Mina Abazari, MD

I went to Dr. Abazari for about 2 years. The good thing about her was she referred you to lab tests and specialists quite quickly. But that’s about it.
One time I got stomach pain. She gave me some antibiotics without any examination on me. That night I took the medication and woke up in the middle of night because of sharp pain, nausea, and diarrhea. My husband rushed me to the ER… Afterwards we went to her office, which was in the same hospital and asked to see her. The receptionist was extremely rude and rushed us out.
That was my last visit.

I’ve been going to Dr. Abazari for a few years now. I think she’s pretty great. She’s always been really friendly and caring with me. She checks me out for my annual and remembers me each year. She listens to my concerns and tells me when I’m worrying over nothing or refers me for more testing when needed. My care is pretty simple and standard, so I can’t speak to her talents at handling more complicated cases.
I especially like going to see her at St. Lukes — everything is so easy there. The lab is right next door to her offiice, and the Women’s Center is right upstairs. It still feels like a neighborhood hospital, which is nice — and rare — these days.
I agree that it is hard to get an appointment sometimes. Sometimes she’s been really late for my appointment. Sometimes we have to rush a little through my appointment so she can catch back up on schedule. And yes, sometimes the receptionists are less than sparkling. But honestly, where doesn’t that happen? Health care in general sucks — I wouldn’t hold it against Dr. Abazari or her staff.

My second and the last appointment I will ever have with Dr. Abazari left me angry and disappointed. I fully understand that doctors these days are overloaded with patients, especially hypochondriacs. But some of us who take time out of our own busy 50 hour work week and genuinely come in to see a doctor b/​c we have actual health problems or tests that are needed.
When I made the appointment with the doctor, it was a follow-​up for the first appointment I had with her but I also needed a TB test for my job. When the doctor came in, she rudely asked why I was there. Immediately when she realized I needed a TB test, she snapped at me telling me I cannot take a TB test on a Thursday b/​c I need to come back in two days for the results and her office would be closed. Doesn’t matter that the receptionist who took my appointment knew I needed a TB test and still made the appointment for that Thursday. Argg, whatever. So I still wanted to know what my other test results were from my first appointment and how my blood pressure was. I felt like I forced her to look at the results, and after she talked to me about them for like 30 seconds she got up to leave. How about checking my blood pressure? «Oh silly me, so forgetful!»
That was it for me. Even though I needed the TB test, I decided to go somewhere else and pay out of my pocket to get it done.
And of course, I have changed my PCP.

It’s true: Dr. Abazari is a very nice woman. But I have to change PCP if I want to make sure I receive proper medical care…
I have been her patient for over two years now, and looking back I see alot of mishappenings that are quite concerning.
She once prescribed me penicilin, which I am allergic to, and past the shock I had at the pharmacy when I was handed the drug, I returned to her office to hear a laughing doctor say: I almost killed you!!!
I saw her once regarding a cyst I have in my back, that I know needs to be removed every couple of years (I used to see a proper dermatologist back in Europe). She said it was nothing (I know it’s harmless, thanks) and that she was not going to do anything for it. Asking whether I should see a dermatologist (I want it to be removed, damned!) she said no.
She also asks from time to time what I want as a medication (who’s the doctor here???) — not «do you prefer this or that?», but rather «what do you feel like taking today, it’s open bar». She was absolutely NO use in choosing a better birth control pill for me. She opened one of her medicine books and I got to pick a brand…
I understand doctors are not 100% all day long, but the bottom line is I don’t trust this one.

Dr. Abazari doesn’t seem to care about her me that much. I’ve been there 3 times and always felt rushed (just like other Unilocalers stated). The receptionist/​medical assistant has always been helpful. She’d gone out of her way to help me with all the things I needed.

I had been searching for a new PCP and found Dr Abazari from my insurance network but was a bit hesitant because of several negative reviews on Unilocal.I have seen her twice now and both times have been positive, no long waits, no rude staff, and she had a great bed side manner. I work in health care so I am very picky and particular about my health care providers and quality of care I receive. So far she passes my test. She ordered lab work following my initial physical and when some of my labs were off she had her office call and had me set up a follow up appointment to see her. I scheduled the appointment then 3 days before wanted to reschedule to an earlier day (since I had the day off work) and that was not an issue with the staff. (From the reviews I thought my experience would not have been as pleasant as I have had so far)

While her bedside manner is acceptable, Dr. Abazari does not seem to care a whole lot about me as a patient.
Visit #1: I went to this appointment thinking I was scheduled for a physical, which is what the receptionist said. After asking if I needed any prescriptions filled, Dr. Abazari told me that my posture was poor – which is a fair statement – and told me that yoga could help me with my posture. She then got up to leave and I said what about the physical and she said ‘no physical’ and left the room. The receptionist informed me that my first appointment was a ‘meet and greet’. Personally I don’t need to ‘meet and greet’ my doctor when it doesn’t come with a physical or some type of checkup. Time spent with me = 11 minutes (yes I checked my watch)
Visit #2: I went in to have something checked out. Before she started to examine me I asked her about another issue. She said «If it’s a yes or no question, I’ll answer it.» She spent about 4 minutes answering my question and then continues to examine me. I asked her if I could ask one final question and she said «No, I don’t have time.» and left the room. Time spent with me = 10 minutes
If you don’t want a Primary Care Physician (PCP) that schedules her patients 15 minutes apart and is unwilling to spend more than 11 minutes ensuring your health, then Dr. Abazari is NOT the PCP for you.
I’m changing doctor’s today.

Time to get a new PCP.
I have totally had it with Dr. Abazari. I always feel rushed whenever I have been seen by her.
When I call the office, I am always immediately put on hold. I have to wait weeks to schedule an appointment. Dr. Abazari’s staff are rude and don’t return calls, both when messages are left with the front desk and even when message are left with their answering service.

I like Dr. Abazari very much as a person… I do think she over-​prescribes, but what doctor doesn’t these days? Also, you’re lucky if you get to spend more than 5 minutes with her.
My biggest beef with her is her staff. I can not stand her receptionists. They have mad attitude to the point of being downright rude. They take your name and number and you never hear back. You could be bleeding out of your eye sockets and they would still let you know that you are inconveniencing them. They suck.

I think Dr. Abazari is absolutely wonderful. She is super friendly and very efficient. I have never had to wait an extremely long time (not more than any other doctor’s office) and her staff although not the most chatty– get the job done.
I have called for emergency appts and she has either gotten me in or referred me to another Dr who could get me in that day, who was only located RIGHT NEXT DOOR-​HOW wonderful!
I have recommended her to my sister and friends and everyone loves her.

I like Dr. Abazari, but my experience has been so-​so.
Plus: people seem to be complaining a lot about her receptionist. I like her! She is sassy, and good at remembering people (better than Dr. Abazari, at least). I was half an hour late to my appointment, and yeah, I got chided a little. I deserved it.
Minus: I hate it when you are standing at the front counter and the receptionist answers 6 or 7 phone calls before she even makes eye contact. (This is not the sassy receptionist, but the other one.) Dr. Abazari’s office is busy — so busy that all the chairs in the waiting room were full the last time I went — so getting ignored by the receptionist has happened more than once. They need some more help.
Plus: Dr. Abazari is friendly and very reassuring. When she got the lab work back from my last physical, I felt like I had my own personal cheerleader: «Your liver looks GREAT! Your kidneys are GREAT! Your blood pressure is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!» I’ve never felt so proud of having a functional human body. Also, she seemed pretty amenable to giving me what I asked for, and she didn’t talk over me like my last doctor.
Minus: On my second visit, which was just a week after my first visit, she asked me why I was on this prescription (um, because you prescribed it to me?) and whether I was Dr. Whoever’s patient (nope, I’m one of yours… it’s right there in the chart). I didn’t feel like she knew what was up with me, and she seemed to go along with it when I self-​diagnosed.
Minus: Because it’s at the hospital, lab work takes for-​freaking-​ever and you have to be admitted to the hospital with a bracelet and everything, just for a stinking blood test.

I loved Mina the first time I met her, but I recently changed doctors because of my last visit with her. She spent 8 minutes with me and I felt rushed and like I was wasting her time.
I told her I have hives, she asked me to show her and she said, «I don’t think those are hives.»
Me: Well, I saw a dermatologist recently, and he told me they were hives.
Mina: Oh, ok. They must be hives.
I thought I had pink eye and she said, «I don’t think it’s pink eye» but didn’t offer something else that it might be and asked, «What medicine do you want for it?»
Um, are you kidding me? You’re the doctor and you’re asking me what I want, for something that you don’t know what it is???
Ok, how about some Valium??? –sigh–
I paid my $ 20 co-​pay and left confused, frustrated and like I wasted 45 minutes for no reason at all.

I went to Dr. Abazari because I was looking for a new female doctor below Market and I liked that other reviewers noted that she really listens and is thorough. I wasn’t disappointed by her at all — she was friendly, engaging, appropriately inquisitive, open and genuinely concerned about my health and overall wellbeing. Dr. Abazari made me feel more at ease than my last few because she is so real and empathetic yet professional.
I wish I could say she’s 5 stars, but her staff was pretty disappointing to me. I had to wait for over an hour after my appointment time due to other patients just showing up however late after the appointments and getting to go ahead of me anyway. The ladies at the front desk were kind of curt and more interested in talking to each other than making sure I wasn’t totally annoyed by having to wait so long. Also, the nurse that took my vitals took it upon herself after weighing me to ask me lots of questions about how much I eat and how often, looking at me dubiously when I said I never dieted. Lastly, the nurse that took my appointment failed to note the reason I was visiting Dr. Abazari so by the time I got in to see her and we’d covered the basics we had no time for my real purpose. However, she wanted me to feel at ease and didn’t want me to have to come back so she stayed late for me… and called me personally to follow up just a couple days later.
So. her staff can be a little trying, but I highly recommend Dr. Abazari if you’re looking for a good, caring doctor that makes you feel at ease.

A friend of mine referred me to Dr. Mina Abazari. But, I am a much needier person than my friend. So, I decided to see what my fellow Unilocalers had to say and most of it was right on point!
Mina was wonderful! She spent a LONG time with me. But, I was feeling very needy at the time and she knew it and catered to my needs. She was thorough and left no stone unturned… every major issue that I had been having for the past two years was addressed fully!
NOW YOU CAN’T GO IN THERE LIKE THIS: my arm hurts, my back hurts, my hair hurts, my shoes don’t fit, I think I am anemic, my knee joint ain’t right, my nosebleeds every other Tuesday and on garbage nights I gag.
Dr. Abazari ain’t no joke! She will tell you to schedule appointments for your ailments. She is NOT BEING RUDE, she is being professional and courteous to other patients. BUT, if you are in need of extra time and attention, she picks up on that and is hopelessly devoted to you and your concerns.
I can’t imagine Mina Abazari being anything but kind, sensitive and professional. The people that didn’t like her must have caught her on a REALLY bad day or be MUCH needier than I am and that would be pretty darn needy.

I’m not one to rush to a doctor at the onset of an illness. I usually see if I can battle it out myself. So the times I’ve gone to see Dr. Abazari were for situations that were becoming chronic, and which I felt were abnormal and cause for concern.
In each instance, Dr. Abazari spent about 10 minutes tops with me. And I got the feeling that she wasn’t taking me seriously. Her answer for everything was basically, «I don’t know. There are many things that could be causing this. Maybe you are stressed. Maybe you are depressed.»
Now, I appreciate a doctor who can take a holistic approach, but hey, I think I can pretty much tell if I’m depressed or stressed. And guess what? I’m not. I don’t expect my doctor to be God and know all the answers. I’m OK with a doctor who says «I don’t know» when she really doesn’t know. But I would expect that doctor to offer a couple ideas about what might be going on. Like, «Well, maybe it’s X and we can try Y. Or it could also be Z, in which case we can try this other thing.»
In the end, she referred me to a specialist, and while that may have been the same result with another doctor, I really didn’t appreciate her attitude. The problem with Dr. Abazari is that she says «I don’t know,» implies you are causing your own problems or being paranoid (At one point she asked if I was afraid I was getting cancer. Huh?), and then sends you away. Each time I leave her office feeling like I just wasted my time.

I have been a patient of Dr. Abazari’s for nearly two years, and I count my blessings that she is my doctor.
When I first met her, I wasn’t prepared for her warmth and friendly bedside manner. Even though I was feeling ill, her energy and kindness are like a beacon of light… and you can’t help but feel good when you are in her care. I look forward to my visits with her, as she is always so caring, patient, and genuine when dealing with your sickness and discomfort. Her examinations are always thorough, and I never feel rushed to get out the door. She has a great deal of concern for everyones well being, and listens to everything you have to say… no matter how silly or scary it might be. I know I’m always in good hands with her, and I would trust Dr. Abazari with my life.
She is one of the best doctors I have ever encountered, and truly a compassionate understanding healer.

In the very brief period of time in which I had health insurance (a whopping 5 months!), I came here.
RE-​WIND Yo!
One night I was home watching this thing on PBS about the American experience in novels (ok, shut up, I know nerd) and I got this funny feeling in my head. All of sudden I got really dizzy and everything I did made it worse. I freaked out and thought, ‘oh no. I have brain cancer’ or something like that. Anyway, the next day I called my health insurance provider for a doctor, which I them cross-​referenced with Unilocal.
I made an appointment with Dr. Abazari and went in for a check-​up. I always get unreasonably nervous at doctor’s appointments. It’s probably all the movies I watch. I’m convinced that I have some undercover disease like what Debra Winger had in ‘Terms of Endearment’ or what Julia Roberts had in ‘Steel Magnolias.’ Some sort of fucked up ‘woman’s disease.’ Anyway, Dr. Abazari was so nice and checked me out and said that I was perfectly healthy. She put me at ease and I was way less anxious afterwards.
The mystery of the one off vertigo persists, but it hasn’t happened since then. In any case, sista gots some drugs to take care of that sucka.

My 5 stars agree totally with the two reviews before me. Dr. Abazari was friendly and competent and totally willing to discuss all my options and potential problems.
I never felt like she was judging me or talking down to me. I can’t believe I hit the doctor jackpot with my first attempt here in California.
I kind of didn’t want to review her just in case she became so insanely busy that I could never get another appointment ;) So don’t you all be seeing her just because I’d give her 6 stars if I could.

After moving to San Francisco from across the country, I’ve had the arduous task of re-​finding my doctors. I found Dr. Abazari though my provider but followed her up with a quick peek on Unilocal to see if she was rated.
Based on Amy L’s review of her, I thought I’d give the doc a shot. Not only were they able to squeeze me in the same day I called (thank heavens, boy was I sick) but I found her to be a wonderful doctor.
I usually am pretty blasé about about health care professionals, but her manner was so reassuring and all-​around nice. She took time to address all of my concerns and symptoms and didn’t try to hustle me out when I asked questions. She even went so far as to tell me that if I wasn’t better by Saturday, for me to call her answering service and she would see me. During the weekend!?! So, happily 5 stars for this doc. For the first time ever, I actually trust and and happy about my doctor.

Medical appointments have always caused me all kinds of stress and anxiety. I’m not sure why, as I am a healthy person and have never had any major doctor/​hospital/​medical drama to induce such a reaction.
Nevertheless, I avoid medical care in the worst way. It drives my boyfriend insane. «Make your damn doctor’s appointment!», he’s always telling me.
Well, Dr. Abazari makes my medical-​phobia a little less painful. A lot less, actually. She is pleasant, easy to talk to, incredibly smart and helpful… what else can I say?
I officially have no excuse to delay my appointments.