He is a extremely knowledgeable and caring doctor and has always been on time but answers all my questions.

Submitted Nov. 8, 2022

GRADE: F++++++

It's been hard trying to locate a reliable and caring rheumatologist in the Northern Virginia area. After seeing Dr. Kempf, it has worsen my trust issues with doctors.

He exercises no empathy! Dr. Kempf is super dry, text book only personality, and has no concern for the patient on hand. I had lab work done and his office never called to follow up. So I gave them a call-- it lead to nowhere. His front staff put me on hold for 10 minutes only to tell me they were unable to locate him but that he'd call. That phone call never happened!

But it gets even better.

He had prescribed me Enbrel, which needed authorization. So when I went to the pharmacy to fill the prescription they told me they would send over an authorization form to his office to be completed. Two weeks go by and I call the office because I was still unable to pick up my prescription. Well, it just so happened that the person in charge of authorizations was on vacation and would not be back till the following week. How convenient!! But his staff insured me that the authorization would be done. Weeks go by and it was never completed. I tried calling several times after that with no success.

Please remind me, actually answer this for you, why are you a doctor?

Submitted March 16, 2017

It would be difficult to find a more caring and competent rheumatologist in the DC area. His staff are kind. He is gentle. Highly recommend him.

Submitted Oct. 29, 2015

This is a terrible doctor. He's a shyster!! He changes your treatment to something he makes oodles of money on rather than a prescription he doesn't make a dime on. And he'll send you a huge bill you didn't know you were incurring. And he stinks at diagnosis. That's why it's so easy to get an appointment. Avoid at all costs.

Submitted July 25, 2015

Dr. Kempf has a terrible bed side manner. Borderline rude. I was very concerned about my hand arthriitis. The arthritis was deforming my fingers overnight. He was very dismissive of my questions and told me I have degenerative arthritis. No explanation. No reassurance. No information. In one last attempt to gather information, I asked him if it could be Lyme Arthritis. He dismissed the idea stating that I had no symptoms. How would he know? He didn't ask me any questions,
Long story short. I have late stage Lyme disease. Easily treated with antibiotics.
Don't go to him. You need to wonder why it's so easy to get an appointment.

Submitted May 22, 2015

Dr. Kempf is amazing!! He is a very caring physcian who really gets to know his patience and how there disease effects there daily life!

Submitted May 19, 2015

I have been seeing Dr. Kempf for over 3 years now. I have such mixed emotions about him that I feel that I am stuck. His bedside manner is HORRIFIC. Hee is curt, not friendly, passive and really does not care what you have to say. He reads your chart while you are sitting in the room. He tells you not to talk to him while he is reading your chart, and once he has reviewd your chart he does a quick examination and sends you on your way. I tend to leave in tears. It costs me $40 per visit, $50 per month for my injections and he won't listen when I have told him I am experiencing arthitis pain in other areas. For the first year I saw him, I felt that he was what I needed at that time of my flare up, however I am still having a flare up and he has not changed my treatments. I want a doctor that is going to spend more than 7 minutes with me and does not cut me off when I try and speak. I honestly hope his family members are treated better than he treats me.

Submitted Jan. 21, 2015

I have been a patient of Dr Kempf's since 2005. I was seeing a rheumatologist at Georgetown hospital before that and her staff was rude and I felt like a number so I switched over to Dr Kempf in Arlington. I make the drive from Manassas because it is worth it. He takes time to go over all my questions and is very smart. His staff has always been friendly and I never have to wait more than 10 minutes for an appointment. He's a great doctor.

Submitted Sept. 28, 2014

Dr. Kempf is a marginal doctor..at best. I went to him for years and he couldn't diagnose my problem. Had to go to GW hospital to get a decent rheumatologist. My GW doc had me go to Kempf to do routine things because he is closer. Well it took Kempf another 6 months to put me on Enbrel which the GW guy had said to put me on right away. Recently he put me on remicade which didn't work at all but he's now trying to charge me $5000 for. My insurance paid $4000 but not the whole thing. I had no warning or notice from Kempf or his office about this exhorbanant charge. And they knew about it all the time. Enbrel costs me nothing. It was working okay! He makes a great deal on an infusion like Remicade and nothing on writing a prescription. Not a big surprise why he would do this. He's a money driven, unethical cheat who isn't even a good doctor. I'm going to file a complaint about him to AMA.

Submitted June 18, 2014

I think his bedside manner was awful. He hadn't bothered looking at my chart at all before he came in and spent a few minutes glancing at it without talking to me while I was in the room. He was short with me and dismissive. He did not explain my condition or the potential treatment options well. I will be switching doctors as soon as possible.

Submitted Feb. 28, 2012