Caring for women throughout all stages of life since 1970

Practice Updates

Our Commitment to Frederick and Montgomery Counties

While two of our valued physicians — Drs. Albert and Cara Simmonds — are retiring in February 2027 after decades of dedicated service, SMH remains committed to providing the best possible care to patients throughout Frederick and Montgomery Counties.

We will continue to operate under the leadership of our physician managers, Dr. Kalpana Helmbrecht and Dr. Tara Olson. Working alongside our lead midwives, Amy Olsson and Sherene Broome, expanding our provider team to meet the needs of our growing community is our priority.

This team is proud to advance the legacy of patient-centered, compassionate care that began with Drs. Simmonds and has guided our practice for many years. That commitment remains at the heart of SMH. As such, we have determined that we can better support our growing number of patients while continuing to provide the high-quality care you expect from us by shifting to a more collaborative model of care in our Frederick office.

Starting this fall, our doctors, midwives, and nurse practitioners will work together as a team to care for all our patients. Through this team-based approach, we will share in the development and implementation of care plans that reflect each patient’s individual needs and preferences, and support deliveries and other milestones, while focused on the best possible outcomes for you and your families.

Thank you for trusting SMH with your care. We are honored to be part of your health journey and look forward to continuing to serve you and your family.

Register on Our New Patient Portal

All current patients will need to register on the new portal to continue to review and pay new billing statements, message providers for non-emergency matters, and access information related to appointments after that date. Please be sure to select the “create a new account” option and use the email address associated with your medical record.

You may still access your Previous Patient Portal to manage payment plans established before March 31, or review messages and historical information prior to that date.

Introducing—a New Way to Serve You Better!

Simmonds, Martin & Helmbrecht is pleased to introduce a new AI assistant system, Elise AI, that can answer incoming calls immediately, reducing wait times when you contact our office and getting you the help you need faster.

This system will securely manage routine inquiries (such as updating insurance, confirming appointments, and handling prescription refills) and appointment scheduling, allowing our call center team to dedicate more time to urgent or complex concerns. You’ll still have the option to speak with a live staff member at any point.

Additionally, you can also use the Patient Portal to send our staff team non-urgent messages and request refills—all at your convenience.

Thank you for trusting us with your care.

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High-risk Pregnancy Care at SMH

We are excited to partner with the MFM & Genetics of Advantia team to support our Frederick and Rockville locations with high-quality care for high-risk pregnancies. Laura Parikh, MD, FACOG, MFM specialist, and Jennifer Razak, MGC, CGC, licensed, certified genetic counselor, currently support SMH patients.

Your SMH provider will provide additional information to you as appropriate during the course of your pregnancy, or if you are planning to become pregnant. We are fortunate to have access to this team to help ensure better pregnancy outcomes.

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Expanded Mammography Services Now Available

We are excited to announce that diagnostic mammograms and breast ultrasound services are now available at our Frederick location (with a provider’s order). This is in addition to our 3D screening mammogram capabilities, which offer more precise breast cancer detection, in the same place as your trusted OB/GYN healthcare team. Call us today and make your appointment! (301) 414-2300

We are also thrilled to introduce an optional add-on service to screening mammograms called SecondReadAI. It uses advanced artificial intelligence to assist the radiologist who is already reviewing your images. It is an additional tool that helps identify subtle changes that might be harder to detect with the human eye alone, increasing detection of early-stage breast cancer by as much as 15%.