Dr. Rella Hartman was excellent. I went in for a dermatological checkup (annual screening) for a family history of malignant melanoma and she and her assistant were calm, cordial, collegial, and competent. Five stars for her.
The practice, on the other hand, was not so great. Admin staff were rushed and borderline rude on the phone, brusque in person. But I've worked similar jobs: that's not a dealbreaker, or even a star-lowerer.
Where they lose two stars is in waiting room environment. The TV was on loop advertising cosmetic surgery non-stop. Whether it was botox, tummy tucks, chin tucks, fat-melting, laser wrinkle elimination, it was on sale aggressively and without respite.
As a woman with no visible scars, no need for tucks or trims, and with only mild laugh lines, I found the environment borderline intolerable, and I cannot imagine what it would be like for someone who was unhappy with any aspect of their appearance (effective marketing? Or just plain painful). I know they do laser and cosmetic surgery, and that probably pays the rent. But they also offer dermatological services for those who are not in the market to look like their face is made of plastic, and the waiting room environment was pretty toxic. I honestly almost left to get away from the constant noise.
The sales environment in the waiting room was so bad that I expected the doctor to try to up-sell me in my appointment. She didn't - she was excellent, clear, and direct. But the overall experience is not one that would make me whole-heartedly recommend this practice when there are so many others in NYC.
