California Pacific Medical Center

The Adult Medicine clinic? Avoid at all costs. From the overly bureaucratic registration process complete with a card and patient number, to the doddering old physician who decided I *really* needed a breast exam when I really didn’t (having just had one the week before) to the absent minded doc who sent me to the *emergency room* instead of giving me an ENT referral when I had a throat infection — this place is pure suck, or at least was a few years ago, I haven’t been back since.

This is a «new» clinic… or at least it’s new for my doctor and I had never been here before. My usual doctor was on maternity leave so I saw a new physician, Dr. Lori Cooper and she was very helpful.
The staff at the «check-​in» area were nice and apologetic about my wait time but none the less, the process was more painful than the shots I subsequently received. I understand everyone is new at their job at one point but seriously, don’t leave someone alone who has no idea what’s going on.
I had a short wait after my checking-​in, a short wait until my doctor came into my room, and an ever shorter wait to get my blood work done.
Overall, a few glitches remain but the process was ok.
And reader beware, (not this facility’s fault, entirely) but parking around here SUCKS and they don’t have a garage in their building… though there is one on Cherry.
P. S. As I’m writing this someone from the office called (another physician who I spoke with momentarily) to update me about some lab results. That call alone added a star. I love efficiency!

I’ve been frequenting the Adult Medicine office here for almost 6 months and although I have momentary relapses of good experiences, this place has provided me with ample amounts of frustration.
I originally came in for some metabolism/​eating problems. What once was the joke of me having an bottomless stomach had started affecting my daily activities. I tried seeing a doctor in San Jose about this almost 6 months prior and all the blood work came back fine. I explained that to my first doctor, and their instinct was to give me the same blood work. I ended up not going through it (which is completely my fault) but when the problem took a turn for the worse, I found out my doctor only came in for occasional Mondays or Wednesdays. I’m still not clear. It was almost impossible to track her down so I scheduled another visit with a different doctor.
The second doctor… are you ready for this… LAUGHED at me when I told her my symptoms. She said «I don’t mean to laugh, it’s just a strange combinations of symptoms.» I’m sorry ma’am, but there was nothing strange about it to me. They were my symptoms and I didn’t find them particularly entertaining. Get some fucking social skills woman. I wish Medical School taught doctors the basic rules of what could be interpreted as offensive.
She also really had no advice for me besides testing my blood on a glucose machine everyday for the next few weeks. Once again, knowing that my blood results had been fine in that area, I declined her advice; mostly because I was so insulted and partly because I had been tested for multiple forms of Diabetes and each one came up negative. But she wasn’t listening to what I had to say.
The next time I came back, I met with a much nicer Doctor who I felt was listening to me. I immediately did some blood work after my appointment that should have been ready in a few days. And since it was around that time of year, I added the whole STDs package to make sure Mr. Guy was doing well.
It had been a week and I still hadn’t heard back about my results. I had to call and track my doctor down (which I had to do through a nurse) in order to hear if I was dying of Herpes or not (I’m not, thank you very much). I was also calling because things were getting worse and I needed to make an appointment with my doctor. Instead, I was put on the line with the above-​mentioned nurse. She had no clue so she forwarded me to my doctor who is insisting I track my eating pattern. She said a nurse would call right back to schedule an appointment with me.
That never happened. And today when trying to schedule an appointment for tomorrow, they told me they’d call me right back after checking someone’s schedule.
That didn’t happen either.
Oh, and there was that time I needed a referral for a specialist and instead of sending my info to Dr. #1, they sent to it another doctor with the same last name in Podiatry. PODIATRY.
THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT I NEEDED.
I’m sure this place is busy and for the most part, the people seem pretty nice. But get your shit together, please. And I really wish Doctors started listening instead of trying to solve your entire problem in 5 minutes or less. Every time I tried to give back history, I felt like it was an annoyance rather than an essential part of the problem.
If anyone knows of a doctor who listens and seems remotely interested in what you have to say, let a brother know.

SHORT LIST_​NICE DOCTOR, SUPER EXPENSIVE THOUGH
I had Dr Neeta Jain. She impressed me– she is a young doctor who really takes her time with you to talk to you and make sure she finds the best solution for your issues. I truly feel that she actually cares about her patients.
UPDATE: I still really like Dr Jain. But I think I should warn people that
it is very expensive. I got a bill for $ 230.oo for an office visit — that did not include tests other than blood pressure, and taking my weight and height measurement. When I argued with CPMC and asked for an itemized list of why it cost me $ 230, she said it would look just like what I had in front of me, which was NOT an itemized list at all, just a bill. I asked over and over again why it was $ 230 to speak to a doctor and she said that they can charge whatever they want based on how much time the doctor spent with you and any research they did. I said, well when was there research, in her head while she was in the room with me, because it’s not like anyone got back to me with this «research».
Anyone that goes to CPMC/​Sutter Health affiliates also knows that lab tests are not included in this because you alway get a separate bill for that. Neither are prescriptions, of course.
This sucks, I just went to this place again, I can’t wait for my new huge bill. If I knew they billed for time, I would have given the shortest answers of my life! I would have walked in there talking like a I worked at an auction house or something. Plus, I think its unfair because the doctor takes her time with you and you think «wow, she really is taking her time with me.. .ok, I’ll try to think of anything else I know that she might want to hear about.. «
Goddam. The medical industry is so dishonest. I feel like I want to go in there like it’s a car shop– Give me an estimate and stick to it!!! Or if I am being billed for time, have a ticker next to me with dollar signs, like a game show or something.
At least she gave me a sample of Advair this time, because I told her I am losing my insurance. I hope it’s not tacked onto the bill though.
Damn. What good is having great doctors if you can’t afford to eat after you go there?
NEWER UPDATE The doctor liked so much is finishing her residency and will no longer be here anyway.

Dr. Hansen is sweet and attentive. Accomodating and easy to grab an appointment.