Dr. Saroja S Jayakar, MD

I was trying to wait to post my review until after I had calmed down, but more than a month after my last appointment with dr Jayakar and I’m still fuming. Things were awful beginning with the very first appointment. I switched to dr jayakar simply because another doctor I needed to see required that my primary care physician be one that was affiliated with St. John’s hospital. I was actually supposed to have an appointment with dr Sean jayakar but for some reason was put with Saroja. Upon arriving to my very first appointment, I walked into the dirtiest waiting room I’ve been in...I didn’t even want to sit in the waiting room chairs (there was also a dead bug that was smashed into a picture that’s hanging on the wall... that was still there at my second appointment!). When I first arrived at the office I was the only person there. I walked up to the front desk and signed in. I waited for a good 20 mins or so before someone behind the front desk even acknowledged me... mind you other… people had come in after me and been greeted by staff. Finally I was asked if I was a new patient and if I had been given paperwork yet.. to which I replied yes I was a new pt and no I had not been given anything. I started filling out the paperwork, dr Saroja came out to get me, but because I was still filling out the paperwork she took someone else back and I proceeded to wait an additional 20 minutes to be taken back into a room. As soon as I meet her, I knew I was not going to keep her as my PCP. She has horrible bedside manor. She also would not order tests that another doctor of mine wanted done, but was told to ask my PCP to order so they were covered by insurance.... her response was that “I don’t care what your other doctor wants, I’m only ordering what I think is necessary”. Like really? I had made up my mind at the end of that appointment that I was never going back. Fast forward to a few weeks after my first appointment. I was busy looking for a new PCP, when I had a lump form very rapidly under my armpit. I did EVERYTHING I could to not go back to this office. I went to my dermatologist first but he suggested I follow up with my PCP. So reluctantly, I made an appointment. I got to my second appointment promptly 10 minutes before my appointment time. About a half an hour AFTER my appointment was supposed to have started dr saroja came out to tell me she’d come get me in 5 minutes. At this point I was trying to be understanding, but was already annoyed from my previous visit. 45 MORE MINUTES go by before she took me back (after she said it would only be 5 more minutes). I would have left if I had not been very worried about the lump in my armpit. At the end of the appointment dr Jayakar wanted to prescribe me antibiotics (even though I had just finished a round and both her and my dermatologist agreed that the lump in my armpit did not look infected at all and did not change from the first round of antibiotics)... she went ahead and still wrote me a rx, but she had one of the medical receptionists look up (on her phone) what to prescribe me and then was trying to figure out the quantity to write the rx for and tried asking ME if that was correct?? Seriously?!? I definitely never got that rx filled as I was scared the dosage was wrong... and I had previously mention to dr saroja that I would prefer not to take antibiotics as they bother my stomach and give me yeast infections and thrush. THEN. A month after my second appointment I get a $300 bill from the office. Itemized as: $200 for a 25 minute office visit, and $100 for smoking cessation Medicare. I went to the office for a lump in my armpit, not smoking cessation!! And I do not have Medicare, I have Medicaid (which covers my office visit charges). Luckily the women at the financial office was more competent than anyone at dr Jayakars office... she checked and found that the office had put me in as a cash paying patient (which I am not), and that they had probably mixed my chart up with someone else’s. If you’re looking for a new doctor, I suggest looking elsewhere unless you want a dirty office, incompetent staff and a rude doctor.

I have been going to Dr. Jayakar for over 32 years. She is very knowledgeable in her field. She even took the time to draw pictures of my condition to help explain it to me. She perform the necessary tests to diagnose conditions. She takes the time to answer all of my questions. She gave me her personal telephone number in case of emergencies (how many doctors do that!!!!). She also took care of my Mom, and her diagnoses were always on target.

She is the Best ( she saved my life )