Dr. Deborah Jane Rich, MD

I was scheduled to be seen by Dr. Deborah Rich because my PCP was unavailable. This visit was a follow-up after an ER treatment for an allergic reaction. I arrived within the 10-minute grace period, but as I checked in, Dr. Rich commented, “Is that my … a.m. appointment? She’s late.” When I explained I was within the grace period, she closed the office door on me mid-sentence. During the appointment, I was not greeted, and she appeared to be in an immediate rush. Throughout the appointment, I felt dismissed, unheard, and uncomfortable with how unprofessional her demeanor was. I felt I had no time or space to share my concerns, as she seemed to speed through each question and statement as if she had other priorities. I received an apology at the front desk, but no further acknowledgment.

If I could give zero stars, I would. Dr. Deborah Rich is by far the most dismissive, cold, and unprofessional doctor I’ve ever encountered. Instead of listening to my health concerns, she fixated on my appearance touching my face to ‘check if I had fillers’ and asking what plastic surgeries I’ve had, as if my looks somehow meant I couldn’t be sick. I was interrupted constantly, humiliated, and spoken to in a condescending tone like I didn’t deserve to be heard. She made me remove my shoes under the excuse of checking my feet, then didn’t even examine them — it was clearly a power move to make me feel small. Despite a positive autoimmune marker (ANA) and Crohn's disease and serious symptoms, she brushed it all off as “somatization” and refused to refer me to a neurologist or cardiologist like I asked. She ignored everything. And to top it all off — she scheduled a follow-up a YEAR later. Not a month, not a few weeks — an entire year. This woman is a nightmare for anyone dealing with… invisible illnesses or chronic health conditions. She gaslights, humiliates, and invalidates asks personal unrelated questions. She should not be practicing medicine. When I explained that my symptoms were not just pain, but physical sensations throughout my body — including fatigue, headaches, numbness, changes in heart rate, and even a strange 'minty' feeling in my feet — she gave me a judgmental, demeaning look, like I was speaking nonsense. Instead of asking clarifying questions or offering any support, she literally said, ‘What? Mint??’ with an attitude that made me feel like I was crazy for describing what I was experiencing. I left that appointment feeling humiliated, dismissed, and more alone than ever. If you value your mental health, dignity, or actual care.... run. I'm never going back.

Wonderful, direct, no nonsense, a great VA doctor