Dr. Jill Ratain, MD

My history is a bit complicated because of a genetic blood disorder and my age. The doctor reviwed my records and walked through a well planned treatment. She was clear, thoughtful and respectful.

Great. Excellent communicator and medical doctor. Her diagnosis was right of target.

Met with this doctor and I left with tears in my eyes. The office did not tell me I needed to be 30 MINUTES EARLY for my appointment. My records were sent to them back in 2019 pre-covid for an appointment in March or April of 2020. Due to COVID it was pushed back to this month December. During that time they changed computer systems as per the doctor and apparently my information did not transfer over. This somehow all became my fault. She treated me as if the dust under her shoes were far more important than me. She questioned why I was on prednisone for years if it didn't work. She told me my doctor should have done ultrasound or x-rays to confirm before diagnosing me. After the physical exam she made sure to tell me she didn't see any signs of active RA. I was full of hope and questions seeing this doctor because of the reputation JH has and tired of not getting answers. Tired of daily pain. Tired of not being heard. Cried last night just wanting help, answers, a solution, a plan.

My comments directly to Dr. Ratain. Thank you for the dedicated and thorough consult on 3/7/2019. I learned a lot from your explanations and appreciate the amount of time you spent with me. You have provided me with an assessment that is useful and I have more confidence in my ability to manage my RA better.

Dr. Ratain is the fourth rheumatologist that I saw for my autoimmune disease. She was the first to listen to me and help me. When I first came to her after having no improvement with the first three doctors, I could barely function. She has given me my life back. She listens carefully, asks questions and talks to me about every step of treatment.

She was an excellent Doctor. She really spent time with my son. She was very sensitive not to just physical needs but also to emotional needs. Very encouraging & gave him spot on advice. When we walked in we were feeling overwhelmed and somewhat discouraged but when we walked out our perception of his future and the things he can change totally lifted and encouraged us!

Dr. Ratain has been outstanding in caring for my psoriatic arthritis. She has been appropriately deliberative in deciding on a therapeutic plan and has worked thoughtfully with me in considering the risk/benefit analysis, particularly sensitive to my own extensive medical knowledge. She has a lovely, warm sense of humor, including reminding me to exercise and work on my posture. I look forward to meeting with her on a regular basis and have routinely recommended her to friends and colleagues.

I'm well informed, diagnosed years ago by standard SLE criteria. This doctor was rigid and not accommodating. Perfunctory and not thorough.,My lupus doc retired and this doc was the person to whom I was referred for follow up. She's pleasant but minimally engaged. Empty smile. I did not find her knowledge of complex immunology or autoimmunity to be remotely up to par with the literature. Find better quality elsewhere! My trust level is extremely low. She's not up to Hopkins standards.