy that evening, no prescriptions has been sent over. So I called the Institute for Asthma and Allergy's answering service, who managed to reach the prescribing doctor and get the Nasal Spray prescription sent over. When I got up the next morning, I called the pharmacy, and they STILL did not have the prescription for my Inhaler (which I really needed because I'm having trouble breathing). So I had to leave a message on the Nurse's Station voice mail. Why should there be such a problem getting two prescriptions sent to my pharmacy after my first visit? The quality of the medical care seems good here, but the follow-up admin systems need some work.
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November 2019 by Sajackson Covet
The front office staff is rude and unprofessional.
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September 2019 by Kris Juncker
Dr. Li is excellent. He is excellent with our young son and thoughtful about problem solving. When unavailable we have seen other Drs in the practice including Dr. Ward.
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May 2019 by Meka D.
I've been going here for 3 years now. I see Dr. Ward. I come weekly for allergy shots. They are really professional and care about my needs.
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March 2019 by Babar S.
Dr LI sucks He walked in with his stupid laptop and did not make any eye contact with anyone. He was totally not interested in what we had to say or our concerns. He had some weird smirk kn his face like he is enjoying watching us get frustrated with his heavy accent. He kept giving confusing information after our repeated attempt to get clarification. Place felt stuffy and outdated.
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July 2018 by C K.
Dr. Scarupa is really good and if it weren't for him, we'd leave this practice. Everyone from the front desk staff to the medical assistants to the nurses are rude. If you want customer service, do not go to this allergy practice. We have been going to this practice for a year and wait at a minimum 30 minutes every time to get my child's shots. Then we wait another 30 minutes to be cleared by a staff member. My husband and I are both physicians and when I had to leave early one visit, the lady who gave the shots said in a very rude manner, "I'm still telling the doctor you went AMA." I don't know who manages this office but the office manager should not have a job. Make sure you really like the doctor if you commit to this terribly run practice.
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September 2017 by chris atkin
My 14-year old son has battled Asthma since he was 2-years old after being admitted to a hospital with Kawasaki disease. We saw many doctors and specialists over the years and had his asthma under control for most of the year. The exception was every autumn, he would end up in the ER from asthma.
Dr. Ward was able to find the proper medical solution and for the first time since he was an infant, he has not missed weeks of school or been to the ER due to asthma. I have to say, Dr. Ward has improved the quality of life for my son and we are truly grateful.
With that said, the business practice is the most frustrating experience. About 6-months ago, one of the meds Dr. Ward prescribed needed special authorization for our insurance to cover the refill. It took their practice over a week to respond and when they did, they prescribed a medicine that is listed in his chart as ineffective! After leaving countless voicemails and emails to their business manager, it took me threatening to file a complaint with the Maryland Board of Physicians before their office returned my call and send the proper form to the insurance company.
Fast-forward to today, and the same medication needed a new prescription for a refill due to the original expiring. The pharmacy contacted the practice, which then denied the request. Not only did they deny the request, they did not call me to inform me of their decision or how to solve it. Their advise nurse explained to me that they informed the pharmacy of the decision and the pharmacy was supposed to call me. What sense is this? If the pharmacy does call me, all I can do is call their practice and speak with someone to have the issue solved.
I would recommend Dr. Ward to anyone suffering from asthma, but I would not recommend this practice. They have to change their process so us parents are not wasting time chasing prescriptions that our children need due to the lack of professionalism of their staff.
