Dr. Celerina Mary Joyce Liwag, MD

During Kinsley's wellness pediatric visit with Dr. Liwag, we discussed her ongoing symptoms, primarily the persistent coughing that had been troubling her for over a week. As we arrived for the appointment,my wife shared my concern that Kinsley’s cough had become increasingly severe. At times, the coughing fits were so intense that she would gag and struggle to catch her breath. Due to her condition, I had to pick her up from school earlier today because she wasn’t feeling well. Despite my concerns, Dr. Liwag examined Kinsley and reassured me that her lungs sounded clear and she didn't appear to be sick. According to Dr. Liwag, there was no visible sign of a respiratory infection or anything alarming. However, my wife left the appointment feeling frustrated and unheard. When she got home, she shared this with me which frustrated me. Dr. Liwag dismissed my concerns, attributing Kinsley's condition to possibly being a mild illness or even an allergy, with no clear diagnosis or… recommended treatment plan. While I understood that Kinsley's lungs were clear, the fact remained that her coughing was persistent and severe enough to disrupt her daily life. I felt that Dr. Liwag's assessment was dismissive and lacked thorough consideration of Kinsley's symptoms. No tests were conducted to rule out more serious causes, nor did the doctor offer any advice on how to manage the coughing or prevent it from worsening. This encounter left me feeling as though Dr. Liwag was negligent in providing proper care for my child. Despite my repeated concerns, there was no urgency or follow-up plan, which felt like a missed opportunity to address Kinsley's health in a more comprehensive way. As a parent, I rely on my child's pediatrician to provide guidance and reassurance, but in this case, I felt that Dr. Liwag's approach was insufficient and dismissive of the genuine issues we were facing.

Was highly unprofessional and cut off almost every sentence! She didnt offer any help at all and hung up on me! Very disgusted!

Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the care my child received from this physician. I had high hopes after moving into the area and being recommended to this practice. This physician gave the impression of being in a hurry, was less than gentle with my child during examination and talked down to me when discussing her "diagnosis". There was, in fact, no diagnosis, just a lot of "she could have..." at which time she whipped out her RX pad and hurriedly scribbled a script. She did not explain how often I would be administering the drugs she prescribed and talked to me in a judgmental and patronizing tone when I asked questions. When I called in a few days later because my daughter was getting worse and asked to see one of the other doctors, the receptionist instead told Dr. Liwag why I was unhappy and proceeded to transfer me to her instead of Dr. Lancellotti like she told me she was doing. Overall we had a very disappointing experience at Baca peds, starting with the… unprofessionalism of the office staff and nurses (some of whom loiter behind the desk checking their cell phones) and ending with physicians who could use a refresher in bedside manner and a reminder that children are precious and should be handled with care.