Dr. Stephanie Diane Gartner, MD

Hello, I came across this site by accident. I read a couple of the 1 star reviews. If her profile didn't have a picture of her, I would definitely say there are two Dr. Gartners because the Dr. Gartner that I know is just the opposite of those reviews. The first time I saw her, she spent a whole hour with me. She was very thorough, personable, informative, a great listener.(as we all know, that's very, very important.) She even helped me get help with other issues I had that were not part of her practice. She's truly a caring doctor. There are so many bad or not so good doctors out there. After seeing her I knew I had gotten so lucky in finding a great doctor. That was like 15 years ago and I still feel the same. It used to take me 25 min to get to her which was fine with me. She then moved 2 hrs. away and that was still fine with me. She is such a great doctor, I would follow her to Boston if I had to. That would be a 4 hr. drive for me. She's that worth it. According to this site,… she is taking new patients. I would highly, highly recommend making her your doctor. And.....no, I'm not a personal friend or know anyone she knows except my own family members who see or have seen her and think the same as myself. Don't let a really good thing pass you by. I cherish that she is my rheumatologist and dread the day that she retires. I will be lost. P.S. I gave her a 5 star rating only because I couldn't give her more. And....when I go and see her now, I never wait for more that 10 min. if that.

I saw Dr Gartner for joint pain and she based her clinical decisions off a year old CT scan. She does not advocate for you nor wants to investigate to figure out what's wrong. As someone else said here, she has that "I'm right, you're wrong" doctor attitude which is a red flag. She said I have fibromyalgia and I ended up having a hip labral tear. To make things worse, she recommendd me anti depressants as a way to help. She does NOT care about patients with complicated health issues that do not come up as positive on any tests. She will say you have chronic fatigue syndrome. All she had to do was be extra cautious and order that one MRI. Dr Gartner, if you're reading this, you need to LISTEN to your patients and investigate them. Refer to another speciality or something, but don't take the easy way out and recommend anti-depressants. You made 2-3 months of my life miserable and full of pain.

I have been with Dr. Gartner-Fanburg for quite a few years. I have always enjoyed her realistic and honest approach to my visits. I find her well versed in my care plan, she knows my history and my concerns and can recommend the best medications specific to my needs - all the while taking my concerns into consideration allowing me to be as much a part of the process as she is. She takes the time to listen to me and I value her opinions/suggestions when it comes to my healthcare. I find that the practice can run behind on occasion so I try to get the first appointment in the morning or after lunch.

Dr Gartner-Fanburg was 35 minues late for my first and only appt with her and if she had looked at my chart, she was unable to retain any knowledge of the reason for which I was seeing her. She was curt, abrasive, and minimizing. She was visibly irritated at the list of questions I'd brought with me, as an informed consumer, and was aerogant when I questioned her regarding how my current symptoms impact my other medical issues. Despite there being limited Rheumatology resources in the State of Maine, I would highly suggest that you look for an alternative as you are unlikely to receive respectful care from this provider. She is motivated by her own agenda and not interested in the patient perspective. Seeing her felt like stepping into the dark ages where the mentality is that the doctor knows everything, the patient knows nothing, and your role as the patient is to shut up and do everything as the doctor tells you to do, blindly. That's just not acceptable patient care.

this was one of the best appontments with a specialist ever. Dr Gartner was very personable, pleasant, and understanding. She listened to all my (many!) questions and concerns and set up a very reasonable plan for my treatment. I have been so, so nervous about this appointment and I feel much better since meeting with Dr Gartner. I would highly recommend this physician.

Made difficult diagnosis for me and answered all of my questions with clear explanations. I would send all my friends to see her.

Fantastic doctor. She answered my questions, was very friendly, and helped fix my illness.