Ronald J Barkin, MD

I have absolutely no idea how some of the people on here reviewed this Doctor with such high marks. Its baffling. Makes me wonder about their legitimacy. My overall rating of 1 star is a gift. I went through the latest treatment for Hep C with Dr. Barkin. It was six long grueling months. Especially, the first three months. It was the medication. I took a cocktail of ribavarin, peginterferon alfa shots and incivek. Keep in mind, this is the second time I went through treatment within the past five years. Of course, the first time did not work. Anyway, the first three months were plain awful. Especially, the first month while getting exposed to all the side effects of the cocktail. I never got used to it. I felt like crap almost the entire time. There were many times when I felt like I was going to either pass out or worse. Once, I tried calling Dr. Barkin's office around 1 or 2 at night, because I could not stand the awful state I was in. I needed to know if I should call 911 or just wait it out. A doctor on call (his name escapes me now) made me feel even worse. He yelled at me for bothering him so late at night. He said, "are you really calling me because you are not feeling well and you don't know what to do?" I was taken back. I had to remind him that he is on call. His response, "if your symptoms continue, call the office on Monday." Thats just one instance and it does not really pertain to Dr. Barkin per se, but it is still a reflection on the type of office this is. No one in the office phoned me once throughout the entire treatment to check on me. In fact, they did not even know when the treatment began or would end when I would call for results. And thats another issue. You have to chase them around for results of your blood work. They are never there when you call and of course you are never there when they finally return your calls which have been days later. One of the nurses tried to warn me before I started the treatment, she said "some of our patients fall through the cracks." It turns out, SHE WAS NOT KIDDING. I finished the treatment in May of 2012. Viral load was undetectable. No one even followed up to see how it went or whether I should continue. I called six months later to get a blood work slip to check the viral load. Dr. Barkin returned my call and the first question he asked was "are you still on treatment?" I understand that they have other patients and he can't remember everyone, but for god's sake, look at my chart before you call. Anytime I got him on the phone, he always sounded like a faceless, emotionless automaton who is pre-programmed with a set of certain responses. I am convinced he had no idea who he is talking to when he would answer the phone and would simply respond to personal questions with generic responses. There were a whole host of other issues, such as misinformation about the actual treatment, about the length of treatment, and etc. I could go on for pages. Although I was well aware of all these problems during the treatment, I kept going because in the end all that mattered to me was that I would clear the virus. I just got the results back and the virus has returned. I wonder if I was actually taken care of as I should have been that I would have cleared it?! I will never know.

The lady in-charge of setting up appointments is not happy about her job and it reflects on how she deals with the patients. She has the habit of interrupting the conversation impolitely (kind of tactless if I should describe it). The rest of the other staff looked too serious and show no sign of relaxed atmosphere. Dr. Barkin is good but just needs to find time in following up with his patients.

Appreciated my experience. Very professional and attentive.

Went to Doc Barkin for a routine Colonoscopy, and was impressed from beginning to end by both Doctor and Staff. Dr Barkin spent quite a bit of time with me in the pre-procedure consultation going over the procedures and risks......and yes, he did talk about himself....but that is exactly what I want....to know the Doctor that I am trusting my life to. Highly recommended.

I don't recommend this doctor- I'm sure he has a lot of knowledge, but he simply doesn't take the time to apply it. The first appointment I had with him, he spent 15 minutes talking about himself. The second appointment I had, he literally was ushering me out the door as I was still asking questions- and he had only spent about 5 minutes with me in the first place. Both times I waited 30-60 minutes once I got there (and I wasn't late); in fact, for the second appointment, he arrived after I did to the office. He didn't actually listen to what I was saying, and as a result, I am not confident in his decisions; I feel he's treating symptoms that are secondary to my main issues.

He changed my quality of life for the better. I never thought I would be able to live the way I do now. I credit it entirely to Dr. Barkin. He has gone above and beyond what he needed to- home phone calls, special appointments, a staff that knows patients by name. His advice is truly exceptional and I trust him over every other doctor I have ever seen.

Dr. Barkin has a wonderful bedside manner and really cares. I wouldn't go to any other gastroenterologist for my colonoscopy nor would my husband.