Personable medical care can make a world of difference in a woman’s healthcare experience. Finding friendly, professional obstetricians and gynecologists can be daunting but doesn’t have to be an impossible task. As part of my series on local OB/GYN practices and birthing centers, today I’ll be discussing Concord OB/GYN (for information on other local practices, see the links at the bottom of this post). From the compassionate, friendly staff to the state-of-the-art medical equipment, Concord OB/GYN offers patients excellent medical care in a warm, welcoming environment.
Personally, I like to hear about the experiences that other patients have had in a practice, so I reached out to several moms in the community who have received care from Concord OB/GYN. I’ve included their own words in a section at the bottom, so feel free to scroll down if that’s what you’re most interested in. Spoiler: most women had a very positive experience, but that wasn’t true across-the-board.
About Concord OB/GYN
Concord OB/GYN is known in the community for providing the highest medical care to women in a warm, comfortable, compassionate setting. In a local parenting group on Facebook totaling over 5,000 parents in the area serviced mostly by Emerson Hospital, Concord OBGYN was the second most recommended OBGYN practice right behind All Female Associates. From teens and young adults to women nearing menopause and beyond, women felt well cared for by the friendly and professional staff at Concord OB/GYN.
Concord OB/GYN staff strive to make every interaction as friendly, kind, and pleasant as possible. Providers are available to patients around the clock, ready to answer any questions and address any concerns. Additionally, all Concord OB/GYN physicians are board certified with years of expert care, offering patients access to a wide range of services for all ages and stages, from adolescence to post-menopause.
Providers
The Concord OB/GYN staff currently consists of five doctors and one midwife: Dr. Jamie Bond, Dr. Vlassis Travias, Dr. Richard Rubin, Dr. Christina Thomas, Dr. Shikha Goel, and Joanna Couvillon, CNM. They also have an incredible team of nurse practitioners to help care for women and moms-to-be. Choosing a provider doctor can depend on a woman’s preferences and unique medical needs. Staff biographies are available online here, but a brief summary of each doctor’s specialties is below:
Dr. Bond specializes in treating abnormal bleeding, fibroids, abnormal pap smears, and colposcopy.
Dr. Travias specializes in laparoscopic surgery, colposcopy, infertility, high-risk obstetrics, menopausal medicine, hysteroscopy, endometriosis, and LGBTQ healthcare.
Dr. Rubin specializes in general and high-risk obstetrics, minimally invasive surgeries, management of abnormal pap smears, menstrual disorders, and treatment of fibroids.
Dr. Thomas specializes in contraception, minimally invasive surgeries, colposcopy, obstetrics, menopause, and Botox.
Dr. Goel specializes in high-risk obstetrics, minimally invasive surgeries, colposcopy, and LGBTQ healthcare.
Joanna Couvillon, CNM specializes in well woman prenatal care, natural childbirth, sexual health education, contraception & family planning. She also has special interests in international healthcare for women and refugees, global initiatives for women’s reproductive rights, and gender equality.
High-Risk
Most physicians at this practice specialize in high-risk obstetrics, making Concord OB/GYN an excellent fit for women with high-risk pregnancies (i.e. women with increased risk for problems during pregnancy, labor and delivery, or postpartum). Certain medical conditions and other maternal health factors can cause a pregnancy to be considered high-risk. Factors that may bump a pregnancy into a higher risk category include:
Advanced maternal age (35 or older)
Pregnancy of multiples
A history of pregnancy-related disorders
Pregnancy complications such as fetal growth restriction
rH sensitization
Lifestyle choices such as cigarette smoking or illegal drug use
Maternal health issues such as obesity or high blood pressure
Regular prenatal care, genetic screenings, and lab tests can help keep mothers and babies safe during high-risk pregnancies, and Concord OB/GYN doctors are especially equipped to handle these complex medical issues.
Services
Obstetrics
A wide range of obstetric services are available at Concord OB/GYN, including circumcision, prenatal care, midwifery care, cord blood collection, treatment of ectopic and molar pregnancies, flu shots, ultrasounds, lab services, treatment of postpartum depression, prenatal counseling, and labor and delivery at the Clough Birthing Center at Emerson Hospital.
While every mother hopes to have normal, uncomplicated pregnancy, doctors at Concord OB/GYN are also equipped to handle more challenging cases. For example, the physicians are skilled at addressing issues such as gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, history of miscarriages/stillbirths, pregnancy at age 35 or older, preeclampsia, preexisting medical and genetic conditions, and multiples pregnancies.
According to what local moms in the community shared, the entire team rotates appointments during your pregnancy so that you have a chance to get to know each of them—that way, none of them are a stranger to you when you deliver your child(ren).
Gynecology
Gynecologic care is available for patients of all ages at Concord OB/GYN, including breast exams, cancer screenings, and pelvic ultrasounds. Additionally, this practice encourages annual wellness exams and includes a pap smear, pelvic exam, and breast exam. Physicians also provide various birth control options, including oral contraceptives, contraceptive shots, and sterilization.
Physicians at Concord OB/GYN treat women’s medical issues such as:
PCOS
Infertility
Endometriosis
PMS and PMDD
Pelvic pain
Pelvic organ prolapse
Vaginal infections
Uterine fibroids
Menstrual cycle irregularities
HPV
Cervical polyps
STI treatment
For older patients, Concord OB/GYN can provide menopausal management through hormone replacement therapy, which can help treat post-menopausal bleeding and premenopausal symptoms such as mood swings, hot flashes, and night sweats.
Insurance
The practice accepts most insurances, including Aetna, Cigna, AllWays Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Fallon, Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare, MassHealth, Medicare, Tricare, Tufts, and United Healthcare. Just in case, new patients can call the billing office to check for insurance coverage.
In Office Procedures and Hospital Affiliation
The office performs surgeries and procedures such as:
D&Cs
Endometrial ablation
Hysterectomy
Laparoscopy
Myomectomy
Tubal ligation
Colposcopy
IUD placement
Concord OB/GYN is affiliated with Emerson Hospital in Concord and Newton Wellesley Hospital in Newton. This practice performs COVID-19 tests on all women who give birth at Emerson Hospital and their support person. Furthermore, doctors and other healthcare providers always wear masks, and patients are encouraged to wear masks. Then, after labor and delivery, mothers move to a private postpartum care room where they can access lactation consultants and pediatricians.
Patients can communicate with providers on their secure online Patient Portal for patient convenience. Concord OB/GYN is located at 59 Old Road to Nine Acre Corner, Suite 1, Concord, MA 01742. There is also a satellite office in Westford, MA.
Real Stories and Reviews From Moms Who Have Used Concord OB/GYN
As much as it helps to hear about a practice, nothing compares to hearing stories from real people who have experienced Concord OB/GYN’s care. I asked moms in a local group of women to share their experiences with Concord OB/GYN, and I received a large outpouring of stories. If you’re considering using the practice for your care, it never hurts to hear what others have to say!
Kendra
“Concord OB has you rotate all of your prenatal appointments with each provider. That way who ever is on call for your birth, you already know, have a relationship and are comfortable with the provider. They even gave me a copy of the call schedule (I asked) the month I was due so I could know who to expect of I went into labor. Not sure if other providers do this but I appreciated not having to be nervous about who’s on call.
“They’re quick to medically intervene. This can be good or bad depending on what kind of birth experience you’re planning on. With my first pregnancy I was a late transfer, in my third trimester, and had undiagnosed preeclampsia [. . .] So in that situation I was so grateful to be taken care of. My second was so uneventful, wanted the epidural, birth was easy. My third however I was hoping for a more natural birth, but it ended up being a nightmare. Point is, everyone reacted appropriately, quickly, and we are all ok.
“There’s no check in when you’re home other then the 6 week check up. But that’s normal.
“In general I’ve been happy with all the providers. They have always made me feel safe, and I know they work together when more complex cases/questions pop up; so they aren’t alone either.”
Amanda
“I had a great experience with [Concord OB/GYN]. I liked that they rotated through all the providers during my pregnancy so the on-call OB would be someone I had at least met once. I found that to be comforting I wouldn’t be assigned to a total stranger. Being a nurse, I was already very aware of the course of being pregnant and giving birth. I also had a very straightforward pregnancy and birth, so I liked the simplistic approach that they took. When I had concerns they addressed them but overall I was just able to be pregnant and take it day by day.
“I went into the birth with no plan, I wanted to play it by how I felt and they were completely okay with that. I did end up getting an epidural and my son was born about 5 hours later. They were prepared but not reactionary which I really appreciated. My son had pooped when they broke my water so they made sure the pedi doctor was in the room on standby. My son ended up being completely fine so the pedi MD wasn’t needed after all. I really liked how that was handled.”
Leslie
“I used Concord OB/GYN for both of my children plus my first pregnancy, which was a molar pregnancy.
“They were wonderful! Alicia (a nurse) is the most patient, compassionate, and empathetic person and truly a gift for me at the time. Dr. Rubin was supportive and compassionate and kept me fully informed about next steps. He was incredibly reassuring and validating of my feelings. I felt that I was in excellent hands. I ended up needing care from Dana Farber, and Kristin at Concord OB coordinated everything for me so I basically just showed up at Dana Farber and the staff there had my background already.
“For my next pregnancies, the entire staff was respectful and understanding about my unease, and graciously allowed extra scans early on. Every RN, NP, or doctor I have seen already knows my history before an appointment starts. They have been supportive of me advocating for myself (requesting follow-up HCG scans, for example.)
“My second pregnancy (first living child) was breech. I did an ECV to turn him. Dr. Travias performed that procedure. It was wild but it worked.
“During my most recent pregnancy, I referenced I may have had issues with postpartum anxiety to Alicia. She tirelessly worked to make sure I got the support I needed – made numerous phone calls with lots of follow-up – and checked on me frequently until she was sure I was settled with appropriate treatment. What a gift for a time when I was too overwhelmed to even think about making phone calls or doing research for my own benefit.”
Mimi
“My experience [with Concord OB/GYN] was really positive. They circulate doctors during your OB visits so you meet all of them at least once before you deliver so you aren’t having a stranger on delivery day. All the nurses were also very nice. My actual delivery was traumatic and scary (we had a postpartum hemorrhage so I was shipped off to surgery and procedures right after I gave birth) but it would have been way worse if the care providers I had (I should also include the awesome L&D and nursery nurses at Emerson) weren’t so knowledgeable and calm.
“They made quick decisions when quick decisions had to be made, they kept us in the loop, and we felt like they were really taking care of us. They also continued to check in with us as I was in the ICU and after we were moved into regular labor recovery.”
Anonymous Mama (asked me not to share her name)
“I had to switch practices recently to Concord [OB/GYN], and [. . .] my experience was less than stellar. The doctor spent about 5 minutes with me, a new patient, and didn’t answer or address any questions. When asking about standard things like mammograms or blood work, I was told just call Emerson and find out were to go, but they had no referrals, which insurance requires. Ridiculous. I had a confirmed diagnosis via biopsy for a condition that the doctor said she wouldn’t prescribe for unless I redid the testing with her (testing had been done by Newton Wellesley Hospital and was documented in my file).
“After deflecting my 2 questions, I was told, ‘are we done here?’ before she left the room. I am an easy-going person but left feeling like wtf did I just experience when I walked out of there.”
For information about other local OB/GYN offices, check out some of the other posts in this series:
Are you looking for more Boston area motherhood content? Then click on the blog links below! While you are here, I’d love to talk to you about capturing your motherhood journey. To start, click to view my Boston maternity photographer and Boston newborn photographer portfolios! Then, let’s start the conversation about the motherhood experience you’ll have with me!
Pediatric Chiropractor in Massachusetts: An Interview with Dr. Shannon Hegarty
Best Prenatal Yoga in Boston & Metro West: 5 Studios Offering In-Person Classes
