Epstein Ervin Jr MD

The wait time here is ridiculous. If you’re able to go somewhere else then I highly recommend that. Parking sucks too– be prepared to pay for parking. I got here 5 minutes before my appointment and waited more than an hour to be seen. They said they had an emergency this morning that caused unexpected delays but I heard multiple people say they had the same appointment time as me. I was told they had an «unexpected show rate» (basically book a ton of people expecting the majority will not show up, but when they do, experience this shit show) The small waiting room with 10 chairs was packed with people standing waiting in the hallway. Definitely reminded me of the scene from Don’t be a Menace when everyone’s waiting in the room looking miserable and dying while we wait for one doctor to make his rounds.
The women at the front desk were nice and although I was irritated, it wasn’t their fault. They kept apologizing for the wait time and even they looked stressed out with a lot of work and trying to manage everyone in the room.
Once seeing the doctor– he comes off as goofy, wanting to make you feel comfortable by joking around. It’s cool but if you really have some concerns and he’s cracking jokes it makes you question how professional and safe he is when it comes to the next steps to your treatment.

Went to Dr. Epstein because I changed insurance providers and his office accepted my new one. Had a mole that had randomly started to fall off. He examined it and said I was going to be fine. THEN he tells me that he can feel my heartbeat very strongly in my abdomen (where mole was located) — and that this is a sign of a serious condition that can cause your aorta to rupture and your heart to stop. He literally said «I don’t want to have not said anything and read about you in the paper in 3 months.» He basically told me I was going to die. Left the office feeling shaken and panicked. (Turned out to be nothing, BTW, I was just nervous about going to the doctor.)
Dermatology wise, good doctor. Otherwise, not so much. No tact or sensitivity, as I have found with many other older male doctors.
Front office staff was SUPER nice and accommodating, even though they seemed totally slammed and stressed.

These guys are great! Nice front office staff and a very accommodating MD. I’m in healthcare and can spot the difference between bad service and a quality team.

LOL– i see dr. epstein is a very unpopular option for patients in the east bay! don’t waste your breath with these people. i’m a medi-​cal patient, who asked to pay out of pocket for a shot. apparently that is illegal, i didnt know that! the receptionist interrupts me and says no they wont do anything illegal and hangs up the phone. HAH! When i call back she tells me in a really stuck-​up tone that she is the «senior staff member» and not to waste her time! well ok! i’ll go write a Unilocal ad instead! i’d rather deal with a cystic zit for all eternity than patronize «dr.» epsteins business.

I’ve had two appointments with Dr. Epstein. I won’t be going back. The first time I waited for over 45 minutes. It was a quick look, burned one item off my back, and a prescription for topical ointment for my head. It was a frustrating experience getting the prescription filled because the pharmacist couldn’t read Dr. Epstein’s handwriting. The second one was today. I waited over an hour and a half to see him this time. He cut out a item off my right arm, never looked at the results on my back or my head, and I bolted out of there. I’ll never go back. No respect for the patients’ time and effort to get in, and the staff is flippant. They changed my second appt without calling me. I only found out by calling them to confirm it.

Met with the doctor for a consult and was very pleased with the results. He was direct and offered a clear opinion on the best way to approach treatment. No complaints, would happily return.

Dr. Epstein’s receptionist does offer quarters for you in case you have to wait, which is nice. I waited for 45 minutes. Dr. Epstein’s demeanor is friendly, but in my opinion he was rather flippant in his approach and diagnosis during my appointment with him. He avoided my question regarding the causes of my skin problem and made a joke instead. He prescribed doxycycline on an empty stomach for my skin condition. Apparently taking this medication without food for better absorbtion is not unheard of, but the doctor made no mention of possible side effects. After one week, doxycycline has caused me the worst heartburn I’ve ever experienced. I don’t think I’ll be returning to this dermatologist.

Well, I use to go to Dr Epstein and I found his humor and insistence on hats charming but when I recently called with an urgent need to get a culture of a VERY painful recurring boil like swelling in my nose, I was told that because it had been 5 years since I was last in, I would be considered a new patient and the next available new patient appt would be in… several weeks!
What has become of medical practices??? Illness definitely HAS NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE NEW SCHEDULING REQUIREMENTS. Unfortunately, this is not just true of this office…

I used to go to the dermatologist that created ProActive… until they stopped taking my insurance. Which left me to find a dr quickly to refill a prescription. This place was the worst. I never returned.

Dr. Epstein does not seem to take skin seriously. I have very fair skin and many freckles. My main concern was a mole (raised off the skin, changed color, and itched). I asked if it could be cancerous and he told me, «Maybe but you’re probably too young.» I insisted that we should err on the side of caution and he recommended a cream for a few weeks. When I went back for my second visit, I sat in the waiting room for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Finally, he met with me for 5 minutes, made some jokes, and decided I should come back again for a third visit. I recommend going elsewhere for faster service, more professional demeanor, and a more courteous reception area.