SoHa Pediatrics

I held off on writing this review although we left the practice 3 months ago. However the level of disregard for customer service, communication and accountability that we continue to encounter with SoHa pediatrics a full 3 months after leaving this practice has compelled me to now warn other new parents. If you want a caring practice that you will be with throughout your child’s growth… look elsewhere.
My husband and I initially picked SoHa a week before our daughters birth for two reasons. 1. they took our insurance and 2. they are a small practice that promised a relationship and accessibility. We met Dr. Choe in person and i was struck by her pragmatism and knowledge. She made us feel comfortable in a week that was overwhelming. She visited us in the hospital after our daughter was born and again, I felt I was in good hands.
Were it not for their administrative practices we might still be with SoHa pediatrics, as I think Dr. Choe is competent and our needs were being met. However, the way this business is run causes confusion, lots of wasted time and tremendous amounts of frustration… all things that new parents would like to avoid. Couple this with nasty attitudes and misinformation from their receptionist and SoHa is a big no.
First, after telling us they accepted our insurance, just before our 6 month appointment we found out from our insurance company that SoHa is not in our network and appointments were not covered. Confused, I called them immediately and was told by the receptionist that it was a clerical error and they do in fact accept our insurance and they would ‘take care of it’.
When we showed up at our next appointment a few weeks later we were told that it had all been straightened out but before the Dr. could see us we had to call Empire and tell them SoHa was our physician of choice because we had selected someone else. I told them I had only ever selected Dr. Choe but they said to just call and it would all be straightened out. After being on hold for 45 minutes in their waiting area, my insurance company told me that Dr. Choe and Soha are in fact not a part of their network. I then sat in a back and forth between my insurance company, Dr. Choe & the receptionist who insisted that they had been told that morning by two different people that they were in the network.
All this time, my daughter is waiting for her appointment. I then requested that if they are in fact certain they are part of the Empire network, to please give my daughter her shots and this could be figured out by phone, not with us sitting in the waiting room. Dr. Choe told me that this is something the insurance company does to get between the doctors and their patients and they make it difficult so that we give up. I told her I had no problem taking the time to make sure i’s and dotted and t’s are crossed but that we had to be sure we were seeing a pediatrician that is covered by our insurance. She assured me we were and that it would all be straightened out.
Two months later, a day before our 8 month appointment, the receptionist from SoHa called to say they had to cancel the appointment because they did not take our insurance I was floored. This was supposed to be straightened out two months prior. Additionally the receptionist told me there was a bill from the 6 month appointment we needed to pay for because insurance did not cover it. Her attitude was so nonchalant, so nasty… I couldn’t believe it.
In fairness… the accounting department who followed up with me apologized profusely, said we had fallen through the cracks and unfortunately they are no longer in the network and don’t anticipate being reinstated. They also told me we would not be held responsible for bills because the mistake was on their end and we were told our insurance would be taken.
So we found a new pediatrician, who we are happy with… however today, two months later, SoHa charged our credit card over 1K. They did not tell us they would be charging us, they did not provide information on what the charges were for… just out of the blue ran a credit card we had used one time 10 months earlier. They did not have our permission to run these charges. When my husband went there in person the receptionist told him they were writing the email as they were charging the card and provided paperwork for us to sort out with Empire. We have reported them as fraudulent to our bank until it is straightened out.
The above is our experience with SoHa pediatrics. To say we are disappointed is an understatement. The time and energy we have spent to combat misinformation from SoHa is frustrating. As we are clearly not the first to complain about their administrative practices and their receptionist or to experience frustration at how this practice operates perhaps it is time for Dr. Choe to reexamine these aspects of her business. It can’t always be the clients who are wrong… right?

We LOVED this practice and only left because we moved out west. Dr. Cho and Dr. Forgenie have always been wonderful, easily reachable, and very responsive. We’ve had a few emergencies with our son, and they were always very supportive. Dr. Cho is no fuss, no muss, which is great. I don’t know what the other reviewers were talking about, but i never had any issues with reception – appointments made easily, everything done swiftly, and they were always so nice to the kiddos! Will definitely miss this place.

We are thrilled to have found this practice. Our son sees Dr Forgenie and we absolutely adore her. They are kind, compassionate, responsive to emergency calls at all hours and to non-​emergencies via email and contrary so some of the older reviews here, I find their staff to be lovely and helpful as well. Not to mention, the Wednesday morning lactation group meetings were a God send to me when my son first arrived with the added bonus of meeting some wonderful mommy friends there as well.

Dr Cho is great with our daughter, but not easily reached. I called asking to get a letter required by the social security office and was given the run around by her front desk staff. Jessica does not provide customer service and was avoiding helping us at all costs.
«We can do the letter by late tomorrow afternoon»
«Can I hold to speak with Dr Cho?»
«Nope»
Thank you very much.
Be prepared for frustration. I want to be able to reach my daughters doctor. I’ll be looking for a new one.

Dr. Choe is a wonderful doctor! She’s very knowledgeable but also kind and genuinely concerned about your child’s needs and your needs. It’s difficult to find a doctor who is both smart and compassionate. Her office is clean and welcoming and her appointments go as scheduled. You rarely have to wait and when you do, it’s only for 10 or 15 minutes. I live in the west 90’s so I have to walk a bit to get to her office but I don’t mind at all. The care she gives my daughter is well worth the trip. Thank you Dr. Choe!

This place is great. I am so relieved to discover a decent pediatrician in the neighborhood!
The office is spotless and attractive. Dr. Choe is warm and attentive, and the other staff were very friendly and kind as well. We were seen early (!) and I didn’t feel our visit was rushed at all.
There is also a very convenient on-​line appointment scheduling service.
What an asset to the area!

SoHa Pediatrics & Dr. Cho are amazing and much needed additions to Harlem! Dr. Cho is an extremely knowledgable, compassionate pediatrician who has repeatedly gone above and beyond for our family. The office is beautiful, location is great (in a highly underserved area), and her nurse has always been kind and professional. As a mother of two young children, I am ecstatic to have such a wonderful pediatrician so close to home.

I agree with Miss C. I called the office earlier today and a girl not very warmly answered «hello», I was thrown off and asked «is this the pediatricians office?» her respone was «yes». Very unprofessional which turned me off. I’ll keep looking.

Just off of reception, I decided against taking my children there. They were not helpful and their demeanor wasn’t great either. If this is reception, chosen by the doctors, how can I have faith in the doctors? I don’t know about coming here, even though it is closer than my other pediatrician.

Dr. Choe is great! She takes her time with the kids and asks them questions. She treats them like human beings — not just patients. She explains what she’s doing so the child feels comfortable. I also LOVE the fact that when you make an appointment with her at 3:45, you’re seen at 3:45. She’s very accessible and extremely friendly. As a mother of 4 children who has seen a fair share of pediatricians — good, bad, and very bad — I’m grateful to have found Dr. Choe. We’ll be with her for a very long time. I’m thrilled my children have such a wonderful pediatrician in our neighborhood.

I learned of SoHa Pediatrics this summer while I was due with my second child. While I had been attending a different practice in the UWS for a number of years with my first child, I was eager to take a look at SoHa Pediatrics due to its convenient location (many mothers in this neighborhood, including me, have noted the need for a reliable pediatrician close-​by). I found the offices clean, spacious and welcoming. More importantly, Dr. Choe was extremely warm and helpful, as was Nurse Natalia. It has now been over 3 months since I started taking both of my children to see Dr. Choe and our experience has been wonderful. Dr. Choe is great with both my newborn and toddler (getting my toddler to the doctor, and more importantly, to behave there, has been much easier with Dr. Choe). She is gentle, comforting, knowledgeable and thorough. Her practice is also unique in that it is absent of many of the frustrating aspects of a «typical» doctor’s office. For one, she is extremely responsive — I have never been put on hold and my phone calls/​emails to her have always been answered within a very timely period (previously, even making an appointment had required taking to various receptionists and waiting on the line, and attempting to have a substantive question answered by a doctor required going through even more hoops). Second, she is up to date with technology and allows for simple online appointments and access to medical records (previously, I had to wait weeks to receive my own medial records).
I would absolutely recommend Dr. Choe and encourage parents to take a look at her practice, even if already currently with another practice. Knowing that I have a responsive, accessible and experienced pediatrician near-​by has significantly increased my peace of mind. Other mothers I have spoken to who have visited Dr. Choe and Nurse Natalia all share positive experiences.