Countryside Obstetrics & Gynecology - Clearwater

Dr. Marks and/or his original partner, Dr. Wolf (who is retired) delivered my son, as well as four of my close friends' child(ren). To be blunt, he is definitely a character and in my opinion, you will either LOVE his personality ...or you will not care for it at all. Personally, I appreciated his directness and dry sense of humor. Additionally, I'm not one to be offended by sporadic use of 'colorful' language, so frankly, I found his bedside manner totally hilarious and entertaining, as well as informative. Having said that, he has been practicing for over 30 years and his level of expertise is highly regarded by long-term residents of Pinellas County -and with good reason. He is extremely knowledgable and provides the highest level of care, both for the expectant mother and her unborn child. Wait times for appointments are dismal to be honest, as the practice is extremely busy, but this is in part due to the fact that Dr.Marks takes his time with each patient and answers any and all questions you may have ...never making you feel at all rushed--this was huge for me considering so many physicians tend to be overbooked these days and try and rush everyone in and out of the exam room. Dr. Marks performed my medically necessary scheduled c-section-with Dr. Patel assisting- and both of them were absolutely phenomenal. Zero issues or complications and my surgery scar is small, barely visible and below my bikini line. Dr. Marks also performed my son's circumcision in the hospital, as well as has treated me for annual exams both pre and post-pregnancy and various birth control methods after the birth of my child. I have always been extremely satisfied with the level of care I have received from him and his practice. I would (and have) highly recommend Dr. Marks and his practice to anyone searching for an experienced and knowledgable OB-GYN. If you prefer a woman and/or if you meet with him and find that his personality clashes with your own, I would definitely recommend either Dr. Patel, Dr. Llewellyn, or Dr. Pimental from the same practice. (FYI:You will rotate through the physicians in the practice on your initial visits, so you are able to establish rapport in case someone else is on call when you go into labor.)

We really liked all of the Doctors in the Countryside office except Dr. Marks. We found him very arrogant and he seemed irritated at the basic questions that we had for him. He seemed to have that "I'm the Doctor, just do as I tell you" mentality. My job deals with health education and I do my best to do my due diligence and research for all major health experiences. I spend a great deal of time finding the best and latest performance based health techniques and ideologies that can be found through referenced resources and peer reviewed studies. When I read the statistics of Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) and the complications that can occur from them I of course made sure that I understood the CDC's and other doctor's techniques on how to prevent them. One of them that was strongly pushed not only in the referenced medical materials that I read but also in the CDC's (Center for Disease Control) basic infection documents is that the Doctor washes their hands before touching the patient and the info specifically stated this strategy should be implemented regardless if they are going to wear gloves. When we went in to meet Dr. Marks he was planning on doing an internal assessment of my wife's pregnancy progression. When I ask him to wash his hands he refused and then stated that he would not do the internal assessment if he had to wash his hands. We were shocked and could not believe that a Doctor would be this insensitive to the needs of a patient. Now, we were not in a hospital setting at that moment but a Doctor's office can be a similar environment  and when a Doctor is treating the two most important people in the world you want to make sure that the possibility that something negative could happen, especially when they are checking internal areas, is reduced to a very low percentage. I believed this request would have helped minimize that possibility. This was not a crazy fear driven demand but a scientifically proven preventative technique that all Doctors based on the oath they took to "do no harm" should do whether you ask them or not. I was very disappointed and given his prideful disrespect to us and to preventative medicine I would not allow him to gamble with the most important people in my life. When a 100,000 people die from hospital acquired infections each year I think this basic request should have been met.

It was January 13.  They were very thorough, take you on time, Dr. Mark is very friendly, and nice doctor to have. The doctor is personable and show comfortable, telling him your problems. He has good bedside manner, makes you comfortable, and actually, you can talk about delicate issues.

This is the first review I ever ever written, however my experience was so bad that I feel the need to share it.
I called and scheduled and appointment because I heard good things online about Dr. Llewellyn. The office scheduled two appointments, the first to go over insurance information and the second to be meet with a doctor. I was told that the doctors share a practice, and that if I sign on that I would have all of the doctors. I understand that--delivering babies makes it difficult to have a life outside of work, so having a group practice would give a work life balance.
The first appointment, I waited over an hour before being seen. I didn't really understand this, because it's hard to fathom how a financial/insurance specialist would ever have the type of emergency to justify making someone wait an hour for an appointment. I wasn't offered an explanation for my wait, when I asked I was just told that the specialist was in the room with someone and they couldn't ask her. I was given a cursory apology when I finally met with the financial person, and the whole appointment lasted 10 minutes where I was given a bunch brochures and asked how I would pay the bill. We said that we would pay the bill in full in January so we could use a tax free account, and the specialist said that was fine. Nevertheless, a few days later I received a bill for the entire amount (the future appointments and the cost of the hospital delivery) in the mail indicating it was due on receipt.
I was unhappy with the service, but I thought I would give it a second try. I had an appointment with Dr. Mark. I waited an hour in the lobby, again with no explanation. I was just given a bunch of forms to fill out and consents to sign for a series of tests to screen birth defects. Other than the brochures I was given at the first appointment, no one had ever spoken to me about anything. I told them that I would like to speak with a doctor before making decisions on testing.
I was brought into the back after an hour of waiting, no explanation or apology. I see that a sonogram is set up and the materials for a pap smear are laid out on the desk. No one had let me know what would happen at this appointment. I was asked to immediately undress and put on a hospital gown. So the first time I meet or speak with the doctor, I would be naked and in stir ups. After waiting in the thin hospital gown in the freezing room for 40 minutes, my husband went out to see if he could speak with someone about the delay. No one could offer any explanation or estimate of how much longer it would take. After about 10 more minutes, I decided to get dressed and leave. One hour and 50 minutes was simply too long to wait.
The last thing that happened as I asked for copies of my paperwork, someone in scrubs, Dr. Mark I assume, said without addressing me--and quot;what, you can't wait?and quot; No apologies, no explanation, nothing.
I wouldn't go to this practice. I did not meet the doctors directly, but having to wait this long for my first two appointments was simply ridiculous. This is my first baby, so I don't know how these things are supposed to work, but I feel like I was treated rudely. And I should also mention that while I was waiting in the lobby I overheard at least 3 people speak to the front desk about billing problems (i.e. being billed for things they shouldn't have or already paid).

It went fine.  I have been a patient of Dr. Patel for many years and she is very sweet and listens to all I need to say.

The office is nice and clean, the staff is professional and friendly, and yet after every visit I walk away feeling like I'm just part of the healthcare machine.  First, my appointments always take an hour, during which I see a doctor or NP for about 30 seconds.  Maybe 5 minutes.  In the months that I've been going (maybe 8-10 visits?) for this pregnancy, I haven't seen the same doctor twice.  When they come in, they glance at my chart, introduce themselves, ask how it's going, and (since this is a relatively uncomplicated pregnancy), move along with their day.  I feel no connection to them, or they to me, rather like they are just checking a box and moving on.  And it's frustrating to have to explain yourself over and over each time.  And even more underwhelming to feel like the team that should care intimately about this life-changing event sees you as just another paycheck.  Like I said, the entire staff is professional and friendly, but it's very perfunctory.  Overall I feel a great big sense of blah.  Maybe that will change as things near D-day.  At least I hope so.

I still use Dr. Llewellyn as my primary OB/GYN.  She is hilarious, and has an excellent bedside manner.  The only downside to this practice is that sometimes, morning appointments can be delayed because the doctors do rounds at the hospital in the morning, so issues can keep them there longer, or, of course, labor and delivery that goes longer than expected.  I have found that scheduling the last appointment of the day tends to avoid these types of delays, since they are usually caught up by the afternoon.

Wonderful and Dr. Llewellyn is going to be my doctor from now on.

Dr. Patel seemed OK, although the waiting time could be very long. Once I waited an hour, checking
in at the desk every 15 minutes, but was told that the doctor had an emergency
and it would be a while. When the nurse/medical assistant took my blood
pressure and said it was a bit high, I told her that I would expect it to be
after waiting so long. She asked if I wanted to reschedule. I told her I just
waited an hour, peed in a cup, and it doesn't make sense to do this all over
again for a 15 minute exam. When I was in the examining room, the doctor said
she had been in the office all along. 
Another time, when I was told that I have what could be a serious condition, I was stunned. 
Dr. Patel told me that most likely there would be follow-up invasive procedures.
She diagnosed me with HPV although I have had that test annually for 5 years and have been
married for 40 years with a single partner.  She said there could be no
mistake, but took one more Pap for confirmation. 
Each year they run the same tests, and this was the first time in 5 years that something had shown up.
The doctor could give me no case studies that would fit my situation, and she said there was absolutely
no way there could be a mistake in the diagnosis.  She took a second PAP for confirmation. I
waited a month, and no one called me back. When I called the office 3 times, I
was told, "If everything's OK, we don't call."  I left a message with the nurse twice. The
third time I explained that the doctor had told me to call. My call was shifted
to at least four employees, until the last one said, "We've been trying to
contact the lab, but they won't call us back. THEY lost your test. But you can
come back and we'll do it again. There won't be any charge."  
 I told the individual that I wanted copies of my file sent to me so I could find another doctor.  
Again, I was told that there would be no charge. The file did come in a few days - - along with 
file pages from TWO OTHER PATIENTS!  Then, within the next few months I received an e-mail 
reminding me of my next appointment!  I have since found another physician who
knows how to treat patients and run an office.  There was no sign of any abnormality,  in the 
physical exam or lab tests.

I have been seeing him for over 20 years.  He has a great bedside manner, he's very knowledgeable and his staff is very nice.

She is very professional, very caring. She listens and is responsive.

Dr Marks and his team treated my husband and I like gold. Our baby being delivered safely was of great concern to him. He took time to get to know us and although it's a busy office, we never felt like we were kept waiting without good reason. I always felt very comfortable in his office and everyone was very professional. Even when we started having complications with the pregnancy, they always made us feel like nothing was too much trouble for them. We were kept informed and involved at every step. He performed an emergency c-section for me and did an amazing job of it, as I recovered so quickly. I find Dr Marks very likable, he has a good sense of humor, and above all is open and honest. In our complicated pregnancy, we couldn't have asked for a better OB/GYN.

She is a wonderful doctor and I rate her highly. She spends time with me and is completely focused on me when I am in the room with her. She never seems stressed even when her waiting room is packed.

Dr. Lewelyn is good, if I can get an appointment. She is very nice, and explains a lot of things to me. She is a good diagnostician. She is young, and has 3 children of her own. I will continue to see her in the future.