James Hill, MEDICAL, DOCTOR, MD

Expect the waiting period to be 2 hours if you aren’t scheduled between 8-9 am. Lack of communication between mfm, Dr. Hill, and OB is undeniable. Very brief and quick visits with mfm with little to no helpful information ever to be discussed. You will always be treated like it is your very first visit with Dr. Hill; even if you see him weekly. You are a complete stranger to him at every visit. Always a very unpleasant and cold feeling during the “virtual visit” with Dr. Hill. I will say the staff is always very friendly, but other than that, it’s generally unpleasant. Wish more physicians were available to be referred to.

We (hubby and myself) came to Dr. Hill midway through my pregnancy with a highly unusual high-risk situation. We were initially referred to another doctor in his group, but were met with his face at our initial appointment. They say first impressions are everything...well, this doctor is amazing! He has a dry sense of humor that can lighten the most stressful or trying of situations. He is truly a methodical thinker who always errs on the side of caution with you and your baby(ies). He is a doctor of few words, but those few words are always meaningful. And his credentials are nothing to scoff at, either! If you have a truly unique, high-risk pregnancy (or even a regular high-risk), this office and its doctors are the place for you and your family.

This is my fourth pregnancy with this group. This is supposed to be a high risk, specialty practice so one might think the care is excellent. It is, unfortunately, dismal. Over the years the practice has further declined in my opinion. Dr. Dattel was the last good physician here. In my most recent pregnancy I have been seen frequently by residents who are like puppets for the attending physicians. There is a lack of continuous care. My children were even delivered by a doctor who was not one of the main doctors. The biggest flaws are lack of communication and lack of compassion for women in discomfort. The office at the riverside pavilion is hands down one of the worst medical offices I have been in my entire life. The nurses are crass, rude, and generally unpleasant. The wait times, even when you have an appointment, are abhorrent. In my recent hospital visit poor communication resulted in an ultrasound delay by three days. The communication over the entire debacle was extremely poor.… It's sad this group has a monopoly in this area. I have buried four children throughout my duration of time with this practice. This practice further mutilates what should be a good time in a woman's life by adding grief through lack of communication and lack of compassion. My recommendation is for pregnant women to steer clear of this practice if at all possible.

I received a very nice follow up call from the manager of the Riverside practice. She kindly explained that they run a high risk clinic for patients I need of services living in Newport News. This clinic focuses on educating patients. This meant the day I arrived was particularly busy. While I still felt exhausted and rushed, I now understand the reason for the bad delay. Subsequently I did visit the office in Norfolk. The operation there was very smooth with attentive service. I feel my first review may have been skewed by the day I visited and not a reflection on the expertise of the doctor. I would still say long waits are the norm which is hard for any high risk mother experiencing complications. Although I've experienced losses, this group did deliver my twins successfully, and I am always grateful for that. This is just a very busy practice that would probably benefit from greater funding and more physicians.

The EVMS MFM office in Newport News is the absolute worst! The office staff and nurses associated with this office make the experience unpleasant. I've been through numerous pregnancies with this office, and I have always felt I received lack of attention and retroactive services. The wait time is terrible. The office feels unclean and climate control is not very good. However, my chief complaint is the unfriendly staff. For an office serving high risk patients who are under great duress, they don't even meet minimum expectations. This is expressly my opinion after four bad pregnancies with this group of physicians.