Walter Berkowitz's Online Review Report Card

Before he can kill any more patients, the good Dr. took the honorable path this February and retired, much to the relief of the local medical community and to the benefit of future patients who will not be injured and killed by his negligence. Contrary to his listing here, He does not speak Russian or Korean. But he curses well in English. His last words to me: Don’t call the practice after 6pm. Apparently he believes medical problems only occur between 9-5. Prescribes Xanax like it is candy and knows little about it. Very dangerous Dr. Made me and my elderly mom wait 6 hours in the waiting room because he was angry that I had to call the practice after 10pm for an emergency and he wanted to use our time and make use wait while my mother was ill, to vent it, making my sick mother the last patient seen. If you want to live - avoid this quack like the plague. Only Dr. in the practice who needs a scribe because he can’t use EHR or type his notes. Even with the scribe, he repeats himself mechanically, visit after visit, adding nothing new and leaving important information out. He rarely makes referrals to specialists even if the symptoms require it because he doesn’t want to broadcast the fact he doesn’t know what he is doing which will be revealed in his notes. I had to make the referral myself. The Dr. needs his after dinner nap and resents any after hours calls and basically doesn’t want to be bothered even though he may be the on-call Dr. Being nice to him and sharing medical research and ideas to be a proactive patient does not work with him. He resents it and tells you not to send any more emails or research to him and then tells his colleagues at the practice not to read your research basically punishing patients who want to be active participants in their care. He then threatens to have you terminated from the practice if you call the on-call service too late because of a medical emergency. If he were just weird, it would be OK, but he is dangerous. Other Drs who know him in the hospital advise getting another Dr. I waited too long, giving him the benefit of the doubt. Last time I called him from the ER, he offered no advice or opinion, angrily stating “you can do one of two things: you can stay or you can go home”, then hung up. Shame on me for not firing this burned out, angry Dr earlier. PS: his secretary basically did his bidding for him and was equally rude and lacking in empathy.

Doc is thorough in exams but communicates primarily with the record or scribe unless pressed to share opinions with patient. This is probably an adaptation to an overbooked schedule due to the practice having been purchased by Hackensack Hospital which seeks to maximize profit at the expense of patient care and values bookings for billable service over time spent with the patient. The good Dr compensated for this untenable state of affairs by an evident sense of humor but as humor is fed by underlying anger & frustration, the occasional unprofessional angry comment does find its way into conversations, eg “why are you calling me at this hour?”(it’s 10pm & doc is on call all night); “you’re busting my balls” (No, it’s not a new urology procedure - the doc just can’t find a lab on his new Hospital-provided computer system-is it the patient’s fault?!). But he is experienced & does the best he can so he has earned some license to dispense with the usual niceties associated with professional medical conduct & such frankness perhaps can find its place in communicating without censure when truly needed. Though one wonders - are we seeing physician burnout here under the thin veil of humor? Stay tuned for the next episode in the series of “The Moody Dr”.

Dr Berkowitz was fantastic . He spent time with me to go over my condition and answered every question thoroughly. He made some suggestions on how I could be more healthy! Great doctor a credit to his profession !!! I highly recommend him !!

Dr. Berkowitz is sincere and cares about his patients, and advocates for the best care for them. All physicians should strive to be like him..

Talk to Berkowitz as part of an amazing group of physicians. We have had excellent experience firsthand with this group. They were the messengers who Thank Heaven saved my husband's life. In regard to talk to Berkowitz for the purpose of this review, he is attentive & meticulous in his care. He is very thorough and when with a patient he is totally focused and listens to every detail. He is highly capable and a blend of decades of experience combined with up to date technology at his fingertips. This practice is a rare breed in today's rush rush world. A hidden gem in Fort Lee.

Must have seen Doc on a bad hair day. Did not remember setting up his own routine follow-up visit. Then did not know the visit was also a follow-up from an ER visit. Angrily stated "I don't give a sh*t about the labs" when presented with the ER lab results. Made no comment on them except to recommend that the pt. see another. Dr. Asked "what else is wrong", and made no comments there either. Gave an EKG and made no comment on results. Made no follow-up appt. Doc having a midlife crisis?

Dr B is very experienced and very detailed orientated. I am always very comfortable with him as he spends plenty of time explaining his findings.

Dr. Berkowitz is a very pleasant and knowledgeable doctor. He takes the time to explain, discuss and answer questions. He is just you you want your doctor to be.

Dr. Berkowitz is a very pleasant and knowledgeable doctor. He takes the time to explain, discuss and answer questions. He is just you you want your doctor to be.

should retire,not as good as he used to be