Edy Bondroff still remembers the question she asked during her very first appointment with PartnerMD physician Dr. Ellie Goldbloom.
She arrived emotional, exhausted, and unsure whether another doctor would truly be willing to help her navigate years of complex health issues.
“I came to Dr. Goldbloom with tears in my eyes,” Edy recalled. “I said, ‘You’re not going to leave me if you can't help me, are you?’”
Dr. Goldbloom’s answer was simple.
“No, I’m not going to leave you.”
For Edy, that moment marked the beginning of a completely different healthcare experience.
After years of feeling rushed, dismissed, and overwhelmed by the traditional healthcare system, she finally found a physician who took the time to listen, stay engaged, and partner with her through every challenge.
“PartnerMD has given me care that I’ve never had before,” she said.
Edy has been a patient at PartnerMD’s Owings Mills office since before the pandemic, but her frustration with healthcare started long before that.
“My experience before PartnerMD was horrible,” she said.
Managing multiple health concerns often meant carrying an extensive medical history from appointment to appointment, only to feel like many physicians saw her as too complicated.
“I would go into an office, and I had a file this big, and doctors didn’t want to touch it,” she said.
Over time, those experiences became emotionally draining. She often felt rushed through appointments and struggled to find doctors willing to fully engage with her concerns.
“Other doctors, when they couldn’t find a cure for me, they would lose interest,” she said.
More than anything, she remembers feeling unseen.
“Most of the time my experience was the doctors were more interested in turning their back on me and typing their questions into their computer and not looking me in the eye.”
The delays and lack of responsiveness added even more frustration. Scheduling appointments could take weeks.
For Edy, healthcare had become something stressful rather than supportive.
Everything felt different when she met Dr. Goldbloom.
Instead of feeling dismissed, Edy felt heard.
“When Dr. Goldbloom walks into a room, she looks you in the eye,” she said. “She sits in a chair. She looks at you. She listens to you.”
That attention and presence immediately stood out to Edy after years of rushed visits and disconnected interactions elsewhere.
But what mattered most was something deeper than convenience or accessibility. It was the feeling that she finally had a physician who was committed to staying with her through the uncertainty of managing complex health issues.
“Dr. Goldbloom and I have made a pact to stay together to figure out medicine and pain issues,” Edy said. “She’s with me. She’s with me here.”
That sense of partnership changed the way Edy experienced healthcare altogether.
“I just feel very confident that my doctor here is on my side,” she said. “She’s an ally. She wants to help me.”
The relationship Edy found at PartnerMD is reinforced by something she says she struggled to find in traditional primary care: timely access to care.
“I don’t have to wait for prescriptions for days,” she said.
Appointments that once took weeks to schedule are now often available the same day or the next day. Questions and concerns no longer disappear into voicemail boxes or long callback chains.
She also appreciates the consistency of the experience throughout the practice, from the physicians to the office staff.
“My husband was sick of the way that I was treated by other doctors,” she said. “When I come in and they get my name and greet me, I feel just as comfortable with the staff as I do with the doctors.”
For Edy, the difference is not just faster service. It is the reassurance of knowing she has access to care when she needs it most.
“It’s life-changing for me because I will get the care that I need when I need it,” she said. “I don’t have to wait six weeks for an appointment.”
After years of struggling to feel supported within the healthcare system, Edy says finding PartnerMD has given her something she had been missing for a long time: confidence.
Confidence that her physician knows her story.
Confidence that someone is listening.
Confidence that she will not be left to navigate difficult health challenges alone.
“I don’t trust any other doctor,” she said. “I really don’t.”
Edy says patients struggling with complex health issues, delayed appointments, and difficulty getting responses from their doctor should consider whether a concierge practice could provide the support and accessibility they need.
For Edy, the answer has never been in doubt.
“I had no hesitation because it’s worth every penny,” she said. “It’s worth it.”
After years of feeling dismissed and rushed through appointments, Edy says she finally feels like she has a physician who is truly on her side.
If you’re looking for that same kind of relationship-centered care, you can learn more about PartnerMD membership and concierge medicine by connecting with our team.