Arash Ari Nowain, MD

Dr Nowain has been absolutely amazing. My husband has high anxiety and Dr Nowain was able to put him at ease with his great bedside manner. He is extremely knowledgable. It turns out he had to refer us to a specialist surgeon but he made sure to talk to the doctor he referred to make sure we could get an appointment. The front desk staff were very friendly and helpful as well. Overall is was a very pleasant experience, despite how very unpleasant my husband was feeling.

Dr. Nowain is first rate. My primary care physician recommended him and I have to confess, he’s one of the best dr.‘s I’ve been to. Dr. Nowain went over my options with me and was very attentive to keeping me in the loop at all times. His staff also is fantastic — Kris and Lauren were very accommodating when I was late driving down from SF for my appointment and flexible with scheduling and everything else.
The only downside is that he is moving out of my insurance network (Blue Cross) so be sure to check your insurance coverage as costs can be high.

I have been struggling with Crohn’s Disease for 29 years, it is difficult to find a caring
Gastroenterologist to meet your needs with this challenging disease. Dr. Nowain helped me through a crucial point in my life when my disease was shutting down my entire system. Not only did Dr. Nowain take care of me, but his entire practice followed-​up daily. It is important to remember, the doctor and staff are a team; this practice has not forgotten the value of a patient as a whole person. The quality of true medical care is present at Dr. Nowain’s practice. If you want the best medical care and excellent follow-​up, I would visit this office.

I can’t say enough great things about Dr. Nowain and his staff. Simply put… he is one of the Best Doctors I have ever had! He is extremely knowledgeable, bright and experienced. Without getting into all the details, he has saved me and resolved all my major GI issues. As a person, he sincerely cares about you. He goes above and beyond to ensure you get accurate information and best quality medical care possible. Kriz, who manages the front office, is super friendly, helpful and just outstanding!
When I discovered that many of the best doctors in LA see Dr Nowian for their GI, then I knew he was the best. I am so grateful to have Dr Nowain taking care of me. A++++!
BT

He is the top of his field. I have so much confidence in what he says. He studies and is up to date on all the of all new procedures. Warm and caring, a great doctor.
Thank you…

One of the best doctors I’ve ever seen. Dr. Nowain and his staff were incredibly friendly and efficient. I was able to book an appointment for something I felt was urgent, next day, and only had to wait around 10 minutes to see the doctor. He was absolutely attentive and listened to all my concerns, considering all of them, asked all of the necessary questions, did not jump to any conclusions, and was able to reassure me and comfort me. Very thorough and all around amazing doctor. Highly reccomend!

It’s very rare to find a practice that includes both an excellent doctor AND an excellent administrative staff. I found Dr. Nowain on Unilocal after going to my GP with gastrointestinal issues and coming up negative on all early testing, and I’m grateful that I did. As of yet, my symptoms have not been resolved (not that they necessarily can be — thanks IBS, you’re a real charmer) but I’m confident in Dr. Nowain’s ability and willingness to work with me until we ease my symptoms. He takes his time with you, gives clear explanations (without condescension or mansplaining), and always lays out the future possibilities and steps moving forward. For example, on my last appointment, another doctor might have simply informed me of my diagnosis and his suggested medication and left it at that, but Dr. Nowain made sure to also inform me of what steps we could take if that medication did/​did not work as hoped, refer me to others when asked questions outside of his realm of expertise (for example, a nutritionist), double-​check if unsure of something, and wait for me to finish taking notes to continue. I’ve never felt rushed by him or any of his staff, and despite my reluctance to contact any professional outside of a scheduled appointment, he and they have encouraged me to do so if I have questions or concerns, either by phone or via an easy-​to-​use online portal.
I came to this experience as a person with pretty horrendous PTSD/​anxiety, and my experiences with this practice have overall assuaged my fears rather than exacerbated them. When I had a colonoscopy/​upper endoscopy performed by Dr. Nowain, this standard of care continued at his surgery center of choice (La Peer), where every person I interacted with was compassionate and helpful despite the fact that I sobbed pretty much the entire time I was conscious due to nerves. Although I was repeatedly reassured of the routine nature of the procedure, I also didn’t have my feelings about it invalidated, and Dr. Nowain prescribed me some anxiety medication prior to the procedure at my request.
A crucial component to all of the nice things I have to say about Dr. Nowain’s practice is Kriz, one of his employees. Gastrointestinal problems are stressful enough as is without the added mess of billing/​insurance/​scheduling, and she’s shockingly helpful, efficient, and responsive. Like, real talk, if I was a doctor (ha!) in need of someone to run my office, I would absolutely try to steal her away by offering her the biggest salary bump I could afford. In addition to just being all around great at her job, she’s just a delightful person, and chatting with her in the waiting room prior to my first appointment set the stage for the rest of my experience. She always remembers you, she calls back promptly, she has a sense of humor, and as much as all of those things could be easy to underestimate when what you’re really looking for is medical care for your digestive system, it matters a lot. She’s handled my mother for me (sorry again, love :-p), helped me reschedule (sometimes at the last minute) several times, and seems to be pretty universally beloved by every patient, for good reason. Without her, Dr. Nowain would still be a very good doctor, but with her, the whole experience is a relief.
Luckily I happen to have very excellent insurance at the moment (90% of out of network benefits are covered! ahhh can I stay under 26 forever lol), so price hasn’t been an issue for me, but for others, you should probably be aware that he’s not a cheap doctor. If it’s just navigating your insurance that’s a problem, they’ll definitely help you work on figuring it out, but they do require payment up front that will later be reimbursed when it successfully passes through your insurance, so if paying out of pocket for your first visit could be a problem for you, it’s worth asking questions ahead of time/​planning accordingly. If I remember correctly, my first visit was $ 300 (although I will eventually be reimbursed 270 of that). They don’t validate parking, but if you’re willing to pay, his office has a convenient cash-​only parking lot directly behind it, as well as an in-​building pharmacy.
I’ve had some unfortunate experiences with doctors in the past, so I know not to accept everything one says as if it were the word of a god, and I’m a pretty good advocate for myself (seriously, speak up! No one is ever going to be a better advocate for you than you, because you’re the most invested in your own care, and you are the only expert on what you’re experiencing in your own body. If a doctor isn’t listening to you or treating you with enough respect, you don’t have to take it sitting down — find a new one!), so I have no qualms about switching doctors or seeking second opinions, but despite the fact that this is the first gastroenterologist I’ve ever been to, I really don’t feel compelled to look elsewhere. Highly recommend :)

This is a follow up to my previous review I submitted before the procedure.
This doctor, his staff and facilities are incredible. I give the entire process an A+. He is knowledgeable, experienced, sincere, caring, and with the bedside manner you dream of in a doctor. He personally followed up with me after a couple of days, even though his staff had done so earlier, just to double check. It is the attention to little details that differentiates a good doctor from a great one. This is a great doctor. Also, again I have to mention Chris and his entire staff. Absolutely fabulous.

Our initial appointment was $ 50 out of pocket, even though they take our PPO insurance that has no copay. Doctors usually charge the insurance, and whatever the insurance doesn’t cover, we later get billed for, so this was unusual. We came back for a breath test (and another charge out of pocket); after the test, we had some questions for Dr. Nowain. We were told it would be another $ 50 for a consult fee, and they asked us to pay before we could speak to him. I asked if he would discuss our results with us, but we were told if we had any other questions, we would have to pay the fee. We refused – this was getting sort of ridiculous, but the doctor came in to tell us or test was negative. We highly suspected this, and the ‘consult’ we were asking about was what the next diagnostic steps would be. His answer was that he thought we were doing better, so don’t take anything for the symptoms, and no other treatment or testing is needed at this time (but if we want to discuss it further, to go in his office to talk for $ 50).
This doctor listens well. He seems very knowledgeable and professional. He has a good bedside manner for the most part. I appreciated how well he listened without judging, took his time to see our trouble areas, and explain the steps to the procedures and testing.
I was pessimistic about speaking to him about our symptoms a second time because it seemed like they just wanted to charge us for asking questions. I was discouraged from seeking the consult because of further out of pocket billing on top of our insurance (again, we haven’t experienced these charges at doctor offices before – they usually bill the insurance directly, and whatever isn’t fully covered, we’d later get billed for.) My opinion is you don’t pay at a restaurant before you get served (or even order!), so why pay at a doctor before receiving the service? We don’t even know what we’re paying for if we haven’t had the opportunity to speak to the doctor.
While the billing procedures had us wary, the thing that leads to this 2-​star review is the phone call we received after business hours (9 – 5, M-​F) from the doctor — upset at a previous review, stating that his services were too expensive for us. I know that Unilocal is used by people looking for doctors, and lower reviews could potentially mess with business. But it is also to let people know what we’ve experienced, and how we as the consumers/​patients feel about the treatment/​services rendered.
I don’t appreciate his phone call about the review, or his tone or way he spoke. If you want your business reputation on Unilocal to remain 5 stars, consider changing what the review was about (the expenses/​billing practices), not calling up the patients and reprimanding them for a less than perfect review. I’m highly disappointed, because Dr. Nowain seems like a great GI. Just not for us.

I can’t stress enough how wonderful my experience was at Dr. Nowain’s office. First of all, the building where his office is is quite lovely. That staff were so friendly and professional. Dr. Nowain is not only a great, knowledgable doctor, but he also seems like he truly cares about his patients and their well being. He made me remember that there are actually some great doctors out there! Thank you so much for such a healing experience.

GOOD DOCTOR BUT TOO EXPENSIVE FOR ME.
He seems to be a good doctor who pays attention to his patients, Unfortunately every time i want to go see him, they charged me $ 50.00 for the visit, i don’t mind paying it once, but if i make another appointment there is another $ 50.00 out of my wallet, even when i have a PPO insurance, i don’t want to make more appointments because his services are expensive for me. I wish he would found my unknown stomach problem in my first 2 visits. Im still sick and looking for a cheaper Gastroenterologist. THANKS ANYWAY.

Friendly and professional doctor and staff. Dr. Nowain seemed very knowledgeable and competent. The staff was helpful as well. Would go back!

Fantastic doctor!
I went in with some discomfort, after talking to me one on one for quite a bit, he prescribed me some medicine and I haven’t had any issues since. Thankful I found Dr. Nowain.

Wow! He was incredible. I was lucky enough to find him through a Google search. His office was pleasant, efficient and cheerful. The doctor is what everyone has said — caring, thorough and extremely knowledgable. He takes his time and leaves no corner unturned. I don’t often feel like I get lucky on Google searches, but this time I did! Do yourself a favor and make an appointment! You’ll feel the sweet relief of being in the right place.

So glad I was recommended to Dr. Nowain. Any digestive disease is complicated and different for everyone but he always has s plan no matter what curve ball is thrown. He is personable and listens very well. Through all my many ups and downs he has never given up or ceased to find a solution. He also remembers you! He also knows quite a few great doctors in multiple fields including his own and I now have quite the Medical Avengers team when the need arises.
His staff is also fantastic. Always happy to see these lovely people!
Definitely recommend Dr. Nowain!

It’s incredible how much more confident you feel about your health prospects when the doctor seeing you exhibits compassion, careful consideration of your symptoms and walks you through every step of a smart, carefully-​crafted strategic path to diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Nowain is one of the most incredible doctors we have ever seen, for these reasons and more.
Dr. Nowain helped me address some long-​running GI issues and led me through a plan to smart management and healing of the issue. And if you want to talk exemplary, heartwarming patient treatment, then it’s certainly Dr. Nowain and Layla checking in on you regularly to make sure you’re ok, see how you feel and just generally confirm things are going well.
Dr. Nowain and Layla describe things for you in digestible manners and lead you through the steps of each visit. And this all started with a call to Layla to relay that I wasn’t feeling well — to which Layla responded with incredible concern, fitting me in immediately so that I could begin to address the issue with Dr. Nowain and feel better.
Overall, I cannot say enough about this team. Dr. Nowain, Layla, the nurses and service team are just wonderful, kindhearted people who partner with you on a path to health. And they care for each of their patients in a manner that is simply unparalleled. Can’t recommend them enough! Thank you, guys!

I don’t know the entire range of what a GI specialist does, but the help I’ve needed has involved some degree of mortification. Dr. Nowain’s professionalism and kindness really takes the sting out of the whole uncomfortable business. He takes the time to listen and consult with his patients and you get the impression that he cares about the whole person and their well-​being — a rare thing with medical practices these days. Quite simply, he is an excellent physician and a gentleman to boot. The front office always brings their A-​game and as a practice they work well together to treat their patients with care and respect.

Dr Nowain, as a human and a physician is top of the line, the Unilocal reviews did not lie! (which is how I found him) My experience with him and his office was superb from start to finish!
I called after having some chronic GI issues that were getting worse. The office not only (first thing in the morning) answered right away, but when I let them know what was going on, they said they would fit me in that day. I was a new patient, which didn’t hinder my ability to get in.
The office was not a huge impersonal group, but had a personal friendly touch, like the way family doctors offices used to be many years ago.
When I arrived they told me he would see me in the next ten to fifteen minutes, which he did. He was extremely personable, listened to everything, and really took the time to explain EXACTLY what needed to happen in the protocol, what tests he would order, why, how long they would take and what the course of treatment would be based on what the tests showed.
Also, he didn’t just want to do meds and invasive procedures, without the tests, he was very interested in finding the root causes and dealing with it as un-​invasively as possible, with meds and procedures only if needed– which I loved.
He addressed and explained not only the current issues I had, but also the issues I used to have that may come back after we addressed these current ones — which made me feel like a VERY THOROUGH, COMPETENT AND COMPASSIONATE person was handling my care– SO RARE to find in doctors these days. Dr. Nowain also let me know there was a portal that patients could use to communicate with him promptly, which made it easier to reach him and clearly get questions answered.
His staff came in and promptly drew my blood work, and explained how to send away for the other tests I needed. I checked out quickly and was on my way.
This was such a positive experience that I am actually looking forward to the journey of getting better once and for all, and it’s definitely due to finding the right doctor. I will DEFINITELY recommend Dr. Nowain and his staff to anyone looking for a great GI dr. THANK YOU!

One of the best doctors I’ve seen in my time. Clearly smart as a whip, has a terrific «bedside manner» and most importantly– by far– Dr. Nowain is super patient with all my questions. ;-) I never EVER feel rushed or not listened to.
In addition, Layla the front desk is incredible. She’s so on the ball with everything and two steps ahead, it’s a real pleasure to talk to her, and she helps me navigate the maze of my health insurance, and what’s covered, what’s not, how payment works, etc. And ALWAYS with a smile. (I love that so many other reviews mention her, as well!)
All the other folks at the office that I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with (both Layla’s team up front and the other medical folks in the back) have been unfailingly nice and always friendly.
Listen, I’m not the most comfortable going to the the GI doctor (details best left unmentioned) but this is a brilliant medical practice. Everyone’s just great, professional, smart and quick and appears to be genuinely interested in making sure I am well taken care of and doing ok. Which is extra-​appreciated when I am just uncomfortable about the whole proceedings. ;-)
Again– no exaggeration– one of the best doctors I’ve seen. There’s a reason he has so many amazing 5-​star reviews.

I went to Dr. Nowain because I was experiencing terrible GI symptoms. I don’t want to go into details, but it was not fun.
First Dr. Nowain sat down with me in his office and listened to my story, asked me a lot of questions, and showed me diagrams and pictures on his computer to help explain some potential reasons for my symptoms. I didn’t realize how much detective work was going to be involved! Finally he suggested blood work and a stool test. His nurse took me into a procedure room and drew my blood and then gave me all of the materials to do the stool test at home.
Over the next week Dr. Nowain personally called me after various portions of the test results came in. I have had other doctors that made me come into the office to get test results, so I really appreciated that he just picked up the phone and called me. Dr. Nowain prescribed a few medications to test out: Donnatol, Zofran and Probiotics. Honestly they didn’t make a big difference. They helped manage the symptoms a bit but when you are nauseous taking more pills is not fun, so it was also hard to be compliant. In the end every test came back negative.
More time went by and I was still not feeling better. We talked about other medication options and eventually Dr. Nowain sent me for a contrast CT scan. They make you drink a huge pitcher of contrast fluid which is disgusting. The test itself was pretty quick, and Dr. Nowain called me with the results just 3 hours after I got home which was awesome, but again the test found nothing. Everything looked good and there was no explanation for my symptoms.
At this point Dr. Nowain started to talk to me about IBS, but that it was a diagnosis of exclusion so we had to do a few more tests to officially rule out the few remaining options.
A few weeks later and after discussing the pros and cons with Dr. Nowain a few more times and googling IBS on a regular basis, I signed up to have a colonoscopy and endoscopy at La Peer. The prep was gross, I was super ‘hangry’ all day (not eating is hard!!). With my luck again the procedure came back and showed everything was normal. But I guess it was better than finding something bad.
So…here I am. Finally with the diagnosis of IBS. It isn’t fun, but Dr. Nowain and I are trying a new medication now which he says might help after a few months. I’m trying to be optimistic. Somehow I have actually been feeling better, maybe partially just
Ultimately I wanted to leave this review because Dr. Nowain has been so amazing throughout this entire experience. The personal phone calls, Layla (his assistant) being able to squeeze me in around my crazy work schedule, the professionalism of his entire staff and everything in between make him a class act. I highly recommend Dr. Nowain. If you have GI issues don’t delay, there are options and it’s worth trying!