Olai Sam, MD

DR. SAM has been my doctor for 20+ years. I would never go to anyone else. She's a very good listener and she asks a lot of questions to get to the bottom of my concerns.

Cancel culture is alive and well at CohoesFamily Care. I was discharged from the practice in May with no notification. When calling to schedule a appointment seversl weeks ago i was told that its because I missed appoinments and they didnt like the way i spoke to them. I had no appointments scheduled basically only go if a body part is falling off. I had called in May to see if I could get a script for a antibody test since im a cna. I was told I would have to do a teleconference although i was not sick. I said id rather they run it by the Dr. They called back to tell me they dont write scripts for that. I said ok i have coworkers who have gotten them Ill have to find a doctor who will. The end. In attempting to get a new primary so far its been we dont accept discharges from cohoes family care. Watch how u express your opinion there or u will become cancelled.

I have been a patient of Dr. Sam's for many years. In 2015, when I had my first child, I chose Dr. Sam as our family practitioner. My first issue is how ridiculously difficult it is to get anyone on the phone, to speak to a provider, or to simply make change or cancel an appointment. The hold music hasn't changed since I became a patient here and trust me, if you are a patient here you're on hold A LOT. I never thought much of Dr. Sam constantly having students following her into the exam rooms, even a scribe on some occasions but at one point when I had brought my son for something routine, she spent more time explaining to the student what was going on than she did with me or my sons father. Many times I would make an appointment to be seen, presenting with multiple issues and she would address one and tell me to make an appointment for the other stuff. When my child was a year old he contracted Coxsackie Virus. We brought him in immediately presenting with a 103 fever, a rash on his face, back, and arms, and miserable. Dr. Sam was on one of her many vacations and we were forced to see a PA in the practice who has since been removed (Caitlyn Kowitsky sp?) She sent us home and told us to give him Benadryl as she believed it was just allergies. By midnight we were in an ambulance being transferred to Albany Med, as my sons fever rose to 105 and he was not waking. I let the situation pass thinking it was a fluke, that the PA made a mistake and soon she was removed from the practice so I continued my family's care at CFC. Skip ahead to last month, I needed emergency dental work done, but as we are trying to conceive and I was late the DDS required proof of pregnancy or lack thereof. It took 2 days and 4 phone calls to get a pregnancy test which they boast as providing free! I will say, Sheila in the moms program is great and very helpful. Last night I was sent home from work sick, went to Urgent Care and diagnosed with Pneumonia and and ear infection. I mistakenly told the Dr. There that I believed I had some albuterol left for my nebulizer and that if not I could obtain some by calling my primary care. This is the reason I am writing this review. I called at 10am, 1130am, 3pm, and 425pm trying to get some help so that I can breathe and improve my condition before I have to go back to work. A nurse told me Dr. Sam was on vacation (surprise) and that PA Bob Smith would get back to me before the end of the day. Today is Friday. They didnt call, nor did they answer when I called back. I can't breathe without coughing, I cant go back to work. I will spend my time in bed researching a new family practice as should anyone considering Cohoes Family Care. Footnote: My name is Cassie and after 12 years she still calls me Casey.

Dr sam is awesome had her for almost 9 years. The only things lacking is her front end staff and Robert Smith. I always request not to have him because he not only doesn't know what he's doing but he also bills my insurance for things I didn't have done. For example I owed a $300 bill because he had charged me for things I didn't even get done as in he's fruading these insurance companies and he's also done it to my mother who pays a spend down. He's also given me results that were misinformation and I even told him what he was saying wasn't correct and he acting as if I didn't know what I was talking about because I'm not a doctor. Dr Sam really needs to get new staff and get rid of Robert Smith before her office goes down. I even had to switch insurances because they refused to take him based on Robert Smith working there and him charging whatever he wants to get double paid

My Aunt has been Dr Sam's since she has been at the practice. Now she is old and has dementia. Dr Sam and the staff are very attentive, thorough and compassionate