Shangold Mona, MD

I wish I had checked these reviews sooner. I would have saved myself hundreds in ridiculous fees.
There are one pleasant person in the office and it definitely is not Dr. Shangold.
Let me give my story… I have missed 2 periods and I’m moving to England in a matter of weeks. So my self diagnosis is stress. I went into Dr. Shangold’s office for the first time a little over a month ago. I have now had my blood tested 3 times and all hormone levels fall in normal range. I am not pregnant as she has already ordered two ultrasounds, both of which were normal. She drew the last round of blood samples today after telling me I may be at risk of cancer. WHAT??? I freaked out and finally called another medical professional (or I guess the first professional). I was told that my levels were normal and it is even common during major transitions cycles can fluctuate as a result. That if in 3 – 5 months I still haven’t synced up maybe then the further testing would be necessary, but right now it’s crazy! This doctor is horribly unethical and is just trying to steal your money! Not to mention her atrocious bedside manner.

I had a great experience with this doctor and was stunned by how negative these reviews are. I’m a doctor too and I think I can explain some of the complaints, which are due to the restrictions of the medical field and not this particular doctor.
First, about lateness: don’t expect the doctor to see you the minute your appt is scheduled. The nurse has to take you back, get a brief history so she knows how to set up the room, get your vitals, and then document and relay all of that to the doctor. Some patients require more than the booked time because of larger issues or emergencies that were unanticipated. Bring a book. And get there on time so you don’t contribute to the problem. I was seen within 12 minutes of my appointment time.
About a «rough» exam: no speculum exam is wonderful. My speculum exam today was painless. People who admit that they’re «not the easiest patient» are making it worse for themselves — if you are not relaxed, the exam is more uncomfortable. The rectal exam is part of a routine pelvic exam or PAP. [Read about it here folks:
About «extra» charges: do you know how many types of insurance there are? No doctor can know what YOUR PERSONAL insurance covers. You need to find out what your insurance covers and you are responsible for the rest. Take it up with your insurance. The doctor just does what is standard care for a given procedure or issue.
Office environment looks exactly like most doctor’s offices. The front desk staff was polite to me today. The nurse who took me back was a little short when she had trouble understanding that I don’t get regular periods because I take birth control back-​to-​back but my issue was being there for bleeding (post-​coital) — but in her defense it was complicated. I’m a pretty sensitive person and a stranger asking me to repeat myself a few times isn’t the end of the world. And different people respond to confusion differently. And guess what? Most patients throw around medical terms that they don’t understand, but their friend’s neighbor’s co-​worker once had something similar, so it must be the exact same thing, right?
Give people the benefit of the doubt — they ask many, many questions to make sure they address your issue accurately, not to make you feel uncomfortable. Talk to your doctor if she is recommending something you don’t want and explain your concerns — most will work with you as it is in both her and your best interest.

I’m putting one start only because there is not minus but doctor Shangold does not deserve even one start. The start will go to her staff of nurses which is the only pleasant staff in there. This lady makes you feel retarder, is rude, office is disgusting, you will INDEED leaving that place feeling that you have some type of cancer and if for some reason you must go there don’t let her take a blood test, that will cost you as minimum $ 4000 yes you did read correctly $ 4000 for a «blood test» still wondering what kind of blood test was that. I so regret going there, woke up with a weird pain in my low abdomen and that’s how I ended up there… I should have gone to ER instead, would have been cheaper than with this lady.

the 2 stars are for the lovely front desk lady and the nurse. i wouldn’t recommend this obgyn to any woman that cares about her lady parts. i was in a rush, i was a little unprepared, so granted i was not the easiest patient. but i was only coming to get a refill of birth control. dr. mona gave me the most uncomfortably painful pap smear i’ve ever had. she was extremely rough down there and just kept telling me to relax my muscles while i’m trying to communicate to her that the metal contraption in my vagina hurts. i see the metal contraption get put away and i think, okay, i’ll live. this lady comes back and i lie to you not just puts her fucking finger in my butthole. i’m anti buttsex, i use my butt for #2 only so this was EXTREMELY painful for me. she didn’t seem to mind or care and finished doing whatever she was doing in my butt for a few more seconds. when she left the room i literally felt like crying. WHY would you not think to give someone a headsup that they’re about to get a finger in their butt? i’m just… still so baffled lord jesus. anyways, though i got my prescription, the unwanted butt play & just overall cold nature of dr. mona completely turned me off and i will not be returning.
also, after reading some other reviews, i can completely confirm that she is absolutely in the business of pushing unneeded meds onto patients. i’m always super honest when filling out forms so naturally was expecting her to address me smoking cigarettes & being on birth control (i know, i know), so this wack job starts to tell me that i’m probably smoking because of an underlying issue: depression, anxiety, etc. and starts recommending meda i could get on in conjunction with the birth control. i’m just straight facing her the whole time like, no bitch, i’m addicted to nicotine & like a cig after a big meal. stop reaching.
gonna say butt one more time for good measure. but seriously, don’t go here ladies.

I went to this office and the nurses were great, very nice but I was not fond of the doctor. I went in for a follow up from an ER visit for a cyst. She immediately assumed I was trying to get pregnant when I said I wasn’t on birth control and proceeded to lecture me on how I’m not being healthy enough for my baby. She continued after I told her a couple times that I’m not trying to have kids yet. The entire time she was snappy and made me feel dumb when I asked questions. I was sent to get an ultrasound to make sure the ovarian cyst I have isn’t period related. I told her I’ve had it over a month and a half and was in incredible pain when I went to the ER, also in occasional pain still and she insisted its probably just period related and will go away on its own. I’m supposed to come back after the ultrasound but I will be going elsewhere. She was very demeaning and made me feel stupid every time I spoke. I will be having my ultrasound results forwarded to a different doctor. This is the first and last time I come here.

As a physician myself I am very against these rating systems for doctors, but I am learning that times are changing and my experience dealing with Dr. Shangold and her office as a patient has been nothing but frustrating, inefficient and infuriating so I feel compelled to share with the general public.
Main issues:
Front office staff are rude, unhelpful and generate more work for you as a patient and for themselves.
Dr. Shangold will not discuss results with you via telephone, you are forced to schedule a follow up appt, which results in you having to pay another co-​pay.
Requesting your records forwarded to another doctor again generates more fees for you to pay, and personally I had to request my records multiple times before finally getting what I asked for
The office is outdated and feels dirty.

Update:
I have stopped seeing Dr. Shangold. She became aggressive and disrespectul in our last few appointments, refused to let me see medical records, misdiagnosed and over charged, attempted to shame me for my own health decisions, and was very rough during her examination.
Original:
I read the reviews prior to seeing Dr. Shangold and have to admit I was ready to cancel my appt and run for the hills. However, I went anyway because I needed an appointment ASAP and it ended up being not only completely fine but I really liked her. I was going through one of the most difficult times in my life and Dr. Shangold was caring and listened but also had a no-​nonsense attitude that made me trust that she was going to take care of everything.
Her nurses are incredibly sweet and caring as well.
I have seen Dr. Shangold 3x now and I have enjoyed it every time. I feel like she cares about me and I feel confident in her abilities to help me. She always listens to my concerns and she really takes into account everything she knows about me. She also double checks that my insurance will cover prescriptions, etc. She asks for follow up exams and I truly believe she wouldn’t miss if anything was wrong with me.
The cons:
Her personal office IS messy but it doesn’t really matter to me because the medical office space and waiting area are completely normal and clean.
You will have a long wait time but at least when I am back with her she always gives me the same amount of time.

This was absolutely the WORST doctor’s experience I have ever had. I had to wait an hour after my scheduled appointment for Dr. Shangold to even see me. When she finally came into the exam room she was very unfriendly. I told her I was there to switch birth controls, but she said because I was a new patient, I had to have an exam. Fine.
When we finally got to discussing birth controls, she was very pushy on trying to prescribe me Yaz. I told her I had taken Yaz before and was not interested in taking it again. She then tried pushing the Neuva ring on me when I told her I was only interested in taking a pill form of birth control. She finally got so annoyed she stated, «Okay, why don’t you just TELL me what you want.» Seriously? I am not a doctor. I want a pill form of birth control that is not Yaz and I expected her to discuss other options with me. Guess not.
While I was re-​dressing the zipper of my dress got caught and I couldn’t zip it up. The nurse was very friendly and helpful, trying to unzip my dress and get the fabric unstuck. After about 15 minutes, Dr. Shangold knocked on the door and told me I had to get out because she had another patient. The nurse explained to her the zipper on dress was stuck and the way it was stuck exposed pretty much my whole body. Dr. Shangold didn’t care and made me leave. Thankfully, the nurse and receptionist were very kind people and gave me a jack to cover myself up with.
On my way out (covering my self with a jacket) the nurse said I should get my copay back because my initial reason for a visit changed to an annual exam which had no copay. She needed Dr. Shangold’s permission to refund my money and she said no because the payment was «already processing.» I paid cash.
I left the appointment pissed – having to cover myself up with a jacket since my zipper was stuck and walk center city, out $ 20, and uncertain about the birth control she gave me. I filed a complaint with my insurance company about her practice and would NEVER EVER go back.

I was confused as to why my GYN was trying to talk me into going on anti-​depressants.
Also all 3 times I came into her office the wait was over an hour.
I scheduled my annual which I did because I knew my insurance covered it (and nothing else). I then later got a bill for other charges she tried to tack on to that appointment. When I asked her about it all she could do was insult my insurance coverage.
Trust me you can find a better doctor.

Okay, so full disclosure– I have not seen Dr. Shangold for a few years now– but I just need to get this off my chest!
This is why I stopped going there:
–Extremely long wait times. I swear I waited over two hours to see her on more than one occasion. It was at least an hour each time.
— Rudeness. When I asked her about the long wait times, she gave me a snide response about how people come in for routine check-​ups, but then they are really coming in for specific issues, so she gets behind with her other patients. Then, when I asked her a few questions at the end of my appointment, she said. sort of passive-​aggressively: «See? Now you’re making me late for my next patient.»
— This next part is the worst: An extremely rough exam! I won’t get into details, but Jesus Christ, lady. I think she could make money on the side as a dominatrix.
— Her office looks like a hoarding situation! I mean, seriously: Clean that sh*t up! I am trusting you with my health and your office looks like you need a fricking reality TV intervention!
— She definitely pushed pills on me. In my case, she put me on birth control and Prozac. I admit I probably needed the latter, but I have never heard of a gynecologist prescribing anti-​depressants. It seems sort of non-​kosher.
Anyway, that is all. As someone else said, take your lady parts elsewhere!

I’ve had great success with finding doctors through ZocDoc in the past, so I was pleased when I found Dr. Shangold since her practice is so close to my office. I should have checked Unilocal first!
The Practice: While they were prompt to confirm my appt, everything else was a mess. I filled out forms for them on their site, but they insisted that I hadn’t when I came in. (I checked, the info was still in my patient portal). On the two visits when I came in, even the receptionist agreed that some of the policies were whack and told me that not a lot of people come back. Also, Dr. Shangold’s office is a mess! I’ve never seen so many folders and files spilling out around a room. Didn’t inspire a lot of confidence that my info was safe.
The Doctor: My first visit for an annual exam was great. Super fast and thorough. I was concerned about a couple of possible test results and she went over the details with me. Then I had to go back in to discuss my results. Not only did I have to pay a copay for this, but she implied that the whole visit could have been saved if I had told her about one of the tests her nurse performed before my annual exam. She was condescending and rude when asking me some routine questions. And when asking some questions regarding how my diagnosis would affect my partner, she didn’t know!
Don’t go here. When even your staff are warning patients to stay away, you know there’s a serious problem.

I have been seeing Dr. Shangold since 2006, and I have had enough. I have wanted to change doctors for years, but it’s hard to find a gyn that is accepting new patients and doesn’t make you wait MONTHS to get an appointment.
Dr. Shangold is thorough with exams and follow up and you can usually get an appointment ratherly quickly. HOWEVER, she makes you come into the office and pay another copay to give you the results of your tests that any other doctor would give over the phone. Once, I suspected I had a UTI, but had to live with it for several days longer than necessary b/​c she refused to give me test results or a prescription until I could come into her office (and pay another copay). That is completely unacceptable. She is money hungry and I have found a new doctor.
I suspect that there’s minimal wait for an appointment because all of her patients are jumping ship…

A vicious snake whose exam was so rough that she actually ripped me. From her demeanor afterwards, I believe it was intentional.
If your insurance covers no other female obgyn, go to a male one or go to Planned Parenthood and ask for free help. They will give it to you.

I would give negative stars, if possible.
When I was 22, Dr. Shangold misdiagnosed me with PCOS (no evidence of cysts on u/​s and perfect cycles) when I really had a life-​threatening pituitary tumor and Cushing’s disease. Long story short, she treated my brain tumor with birth control pills (kickback?), while condescendingly telling me that «nobody has Cushing’s», and that my weight gain and diabetes were «obviously a lifestyle choice».
I suffered for 5 years under her care with significant and rapid weight gain (110 lbs), wounds that wouldn’t heal, heart dysrhythmias, MANY, frequent bone fractures, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, hypertension, BLOOD CLOTS, muscle atrophy, soft tissue necrosis, chronic bronchitis and immunodeficiency, hirsutism, tearing skin and horrible purple stretch marks, electrolyte imbalances, a hunchback and moon face, and chronic pain. TEXTBOOK.
I saw a new doctor when I went to the ER with DVTs (leg clots) and, soon after, I had 2 emergency surgeries-​one for the tumor and one to remove my gangrened gall bladder (related), which she had said was just heartburn. Even after my diagnosis she swore it wasn’t Cushing’s and wanted to test me for some rare hereditary genetic clotting disorder that exists nowhere along my bloodline.
I’m now 28 and have osteopenia, bursitis, arthritis, what I’ll call no-​gallbladder-​syndrome (IBS) and a related malabsorption issue, horrible stretch marks, and chronic pain and fatigue all due to the negligence of this ridiculous excuse for a doctor!

I researched Dr. Shangold before I went and though I saw some bad reviews there were also some great ones and I thought maybe those patients just didn’t click with her style (it happens). After my visit though, I think the negatives far outweigh the benefits of Dr. Shangold for anyone who might be considering availing themselves of her services.
The only good thing I have to say about her is her PA/​phlebotomist was amazing and I loved her. Otherwise, everything else is not so great:
1) She is money hungry. My first visit she charged me for two visits because I asked her a question and then tried to say the insurance company makes her, which I know is bullshit. Then she made me come in for an appointment just so she could tell me all my test results were negative. She made $ 107 off that 15 minutes. Then she tried to schedule another follow up visit for no reason — she actually had no reason for the additional visit except I suspect the additional income she would get. Her policies are detrimental to good health care because they discourage patients from asking questions and getting all the information and possibly all the tests they might need.
2) The wait times are horrendous. I waited for over an hour and a half for my first visit and an hour for my second. It is ridiculous. I don’t know what the point of having appointment times is if she is just going to ignore them.
3) Her office is ridiculously unorganized. Her personal office is literally covered in towering stacks of paper. It is a wonder they don’t lose every patients’ records — it looked very unprofessional and was disconcerting.
4) Some of these other flaws could be forgiven if she was a great doctor. She isn’t. She is very condescending. I’m not trying to say I know a lot (or even anything) about medicine but there is no need to talk to me like I have no knowledge of my own body parts.
5) On the not a great doctor front, after all the money I paid she couldn’t figure out what was wrong and kind of just shrugged her shoulders and said oh well. She said she would just prescribe me something which concerns me considering she just told me she didn’t know what the problem was.
After dealing with the whole thing I felt a little like because I am young she thought she would be able to get away with charging me for additional expenses and talking down to me. But maybe this is how she treats all her patients — some of the other reviews suggest this might be the case. Either way I certainly will not be seeing Dr. Shangold again.

I wish I could give her zero stars. I’ve been going to Dr. Shangold since 2011.
To start, her new patient/​yearly forms (better now that they are online) are a pain to fill out. Her website isn’t user/​patient friendly.
Her receptionists are grumpy and provide poor customer service. The office itself is run down. All patient charting is paper.
The phlebotomist/​medical assistant is friendly.
Now on to Dr. Shangold — I learned early to always be scheduled as her first appointment, because she always runs over her time with her patients. While this should be comforting, it isn’t, because during my appointments, she doesn’t listen to what I want or how I feel, and repeatedly tries to put me on birth control even though I don’t want it (I’m over the age of 30). Due to my acne, she wanted to place me on a medication for my acne in addition to the birth control. Every time I go to her office she pushes medications on me. She also diagnosed me with a health problem and fails to be supportive or caring, and reviews her findings and plan of care too quickly to comprehend or take note. I have continued to return to her office because of my health issue, however I have reached the end of my ability to work with her office. I’ve found another provider.
When I have gone in for lab results, every flat surface in her office is stacked 6−12+inches high with patient charts. My chart is filled with yellow note pad paper charting. If a stack of patient charts were to fall — how would she tell which is mine?!
Poor beside manner, poor customer service, poor office practices. Save yourself a headache and find a different provider.

I had no idea so many other people have had the same experiences i have with «doctor» shangold… She’s a terrible human being who pushes pills and mis-​diagnoses patients to make extra $$$. She told me i had pre-​cancerous cells and had me do tons of labwork ($$$$$$) then said i was all better.
Also they do not give courtesy calls for your results. What if i don’t own a pc to check my results? You cant just call me and leave me a voicemail? Ugh.
Go somewhere else. Planned parenthood is even a vacation resort compared to this failure of a person/​staff.
Not to mention the office is a crackhouse.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Shangold since June of 2010, and I must admit I had never read a review of her practice in all that time. I just looked up her information to refer a friend and discovered all of these bad reviews! I can understand some of it — the charging on the website for questions, and her office is disorganized. But overall, I’ve had such a good experience with her staff and the doctor herself, that I was surprised there weren’t a couple more good reviews at least.
I like that Dr. Shangold is no nonsense and speaks frankly about tough issues. She has always made me feel informed about the information she is giving me and the decisions I have to make. She has never charged me to change a prescription, and always makes sure I have everything I need before I leave. I’ve never been upset by the way I’ve been treated; I always feel I’m treated with respect and everyone is very kind.
I hope that more of her patients who are happier with her come on to review her office. She might not be for everyone, but I’d certainly recommend a friend.

GREEDY, CONDESCENDING, UNORGANIZED, AND A COMPLETE JOKE!
I finally left this practice and found a doctor that actually makes me feel like a human being. Please don’t ever go to Shangold, she is money-​hungry and charges for every little thing. I refuse to give her another penny!

Rude. Condescending. Unfriendly.
If you’re in need of a gynecologist, go elsewhere. I’ve been going to this doctor for years (out of convenience) and have finally decided that I’ve had enough. I’ve never waited less than 35 minutes to see her, and that’s a 35 minute wait on a good day when you can get an early appointment. I believe my record was a 2 hour wait.
Dr. Shangold is extremely unfriendly. She will treat you like you’re an idiot and talk down to you. For example, at the beginning of my last visit, I wrote down the wrong pharmacy info. When she verified with me later in the visit where to call in my prescription, I had to say ‘oh wait, I’m sorry I actually use mail order for that one’. She acted as if I was an effing MORON for getting it wrong, and then she said in a snotty tone ‘well then I don’t know why you’d give me THAT pharmacy when in fact, you get this through MAIL ORDER’. Sorry, simple mistake. Seriously, it’s as if she wants you to feel like an asshole.
For a while there, around my 2009 – 2010 visits, she was actually bordering on being pleasant and I thought maybe she’d read all her horrible reviews and decided to changer her demeanor. Wrong. She was back to her rude ways as of my last visit. I’ll be finding a new doctor now.
On a positive note, the woman who takes you back to get your blood pressure and weight is very friendly and the current batch of receptionists are pretty friendly. Too bad the doctor herself is so damn nasty. Going to Dr. Shangold is BY FAR the worst doctor experience I’ve ever had.