CHA Cambridge Family Health North

Every visit feels like a trap in this parking lot. There are no clear signs or visible markings to show where patients can park. The paint on the ground is so faded and covered with black tar patches that the numbers are unreadable. Because of this, patients like us are constantly asked to move our cars in the middle of appointments — extremely stressful and unfair. Why is it so hard for CHA to simply repaint the lines and put up proper signs? This is basic facility management. Patients deserve clear, safe, and accessible parking, not confusion and harassment every time we come for care. This situation has been ongoing far too long. CHA administration needs to take responsibility and fix this immediately — repaint the lot, install visible patient parking signs, and stop making patients feel like they are at fault. Healthcare is stressful enough. Parking should not add to it.

I’ve had a great experience with everyone here. It actually doesn’t matter to me who I see from my care team or other providers for more urgent issues because I feel well cared for by all of them. The online portal is surprisingly easy to ease and is the first time I’ve been able to message directly with care providers as well as about scheduling and test results. I feel that the record keeping, transparency of notes, and the overall level of care is better than I’ve received anywhere else.

I have never had a bad experience at this practice. I’ve seen several providers through CHA, all of whom were good or excellent, and generally the office staff and nurses are pleasant enough. Yes, the wait times on the phone are long, but this seems to be because of the system they use: rather than just calling for an appointment, a nurse speaks with you on the phone and makes an effort to understand your symptoms - you’re not calling an office secretary. They just need to expedite it. They have exceptionally late hours so it’s usually quite easy to get an appointment.

Being part of CHA has got to be a cheat code for healthcare. I get seen quickly, the doctors and staff are very responsive and even proactive in getting appointments scheduled, and for anything that they don't have in-house you'll get referred to one of the three CHA hospitals around. I've received such good and complete care here.

The primary care doctors here are excellent, especially Anna Ham. I personally haven't had any bad experiences with admin but have overheard them arguing with patients at times in the waiting room. Once I became an established patient I've generally been able to be seen pretty quickly when needed. I highly recommend this clinic for primary care! :)

It took a long time to get an appointment as I was a new patient (about 3 months). The front desk staff were both extremely kind and efficient. Dr. Chen was very kind and knowledgeable. She came in a little late but given the current stress on the healthcare system, her bedside manner more than made up for it. The lab team was all effective and prompt.

My husband and I have been CHA patients for 15 years, and I am sad to say that we have seen a steep and steady decline in the quality of care, management of the patient experience, and general humanity of the folks at CHA in the past few years. We understand the realities of a post-COVID healthcare landscape, strains on the system at an all time high while providers are at a low, and increasing pressure on providers per-patient time. That said, there is no excuse for 45-60 minute wait times every time we go, feeling dismissed and unheard by a doctor who you've worked with for years, and being abandoned (while waiting 45-60 minutes) and left to wander the hospital unattended anytime we need to get blood work done. Our interactions with CHA in the past few years have ben weird, sad, frustrating, and have made an American healthcare system that is already traumatic feel even more cold and inhuman. We are finally leaving CHA and are feeling relieved. Despite all of the above, my personal PCP, Dr. Galina Tan, has always been amazing. If you must use CHA, see Dr. Tan!! :)

PR diligently responds to every negative review with corporate damage control, but I have to wait 20 minutes on the phone for an appointment. Did CHA spend their receptionist budget on social media interns or do the receptionists have to do both jobs? No I will not be calling patient relations with more information so don't ask. That is unpaid labor you're asking me to do, for nothing to change. CHA is run like a corporation. The lab at this location sits empty because of rampant understaffing. The nurses, doctors, and staff are great and doing their best.

I've had a great experience with everyone here. It actually doesn't matter to me who I see from my care team or other providers for more urgent issues because I feel well cared for by all of them. The online portal is surprisingly easy to ease and is the first time I've been able to message directly with care providers as well as about scheduling and test results. I feel that the record keeping, transparency of notes, and the overall level of care is better than I've received anywhere else.

Emblematic of the dysfunction of the American health care system. Poor and impersonal communication, tick the boxes care, underinvestment in meaningful prevention. Not the worst you could do, but health isn't an area in which below average should be acceptable.

I moved to Boston a while ago and had no PCP. I kept asking people, "do you have a good PCP you'd recommend?" Everyone kept saying, "Eh, she's ok," or "Um, yeah, he's fine." But I wanted a doctor someone would be enthusiastic about, so I kept asking. Finally, someone said, "YES!" Dr. Hannah Olivet is kind, thoughtful, thorough, and respectful. I'm so happy I waited for a doctor I could be comfortable with instead of just going with someone random. The phlebotomist was great, reception can be a little brisk, but they are efficient and get the job done. People call back when you leave messages, etc. It's a clean office that's an easy 5-minute walk from the Porter T.

WARNING be careful with your bill in this place!! I DO NOT recommend this medical provider especially as a new patient. I was looking only for an annual check up (fully covered by my insurance provider) and now I owe more than $500. First, they made me do an initial telehealth visit but because of the way CHA coded it to the insurance company, now I'm responsible for the $322 cost of it. Second, during the medical review, I was stupid enough to mention that my left leg hurts so the doctor gave me a PDF with knee exercises and charged me with extra $205 for that (because apparently if you mention that something hurts then it is not included in the preventive care). When I called CHA they were completely unhelpful and told me it is my fault for not checking twice before receiving the service.

I love this office. We now have Dr. Amy Smith as our pediatrician and she is wonderful -- thoughtful, caring, easily able to relate to both young and older kids, and great at communicating/thinking through complicated medical issues. My younger kid often asks when she can go see "Dr. Amy" again! I like all the support staff and all the other pediatricians (Dr. Lisa Doberteen is so fantastic and brings decades of experience/knowledge) and PA's (Emily Hanson in particular). It's nice to have the option to schedule at either at Cambridge Family North (near Porter Square) or the Inman Square location, so there are often more appointment time options.

Dr. Olivet is the PCP everyone dreams about. I was new to town and booked her through my insurance website. When I arrived she already knew what I was visiting about and took a lot of time to get to know me. I felt instantly comfortable with her. On my next visit she followed up with me about my job, my husband and life in general before examining me. Bonus that she's able to take care of my yearly GYN check up too. The nurses and staff at this location are nice and always follow up on referrals. While a yearly check up needs to be booked a few months advance, any sick appts are usually available in 2 days-week depending on severity of symptoms.

I agree that it's really tough to find a PCP that you really love. I looked for years and years and finally a friend referred me to a doc at Cambridge Family Health. That's the good news and the bad news. The good news...I've never had a doc that I like so much. The office staff are very nice and it's rarely harried or crowded. No excessive waiting, you usually get in right away, which is a delight. And the bad news? The current wait to see my PCP is more than a month. Who has a condition or question that they need to see their doctor about that can wait for more than month? I rarely go to the doctor--I'm pretty healthy and take pretty good care of myself and rely a lot on natural remedies and am not too much of a hypochondriac. So when I call for an appointment it's because I'm really thinking that I might have something more serious. You know, I never call for a bad cold, but if I think it might have turned into walking pneumonia, maybe. I never call for mild allergy-related asthma, but if my asthma seems much worse, then maybe. You get the idea. Which leads to the next logical question....if my asthma has gotten that much worse or I might have pneumonia...if it's gotten bad enough that I actually need to call my doctor, should I really be waiting 5 weeks to have it looked at? This is beyond infuriating, and is really one of the only downsides of universal health care (which I am completely in support of). Crazy. So CFH...yes. Doctors...yes. Appointment time? Forget about it. So now, after finding the doctor I always wanted, I'm looking again. Sigh.

It's great to hear that there are so many other great PCPs at this location. My initial PCP, Dr. William Meikrantz, was and is a fantastic physician - insightful, patient, kind, and affable. He's also extremely in demand, and doesn't spend as much of his time at the practice as others, so while I would see him for annual checkups and things, I would see other docs for more urgent matters. Eventually, i decided to just switch PCPs to Dr. David Elvin. He's basically a younger version of Dr. Meikrantz (as described herein, I wouldn't presume to draw comparisons beyond that!) and spends much more of his time in the practice, so he is more accessible to me. Add to that the fact that we are relatively close in age - he knows full well the terrain of a dude in his late 30s - and I'd recommend him to anyone! The office folks are nice enough, if not terribly efficient, but what can you do. My appointments here actually happen on time for the most part!

I updated my address with the staff numerous times since I moved back in the area and visiting the office. They continue to send bills to the wrong address leading to late payments and debt collectors. There needs to be an improvement in how administration is handled to avoid on-going frustration endured by patients.

Honestly, I have a mixed feeling about this place. Doctors are nice and friendly. But receptionists are not. They are often slow and unfriendly. I have been to several clinics and hospitals in Boston areas but this is the worst and unprofessional reception I have ever seen.

Following a ridiculous incident at the East Cambridge Health Center I found myself in need of a new doctor again...YAY! Nothing could be more fun than looking for a new doctor right? My insurance was super handy, recommending doctors that retired several years earlier and even a few no one had ever heard of. After finding myself rejected by another doctor simply because they were not accepting "new" patients (rude) I came across the Inman branch of this office. Turns out Inman was not in the stars either. I would have had to wait a lot longer than I wanted to get in there. However, the Porter location had a bit more flexibility in their schedule. Setting the appointment was awesome: CFH: How do you spell that first name. Me ... ... D A... CFH: B? A? Me: No, D like...Daniel CFH: Fanueil? Like the hall? Me: ...NO. D...like...David? CFH: OH! DANIEL...riiiight Me: ... Other than having to spell and respell my name (which is thousands of years old, in the bible, and still one of the top 100 baby names so I can understand the confusion) things went smoothly. The office is easy to get to, less than five minutes from the Porter stop, sparsely decorated, and clean. Works for me. The staff, while rather sullen to begin with, warmed up quickly and helped ease my nerves while waiting to meet the doctor. I ended up with a great doctor who took the time to get to know me before poking at me and shining lights in my eyes. This helped put me at ease so that by the time we got to the "turn your head and cough" bit it was no more uncomfortable than necessary. The phlebotomist was awesome and totally distracted me from the bloodletting. Minus one star for lack of follow-up from the nursing staff. I had to call three times to get my test results which was stressful. No matter how safe you are there are some tests that are horribly nerve-wracking. However, when the doctor got word that no one had called me back he called me personally to go over the results (all good, hooray!) and answer any questions I may have had. I liked that. Recently, the office was able to get me in the same day for an appointment. Not only was it super convenient for me but the PA I worked with was awesome as well. This office would get a solid five stars if only the nursing staff followed up better.

I'll echo other people's praise of Dr. Olivet - she's the best, easy to talk to, provides input and advice without preaching is a great listener. I also love the women who work the front desk! They've helped me out a bunch of times by phone and in person. CHA has also added an online patient service component so you can handle some of your medical stuff online. I hope I never move so I don't have to leave Dr. Olivet!!

Dr. Olivet is absolutely wonderful. She was thorough and professional, but also very personable. The office was running nearly on-time when I got there at 1PM. The staff seemed a little harried, but definitely on top of their game. I got test results via email very quickly.

Finding a good doctor is always hard, but even harder when you move to a new place. But I must say I've found a keeper in Dr. Hannah Olivet! She's wonderful. Very friendly, not intimidating at all, doesn't make you feel rushed and is very thorough and willing to answer your questions in detail. I really loved her and will certainly keep going back to her! Also, I hardly waited for anything, which is such a rarity in doctor's offices! The only reason i didn't give it a 5 star is because it took 2 months for an appointment from when i called and the medical assistants/phlebotomist/secretary were ok, but not overly friendly in anyway at all.

I have been a patient of Dr Olivet for several years. I can honestly say I have yet to meet a doctor that is as talented,kind & knowledgeable as her. Sometimes it's hard to get an appointment. Usually there is always someone in the office to accommodate. I do love the ability to email my doctor & get a response within 24 hours or less. Dr Olivet makes going to the doctors seem not so bad. I actually look forward to speaking with her!

Dr Hamm and staff are wonderful. I feel comfortable asking questions and they are always super responsive to prescription refills. Dr Hamm also did away with my allergies, which i have suffered from my whole life !

Once Dr Olivet left this place went to shit. My experience here was the doctors are careless and try to prescribe you and force medication on you that you dont need.

Dr. Olivet is FANTASTIC. She's prompt and competent. She goes out of her way to make sure that she is connecting you with providers who are in your insurance network and that everything you need gets taken care of as efficiently as possible. She's very friendly and still professional. Best doctor I've ever been to.

I'm generally happy with the care I receive here. Lately though, they seem behind schedule and i feel a tad rushed during appts. but my new doctor, Karen Leitner is very caring in listening to my concerns and asking me questions as well. It is a bonus to be able to have the yearly 'women;s' exam done here as well. I used to see Dr. Lucus who is no longer there. she was generally very nice, there was one time though she seemed not in a good mood and a bit annoyed by my questions on a health concern i had. that turned me off and i probably would have switched docs had she not left. I mean, everyone has bad days, but when patients are concerned about anything, they deserve to not feel rushed. since then though, i have no complaints. nurses or my doc always follows up on calls in a timely manner. convenient location on mass ave. theres another location in inman sq too. they are good at getting me an appt fairly quickly and i was able to get my flu shot here as well. check in is always fast and painless, they are very good at their jobs.

For anyone looking for a fantastic primary care doc, I recommend Dr. Karen Leitner. She's bright, thoughtful, respectful, genuine, and compassionate. She takes the time to get to know who you are and develop a real relationship. She treats you like a person and takes a collaborative approach to your health care. When was the last time you had that experience with a doctor?

Doctors are great, but the receptionist are so unprofessional and mean! I just can't stand them. The worst I had experienced was on Thursday Jan. 2, 2014, whoever that receptionist was, she was the meanest I have ever talked to! She would get mad if you asked a question? I don't get that.. I am sure I will find out who that was and will complain big time.. ( She had accent and I will clearly know who that was next time I go there)!

There are good doctors at CHA and I generally had a positive experience the few times I was in front of one of them. If the time spent with the doctor alone was my only time spent at CHA I would give them 4 stars. HOWEVER it is the worst office when it comes to basic patient services. When I needed a referral, had a question for my doctor and later when my doc stopped seeing patients and I needed medical records it took months to hear back from them. For example, when you need your records sent to another doctor you have to come in during business hours to request. (You are SOL if you moved out of state) They will not accept a signed and mailed or faxed request for your records. Once you have requested your records it takes 4 weeks to process the request. I initiated this whole process once and it slipped through the cracks somehow. Had to come in and do it all again. Months later... waiting on the records. If it was just that one thing I would chalk it up to a fluke but it was an equally trying process to get a referral or a phone call returned.