Karen Virley, MD

If any of the staff tells you that they accept your insurance and that Dr. Virley is in your network, please get this written on paper. Under that impression, I was already disappointed in the service I received having paid the $ 30 copay… so imagine how I felt when I got charged an additional $ 170 for the doctor doing absolutely nothing but referring me to someone else. She didn’t even touch me.

After reading the reviews I was mortified to come here. The reviews weren’t accurate at all! The staff were perfectly friendly and even joked a little, which made the stay pleasant. The nurse was fantastic. Very warm funny personality. And Dr. Virley was the opposite of dismissive (as the reviews would suggest) I found her to be incredibly thorough and efficient. She was pleasant, polite and also quite charming.

I’m in shock as well that so many people are saying bad things about her. I’ve been with her for many years now and had nothing but the best experiences. I find her very pleasant and having lots of friends that are involved in the admin side of medicine, I can only assume that these bad reviewers are not the type of people that I would think are very pleasant to begin with. When you’re sick you tend to think that the world revolves around you and that no one has anything else to do than please you and listen to your whining. Well I went through some pretty bad things too and I didn’t act like an entitled ass. Please disregard these terrible people and trust in Dr. Virley. She is great. Understanding. Great bedside manner. Nothing but the best results from going to her.

This is probably one of the few times in life I wish I could give a person a zero star rating. She is an AWFUL physician. Over the years I have worked with many doctors and seen a variety of doctors myself. None of these individuals have ever inspired even a tiny bit of the hate I have for this woman. If you generally do not have any health issues then by all means visit this «no nonsense» woman and you’ll find yourself in and out quickly. However, if like most of the population out there you suffer from any sort of issues that require actual treatment for your own sake look elsewhere. She is stuck in the past and does not take any input from patients because her opinions are obviously more accurate than countless other physicians, scientists, and definitely the patients themselves. At the very least she could try to be pleasant but I think that would be impossible for someone incapable of so much as emulating human emotions. Good luck Karen, may retirement find you sooner rather than later.

Terrible unprofessional and uncaring doctor. I came in after experiencing a severe panic attack and she treated me if I was crazy and had no problems whatsoever. I will never come back to this clinic again. They are employing the lowest level of doctors judging by this woman. She didn’t even listen to my heart when I complained of heart palpitations and shortness of breath.

I am a person who never goes to the doctor. Ever. But after 3 full days of 102+ fever, body aches, chills and a throat that was swollen and so sore I couldn’t swallow food or water I finally decided to find a doctor. DWhen I walked into the practice I was underwhelmed bc it isn’t very clean. But that isn’t what is influencing this review. I didn’t really have a negative experience with the front desk either they weren’t good and they weren’t bad they were just kindof there. I was impartial to them. I was taken back to a room and seen by a nurse fairly promptly then I waited for a literal 20 minutes at the least before Dr. Virley came in I told her about the throat pain I had been having and she prescribed me a nasal spray… for allergies and explained that my throat hurt so bad bc of friction from the mucus… so I tried the spray and it cleared up my nose but not my throat at all. White spots later showed up on my tonsils that night which is when I realized she hadn’t swabbed my throat to test for strep at all. I called the office first thing the next morning because I was in so much pain and had to go in again so she could look at my throat and tell me my tonsil looked like it had become infected (bc there were a lot of white spots) I asked her to test for strep and she said she was going to give me antibiotics anyways. Asked again for her to test me for strep so I could tell my mom what exact disease I have and again she told me «this is the same thing she would prescribe if I did have strep so it doesn’t really matter». Genuinely shocked that the doctor I wanted to be my primary care provider wouldn’t want to pinpoint my illness invade it comes back again. will DEFINITELY be looking for a new doctor and reading Unilocal reviews beforehand Cause I just found this one on my insurance’s website.

There is nothing more frustrating than a doctor who consistently gives your pharmacy the wrong dosage for your medication refills. I take thyroid medication which has to be taken on a daily basis for me to function at 100%. Dr virley and her office have failed to reply to refill requests from myself and the pharmacy and have made dosage mistakes more times than I can even count or remember. I could type forever about the slew of issues I’ve had — medication refills, appointments scheduled for different times than I had originally had, feeling rushed, etc. I had an HMO at my now previous employer and didn’t have many options in my network so I was stuck with her. I cannot wait for my new PPO and new insurance so I can go to a new doctor. If you want headache after headache and lots of hassle and attitudes from her staff — then she’s your perfect doctor!!! Good grief what a terrible 2 years it has been.

Dr. Virley is excellent. She is no nonsense and is pro preventive care. Her staff in exam rooms are excellent. Front desk has a GIANT chip on her shoulder, and I tried to be pleasant.

I am not surprised that this place has such low stars! I have been here several times and after today I have finally had it… I decided to come on here and just search to see if I could even do a Unilocal review and sure enough here is the office with awful reviews. I wish I had read these before I wasted my money on getting «medical attention».
First things first… the receptionists here are RUDE as hell and talk to you like you’re a two year old. If you don’t like your job then find something else!
The first time I visited Dr. Virley I was having major pains in my stomach area and in my lower back. When I told my mom about the pains she told me to go to the Dr. because it sounded like I had gallstones. When I went into Dr. Virley’s office I told her that this ran in my family and 9 of the women in my family have had their gallbladder removed because of gallstones. She looked at me like «what the hell do you know» and said, «you are too young to have gallstones…» well guess what… after all the blood work and tests, they came back positive for gallstones. I’ll never forget the look on her face when I came back into her office for my pre-​op she was in shock that I had them and asked me «does this run in your family?» Yeah dummy! That’s what I said before, don’t you listen?
Today I called because I have been sick for 2 months, I’ve been to her office twice and they keep telling me that nothing is wrong and it’s just the common cold. Today I asked if she could call me back because I’d like to get some antibiotics, I’m pretty sure I have a sinus infection. Both times I’ve called her receptionist has been super rude and like I said, she talked to me like I’m an idiot. Unfortunately, I’m going to have to find someone that is still passionate about helping their patients. They really deserve 1 star, but I have to say the only positive about this place is that they get you in pretty quickly. I haven’t had to wait very long to be seen.

Honestly, I’m a little in shock. These reviews aren’t for the Dr. Virley I know. I searched high and low for a doctor who would actually listen to me and work with my other health care professionals who were helping me to get my thyroid under control and help me to lose weight.
She’s always taken her time with me and been incredibly thorough. She’s been funny, reassuring and patient. She’s absolutely a person who uses her time wisely, she even uses a rolling cart to keep her lap top on the move, but never, not once did she rush me.
The people in her office are generally busy, like any doctors office I’ve ever been in. They’re neck high in paper work, the phone never stops ringing and they’re genuinely trying to work with everyone that’s in need of attention. Maybe the people below haven’t had to deal with health issues before, but these people are doing a pretty good job at keeping all those balls in the air.
Really, I went through several doctors before deciding on Dr. Virley, whom I’ve been with now for several years. Maybe people looking for more of a pediatrician like demeanor won’t be served well by her directness, but for someone like me, who appreciates knowing all the facts and understanding lab results, she’s a dream.

If I could give a half star, I would.
I have never experienced such a rude and unpleasant woman. I went in with my sister for a general check up and to talk about acne. Not a big deal. My sister was there for moral support (I get nervous in Doctor Offices), was sitting in the room with me, and when Dr. Virley walked in she told her that she couldn’t be in the room with me, because I wouldn’t be honest in answering questions. Really? My sister? Who I tell everything to? Who knew the reasons why I was in her office in the first place?
She promptly kicked her out of the room, and rudely told me that it was unprofessional. I never went back because I couldn’t stand her bedside manner. Everyone in the office is pretty rude. I don’t understand how there are doctors with such terrible manners. If you can’t interact with people, don’t choose a profession that requires you to.
I haven’t been back since, and if anyone mentions her, I warn them against her and her office. Hopefully I can save you from making the same mistake I did.
The only good thing she did was give a good topical solution for acne. Thanks, I guess.

I must write a review on this office because I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through what I did there. If you have any self respect and care for your health, please do not go to this office. I’ve NEVER had such a horrible experience with a doctor & staff. They are truly worthless.Dr. Virley’s bedside manner is horrible. Her responses to questions are abrupt and rude. What makes this office especially awful is the «team» she is a part of and seems «unaware» or just doesn’t care about the horrible and negligent treatment that her patients receive from her staff. I’m not sure what the office staff does back there but it is an elaborate mess. Somehow patient files, medical records and messages for the doctor get sucked into a vortex. It seems as though each staff member can only do one task. Every time I called I would get transferred to at least 3 different people, each incompetent, for each item needed. You get the feeling that no one really knows the status of a patient and her issues because they aren’t communicating with each other. It’s a failed system.
I came into that office very sick. I told Dr. Virley that I had been bleeding (female issues) for approx 18 days straight (sorry for grahpic-​ness). Dr. Virley ordered «expedited» lab work and an ultrasound and it took over a week to just get the referral to see a gynecologist, only with me calling many times asking what was going on, and this was as an expedited request! I never received a call about my labwork so I started calling to find out what was going on. Every time I called I was transferred to whoever was apparently in charge of lab results and if I didn’t receive their voicemail I would be told that she hadn’t received anything yet. When I asked if I could leave a message for Dr. Virley to call me back, I would be transferred to someone else in charge of «messages».I called several times, left several messages and NOT ONE CALL WAS EVER RETURNED!
I kept telling the office that I felt extremely sick, and my issue was actually getting worse. I had become life threatenly anemic. I told them that I literally couldn’t walk more than 3 steps without having to stop because I felt like I was about to have a heart attack. I had never felt so sick before in my life. Even with telling them all this, they acted blasé’ and didn’t seem to care or see it as urgent. Finally I decided to call the lab myself to see why they hadn’t sent the reports, as Dr. Virley’s office claimed, and the lab assured me they had. I ended up having to have the new gyno doctor’s office call the lab themselves to request for the blood work to be sent to them directly instead of through Dr. Virley’s office. I also ended up having to pick up my own ultrasound report from the ultrasound clinic and taking them to my gyno myself. All the lab work and reports had been ready within 3 days yet it was weeks later and Dr. Virley’s office remained ignorant. In the condition I was in, the last thing I needed to be doing was running around town picking up and delivering my own lab reports and ultrasounds but if I didn’t do it, who would?
Because of the incompetence of Dr. Virley’s office, my care was delayed for close to a month. My status had remained the same and my gyno finally determined that I needed to go in for surgery to which was scheduled for a Tuesday. The Thursday prior I had to get pre-​surgery blood work. I barely made it to the clinic because I was blacking out every few steps. I looked and felt like a ghost. The next morning I received an urgent call from my gyno doctor ordering me to be driven immediately to the hospital for an emergency transfusion and surgery because I had a blood count of 4.6. The Gyno couldn’t believe I was still walking around!
If Dr. Virley’s office would have done the most basic of jobs…(fax a paper to a doctor, get a referral done), I would have probably had that surgery more than a month sooner and not have had to suffer as much as I did. Thank Goodness, I didn’t rely on Dr. Virley’s office to take care of my health because my 4 yr. old would probably have been motherless right now, according to my gynecologist. There’s serious malpractice occurring here by the looks of these reviews… a place like this should be shut down and it’s staff put out of work!

Wow, I’m really surprised by the reviews; I think Dr Virley is a great doctor. She is very thorough, explains things, and takes her time with me. I actually inherited her, as I initially went to this group for another doctor; it was close to impossible to get an appointment with him, then he left to do other work. I’m glad I ended up with Dr Virley.

— This office provides sub par service and I highly discourage using them as your primary physician.
I’ve been going to Dr. Virley for 3 years. At first she seemed great, attentive and caring. It was convenient to go to her because she is located very close to my home and work. Everything went downhill from there.
Last year I had lab work done for a bacterial infection. I was told I would be called with the results within 72 hours. A week later I called to inquire about my results and was told she hadn’t looked at them yet. So I called the next day, and the next day, and so on for the next TWO weeks. Finally she found the 2 minutes required to review my results and prescribe me an antibiotic for something that could have developed into a very serious infection.
OK fine. First mistake and convenience outweighed it. Then last month my pharmacy called me asking if I knew my birth control prescription had been changed. They said that Dr. Virely called in a type I had been taking a year prior. I called her office and told the receptionist that it was wrong and to please call in the correct one. An hour later I got another call from the pharmacy telling me the wrong prescription had once again been called in. It was an entirely new one. So I called back the office. The nurse I spoke with then asked me what prescription I should be taking. I am NOT a doctor. I told her to please review my chart and ensure the correct prescription was called in. Assuming everything had been corrected I went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription and it was still WRONG. I called the office the next day and was once again asked which prescription I would like. That’s not the way it works. Finally after becoming completely enfuriated and once again asking her to please freaking review my gd chart, she must have reviewed my chart because the correct prescription was called in.
— It is not up to the patient to prescribe their own medications.
— You should not have to badger your doctor for 3 weeks to receive lab results.

Absolutely. Awful. I think her sole purpose as a doctor is to shame and humiliate. Although my visit with her gave me a hilarious story involving me dressed in, essentially, a paper towel, sweating, nearly crying, and being accosted by Dr. Virley, it just wasn’t worth it. The support staff is kind, but seem like they are on a totally different team. Later, a simple office visit just to know about blood results and medication resulted in her telling me that I was «making things too hard» (WTF? just because I needed to see my doctor??) and her calling me a liar because I couldn’t remember the exact date I had gone to Quest.
If you’re looking some really uncomfortable abuse from a doctor, she’s your lady.

I don’t typically write reviews but can’t get away from this one.
She is possibly the worst doctor I have ever met. She and her staff are positively incompetent. Misdiagnosis after misdiagnosis, never returns calls, never refills prescriptions. I’ve had so many blood boiling occurrences with her and others at Lakeside Medical. Go elsewhere if you can. Not sure why’ve I’ve lasted as long as I have with her.

There are two. so I am going to review on both:
Dr. Virley and the staff are rude. Her nurse was her only saving grace. Other than that, not one person looked me in the eye, including the woman at the front desk. Between her and Dr. Virley, I can’t decide who was less pleasant. I usually see Dr. Minosa, but she was out of town. Now, thanks to the entire staff (minus one nurse), I will never even come back to see her. Dr. Minosa is a better doctor and deserves to share an office with someone that won’t chase all of the patients away. I went in on a Friday and came back on Monday. Over the weekend, they somehow managed to lose my entire file. All of my personal information was in there. VERY UNPROFESSIONAL.

I love Dr. Karen Virley. She is very thorough, you can ask multiple questions, and she doesn’t ever rush you out of the room. Waiting room is small and basic, but seems clean. Could have a bigger magazine collection! Staff have always been helpful. Highly recommend this wonderful Doctor.

Although I’ve yet to be wowed by the service here, they have been prompt and have never been rude to me. When I’ve had issues they have been able to get me in the same day and Dr. Virley has been very helpful with me since I got hit by a car.
She’s had me come in often to keep an eye on my progress, is working with me on PT and is taking fabulous notes for my lawsuit.
The administration does seem to be lacking and every time I have requested information, or should have received referral paperwork, it seems that I’m waiting for hell to freeze over.

Dr. Virley is wonderful-​I do not know what the prior reviewer is used to but waits, etc. is part of the medical experience-don’t like it? Then vote to change healthcare. All insurance in CA is «managed care». Dr. Virley is compassionate and listens to her patients. She is not afraid to order tests she thinks are warrented. They always save a few appointments each day for same day appointments. It is the nature of healthcare today that it is a business-​and the Doctors are not the ones getting rich. Any doctor today who does not have their time tightly managed cannot be a very good doctor