Smiley's Family Medicine Clinic - University of Minnesota Physicians

I have been a patient of Smiley's clinic for 17 years, ever since I moved to the twin cities. I have since moved to St. Paul and travel across town for my medical care. I have always been treated with respect, kindness, and competence. The staff physicians are professors of medicine and have provided only top notch care. The students have consistently been exemplary, thorough and respectful. The lab is also fab. This is an amazing clinic and I feel fortunate to have them available in this area.
5 7 years ago (19-03-2018)

I have been going to Smiley's clinic for almost 4 years on a regular basis. They have polite and kind front desk staff, compassionate doctors, and are known to be LGBTQ friendly. I have had very good luck with the doctors and always feel listened to in full. They also serve an extremely diverse and integrated community and they do it very well. It's truly a pleasure to receive care alongside my neighbors of all races, languages, ages, and religions when I'm at Smiley's. At first, I was skeptical about this clinic's integrated mental health and physical health services. I didn't like the idea of my primary care doctor being able to discuss me with my mental health provider etc. But I'm really glad that I gave it a shot because having that close link has helped me work on environmental factors in both areas that have strengthened my overall health. This set up has really helped me view my mental health care as something "normal" and essential to my overall bodily health. It makes me feel like I have a whole team of people who are rooting for me to be the healthiest version of myself. The one time I ever did have a problem with a doctor, I wrote up and sent in a complaint detailing the experience. The head of the clinic got back to me within a day of receiving the note and we discussed specifics of the incident. He really listened to me and took my comments to heart. He followed up with me a few days later saying he had a private meeting with the doctor where they talked about the complaint and my concerns and that the doctor understood what had happened, why I was upset, and ways that he could act better in the future. So I really feel like Smiley's has the goal of improving even when they mess up. There is only one thing that I would mention as a possible draw back for people to consider when deciding whether Smiley's is the right choice for them. That is there is a lot of turn over in the providers. Almost without exception, the providers are students in their final phase of training so they are only at Smiley's for 2 years, then they go elsewhere. It's really sad to say goodbye if you have a doctor that you really loved. Especially so for a mental health therapist you made a lot of progress with because you have a to start over in some ways when you change to a new one. This is kind of a drag, so people should really consider if they are comfortable with that idea before they settle on Smiley's. One positive that comes from this situation is that you get more practice talking about your problems / situation and for me that has been really positive. Having the change every two years has provided a time for me to reflect on how much I have grown as a person in that time span. Overall, I recommend Smiley's to everyone who asks me for a clinic. I have really enjoyed going here and I do not see myself leaving any time soon. It's also right off the green way, so you can bike there no problem :)
5 7 years ago (19-03-2018)

It's a very trans friendly clinic, and the majority of my experiences here have been very smooth. I've had issues with refills on prescriptions but I blame most of the waiting time on my insurance. And the only bad encounter with anyone on staff was a nurse I only saw once, but even that was mild. Everyone else I've met on the staff team was very friendly and helpful. I'd definitely recommend!
5 8 years ago (13-11-2017)

Friendly place with great doctors, but very busy and chaotic. On several occasions I was told I'd get a call back and never got one, or got it late the following day. The bathrooms here were also extremely dirty and smelly on my last visit.
2 8 years ago (19-01-2018)

This clinic is just awful. They are so unbelievably unorganized. It takes several phone calls before you can get prescription refills. You have to call multiple times, every time. Almost every time I come in I have to see a different doctor. This is very frustrating to have to explain your medical background to a new doctor each time you come in. Awful service, just awful. For the record, i have NEVER left a negative review on any other business, ever. Do not get treatment here.
1 8 years ago (25-07-2017)