Russo Joie Danielle, MD

I only went to Dr. Russo because of a referral from my primary doctor because I had missed my period 10 months straight, and my blood work had come back clean.
I ended up waiting a good 30 minutes before she brought me back and when she did she never checked me. All she did was check my weight then my blood pressure.
The first time she tried to take my blood pressure with the automatic machine it wouldn’t work so she had another doctor check it with the manual one, and after the doctor had finished checking she walked into the room saying something along the lines of I’m surprised it wasn’t out of range.
She then brought me into her office, and the first thing she said to me was «well you are severely obese so that’s a problem» and followed that with «I see your mom died, what happened?» and it really took me by surprise how quick she was to say that. After explaining about my mom, and how I had been depressed for years causing me to binge eat (hence my weight issue) she blamed me. She then put me on a medication so I would get my period, and she sent me home with a chart that I had to track my period on.
The last thing she said to me was I want to see in 6 months and I want you to lose 50 pounds by that time. After she said that it triggered my depression and I felt worse about myself then I’d ever been.
I would not recommend her to anyone, and I respect those of you that have had great experiences with her but she is not the doctor for me.

Dr. Russo is the best. I’ve been seeing her for years. Prior to that, I tried many OB-​GYNs, male and female, with little success. Not since Nancy Warner, the nurse Practitioner I used to see for my gynecological needs in Santa Barbara when I was in my late teens/​early twenties, had I found someone I felt so comfortable talking to. I searched for nearly two decades. I’ve had OB-​GYNs who actually physically hurt me, OB-​GYNs who didn’t listen to a word I said or answer any of my questions, making me feel stupid and ashamed in the process (especially this one woman who was supposedly the best OB-​GYN in L.A. — HORRIBLE!). I find the negative reviews here bewildering, but I remember referring a friend to Dr. Russo (I’ve referred several, all of whom were happy, except this one) who complained to me after her appointment, and I said, «I love Dr. Russo! She’s real!» and my friend said, «Yah, a little TOO real.» I’m sorry, but when I’m talking to a doctor about my body, I’d like to have real, honest feedback; otherwise, it’s a total waste of time. And in my friend’s case, she was hearing things she didn’t want to hear, but NEEDED to hear. Dr. Russo is kind, funny, honest, and knowledgeable. I feel comfortable telling her anything, and that’s what you need in an OB-​GYN. I can’t recommend her highly enough.

I was hesitant to come here because there are a bunch of 1 star reviews. But I needed someone reasonably close to my house who took my insurance so I decided to give this place a chance.
Here’s a tip from me to you: ignore the bad reviews, check it out for yourself.
I showed up for my appointment and quickly realized that I had forgotten my wallet which had my insurance card in it. The staff were so kind, understanding and patient while I found my card on the company website and printed it out for me so we could proceed.
I filled some forms, waited for a few minutes before my examination started.
Dr. Russo is so personable and kind. She’s very knowledgeable and direct. She took care of several things in no time. It didn’t feel rushed but when you’re laying in that position, you appreciate a doctor who can get to the point.
About 3 years ago, an other doctor told me I had a piece of skin on my cervix which needed to be surgically removed. I didn’t have insurance and they quoted the procedure around $ 300 but I decided to wait. Dr. Russo told me it was a polyp and no surgery was needed, she took care if it right there and she did my pap test and checked out my iud without the extra drama.
She is an amazing doctor and I have no idea how anyone could think any less of her. Honestly, I doubt that I will ever look for an other gynecologist.

I absolutely love her. She makes me feel so comfortable every time I go in and talking to her is like talking to my best friend. She takes the time to answer my questions and asks me about what’s going on in my personal life as well. She is so nice and really cares. I’ve received nothing but the best care from her.

Dr. Russo was simply amazing. She was really kind and professional. She throughly looked at my chart and i didn’t feel like she was in a rush. I can tell she cares about her patients. I am very happy to have found her. Her staff also was very helpful and knowledgable.

When I met with obstetricians regarding my pregnancy, Dr. Russo was by far the most qualified at delivering a baby naturally and through surgery. She was extremely keen to notice changes in my pregnancy. I developed a life-​threatening condition during labor in 2013 and Dr. Russo monitored the situation perfectly. Her knowledge and skill saved my life. I highly recommend her. She was a perfect doctor for me and my husband, who both like to ask many questions and have a full understand of our health care and provider.

I cannot say enough great things about Dr. Russo. She makes me feel completely comfortable, at ease and protected. I would ask the dumbest and I mean it… DUMBEST questions sometimes when I was pregnant and she wouldn’t make me feel stupid at all for asking them.
I had a scheduled c-​section for my 2^nd son and you can’t even see my scar anymore. Amazing!
She’s honest about what she thinks and gives advice that is always helpful.
Her staff is super warm and inviting and it feels like an amazing family as soon as you walk in the door.
I’ve moved a little farther away from her office and still make the trip over there. Unless I move out of state one day, I will travel however long to have her as my doctor.

I had heard a lot of good stuff from a friend of mine but my experience was far from what I thought I was going to have. Something as simple as talking about me and possible birth control forms, my boyfriend and I were sitting in her office, I had tons of questions to ask, but she was more worried about my boyfriend and him drinking his redbull then my concern and problems. My conversation lasted not even 5 mins my boyfriends and hers convo lasted about 15 mins. I felt so uncomfortable and I gain no knowledge. Not only that the birth control she recommended made me absolutely crazy. Her lack of care is what people need to know about. The girls at the front desk are also rude and inconsiderate.

This was years ago, but it still bothers me! Dr. Russo spent more time asking about my son’s experience at UC San Diego than she did about me. No questions about my general health, bowels or bladder, intercourse… nothing! As I lay in a paper gown waiting in the exam room for 20+ minutes, I could hear her laughing and chatting with her staff outside the door! After a very brief exam, I still had questions. She answered them with my chart in one hand and her other hand on the doorknob! Like I was wasting HER time! Never went back. Please avoid!

This office is amazing and Dr. Russo is GREAT! She is kind, listens to your questions and concerns, has great advice and is VERY professional. She made me feel really comfortable. I was referred by a friend and I have not been disappointed. I would highly recommend her to everyone! The front office staff is also very helpful and attentive and kind.

I had heard so many great things about Dr. Russo including a personal referral from a friend. Unfortunately, during my visit we never talked about my exam because we were arguing (very politely) about a medication that my endocrinologist had already put me on and then taken me off of. She wanted me to start taking it, and I was trying to explain that my doctor of four years had said I don’t need it anymore and it’s painful to take. Then she sent me for a blood test which took FOREVER and which my endocrinologist could have done in 5 minutes. There were no questions asked, just assumptions.

My first review for anyone.
Unfortunately, I did not have a great experience with Joie. She is friendly, and personable, but like others have said always rushing you out the door. For My first child, it would have been nice to have more direction and sensitivity.
In her rush (in an appointment my husband missed), she matter-​of-​factly told me the sex of my baby. I was crushed because we chose not to find out. She was unapologetic. Jokingly her response was,“Well, you didn’t say not to tell you.“
When I had an emergency, in my extreme pain, she sent another doctor to the hospital (not in my network) after 7 hours in emergency. That bill was outrageous. And the emergency c-​section was never really addressed in any of our short meetings in the exam room. On the table, my child in distress, my water broken, epidural completed is when she asked my questions about how react to surgery/​certain drugs.
Mistake. This last minute change caused the wound not to heal and numerous follow up visits to the wound clinic, nurse visits at home and healing lasting months. She was un-​moved and acted as if it was business as usual. When I asked her if this was normal, how was I supposed to know, she said,“No. Never happened to me before.” That’s all.
She didn’t come to see the baby for 3 days, and very quickly rushed out the door. Barely could ask her anything about my painful, wonderful, complicated experience because she was gone so fast.
As an athlete, my scar is glaringly obvious. No longer a flat area because my c-​section scar is so large. Needless to say, I have never been back and would not recommend first time moms to see her.

I have been going to Dr. Russo’s office for over a decade now and each visit has been more pleasant than the last. The staff is great and always super accommodating, and the office is beautiful and spotless. As for the doctor herself, I can confidently say that Dr. Joie Russo is — hands-​down — the best OB/​GYN. She is a very caring and considerate doctor who listens and is a natural at putting anyone at ease. In the years that I have known her, she has listened to all of my concerns and always addressed each of them in a sensitive manner. She is extremely professional and thorough, and her level of expertise is remarkable! She delivered both my kids and I can honestly say that if it weren’t for her and her staff, neither of my pregnancies would have been as amazing of an experience as they were. I highly recommend her for any and all OB/​GYN needs! Seriously doesn’t get any better.

This is the first review I have ever written for anything, ever. But after careful thought I have decided to write this one about Dr Russo just in case it ends up helping someone.
Dr Russo was my ObGYN for the first 28 weeks of my pregnancy. I was unhappy with her from day one but since this is my first pregnancy, I was a bit overwhelmed and without any referrals so I just decided to stick it out. WORST idea ever. Dr Russo was extremely cold and short with me. My boyfriend and I have never been in her actual office, all of our appointments were held in an exam room and lasted under ten minutes EVERY time. She rarely let us see our baby on the monitor as she would just speed through the appointment. I never felt comfortable asking questions because her hand was always on the door ready to exit the room, making us feel like she was always in a huge rush.
She never explained properly what any of the tests we were taking were for and we are now getting bills from things we have NO idea what they were for. I hadn’t felt my baby move for about 3 days and became extremely worried. I called the office on a weekday at 9am to talk to someone, no one answered the phone for an HOUR. So we decided to drive to the office, NO ONE was there. finally after sitting there for an hour waiting for someone to show up we left and drove to an ultra sound studio where we paid 50 dollars to see if our baby was ok. thank GOD everything turned out to be fine but Russo and her office staff is clearly unreliable.
The last straw for me was when I went to my first appt alone (without boyfriend). I asked her if we could get a photo of baby so I could show him. She didn’t even bother to say NO, she just didn’t do it. AND to make it worse, she didn’t even let ME see my own baby on the monitor. She rushed through as usual with the screen only facing her and shooed me out the door. I cried all the way home, and am actually tearing up now thinking about it. :(
Anyway, I finally switched doctors and couldn’t be happier. She does my exam in the exam room and then takes us into her office for a chat, allowing me all the time I want to ask questions, etc. She is warm, friendly and I never feel rushed. I am sad that I wasted so much time with the wrong doctor and not getting the «first time mommy» experience that I wanted but I am definitely making up for it now!
Hope this review helps. if not, at least I got some of this disappointment off my chest :)

Dr. Russo and her staff are amazing! I have been coming to her for a little over ten years now and I recommend her to all of my friends when they are looking for a new doctor. She always makes me feel comfortable. Same goes for her staff, they have always been very nice and very accommodating.

I selected Dr. Russo bc I read many nice things about her on Unilocal.Unfortunately I never had the opportunity to meet her bc I was so turned off by her front office person I left the office. I signed in 5 minutes before my appt without being acknowledged by the front office person. i knew there would be paperwork to complete bc I was a new patient. I sat down and waited and waited. Twenty minutes passed with no one addressing the fact that I was new to the office. finally I walked back up to the receptionist and told her I was a new patient and she curtly replied, «I know I have to print your paperwork». at that point it would have been nice to hear, «Hi, welcome, I am so sorry for the wait. I will get you your paperwork so you can get started». wouldn’t you think that a doctor’s office would have paperwork for new patients ready. please don’t tell me I am the first new patient they have had in a while. after waiting another 10 minutes It was obvious that the office was too busy to make a new patient feel welcomed and comfortable. I told the front office person I did not realize I would have to wait so long and that it would be much longer bc I didn’t even have the paperwork. Her response was, «The doctor delivered a baby and is running 15 minutes behind». it would have been nice if this were explained to me when I arrived. it is very disrespectful for them to think my time is not valuable. Now I have to look for another doctor and I hopefully will find one whose office staff is professional enough to acknowledge a patient, new or returning. If the office is so busy that they cannot do that then maybe Dr. Russo should hire another person in the front to help.

I’ve been going to her for years now and she’s the best OBGYN I’ve been to after seeing MANY! She makes you comfortable and will always give great solutions! Super knowledgable and makes you feel comfortable. I recommend her to everyone!

Dr. Russo is very honest and to the point. I went to her as soon as I found out I was pregnant. She answered all my questions and took great care of me. My only concern was that I always felt rushed. As long as I came in with all the questions I wanted answered, all was good. She began all our appointments by asking how I was, the «FOB» was, followed then by how I felt pregnant. I ran into her at Target 3 months after last seeing her and she recognized me and even greeted me by my name.
She has two assistants that are AWESOME!

Doctor Russo is the best and moist honest and transparent doctor ever! I wouldn’t trust another doctor with my «womanhood».