Dr. Marina Cherkassky

I've been a long time patient (~23 years) and overall she's been an okay but very apathetic doctor. Recently, she opened a new office and her schedule completely changed. All of the new contact information online is incorrect. All of the numbers go to the same answering message that does not allow you to leave a message. When prompted to request a call back from the doctor, the input is not understood and the call ends. I have been calling during the office hours provided by the message. I basically can't get an appointment with her or request a referral but to not avail. I am definitely finding a new PCP.

I have been with Marina since 2000. She always caught everything that was happening wrong with my body. , she is the best diagnostic dr She calls even in the evening, if she is concerned. The staff is excellent, highly trained , staying with the doc during the years Highly recommend. Izabella B

She is taking care of my parents, and they feel that she is attentive and thorough

Please please please avoid at all costs. I have been a patient of Marinas for over a year only because my insurance requires referrals. I have visited her for issues which she was very unprofessional about. I visited her because of a skin condition once around my lips and she said the reason was because I use too much lipstick. When I visited the dermotologist, he diagnosed it as serious case of aczema and prescribed a cream. Of all the times I been to her she never diagnosed me right. She can only diagnose when you have the cold or flu. Her bedside manner is terrible. Every time, the wait in her office is about an hour, sometimes more, only to spend 5 minutes with her in the room. She's very cold and does not try to relate to her patients. I have now changed my primary care doctor. Please save yourself the time and trouble and Go elsewhere.

Chekassky once called after my blood test results came in. She was helpful in that regard. But when I asked specific questions about the results she couldn't answer. She also spent less than 5 minutes with me during my visit after having me wait for over an hour (even though I had an appointment). The person who answers phone at the Langdon st office speaks broken English and always messes up my appointment. Once I went there very early in the morning only to find out the office was closed and that my appointment was actually the following Saturday. She loses my insurance info all the time and calls me for the info, without admitting that she lost it.

I moved to NE for graduate school and went to Marina originally at first just to get scripts for medications I had taken for several years...at first I didn't like how I had to see her every few months so that she "could get to know me" and wouldn't just refill my medications over the phone as my PCP in CT had done..however she ended up really helping me. I had been experiencing joint and muscle aches on and off for several years..my old pcp never seemed concerned, however Marina ran blood work and found that some levels were off. She referred me to Rheumatologist who was also very helpful and thorough...I found out that I have an AI illness that is very rare in people my age. My problems were not just anxiety, which my pcp back in CT had been telling me for years. Marina would also personally call me if any levels were off..I moved back to CT , however my current pcp is clueless and I feel like I have to watch out for myself a lot more...he could learn from Marina. At the time I don't think I even realized how much she was helping me.

I have been with Marina'a office for well over 15 years and I really wonder why I haven't left yet.... I've had a lot of negative experiences with this doctor. She just simply doesn't care enough about her patients. She's showed: blatant negligence of my condition & does not properly explain what is wrong and how to further proceed. She doesn't listen to the patient's needs and even had the nerve to blame me for the expectation to continually remind her of my treatment history while under her care. I won't go into my medical history details but I can recall one time I left work early to seek treatment from Marina after an accident. I on average have to sit in the waiting room for around 30 minutes where you aren't even acknowledged! I can recall that she had the nerve telling me once I was at an appointment that since I didn't tell her about my soreness I need to schedule another appointment for her to give me a prescription for an x-ray or MRI. HELLO?!?! I AM STANDING IN FRONT OF YOU AND YOU TELL ME I NEED TO SCHEDULE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT TO DISCUSS MY MEDICAL CONDITION?!?!?!?! It is painstakingly obvious that they ONLY CARE ABOUT YOUR MONEY IN THIS OFFICE, NOT YOUR HEALTH! They didn't give me advice that would benefit me at all. They only cared about what would make them the most money. I feel like my appointments are always pointless. None of my questions were answered, nothing was accomplished, and I felt worse when I left.

I have been going to Marina for years. There are definitely good things and bad things about the practice.Good:-Her hours. Although its a bit annoying to keep up with which office she is in that day (Bucks or NE), they are only about 20 minutes away from each other so both are doable. She is open on Saturday mornings, as well as M-F, and has an emergency line you can call so getting in if its a true emergency is not a problem.-I feel that she is fairly knowledgeable and I have never felt misdiagnosed or in bad hands with her, or any of the other staff. She has referred me to other doctors and knows the nearby medical community well.-Additionally, I have never really had a billing issue with them. This may not be a big deal, but seriously, the more you go to doctors, the more you realize how incompetent they are in terms of co-pays, billing, etc. The front desk is very busy, but know what they are doing.- Obviously, the fact that the office is able to accommodate those that speak Russian is a plus.Bad:-She is very tough with refills and prescribing items over the phone without seeing the patient. For example, if you have a history with Urinary Tract Infections and call her and tell her that you, yet again, have it, she will not just call in the medicine and she has to see you. -Additionally, the same could be said about refills. I have been on the same medicine for a few years, and she still requires to see me every 6 months or so or she will not refill the medicine. When I come to the office, pay my copay ($20!), and see her-- I say everything is fine, and it lasts 2 minutes. Nevertheless, I still have to come in which is probably so she can cover herself in case anything happens.-Wait time. When I started going there, the wait time was not that bad, and obviously, on the more popular visit times such as Saturdays and evenings, the wait time is crazy. I have waited over an hour on a few occasions.Overall, I clearly still go to her but no one is perfect!