Northwestern Obstetrics and Gynecology Consultants

I previously wrote an individual review for Dr. Lukens under her specific Unilocal page; but recently noticed that the practice’s review page — on a wholesale level — has received marginal returns. First and foremost, Dr. Lukens is a top notch doctor. She consistently goes above the call of duty, shows due diligence and the utmost compassion for her patients.
We are expecting our first child and visits to the office have increased dramatically. Dr. Lukens was on leave for part of our pregnancy and we were encouraged to consult with as many of the other doctors as possible within the practice in order to familiarize ourselves with them in the event that Dr. Lukens was unavailable for delivery.
We saw Dr. Katz and Dr. Park. Both doctors are extremely knowledgeable, patient, and personable. The hand off from Dr. Lukens felt seamless, as each doctor knew our file front and back before entering the exam room. We had many questions for them and they were each very helpful. With the increased visits, we were able to appreciate this office from a different perspective. The front office staff continues to be helpful and accommodating. They are highly organized and efficient during check out. The nursing staff is friendly and well respected by the doctors in the practice.
The network is also very strong. We were referred to the best doctors in Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Neonatology and Pediatric Surgery within Northwestern after questionable test results. These teams are working together and conferring regarding the best treatment plan for our birth — all with Dr. Lukens running point. We are never left hanging. This is all due to the organization of this office, Dr. Lukens’ diligent follow-​up with her counterparts, and a seamless flow of information to us.

I do not recommend this place at all.
1. It’s hard to reach out to the doctor’s office to talk to a nurse or someone at the office.
2. You need to email doctor with a question and you won’t get the answer (i got a cold while being pregnant and doctor’s response was –check the brochure you got the first time you came to visit us)
3. You have any concern-​they don’t care call 911
4. Any FAQ doctor’s response would be– not sure there was not enough research made on that.
Think twice before you go there.

I have been a patient of Dr. Patricia Gale for years and I adore her — not only is she an excellent doctor, she is a good person. I have nothing but praise for her, she is thorough, she takes her time with you and she cares about you and your health/​well being. Dr. Van Arsdale delivered one of our daughters and, while his bedside manner may put off some people, he is so very competent and I would have him deliver our baby again (even over Dr. Gale!). I saw Dr. Park (newer to the practice today) and she was awesome, GREAT bedside manner like Dr. Gale.
The receptionists can be terrible, I’ll admit it, and sometimes you have to wait — so bring a book or magazine. The «customer service» makes this a 4-​star review, but the care you get is excellent (5-​star) and that’s what you go for.

I am writing this review for Dr. Van Arsdale only. My regular OBGYN is another doctor in the group (Dr. Lukens). However, when it came time for me to go into the hospital to deliver my baby, Dr. Van Arsdale was the one on call so the office transferred me to him. It was 4am and I was in extreme pain with intense contractions. He picked up the phone and smugly said «Hello» (he sounded pissed like I just woke him up). I said «yes…hello?» He said «yes.» I said «um…is this the doctor?» He said, «yeah.» I said…“which doctor is this?” (I mean REALLY? Do you have to be that difficult answering the phone from the start??!) He then proceeded to be the most NASTY, UNHELPFUL and RUDE physician I have ever spoken to. I told him my unique situation of pre-​labor that had lasted four days and that I needed to go into the hospital ASAP to be induced because I couldn’t go on any longer (as was the plan that Dr. Lukens and I discussed previously). He then had the audacity to respond (word for word… I will never forget him saying this to me in that painful moment): «Look; I don’t know who you are or what you want, but Dr. Lukens won’t be in the office until 7 am, so she can help you then.» I was crying hysterically and pleaded that he was the doctor on call and I needed to go in right away because I couldn’t take the pain. He was actually refusing to help me! He said «well then you can go into the hospital if you want, and Dr. Lukens will see you at 7.» I was crying and so upset at how he was treating me that I actually waited another 3 hours (having contractions) until 7 am to go into the hospital because I refused to be seen by that man. It’s a shame that such a grouchy, nasty doctor is a part of this group as he ruins the reputation of this practice as a whole. If you choose to see another physician here, be careful, because you never know who will end up delivering your baby — it could just be this arrogant man.
Also, he delivered my friend’s baby and was pushy and inconsiderate of her needs the entire time. She wanted a natural childbirth and clearly that didn’t fit into his busy schedule.
If you do go to this practice, see Dr. Gale, Mehta or Lukens. Avoid Dr. V at all costs.

Although Dr. Gale is great, the incompetency of the receptionists is shocking. After coming in 10 minutes early for an appointment, I waited 38 minutes after my appointment to be seen. The day before I called asking about how long normally this appointment would take, «around 25 minutes, maybe a little less» the receptionist said. When I approached the front desk asking when I would be seen, they said they can’t give me an answer because the doctor could be anywhere. WHAT?!? That doesn’t even make sense, why the hell did I make an appointment? These receptionists need to have a little more knowledge and this office needs to be more consistent and on time. People make appointments for a reason.

I’ve been going to Dr. Roth for years, after a recommendation from my sister-​in-​law, who is a nurse.
After a terrible experience over the last 14 months ad FCI, Dr Roth has already been amazing. She squeezed me in for an ultrasound because of bleeding and cramping. She is always very attentive, kind and explains things thoroughly.
I’ve been to multiple OBGYN’s and have never been to someone who has made me feel as comfortable as she has. I’m glad to have her as a Dr and would recommend her and the facility to others.

At 30 weeks pregnant I switched from Rush over to Northwestern Obstetrics and Gynecology Consultants. Dr. Van Arsdale had availability, so that’s who I ended up seeing. I can’t say enough good things. I’ve since seen a few different doctors in the practice and all have been wonderful.
Dr. Van Arsdale put my husband and me at ease immediately. He has a casual way of conducting appointments that make you feel like you’re talking more to an old friend then to a doctor. He was on vacation for 2 weeks during my pregnancy during which time we had a little scare with an ultrasound which cleared up pretty quickly, but when he got back from vacation he called me just to make sure we were OK and understood everything the other doctors had told us etc.
I ultimately ended up delivering with Dr. Patricia Katz because Dr. Van Arsdale had been on call all night the night before. Dr. Katz was wonderful as well, she provided a birth experience that was calm and relaxed and I felt extremely comfortable in her care.
I would suggest to anyone looking for an OB/​GYN to go to this practice. The front office staff was always kind, and very good about scheduling. The nurses were also great. Also, I never waited longer than 10 minute at this practice. Not in the waiting room, to get my blood drawn, or while waiting for an actual doctor. At rush I used to wait for at least a half hour before anyone saw me.
Overall, a wonderful experience, I will definitely go back for our second little one!

I have not been lucky enough to be seen in this center, this review is for the staff that answers the phone.
Rude and sarcastic when I said I would like an appointment as late in the day as possible. She responded as if I was asking for an extremely luxurious item… «Oh, you ALSO want a late appointment» (because I had already asked for a female physician. I know, I am very demanding)
On the website, they show their visit hours end at 6 pm so it didn’t occur to me it was so much asking.
I had to settle for a 9 am appointment (in more than two months) with a male physician that, according to the credentials on the website, doesn’t even specialize on what I told the receptionist I needed.
I canceled the appointment and started Unilocaling for other centers…

I have had a wonderful experience here the past 5 months. I am 6 months pregnant, and so thankful I was referred to Dr. Van Arsdale by my general doctor! The office staff is friendly and efficient, and the doctor appointments are on time, and the staff take their time with you… no feeling rushed for them to «get to the next appointment».
The beginning of my pregnancy was a bit of a horror story with another OBGYN clinic, Womens Health Consulting … you can read that review here
Dr. Van Arsdale is so easy to talk to and someone that makes my husband comfortable too… so important! This being our first child, we came in with a ton of questions, all of which he answered without hesitation. He’s also really funny. He was able to make us laugh during the appointment talking about some of the highs (increased libido in the second trimester, feeling the baby kick, the ultrasound pictures) and lows (tender breasts that are not allowed to be touched, seemingly bipolar emotions in the same day, acid reflux) of pregnancy.
I also love that they have implemented an online system, Northwestern Patient Portal. There, you have access to your scheduled appointments, can email them with questions, prescription information, blood work results, optional classes to take, etc. It is so helpful to have ALL the information right at your finger tips. They also send you an email reminder with your appointment times and instructions (ex: 12 hour fasting before glucose testing) so there is no confusion.
I can’t stress enough how much I appreciate their efficiency. Ex: I gave them my maternity leave paperwork from my employer on Friday at my appointment, and had it completed and in my mailbox on Monday. It gives me so much confidence knowing this practice makes my pregnancy as much of a priority as I do!

I went to Dr. Van Arsdal because I felt a weird pressure on the left side near my ovary. he discovered a large Cyst and suggested I have surgery in the next month. I had read online that cyst sometimes go away on their own, and asked Dr. Van Arsdale if maybe I should wait a month or two and have another sonogram to see if the cyst had gotten smaller. He told me that I most likely had endometriosis and that it was practically impossible for a cyst 5 mm to go away on its own. I decide not to listen to him and get a second opinion in 8 weeks. I changed my diet in the meantime, cutting out red meat, dairy, alcohol, coffee, sugar, and wheat, and eating tons of vegetables and fruit and whole grains and fish. I just got another sonogram today and my cyst is completely gone! Im really happy I did not listen to Dr, Van Arsdale and get an unnecessary surgery. It is most likely my cyst was just hormonal. Dr. Van Arsdale is out to make money, I think he cares more about that than the well being of his patients. He also told me that he could provide me with in-​vitro fertilization if I needed it??? This is totally jumping the gun in my opinion since I have not even tried to get pregnant yet, nor was there any hard evidence that i am infertile. Dr. Van Arsdale makes big decisions based on his assumptions. I wouldn’t trust him.

I am sad to see the negative reviews, because I think Dr. VanArsdale is a really good doctor, definitely one of my favorites. I started seeing him in 09 during my first pregnancy. I felt he was conscientious when answering my questions. He also does a great job at staying on schedule, which I totally appreciate. I had a pregnancy which ended in a miscarriage in ⁷⁄₁₁. When my ultrasound at the IVF clinic showed no heartbeat I was devastated. He called me back promptly, was sympathetic and got my D&C scheduled quickly at my request. On the day of the procedure I felt he was genuinely sad for me. I have always felt he loves the babies and seeing women succeed with their pregnancies. I met two of his partners during my hospital stay. Dr. Gale who despite the ungodly hour was nice as could be. It was then Dr Arof who delivered my son, he was fantastic I’ll forever be a fan of his too.

Let me start by saying, I HATE TO COMPLAIN! However, i have been «doctor shopping» due to having stage 4 endometriosis. This doctor was «okay» if you need a routine female checkup. His office did call me back when I have called with problems (which callbacks can be unusual from Doctors offices). However, I had a HUGE clot sitting on my uterus, severe bleeding and an immense amount of pain! I called the office the secretary and Dr. Van Arsdale were rude and interrogative on the phone. I was curled up on my floor, unable to walk due to pain and I am being interegated rudely on the phone when I only asked for a same day appointment. I ended up having to call my ENDO specialist Dr. Bulen office who saw me right away and treated me with common decency and respect. I was under the impression Doctors had come a long way with their understanding of Endometriosis. Apparently not at this office. Women suffering with ENDO, don’t go here or to Womens Comprehensive Center Dr Walker. REI Center at NMH has helped me! DR Bulen.