Hiroshi Terashima, M.D.

Dr. Terashima is a nice gentleman but I cannot recommend him as a doctor. I recently decided to find a new doctor and I had to use Unilocal to help weed out the good and the bad so I feel like it’s my obligation to now write about my experience.
My reasons for leaving Oakland Medical Group and Dr. Terashima:
* Quick to write a prescription with no explanation of other ways to remedy the issue at hand.
This was the final reason I decided to leave so I’m listing it first. I received results from my blood panels in a letter in the mail with a note saying something along the lines of «LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) very high. Take these pills and come back in 3 months» along with a prescription for Lipitor. For an otherwise healthy 35 year old?! Really? First off, finding out that I had an issue that can lead to disease and death was incredibly scary. I was appalled that no explanation of the test results was offered. No explanation of what I can do to lower my cholesterol naturally. Nothing. Just a prescription for a drug with side effects that can be worse than the issue itself. This was incredibly unprofessional in my opinion. The new doctor I’m seeing was also disgusted that he took this approach, with a medicine that has been receiving a lot of bad press from the ADA for someone who, as it turns out, doesn’t even have that high of cholesterol.
* Long wait times almost upon every visit.
Very old and uncomfortable waiting rooms. Upon every visit I could not help but to question how well the care at a place so outdated could be.
* Visits always felt rushed.
He does not take time to explain things in laymans terms or ask questions.
* Lacking bedside manor.
He was my doctor for about 3 years and every time I visited it felt like he had never met me before. It was strange. I never got the feeling that he truly cared or wanted to get to know me as a patient. It always just felt like he was in a hurry to get to the the person in the next room who has probably been waiting for a long time.
* Hours that are inconvenient.
The office hours are 9−5pm or possibly 6pm with a window from 12 – 1:30pm where everyone is on lunch so if you call with a question you’re told to call back by someone at a call center who more often than not comes across as rude and annoyed.
* Lack of responsiveness.
There were a few times when I had to call in a prescription and waited and waited and waited to hear back. I know Doctors are busy people but when you’re ill and don’t know if you’re going to be getting your medication or not is just the worst. There were times when I could not get ahold of anyone until the next morning only to find out that they had called into the prescription to some pharmacy without bothering to let me know.
* Old technology.
I asked if they could email me the release form that I need to get my records and they told me I had to come in because they do not have email. From the waiting rooms to the exam rooms, everything just feels very old, dated and not all that sanitary.
I hate to say it but I just cannot say anything good about this place.

have been experiencing a foot problem during the past month. a visit with a herbal specialist didn’t help. first swollen toe, them supposedly pulled tendon.
then swollen toe again.
medication was applied but the pain and symptons didn’t go away. a friend suggested it was gout so i came to doc terashima to check it out.
by looking at my toe/​foot, he confirmed gout was present. that my uric acid level needed to be checked. guess doc saw some uric crystals had deposited in my toe joint and that could lead to long term damage.
having taking ibuprofen for the past week, i have not been in much pain but minor discomforts have sneaked in, leading to limping.
guess i have to take things one step at a time and watch out for the cracks in the road that is so omnipresent in oaktown. oh, i need to watch my diet too.