Dr. Fred James Vanalstine, MD

I had been seeing Dr VanAlstine for a decade, up until he left to study palliative care in Georgia and Dr Ekram Smith took over his practice. He is a wonderful doctor and always took time to make sure his patients were well taken care of, answering questions and addressing concerns. That man has shed tears over things he had to tell me and the stress I was under. He even hugged me once when I was crying and broken. He feels like family because you know he cares about his patients. There have been times that I required care beyond his knowledge and rather than try to tackle it himself, he admitted that it was beyond his scope of knowledge and directed me to a doctor in the area of expertise that I needed. I was so sad that he was leaving but he left his practice in good hands when he chose Dr Ekram Smith. Her beside manner is more factual than feelies, but I have absolutely no doubt whatsoever that she cares about her patients too. He made a great choice by bringing her in for his… absence.

I read the other review about waiting. I guess I always came at a good time. I never had to wait more than 10 minutes. I've been there probably more than 10 times. Also, he has been nothing but nice and seemed to care about me. I would recommend him! He is also affiliated with Memorial and Genesys. Which is nice!

This doctor is only after your insurance money and nothing else. He had me off work with no income for over two months and he could care less. All he wanted was to do test after test with no reason. When I asked him why I needed all these tests he stood over me and tried to intimidate me, but that did not work on me. Then about a week later I got a registered letter from his office that he would no longer be my doctor because I was combative and argued with him. Good riddens...

For urgent problems it is a first come first serve basis so wait times can be long.I don't have insurance so most places called would not see me.Not free but reasonable and a whole lot better than ER,

I went to doctor Van Alstine for many years and he is one of the most caring physicians I have ever had. His bedside manner was top notch! He was very thorough, understanding, and respectful. He was willing to take extra time if need be to hear patient concerns, perhaps that is why some reviewers have had a bit of a wait. I think that a proper diagnosis is worth an occasional extra wait. I always felt he genuinely cared about every member of my family. I sincerely miss Dr. Van Alstine and his staff, as I now live in another state.

I was a patient of Dr.Van Alstine's for about 7 months before I finally gave up and changed drs. He was impossible to get into, they would always make you see the after hours doc instead of him. The very last time I went to see him I had a fever of 103.5 and he told me I had a simple cold and go home and sleep it off. He then told me if the fever didnt go down within two days (I had already had it for 3) then he would put me on antibiotics. I was so sick I could barely stand up. Needless to say the next morning I was at the afterhours getting antibiotics and I NEVER went back. Horrible horrible doctor. Would never recommend him to anyone.

Don't question his medical opinion, he will ditch you as a patient.

If you are looking for a doctor who will see you in a reasonable amount of time Dr. Van Alstine is not for you. He exhibited total disregard for appointments and patient time constraints. Save yourself the anguish and go somewhere else.