Dr. Barbara Epremian, MD

I ha r been seeing Dr Epremiam for over 10 years now. She is always thorough, no nonsense, and reacts quickly to my calls.

I was a bit hesitant to see Dr. Epremian, because of the negative reviews, but I did and I’m glad. I find her to be efficient, knowledgeable and down to earth. Yes she is chatty, but I like that. I don’t want a doctor that just pokes me a bit and sends me on my way. She gets to know you and that’s important to me.
Unfortunately since moving back to San Francisco I’ve had one medical problem after another and she has responded to me in a timely manner for all of them.
My husband is also a patient of hers and appreciates her knowledge and candor as well.
For those complaining that they were practically dying while waiting for her to call them back I have two words «urgent care» (it does not cost any more than the co-​pay you would pay to see Dr. Epremian).
I thought I was having a heart attack a couple of months ago, I called the office, but couldn’t get a hold of anyone so I went to urgent care, they ran all the tests, diagnosed me with acid reflux and sent me on my way. Later that day Dr. Epremian called me to check that I was ok, which was very nice.

Let me net this out for you…
You know those annoying, self-​absorbed parents that attend an open house event for your child and raise their hands, spend 15 minutes talking about themselves and their angst, before getting around to asking their question? (San Francisco is filled with them.)
Yeah, I can’t stand them… and I bet Dr. Epremian and her staff can’t stand them, either.
Read these reviews and you’ll pick up on a common theme of the people writing the negative ones.
The bottom line for me — Dr. Epremian is the best doctor I’ve seen and I consistently recommend her to my colleagues, friends and family.
For me, its refreshing to know that she and her staff treat expect «mutual respect.» If you don’t respect them, they won’t respect you… its that simple.
I found her the most engaging, thoughtful and patient doctor… and the only one that explains the «why» of the «how.»
After reading these reviews, I’d say that if you pull attitude, or think you’re smarter than she is (or her staff) because of something you watched on Dr. Oz, you should do yourself a favor and find another doctor.
That would be a win/​win for Dr. Epremiam, you and those of us who recognize the contribution and sacrifice that MD deserves.

I am surprised by the negative reviews for Dr. Epremian but it seems that many good doctors have mixed reviews based on the circumstances. I have been seeing her for 10+ years only changing when I spent a few years away. She is thorough, no nonsense and always sees me in a timely manner. I often hear her going to bat to advocate for her patients when an insurance company wants to decline coverage for needed medications or procedures. This stands out to me since I have worked with other doctors that just don’t want to argue and do whatever the insurance company says. I am happy to have Dr. Epreimain on my side if I have any sort of major illness,

Dr. Epremian has been my primary care physician for the past few years and I have always found that she takes time with me. She is thorough in her explanations and listens to my questions and then provides answers as well as other resources that I can read. She is thorough, knowledgeable and responsive. Her assistant is also helpful and friendly. I have never waited more that 5 minutes and they have been very accommodating regarding future scheduling. I feel lucky to have her as my physician.

My husband and I both see Dr. Epremian, to whom we were referred by a trusted friend who is a medical professional and also patient. We all know how rare it is to find a doctor who will take the time to assess you — healthy or sick — holistically. If you would like thorough care, someone who will listen and work with you, then Dr. Epremian is it. Her medical assistant Angela is also a gem.

Dr Epremian is THE best primary doc I have ever had. She actually takes the time to diagnose you, then teach you what is going on with your body (like why I had a cough for a month!!). She listens and cares and is incredibly knowledgable. AMAZING Doc! highly recommend her!

I am so surprised by all the negative reviews for Dr. Epremian. I have been a patient over 10 years and find her professional, knowledgeable and above all takes so much time with diagnosis and treatment. My daughter just turned 18 and will now go to Dr. Ephremian. If you are looking for a doctor to fob you off with medication this is not who you should see. Many times when I thought I should have an Rx she gave me practical and sound advice instead. My wait time never exceeded 20 mins.

Dr. Epremian has been my husband & I primary doctor for over 10 years.
I very SURPRISE at the negative reviews I’ve read. Dr. Epremian has always been professional and friendly. We come on time for our appointment and never have to wait long. She is a bright & knowledgeable person. She explains in simple terms what my illness is and how I can treat it. I trust her judgment 100%. She is nothing but positive. My husband has a very keen sense of people. He knows right off if a person not right. Dr. Epremian is a genuine and kind person! We both are glad we have her as our doctor.

I was referred to Dr. Epremian by my gynecologist after having been diagnosed with breast cancer. I checked Unilocal,and was at first hesitant to see Dr. Epremian because of all of the poor reviews I read. Thank Goodness I gave her a shot. I am 100% happy with Dr. Epremian. She spent almost an hour with me both times that I saw her. She’s bright, caring, and really listened to my concerns. She knows about nutrition and suggested ways that I can effectively do my own further research. She clearly told me the most important things that I need to do/​and not do, to help keep myself in remission. If you’re looking for a warm, fuzzy doctor with whom you can hold hands and sing Kumbayah, this is not the person. If you’re serious about your health– which I’d better damned well be– then you’d be very fortunate to have Dr Epremian on your side. And by the way– Her office gal was lovely!

This happened about a year ago but I’m still upset about this and want to warn others about Dr. Epremian.
This doctor does not work on Fridays so I called Thursday morning at 9am and described my symptoms and the receptionist told me she will call me back. She called me back at 4:50pm and said the doctor said it’s a common cold and not to worry.
I got progressively worse and talked to a nurse friend whom I spent a day with a week ago and she told me she had strep throat and told me to call my doctor back, which I did on Monday and made an appointment for that afternoon.
By this time I had not eaten for 4 days and the back of my throat had closed up so I couldn’t really talk and was in pain. I couldn’t even swallow so I was drooling all over the place. I also had a fever for the last 4 days.
The receptionist called me 45 minutes before my appointment and told me there’s a power outage in the building but I can still climb the 8 flights of stairs to her office. I asked her where the closest ER is so I can go there. At that point Dr. Epremian came to the phone and told me that since I have an appointment that day that I would have to pay for 100% of the bill at the ER and she refused tell me where the ER is.
I explained my condition to her and she asked me «Oh yeah? Are you drooling now?» By this time I don’t even want to see her because I’m afraid when I make the trip to see her she would just tell me there’s nothing wrong with me so I canceled my appointment for that day. The receptionist refused to schedule an appointment for the next day and told me I have to call them in the morning to schedule an appointment.
I called at 9am and scheduled an appointment for that afternoon and when I got there the doctor told me I had strep throat. By this time I’ve had it for 10 days without any treatment. All this pain and suffering could have been avoided if I had a competent doctor. Needless to say I changed doctor after that and filed a complaint with my HMO.
I also wanted to add that in the 2 – 3 years I saw Dr. Epremain, I was told that I have high blood pressure when I’ve had no problems while I was under the care of another doctor when I had surgery (this other doctor thought it was weird that I told him I had high blood pressure) or in the years since I left her office.
The terrible thing is that because of this misdiagnosis, I’m paying a lot of extra money for my life insurance policy.
She might seem okay which is what I thought since I’m rarely sick but be aware that when you really need a good doctor, you are going to be stuck with someone who refuses to treat you.

I should have checked Unilocal Reviews before I went to Dr. Barbara E. I went to see her and on my first visit, she was nice and informative. I also got a prompt response from her receptionist.
However, I had trouble breathing and I called a WEEK LATER and the Receptionist said that it’s normal to have trouble breathing with my sickness, and that I didn’t need to go see the doctor. The next day, it worsened, and I called again. The Receptionist said she’d check with the doctor. She called me back a few hours later on the same day and well… the doctor refused to see me.
Yes, that’s right. I’m feeling as incredulous as you. I would write a more nasty review but hey, I can’t breathe properly right now and I need to find a real doctor who’ll treat me.

My feelings have been more mixed since 2005. I’ve waited an hour or more on several occasions and never been apologized to. I was chastised for making a list of my symptoms on one of her business cards as I was out of notepaper. There was one other incident I can’t remember but I know irritated me. Last Tuesday I was told my horrifically sore throat was viral, not bacterial, and would clear up on its own, although no test for strep or anything was done, just a peek in my mouth, even though I have a baby and we all know babies and germs go together – maybe I should have been more insistent but I suppose at the moment I wanted to believe my misery would end soon. Hah – it’s 3 days later and the throat still hurts (though not as bad, finally). On the other hand, she was polite and almost friendly this last visit – my first after 2 years – and answered my other random questions, so then I left thinking I was okay wit her again. I go back and forth, which maybe isn’t a good sign about your doctor. I think I need to go back next week to follow up on this current malady but after that I’m moving to my husband’s doctor. At least I have the excuse of convenience…

I did not even get past the receptionist! I was referred to Dr. Epremian from my ENT. I called to make an appointment for a physical. The receptionist, Andrea, was so exrtemely condescending and rude. It was unbelievable. I guess she was expecting my call but instead of saying just that she said, «oh did you forget to call or did you not understand that you were supposed to call??» That was just the start of her rudeness! Came on to make sure the Dr. was ok. Looks like she’s not. Cancelled my appointment immediately!

I have been a low maitenance patient for a few years.
Today, I called after an extremely uncomfortable rash on my arm got even worse last night. I got the voicemail since the office person was busy. So, I left a message that I’d like an appointment — or a referral to see a dermatologist today please.
Instead of helping, I was offered an appointment with her next week. No referral and no possibility of any help today unless I pay out of pocket I was told. I can’t sleep, it itches and stings like crazy — and I’m supposed to wait until next week?
They’ll have to wait a lot longer for my business. I switched doctors today.
Avoid this office if you can.

Let me begin by saying, I should have found a new doctor a long time ago. For some unknown reason, I stuck with her for eight years and just avoided going in as much a possible. Over the years she has made me feel stupid and embarrassed about questions, which is something a doctor should NEVER do, no matter what! Read on for the latest episode:
This weekend, I ended up in the ER and was told by the ER doc to call my Primary Care Physician on Monday for follow-​up. He also recommended that an MRI be ordered, considering the conditions.
When I spoke with the receptionist Monday morning, I was told, after a few conversations between her and Dr. Epremian, to call back in 2 weeks if I still wasn’t feeling well… that the ER doc’s report sent to them wasn’t conclusive enough for them to see me. (I’ve been dealing with this since November!) When I suggested that they contact the doctor who’d been on call for them over the weekend who’d talked with my ER doc to find out more details, I was informed that wouldn’t be appropriate. Guess what, I found another doctor who made time for me two days later!

I saw Dr. Epremian four or five times over a couple of years and while she was annoyingly long-​winded and her office staff straddled the line between efficient and rude, I felt like I got thorough care and I never had trouble getting an appointment.
Without going into the details, I’ll just say that I broke up with her after she flat out denied my female reproductive health-​related request, told me it was «a whimsical waste of resources» and otherwise BLEW MY MIND with her uncooperativeness. To her credit, she did offer me a colonoscopy when I turn 50, which will be awesome considering I’m only 32 now and have 18 years to prepare.
I wouldn’t recommend her for anyone under AARP age, which seems to be her target audience.

I am surprised by the negative reviews. Dr. Epremian is a wonderful doctor and I highly recommend her. Not only is she exceptionally intelligent and knowledgeable, but she has the ability to explain the complexities of medicine and the human body in an easy to understand way. Dr. Epremian is very personable and easy to talk with. I don’t have to wait long for an appointment and, while being seen, I do not feel rushed. You will be happy to have her as your doctor!
I was not given any discount or any other type of compensation for this posting.

My first visit with Dr. Epremian went well. She answered my questions and was friendly and helpful. On my second visit, I complained of neck and shoulder pain. She went on and on about how poor my posture is, that I have very bad habits and that I need to work on strengthening my back muscles. I have a strong daily yoga practice, which works on those very things. I kept telling her that, and she didn’t seem to hear me. I got very upset; I guess it struck it chord. I cried a lot, which I hate doing, but just sometimes happens. Even then, she never backed off. Her comments felt cold and far from tactful, and worse, I didn’t feel like she was interested in hearing what I saying. I tried to explain to her that people are sensitive about these things (our bodies, especially women), and she told me I was having a very unusual reaction to what she was saying.
When I left her office, I got on the phone with a friend who assured me that my posture is normal and that I should have shown her how I can do a headstand in the middle of the room, ’cause maybe that would convince her I have strong back muscles…
Overall, okay if you have thick skin. And maybe I am overly sensitive. But who has thick skin in a doctor’s office? This is one place where I feel very, very vulnerable. If I ever get truly sick, I want to be in an office with someone I can trust to be gentle and tactful. I’ll be finding a new PCP.

Dr. Epremian has been my doctor for 3 yrs… until today. i don’t know why i didn’t change my PCP before, but i should have done it a while back. in my last appointment, she made me wait over 1 hr in the dreaded office. since i had to leave for another appointment, i left the room and saw the doctor and the receptionist chatting away. i was soooooooo pissed off. she managed to see me for like 5 min in the waiting room of all places and she was unapologetic. that wasn’t the only time she’s made me wait for 30+min. I have to agree also that she is sardonic… anyways good riddence!