Tamara Gammill Helfer, MD

I had my annual with Dr. Helfer. She charged me co-pay of my annual. My point is that an annual can't discuss "problems?" That seems to be the whole point of an annual visit. I was not notified that certain topics were off limits for the annual. Therefore the extra charges seem unwarranted. In addition to that, she is threatened me to add the second charge.

Dr. Helfer is truly the BEST doctor I've EVER had! She helped us through our first pregnancy with compassion, kindness, and patience (as a first-time-mom I tended to have a lot of questions). At every appointment, she took the time to explain things thoroughly, and always made sure our questions or concerns were answered. One of the most unique things about Dr. Helfer is that she always took the time to be caring and understanding. Never once did we feel rushed at an appointment (even if she was running behind schedule). She makes you feel like you are her only patient. She is a very kind and caring person, which shows through in all she does as a doctor. Even though it is common to have the doctor on call deliver your baby (rather than having your specific doctor perform the delivery), Dr. Helfer came to the hospital at midnight to perform my emergency c-section, even though she was not the doctor on call. It meant so much to us to know our baby was in her hands, and offered the… only sense of "calm" during the scariest moment of our lives (with our baby's health in question). She delivered our little blessing safely into this world, and he is perfectly healthy! I will be sad if we ever move and I'm not able to have Dr. Helfer for our (hopefully) future pregnancies. She is an amazing doctor and person. I give her my highest recommendation. She has touched our lives and our hearts.

At first I thought that the problem with Dr. Helfer was her office; I would typically wait a minimum of thirty minutes and often a full hour for my appointments (and you have a lot of appointments in the later stages of pregnancy). Over time, however, I began to think that my long wait time was due to an oversupply of patients (more patients=more money). A week before the baby was due, Dr. Helfer suggested inducing birth, I assume because it would better suit her schedule. A few days later, when I was in labor, she wanted to break my water before my epidural was administered. When I asked why, she said because she was there. I told her that I wanted to wait for my pain medication, and she literally flounced out of the delivery room. After the baby was born she seemed to rush through the stitches of my episiotomy and when I left the hospital she gave me no pain medication. Six months later, it still hurt to have sex and I had to go to a specialist to fix Dr. Helfer's botched-up… job. I definitely do not recommend this doctor.

Dr. Helfer is an excellent physician. She helped us through a difficult pregnancy and delivered our son safely. She was calm and reassuring while maintaining a sense of urgency (never panic) when necessary. I always felt like we were her only patients of the day because she was never in a rush to wrap up our appointments. She followed up with everything both in and out of the appointment (even when I dropped the ball) at one point calling me from home to make sure I had done what I needed to do. She also concerned herself with our whole family life, not just the pregnancy, discussing our jobs, other children, extended family, support systems, favorite pass times, etc. And she shared herself with us as well, answering our questions based on her experience as a doctor as well as a mom. I'm very thankful for Dr. Helfer and recommend her to anyone looking for an OB/GYN in the Champaign-Urbana area.

AMAZING!! I definitely recommend. She was the best doctor I have ever been to. She truly cares.