James J Lee, MD FACS

I’m currently a third year medical student so I’m hoping that my review of Dr. James Lee will resonate with those who read it and consider seeing him.
Recently, my father had a fairly emergent concern that I felt was appropriate for evaluation by a specialist like Dr. Lee. His staff was polite and set my father up for an appointment a few days later. I personally did not attend the appointment but I was told immediately afterward about what happened. I was shocked by what I heard about Dr. Lee’s conduct in interacting with and evaluating my father. His first words upon entering the room were ridicule for my parents for wasting his time with what he thought were unconcerning/​insignificant symptoms. I believe Dr. Lee was educated at an American medical school but I do NOT think that he was taught to dismiss patients who come in bearing the weight of anxiety and unfamiliarity that affects all who are afflicted by illness. My father attempted to relate his history of present illness but he was totally rebuffed. While I have no reason to doubt Dr. Lee’s technical abilities as a physician, I am seriously concerned about his skills in patient-​physician interaction, which is often just as important in attaining the necessary rapport to reach a valid and complete diagnosis/​decision. My father said that Dr. Lee said something along the lines of, «I’m a cancer doctor; why did you come here to waste my time?» Although I’m trying my best to remain objective in this review, apparently, Dr. Lee can eliminate a diagnosis of cancer using his eyes (read: this is impossible).
All in all, my father’s appointment lasted 3 minutes (not an exaggeration). While my parents were relieved that Dr. Lee had determined nothing was wrong, I was frustrated when I heard about this incident. How could Dr. Lee find that nothing was wrong when he did not so much as perform his minimum due diligence? What kind of doctor spends 3 minutes on a patient? We of course sought a second opinion, but the experience bothered my parents enough for them to ask me to write this review today.
I hope this helps future patients in avoiding Dr. Lee’s practice. It seems to me that he did not receive the necessary education in patient interaction to make fully informed decisions about his patients’ health. While some of you may have had contradictory experiences, there are enough negative reviews here to lead me to believe that Dr. Lee is, at best, an inconsistent doctor. You as patients deserve better care.

This guy is a total quack.
If you want a doctor who spends one minute with diagnosis and rushes out of the room, then he’s a great fit for you.
I hope this doc has a change of heart and starts caring for his patients rather than seeing them as ATMs.

I found this doctor through my insurance network thinking he was a «specialist» he might have all his degrees hanging on his wall but that really means nothing when you can not diagnose the condition. My husband has been suffering from ringing and crackling in his ear. He went to several visits with Mr. Lee (which explains his greed) only to tell him he did not know what the source of his condition was from. He sent him to get an MRI and was told nothing was wrong, went back to Mr. Lee only to be told he had no answer and that he was just going to have to «live with the pain»… this is completely unacceptable. Now we are in the process of getting a second and third opinion. Dr. Lee was a totally waste of time and full of greed!

Special treatment

I went for the office for Thyroid check up and he is all in for his money rather than patient’s well being.
Without proper explanation, he said I need to have surgery to remove it and most of the meeting was how he will charge for the surgery.
After about $ 500 worth his first meeting, I went to see two more doctor for secound and third opinion. and both of the doctors said it’s not neccessoary for my condition and I need to just to follow up every year.
I do not recommend this doctor

I always had problems with sore throats, snoring, obstructive sleep apnea, and tonsillitis due to huge tonsils. So I visited Dr. Lee based on the compliments from my relatives. My experience was great. He is very professional and quick.
Dr. Lee recommend my tonsils and adenoid to be removed. So, I recently had a tonsillectomy along with a adenoidectomy from Dr. Lee. I’m very glad I did it. I was also quite pleased on after-​care service after my surgery.
His office is in great location, very clean, and receptionists are friendly.
I would highly recommend Dr. Lee to anyone looking for an ENT doctor.

I will be a patient for life!!! Thank you so truly much to dr. Lee and Natalie at the front desk they are life savors. Dr looks out for my over all health. Thank you thank you thank you all of my family will be coming to him

Dr. Lee is an awesome doctor, I broke my nose at a punk show and he straightened it out and I can breath better now. His staff is nice and professional.

I was referred to Dr. Lee from my regular doctor because of my tonsillitis. I had gone to at least three or four different doctors about this beforehand and I was hoping that Dr. Lee would recommend my tonsils be removed.
My first visit was in February and I was pleasantly surprised by how kind he was. He looked at my tonsils and adenoids and recommended that they both be removed.
My surgery date was then set up for April and Dr. Lee was very informative and made me feel hardly any anxiety about the procedure. I even saw him right before the surgery, which eased my nerves more. The surgery went smoothly and since then I’ve been back for a few follow up visits.
Dr. Lee is very knowledgeable and kind and you can tell he really loves his job and he takes pride in his work. I had a great experience at this office. The staff is friendly and I highly recommend Dr. Lee! In fact, I’m kind of sad that I don’t have to go for any more appointments!

Dr. Lee has been an exceptional physician and surgeon. I came close to losing my eyesight with a particularly nasty sinus infection and Dr. Lee has been great. His staff has always been friendly and efficient as well… I’m really shocked to see so many negative reviews. Sad to see that more people prefer to complain than compliment.

Actually, un-​rateable service. I am doubtable if this Doctor is alive. He might have some serious personal problem, or I never in my lomg long life had this kind of service.
I am even doubting if this is a medical company with financial scam. I had to give my social just to make an appointment to see the doctor. I had to have an Hearing test just to see Dr. Lee with Social Security number. Beware! I just needed to request cancellation of appointment.

I initially came to Dr. Lee several years ago for my hearing loss. He informed me that I could benefit from hearing aids and the use of them could improve the quality of my life. At the time my insurance didn’t cover hearing devices. I returned to Dr. Lee in 2014 when my insurance’s change in coverage made the hearing aids more feasible. He examined me and discussed the severity of my hearing loss. He was patient and thorough and made me feel at ease. I got my first pair of hearing aids in March 2014 and have had them for close to a year. I cannot believe how much I was missing on the outside. I will continue coming to Dr. Lee for all my hearing needs.

In my life, I have never had a doctor so sweet and patient. Although his staff is a little rough around the edges, most of his assistants are so sweet and helpful. I have come to Dr Lee with my chronic ear infections and sinus infections for 2 or 3 years now and I plan to keep going there for years to come. :) having just had my tonsils taken out by Dr Lee himself, I can assure you that phantom charges do not exist at his practice. They were transparent with me and focused on patient care, not on the money I was bringing them. Even though recovery was a bit rough, he was there for me every step of the way. Even answering a phone call personally at 1 in the am! I appreciate all the hard work he and his staff do and don’t plan on switching doctors anytime soon.

Great Dr. Very glad I found him. I would recommend him to anyone!
Dr. James Lee. Was very professional, kind, and cares very much about people’s well being. I’d only met him for the first time today for a consultation, but I felt as if he’d been my doctor for years. He look young, energetic. I’ve been disregarded by so many doctors in the past– It’s great to meet a doctor that regards me as a fellow human that actually cares! He also takes my new Obama care insurance that so far has only opened the door to overcrowded clinics. I highly recommend him as a Ear Nose Throat care physician!
And the entire office was more than welcoming and so helpful. The Girl’s who work there was so welcome and they actually connected with you not as a patient but as a friend who cares. The visit was fast and thorough no complaints here thanks for everything.

I came here because I have been having recurring problems with my tonsils. Had a consultation for a tonsillectomy and it went smoothly. His staff was helpful and friendly. He was very informative and explained every step of the procedure. I was in and out of the surgical center within 2 hours. I highly recommend.

Get ready for the phantom charges. I saw him to order a sleep study. He charged my $ 400 for my 5 minute appointment to order the study, then charged me another $ 300 when I didn’t even see him again. They claimed it was for writing a report about the full report that the sleep center sent, but they never produced the report that they claimed he wrote.
I’ve talked to his staff 3 times, and now they sent the bill for the phantom service to collections, so I’ve got to take more drastic action to get them to drop it.
Edit:
There was an interpretation report. I paid $ 2500 for the specialist at the sleep center to interpret the results. I actually asked for a phone consult to get the results, but was refused by the office staff. I would have paid for the consultation. Again, I asked for the report that I was charged for, and no report was ever produced.

UPDATE: one month later, and I haven’t breathed this well in decades. All the minor details aside, the surgery went very well, and for that I am thankful.
I admit I was very upset initially because I had trouble breathing for about 5 days, before I really started to notice positive results.
As for the insurance fiasco… I later found out my birth date was incorrectly given by my dad. I will give the office benefit of the doubt for last-​minute changes to insurance.
ORIGINAL REVIEW
I went into Dr. Lee’s office for nose surgery, I *think* to shrink my turbinates, as they swelled up in size to the point I could not breathe too well.
PROS:
Staff: The staff was friendly. There were some that I noticed really did look out for my best interests, which I appreciated. She explicitly told me not to blow my nose! Remembered that advice *very* well. June did small talk with how we both went to the same school for undergrad (UCSD Tritons!) which I thought was cool.
Doctor: he’s very to the point. If you like that in doctors, he’s one to go to. He also supported his staff/​students in learning. He discussed the fine line between too much/​too little surgery in my nose to ensure proper breathing. Medical information-​wise, he knows his stuff. One staff told me that he took about 10 minutes longer than usual on me (not surprised), and went overtime, which I appreciated.
CONS:
What did I have?: He mentioned my specific condition once. Missed it, being on drugs and all. Granted, I understand improper diagnosis is a big no-​no, but still, would have liked to know exactly what my condition was.
Clarity: when my parents called, the bill was supposed to be $ 600. After everything, the total came out to $ 895. They told me about the check-​in charge which was fine ($ 135). Found out about one piece of equipment not being under my insurance after surgery. The doctor also insisted that I have my check-​ups at his office, which I found a little rude. It’s bad practice to not go to the original doctor that you had surgery from, I get that. But the 450 mile deterrence, I’m sure, can be understandable on the doctor’s part. Luckily I called later, and was able to resolve the issue.
Office closed at 5P, surgery started around 4:30P. We finished around 5:15P. So after surgery, the ending felt a bit rushed, but I understand we all want to leave after work. He stayed after and worked extra on me, so I gotta give him props for that.
CONCLUSION: If you want to go to a no-​fluff, straight-​to-​the-​point doctor, with an overall solid staff, good place to go.

I went to see this guy few years back for chronic sinusitis and it still infuriates me just thinking about how inconsiderate, rude and insulting he was!

I really am sad that I have to be another who is writing a negative review.
This is NOT my first time here. It’s actually my third.
I am sad to say that I feel conned for the service I received. I practically didn’t receive any service and was asked to pay. I am now out of the office with the same condition and no solution and $ 100 less.

I wish I saw anna’s review before I went!
I had a blood vessel burst in my ear. (outer part) so it got swollen.
he tells me i need a $ 1500 surgery and charges me $ 160 for telling me that.
LOL
He didn’t do anything else.