Dr. Steven Flint Hirsch, MD

I deeply appreciate Dr. Hirsch's common sense approach. I also utilize the patient portal frequently and appreciate his quick responses. I have even spoken with him on the phone after hours. He was incredibly helpful. He is non alarmist and takes a conservative approach to using medications such as antibiotics. He also takes time to teach us about sleep routines, dealing with behavioral challenges at each stage, how to treat common colds, etc. He helped me tremendously through breastfeeding challenges I faced and gave me some really good, clear steps to follow and balanced that with being supportive of what I needed at the time along with what my son needed. I did not feel judged or forced into a choice on what to do, yet I had clear guidance on how to proceed. His nurse and office manager are also top notch. It is a very organized, well run practice.

In many respects if you take your child there he or she is in good hands. But Dr. Hirsch has an anemic view of parental authority and the authority of the doctor that is not in the best interests of the child, especially a teen. He actually undercuts the authority of the parent and does not use his own stature as the doctor to its maximal advantage. When a child needs to lose weight or exercise more he obsequeously asks him to do so if he is willing to, without thoroughly explaining the health risks, and without the gentle force of medical authority that would convince the teen to advocate for his own health. Also under the gentle exterior there is a sometimes impatient and judgmental attitude. Overall I think that Dr. H's diagnostic skills are fine, and his bedside manner is best for little kids, but not entirely in the best interests of older kids.

We've been taking our child to Dr. Hirsch for quite a while now. We liked him for his scholarly and medical credentials (biology major, graduated from Duke with honors, board certified, etc.) and the office was very cute.What we've found lacking, however, is his (and his nurses') approach to human relations. He is a soft-spoken and polite person, but seems distant and largely uncaring for particular circumstances, often making blanket assumptions and recommendations without considering the unique particulars of your child's situation, disposition and history.Dr. Hirsch's bedside manner consists primarily of running routine tests while speaking in a slightly (though unintentionally) patronizing tone, assuming the parents haven't read any of the 200 pages of handouts he ends up giving you over the first few years of your child's visits to his office, then asking, "Anything else?" while he's already halfway out the door on the way to his next patient.If you don't care if your doctor… doesn't care much about you (e.g., Dr. Hirsch will ask few, if any, questions about your situation before assuming he knows how to fix it... then doesn't follow up with you afterward) and have higher regard for high intellect than for healthy insight, then Dr. Hirsch is just the one for you. For everyone else whose child isn't "textbook, average Johnny or Janey Smith," I highly recommend passing up the good-looking doctor and the good-looking clinical space and go find someone who has genuine compassion and interest regarding his patients.