Charles Paolino, MD

My dad closed his private practice but is still working hard on staff at a rehab hospital. As such, he told my sister it was time for us to get our own internists. I had tried a few over the years but hadn’t been impressed by them… My sister obediently went to someone recommended by a colleague right away. I realized I should do the same. I am extremely picky about who I receive medical care from as I have been burned in the past and have always kept my dad on the internal medicine pedestal. However, I have been going to the magnificent Dr. Muzzi for my dental needs for seven years and the fabulous Dr. Kushner for my lady parts for two years, and went on a quest to find someone just like them.
Last week, I finally made it to Dr. Paolino who received some glowing Unilocal reviews. I was a bumbly, neurotic mess – yes, more so than usual. He was kind, understanding, patient with me, non-​judgmental, and incredibly bright. Also, as odd as it sounds, I liked how he seemed to be passionate about fitness and nutrition in a way that some doctors I have tried in the past weren’t. I went to a doctor once who gave me a hard time about my muscular build, even though genetics and my past as a swimmer are the main contributors. Needless to say, I never saw that one again. With Dr. Paolino, I am actually looking forward to my next visit.
Also, it had been a really long time since I had really had blood work done (and I passed out that time!) I am embarrassed to say how many years it had been since I had more than a quick finger prick type of test. This part of the appointment seemed to be terrifying me the most. Shantel came in to the examining room, had me lie down on the table, chatted with me, and took three vials of blood without me even noticing! I do not want anyone else ever drawing my blood again!!! It was unbelievable.
*One star for Dr. Paolino – I am happy to finally have an internist of my own.
*One star for Shantel – I don’t know how she did what she did but I am not questioning it.
*One star for the front desk staff – polite and efficient.
*One star for the location of the office – the Meatpacking District is a lovely place to have a refueling breakfast after blood work.
*One star for the cleanliness of the office and overall experience

Wonderful doctor and great support staff! I have been a patient for over 3 years. I enjoy going into the office, everyone is helpful, friendly and supportive. Dr. Paolino listens and is not quick to place you on drugs or push unnecessary treatments. I hate giving blood but Shantel is so gentle she is the only one I will allow to take my blood the others are great I just prefer her.

Really nice guy. Always has time to see me last minute when I’m sick. Great bedside manner. Knows his stuff.

If I could give this place a ZERO I would have. Called in to make an appointment for my husband as he needs a Primary Care Physician in order to visit his Cardiologist as he had an Aortic Aneurysm back in January and thankfully pulled in extremely well after an emergency surgery which occurred at 1am. Yes it was EMERGENCY SURGERY.
This review is on behalf of the staff he has picking up the phone. They are very unpleasant and uneducated. They do not speak well at all. Maybe Dr. Paolino has them misinformed or they just didn’t pay attention during their training. Anyhow, my husband and I are have insurance with HIP Emblem HMO via Healthy New York, Dr. Paolino is listed on ZocDoc as taking this insurance, however when contacting this office of ignorance the first thing they say (I spoke to two girls) is «HE DONT TAKE OBAMACARE». We pay over $ 700 a month in this household for insurance, plus deductible etc. so quite frankly whomever doesn’t take this insurance is quite unfortunate. Also Dr. Paolino, please fix your settings on ZocDoc if you are not a member of this plan and HIRE NEW AND COMPETENT STAFF.
Visit this office if you want to be around a bunch of ill educated staff.

Dr. Paolino has an excellent bedside manner and made me feel very comfortable right from the beginning of the appointment. He is efficient and listened to my concerns. This was my first time seeing Dr. Paolino, and am glad to call him my new primary care physician.

I regret ever having changed insurances since i also lost dr paulino and my health deteriorated. I an pleased to have new insurance and dr paulino once again.

I have been a patient for many years. Dr. Paolino has been there for me for both the routine checkups and for the unexpected emergencies that can happen in life. His office has always been very accommodating when a last minute appointment is needed. He remembers details. It’s a busy office so time with him is certainly not a leisurely chitchat session but the job is done and done well. Dr. Paolino’s relateable demeanor has made it possible for me to ask questions on any topic which to me is an ideal scenario. He provides clear answers and has worked out solutions with my input. His referrals have also been high quality and I continue to see those doctors when needed. Hopefully some day the office will get a glamorous upgrade and his staff will get a bigger work area. Some of them are super nice while others are simply efficient. At the end of the day I am very grateful to have a doctor I can and have trusted with my life with much success.

Patient services needs major improvement!
Dr. Paolino really needs to consider a new billing manager, Metro Medical Management at 212−477−3544. I called today and spoke with a lady (yeah… right) who was extremely harsh, rude, and had a terrible attitude after I told her I couldn’t remember the name of the medical office I visited and was hoping she could look up my bill by my name which she refused to do saying it wouldn’t be possible (umm… okay??). I then told her I will just give the doctor’s office a call directly to make my payment. That ended up being a quick process.
Five minutes after that I received a call back from Metro Medical where she attacked me and accused me of hiding information about the facility’s name from her after I assured her the full payment has already been made with the office directly. She went on to question how I would know Dr. Paolino’s number and not remember the name of his office (Westside Medical). I had to then give her an unnecessary full explanation of why I did not remember the name of the facility, how I had to go search for his office info/​number, but most importantly about her level of customer service or lack thereof towards me. It was the first time I have been harassed calling in to make a payment.
It’s really unfortunate how patients and those who are ill are treated this way after a doctor’s visit.

I would give 0 stars if Unilocal permitted. This clinic/​doctor seemed all good when I researched him on the web. But this is how my experience ended up, very inconvenient, expensive, charged for $ 100 for blood work by quest diagnostics, and they didn’t have the immunization shots at the clinic, so you would have to go to the pharmacy and pay out of pocket to bring the shots back to the clinic for them to administer! I’m stuck with a freaking $ 100 bill, spend an unnecessary $ 20 to see another doctor for the shots and all of this cost/​time could’ve been avoided if i hadn’t seen Dr. Charles Paolino. BEWARE!

I found this doctor on Unilocal and ZocDoc and decided to try him. Making an appointment and going to the appointment were both equally painless for once. Making an appointment for me in the past meant waiting a month with limited hours and having to travel into NJ with a long wait time once I get there. I made my appointment online. On the day of the appointment I had stomach pains and they allowed me to come in earlier. The front desk staff wasnt as friendly and welcoming as I hoped but I didnt have to deal with them much so that was good. As a new patient, my visit was quick and the Doctor talked to me about everything. He was really nice and got me my blood work results in 2 days. Who would have thought I could schedule a physical during my lunch hour and not have it take forever?!
Happy patient :)

Dr. Paolino had been my doctor (and my sister’s doctor) for almost 10 years. I have referred many patients to him over the years and no one has ever been disappointed. He’s the kind of doctor that looks at you not just as a random patient but as a whole person.

Dr. Paolino is as good as it gets when it comes to finding a doctor who is not only knowledgeable, but also listens and has great bedside manner. Also, each time I’ve gone in so far, my wait has been less than 15 minutes. I’ll be sticking with this one for a while!

I have to agree with another reviewer here: I don’t understand the positive reviews. Dr. Paolino and his staff were flip and careless. Dr. Paolino spent as little time with me as possible and was very dismissive. He never bothered to ask me anything about myself – no questions about my happiness, stress-​level, etc., which are vital to a patient’s well-​being.
His staff is worse. One of the technicians was taking my blood when her cellphone rang. And she answered it.
There’s better care out there. We all deserve doctors who care enough to spend time with us, ask questions, and get a complete picture of our health and well-​being.

Dr. Paolino is great! He is thorough, knowledgeable, and kind. Unlike other doctors that seem rushed and irritated, Dr. Paolino takes the time needed to make sure you are okay. I will be sticking with him for a while. The wait time was a breeze and his staff were pleasant. Thank you Unilocalers! because I chose him based on your reviews.

He was my primary care doctor for almost 7 years. I don’t get sick often but when I am, it has been bad. He has treated me thru many of those cases. Once he sent me directly to ER with a note and it saved me. Very scary time. He has always given me referrals to see specialists or sent me to get further tests. Unfortunately, some doctors don’t do that because of insurance companies/​HMOs. The staff is actually very nice once you get to know them, they are just extremely busy — so they don’t have time to «chat» as much.

Dr. Paolino has been my doctor for about 2 years and I cant stop raving about him to all my friends. I even made my parents switch from their terrible doctor, to Dr. Paolino. He really listens to you and makes you feel comfortable. His office staff is SUPER friendly which is rare and you don’t have to wait 3 hours to be seen. I just had my physical on Wednesday the 1^st of February and he personally called me yesterday with my blood work results. I strongly recommend him to anyone looking for a doctor who cares more about the patient and medicine than money!

Dr. Paolino has been my doctor for a very long time (over 10 years). He’s an excellent doctor, he really listens, has a calming energy and treats one with respect. I can’t say enough good things about him.

I’m a Dr myself, so know the difference between good/​bad/​ugly, I also know how good a Dr can be and what maked that dr good.
All those things are ticked off here. Listens, takes note of your concerns, contacts you with results, organises referrals, keeps you at the centre of the process.

I was referred to Dr. Paolino through a friend when I needed a routine check-​up/​physical. He is extremely professional and attentive and treated me with the respect and care you rarely see in the modern era of Managed Health Care. I was expecting the typical 10 minutes and to be pushed out the door but was surprised by the service provided. He called me directly with all test results as soon as they were available. I would highly recommend him.
As a follow up I just saw him for the second time (another check up/​physical). He called me with all test results within 2 days. More importantly I came to him with a certain treatment in mind and he listened to everything I wanted to do with an open mind. In the end with decided on a course of action that fit in with what I wanted and with what was medically the best course of action. Unlike most doctors who would just go with what they want he worked with me and listened and then acted. Honestly I cannot say enough good things about him. He is one of the great ones and I consider myself fortunate to be a patient of his. Doctors like him are truly a rare find.

I’ve never had a Dr. in NYC (after living here 5yrs) so when I twisted and nearly broke my ankle a month ago there was no better time to find one!
Dr. Paolino was very friendly and professional. He took his time examining my ankle, talking me through what I had done to it and what I needed to do in order to help it heal in the best way while still staying on my feet. He takes my insurance (Blue Cross /​Shield), and there wasn’t a long wait to be seen. I was able to get an appointment the same day even though I had never been seen there before, which was a big bonus.
I’ve been in twice now (2^nd time was unrelated to the ankle) and both times he was very attentive and treated me like a real person not just some random patient.
Front Desk staff aren’t the chattiest which might make them out to seem unfriendly, but they weren’t rude to me. I think they’re just really busy trying to handle phones, invoices, and patients in an timely and efficient manner. Which they did! I didn’t have to wait more than 10 minutes to be ushered to a room and maybe wait 5 minutes in there for the Dr.
I’m happy with him as my primary physician!