Williams Alisa L, MD

I work in the medical field and have had the opportunity to see Dr Williams in action (surgery) as well as many other respected OBGYNs. When I got pregnant (first pregnancy), I had a lot of recommendations from other people in the medical field and I chose Dr Williams. She is efficient, honest, highly experienced, and EXTREMELY competent. She will tell you like it is, but also has a good bedside manner. I don’t need someone to pussyfoot around me. I wanted someone who knew what he/​she was doing and would tell me straight what was up. I ended up having pre-​eclampsia and Dr Williams checked on me very frequently. She was quick to identify that I needed to be induced, and was there first thing in the morning each day I was in the hospital and some afternoons as well. She did what she had to for me (magnesium drip, yuck) and let me choose some things when she could (level of monitoring, diet, and discharge time). A week after I delivered and was monitoring my BP at home (as prescribed) my BP reading was pretty darn high. Turns out my BP machine was erroneous but Dr Williams responded to my after hours text within 2 minutes and directed me to go to the ER right away. She then called my husband to make sure we were on the road and also was in phone contact with the ED physician. How is that for appropriate medical attention? She’ll be that way with you too. I see some people complain about office wait times. Did I have to wait? Yes. Guess what? She DELIVERS BABIES and those aren’t scheduled ahead of time. She’d leave her office to deliver yours too.

I saw Dr Williams for the first time a few weeks ago and I thought she was amazing. I had a question about seeing another type of Dr and she called the DR right then and there while I sat in the room. She is definitely direct and to the point, which I like!

The phone system here is enough to drive anyone mad. Good luck speaking with a human.
I went in for a yearly and to get b.c. It was my impression that Dr Williams was more into promoting certain brand$ rather than the generics, so much so that she prescribed me one that was $ 60 per month (discovered at the pharmacy). I asked for the cheapest oral generic. I got the opposite. I then had to schedule another appointment to get another rx. She didn’t really care that what she pushed on me was not a good fit and was costly. She then wrote me another rx, which I only later found out was for only three months so that she could «see how it was working out» before giving me a year supply (cone in for yet another visit). This isn’t rocket science. I asked for the most simple rx. It’s frustrating when Dr’s have such a strong disconnect with what medications cost the patient. Wasted so much time here.

I was recently directed to Dr. Williams since my regular gyn is on a leave of absence. Actually, Dr. Williams was the second referral, as the first referral didn’t return my calls about the results of an ultrasound.
In any case, I read the reviews for Dr. Williams beforehand and had some trepidation, but after seeing her, I don’t understand the negative reviews at all. Dr. Williams was friendly, open and thorough. I suppose you could call her communication style direct, though I’m not sure what else you’d want in a medical doctor (or anyone for that matter). I felt listened to and heard. I didn’t feel rushed or spoken down to. (None of that sort of inherent god-​complex ego that you sometimes get in doctors.) She presented me with every possible option – taking time to make sure I understood each one. She had a good sense of humor and interjected it skillfully.
At this point, I’m thinking I’ll stay with Dr. Williams even after my regular doctor returns (sorry doc!).
Oh, and her office staff was equally friendly and competent.

I am surprised of some of the reviews on here, She has been my OBG for years prior to my first child. She is straight forward and honest. She does not mislead you in any way provides you with all information to make good sound decisions. I had my first child in 2006 and my second in 2013. There is no one else I would ever trust to assist in my child’s and my own well being. I am very pleased with her and her staff.

I’m 22 weeks pregnant and I have just recently transferred to Dr. Williams. I have nothing but great things to say about her and her staff. I’m surprised to read negative reviews about her. This is my first pregnancy and I been having some complications since the begining. My previews doctor never took the time to follow up with me or even check me to see what needed to be done. Just yesterday I called Dr. Williams office to advise them that I wasnt feeling good and right away she contacted the hospital to let them know I was coming. The entire time I was at the doctor getting checked, the nurses kept in communication with her. (Made me feel real secure) I honestly LOVE Dr. Williams, her assistant Jenn and the young lady at the front desk. You guys are doing a great job! Thank you for everything.

I went to Dr. Williams for an IUD. She was fine, swift, and to the point. I ended up having a reaction that had me almost pass out so she rushed out and left me in the room to wait it out which seemed odd. I get that she’s busy but shouldn’t someone check in? In the front staff’s defense, one girl offered me half of her bagel so I could recover from the weird pass out/​nausea. Apparently this reaction isn’t all that abnormal so I find it odd they don’t keep some sort of crackers or juice on hand just in case. Had I known I would have brought my own.
So I was supposed to have a follow up appointment to ensure the IUD was properly placed and not dispelled. I never received a call to do so and I myself am partially to blame for not following up after being out of the country. Isn’t that their job though?
I have still been experiencing intense cramping 5 months later so I made an appointment to be seen just to be sure everything was ok. I called the day before to make sure that my appointment at 4:15 would allow me to leave by 5pm to go teach a class (imperative that I left by 5). At 5pm I was still waiting to be seen. I ended up having to leave and was so disappointed because it had taken 2 weeks just to get the appointment and I was in pain. I explained this to the front office staff and although they seemed nice and felt badly, their only offering was to give me a new appointment another 2 weeks away. Seriously?! What kind of customer service is that? I explained (though I shouldn’t have to) that was unacceptable. I left in tears and they promised to call me the next day to schedule me. Guess who is still waiting for a call 8 days later? Thankfully I called my PCP and got a new referral. The new doctor, although very busy, took me in the same day I called. The staff was amazing; competent, alert, and focused on making me comfortable and happy.
I do not recommend Dr Williams practice. I felt like no one in that office cared about my needs. Scary thought.

This is the worst witch of a woman. My sweet son is 6 months old now. When I was 6 weeks pregnant, she assured me since my first was a preterm baby, he would be too. I had such a scary experience with my first, Alisa Williams made me feel like terminating the pregnancy would be a good idea. (Implied.) I don’t believe in abortion. Thank goodness I don’t. She’s a TERRIBLE human being with no bedside manner.

I’ve been a patient of Dr. Williams since March 2011. Like some of the other reviewers I was hesitant to go to this office based on past reviews. I’m glad I made the right choice and went to see Dr. Williams when I found out I was pregnant.
The ease of getting an appointment was great. I truly liked her office staff… they were so nice! Being a first time mom, I was very nervous about my pregnancy. However, Dr. Williams always answered my questions, made me feel comfortable and was just wonderful!
Our son was 10 days late and Dr. WIlliams made the right decisions on what to do and she was there to delivery our son. I am grateful to Dr. Williams and look forward to having our other children delivered by her.
Highly recommended!

I have been going to Dr. Williams for several years and I understand what people say about her not being overly solicitous. Dr. Williams is very direct and I am someone who doesn’t like sugar coating, so this works for me. She really wants you to participate in your own care and will ask you directly what would you like to do. What prompted me to write this review was I recently went under a major surgery with Dr. Williams as the surgeon. I must say she was fast, effective she handled a complicated situation with ease. She was very careful with my care and handled all of the little details with great consideration. She was at the hospital every morning checking up on me and making sure things were coming along. I was very pleased with how things turned out and I have gained another level of respect for Dr. Williams.

I’m so disappointed & saddened to read the negative reviews about Dr. Williams & her staff.
My little girl is now 15 months & I can’t say enough awesomely great things about this practice.
I became a patient way before becoming pregnant & after a horrible ectopic loss. The staff has not only gone out of their way to be sensitive, but also became more like friends by the time we were giving birth. They’ve been consistently answering my needs even when I’ve called in (what I figured) were the most ridiculous lady questions!
They’ve even been patient enough to help answer questions for my friend who also suffered miscarriages & couldn’t come in because of her HMO.
This is the kind of quality you get from Dr. Williams & her staff… I felt comforted during my entire pregnancy & whether pregnant or not Dr. Williams bedside manner has been courteous, professional & thorough. She also is extremely skilled with emergency C-​sections… Heal time was quick & incision was clean!
I hope my review is enough to sway newcomers minds because honestly I’d only trust Dr. Williams & her practice with our next baby whenever we decide to have another!

Horrible. I was recommended by my PCP, whom I love and would recommend over and over again. I have endometriosis. I have been diagnosed with it since 16. For this story you only need to know it makes it significantly more difficult to get pregnant. But, since I’ve had it since 16 it is something I knew when the time came I would have to deal with.
A laproscopy is the surgery that both detects and removes endometriosis. My husband and I wanted to start trying to have kids. After living with the knowledge that I had endometriosis for the past 16 years, I was called by an office assistant and told (based on an MRI) that I did not and never had endometriosis. You can imagine my joy and speculation. The person that called to give me the good news was not medically trained, could answer no questions and the Dr. Williams was not available until a month later for my pre-​op appointment.
During that appointment, Dr. Williams insisted that I did not have endometriosis and a laproscopy was not needed. I resisted only because I had been treated by research doctors when I was younger because the disease (while not rare in over 40 year olds) is very rare at 16. I basically told her that the surgery needed to occur.
I had a surgery. Endometriosis was detected. The rest of the results I have yet to learn because despite my attempts to schedule an appointment, I have been unable to get a hold of a human let alone someone that can help.
The worse thing about her treatment was that before the laproscopy and MRI it was thought I would have a very difficult time getting pregnant. After the laproscopy, I received a clean bill of fertile health … yet both before and after she flippantly suggested we just do IVF.
I have a very close friend who has the same PCP that had her as an OBGYN and she has the exact same story. Stay away. She does not care, is inconsistent in her treatment and just not worth your time in going to see her.

I too am surprised by the negative reviews. I am about 19 weeks pregnant and went to Dr. Williams after a terrible experience with my first OBGYN. I have been nothing but happy with both her and her staff.
At my last appt. I expressed interest in having a natural child birth… I asked all the questions recommended by the books I have been reading. She was open, honest and 100% supportive of my decision. A lot of doctors look at you like a nut but she was so kind and again, totally on board with whatever I wanted to do. She has a VERY low C-​section rate and will let you labor for as long as you want without interference, as long as everything is healthy. Both of these issues are very important to me and hard to come by with most Dr.‘s these days.
She doesn’t sit there and talk your ear off. She tells you what you need to hear and is totally open to answering any questions you have. I have never felt rushed.
One last thing… The last time I was there I was making my next appt. and we were trying to get an earlier morning one so that my husband wouldn’t have to leave work in the middle of the day. Dr. Williams doesn’t usually get in until later on the day that we needed to schedule, she happened to over hear us and came up and said that she would come in early for us (just warned she would probably be in Yoga pants :)). I thought that was so nice and thoughtful of her to accomodate us when she totally could have ignored to conversation between us and the receptionist.
I definitely recommend Dr. Williams to anyone looking for a kind, open, accepting, well mannered Dr.

I was unfortunate to have become a patient of Dr. Williams when she took over Dr. Julio Veinberg’s practice many years ago. I have known Dr. Veinberg since I was a newborn, he went to medical school with my father (also a surgeon but different specialty) and he was our neighbor for many years. Dr. Veinberg was an excellent physician and treated his patients with utmost care & respect.
When Dr. Williams absorbed me as a patient I was shocked that during my annual visit it was her physician assistant rather than her who saw me. Apparently you have to be pregnant to earn her presence. Why have such a large practice if you can’t see all your patients? It seems like medicine is more of a business than a calling to Dr. Williams. Fast forward a few years– I’m pregnant and am now required to be seen by Dr. Williams. If only Dr. Williams had a quarter of the physician assistant’s bedside manner, alas no.
After my very first visit with Dr. Williams I felt extremely unsettled. I didn’t mind the wait, hey I come from a long line of surgeons and I know that waiting is part of the game. What I was not prepared for is being treated like a mere number rather than a person. Dr Williams rushed through the visit, abruptly cut me off when I had questions and was super rude to my mother who was present during the exam and who also happens to be an M.D.
Dr. WIlliam’s «support» staff is laughable. There have been multiple occasions that I have called 15 times throughout the day & no one answers. And I wasn’t calling during lunch or after hours. My mother tried calling her office multiple times, same thing. My mom had to physically go into Dr. WIlliam’s office 3 times, leaving her own private medical practice & her own patients waiting to talk to somebody because no one answers the phones!
Twice I was scheduled for an 8am appointment & both times I arrived on time with my husband & were shocked the office wasn’t open. I literally had to sit on the floor in the hallway & wait for someone to open the office at least 15mins AFTER my appointment time. I’m sorry you don’t do that to a pregnant lady, or anyone!
At the next few visits the treatment was exactly the same– treated as cattle and made to feel like you’re basically an idiot and anything you ask is just plain old stupid. My husband who at first said I was used to being spoiled by my physicians had to admit that Dr. Williams was indifferent to say the least. Another thing that bothered us both was that at every visit she told us that «next time» we could find out the sex of our baby and when we’d arrive to the «next» appointment excited she’d nonchalantly say «oh no we can’t find that out yet, next time». When we finally did find out the sex it was at one of those 4D sonogram places which she sent us to and which charged us $ 25 EXTRA to find out the sex of the baby! That sonogram ended up costing us $ 1500 PLUS the $ 25 charge to find out the sex. Why Dr. WIlliams sent us to THAT super expensive clinic no idea (could she be getting a percentage out of it– it wouldn’t surprise me), she’s not one to explain anything and least of all to a mere patient!
Here comes the good part! My husband and I had to relocate to San Francisco. I found an AWESOME Dr. with a superb bedside manner and whose office is run like a well greased machine. At my first visit he spent 45 mins talking to me, asking me questions, answering my questions, going over everything and then did my exam and followed that up with answering any questions I had. I never felt rushed or that a question of concern of mine were silly. I finally felt like my health and that of my baby were important to my physician.
Getting my medical records from Dr. WIlliam’s office has been my Everest of frustrating medical experiences. Dr. William’s office received multiple requests from my new doctor (Dr. William’s office claims records were sent but that’s just not true) from me personally, & my mother had to again leave her own medical practice to physically go into Dr. William’s office to get them. My mother went to Dr. WIlliam’s office this morning to pick up my medical records. I personally talked to support staff at Dr. William’s office yesterday & the day before & was assured my entire medical records would be ready first thing this morning. Not surprisingly the medical records were NOT COMPLETE! I called Dr. William’s office again– it amazes me how no one in that office can take responsibility for anything! I have heard so many excuses from that office its disgusting. My mother just called me & told l me she just left Dr. WIlliam’s office with all my medical records in her possession. My mother had to leave work again today, making two different trips to Dr. William’s office in one day to get something that should’ve been faxed over to my Dr. weeks ago. IS THIS REALLY THE TYPE OF PRACTICE YOU WANT HANDLING YOUR PREGNANCY OR ANY OTHER TYPE OF MEDICAL TREATMENT?
I AM THANKFUL TO NO LONGER BE IN DR. WILLIAM’S CARE!

I unfortunately have to concur with the two above low ratings. Dr. Williams-​Willet seems too busy to listen to patient concerns, and is more interested in finishing one’s sentences for them. As an educated woman, I resent being treated like I have no clue what I am talking about. Anyway, the front office staff are some of the most incompetent I have encountered in a while (though I am noticing this pattern in San Diego in general), I guess all of the sunlight may have fried people’s brains??? For example, as someone stated earlier, I’ve also had to remind them to bill me, and even had a bill end up in collections and on my credit report because they had the wrong address on file for me! Thank goodness I monitor my credit religiously! Also, the office is rarely, if ever on time and does not consistently call to confirm appointments the day or so before. Regardless, I am thrilled to move onto greener pastures, and unfortunately will not be recommending them to anyone else.

If I could give this Doctor Williams a no star review I would. When I first went to see this lady I felt rushed, I try talking and she would cut me off even when she had a question. She told me I could not have any sugar point blank, but said Coffee is fine to drink she wasn’t worried about that. She tried picking a fight over stating I could not have my baby on the 4^th of april because it was her day off. Her office tried to charge me 40 bucks which they never really look at my insurance. She seems to always be in a rush and not have time for anyone but herself. If you want someone to pick on you then I would simply tell anyone to go here. She is the worst doctor I have ever had, She works for Scripps and sharp mary birch and she talks crap about Sharp Mary birch. I would say stay away from this women

I would give Dr. Williams-​Willet 5+ stars if it was just based on her alone. She is absolutely a rock star! I recently had major surgery performed by Dr. Williams, one that proved difficult once it was underway and could have been more serious, and Dr. Williams powered through and executed the way she intended! (I think lesser surgeons would have taken the easy way out). This resulted in much less invasive surgery and a super-​quick recovery. I give her props for her extensive knowledge of robotic surgery, and her bedside manner is such that she doesn’t «baby» you but makes you feel as if you can conquer anything. Supportive and positive, to be sure, and I appreciate her manner. Following my surgery while I was hospitalized at Scripps Mercy across the street, she made rounds first thing every morning without fail, and I was grateful for that dependability. She is also chatty and hilarious, and it was easy to talk with her, which makes her a very accessible partner in your health care.
The office, on the other hand, is a little frustrating. The appointments are seldom on time, but that could just be the nature of obstetrics; I once ran into Dr. Williams coming down the elevator on my way up to my appointment, rushing to deliver a baby. However, she asked me to just wait 20 minutes to see if it was a false alarm, and as promised, she called her office right away to make sure I knew it would be a long wait. SO considerate!
Calling into the office can be annoying, since a live person doesn’t answer — it’s all automated. That takes FOREVER to get through the prompts and then to wait in the queue, but I’m running across this with most medical offices, unfortunately. Besides that, I have had to remind the receptionist to accept my insurance co-​pay EVERY time. Sometimes I even forget, and they end up billing me (kudos for doing this electronically, though! No paper waste!) I have never had a doctor’s office neglect to ask for payment. Weird. They do have a «patient portal» online so you can access your info, leave and retrieve messages, make payments… and in theory it’s a great idea. However, I have never been able to re-​login without having to reset my password every single time (which is a lengthy process) — it seems to reset my account whenever I leave it. I’ve let them know of the problem, so maybe they are fixing it.
Dr. Williams’ nurse, Rosa, is pretty fabulous as well. She is quick to respond and handled all my disability paperwork promptly. Prescriptions are always sent to the pharmacy right away too (like within 20 minutes), so I have never had any problems with delays like the previous Unilocaler has. Operationally, they do a good job, but maybe the timing just throws the whole perception off.
Verdict: It’s good to know that when the going gets tough (and really important stuff is happening) they are really on it.

I enjoyed my prenatal experience with Dr. Williams. I knew the moment I met her office staff that I was in a good place and meeting Dr. Williams sealed the deal. I love her upbeat and «tell it like it is» approach. I feel like she takes the time to hear and exceed all of my needs… especially when I was pregnant. =)

I find their office sloppy and having to wait an hour or so in a gown for the Dr. is completely unsat. My whole experience was just crappy. I got an IUD, but was standing in a gown in the doorway with my old OBGYN on the phone so they could confirm my test results from 6 months ago on the day it was to be implanted. Dr. Williams’ office apparently didn’t get the fax, but my old OBGYN got a fax confirmation. Anyways it was just two visits and I felt l needed a stiff drink afterwards to decompress.