North Park Family Health Center

Victor, you are making some assumptions. You state that my case involves multiple visits and you didn’t ask me which visit I was referring to!
On 12/​29/​2015 I did have an appointment that was scheduled in advance for 11:30AM and I arrived at 12:00PM. I apologize that I was not on time for that appointment and I would have called to cancel, but I was experiencing muscle spasms in my lower back. My hope was that I could be seen that day to alleviate my pain and accompanying emotional duress. You state that I was 40 minutes late, but according to the records I was 30 minutes late. The discrepancy regarding how late I was for that particular appointment is minor, however still relevant.
I am actually referring to my appointment on 01/​06/​2015 and you won’t find it in your digital records because that was a same day walk-​in appointment. You may find the hard copy of my ‘walk-​in slip’ at your site in Lemon Grove, but even if you located the hard copy it would not document my arrival time. To verify my arrival time you could review the surveillance footage of the lobby area. However, I doubt that you have the inclination to do so. I remember my appointment on 01/​06/​2015 because I spoke with Leiana, Assistant Director.
The next issue I would like to address is the ‘standard 5-​day turnaround period’. In the past, I’ve had paperwork completed by the doctor, for my college, during the actual appointment. Is the ‘standard 5-​day turnaround period’ a new policy that has been implemented recently? My next question is why would the doctor I spoke with on 01/​09/​2015 agree to complete the paperwork at the end of the day and advise me to follow up on 01/​11/​2015? I appreciate your effort to defuse the tension, however your language has the tangential affect of attempting to discredit my review.
You advised me to contact Tony de Los Santos to discuss the issue further, but I already did that. I met with him at the clinic on 01/​11/​2015. Immediately, after our meeting I sent him an email and he replied the same day. However, I sent a follow up email on 01/​13/​2015 and received an ‘out of office reply’. I haven’t heard from him since 01/​11/​2015. I visited the clinic today, 01/​15/​2015. He was not at the clinic and no one at the clinic can provide an update on the status of my paperwork. As I write this review the time is approximately 2:58PM on Friday, 01/​15/​2015 and I still have no update on the status of the paperwork. By your own admission, your clinic is violating the ‘standard 5-​day turnaround period’!
The reason I posted this review is to communicate my experience to the public. I may hear a response from the Clinic Director today, but I probably won’t and I doubt he works on Saturday. The clinic is closed on Sunday. Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Is your clinic open on 01/​18/​2015, because that is a federally recognized holiday? So it seems that the earliest that I may hear a response is Tuesday 01/​19/​2015. That seems to be a lot longer than 5 days. Another thing, can you clarify if those are calendar days or business days? Your clinic is open on Saturday, so do you consider Saturday a business day? Your words contradict your actions and amount to ‘lip service’ in my opinion.

Made an appointment last week, accepts medi-​cal, great! Should up for the appointment today… they don’t accept medi-​cal through healthnet? Appointment setters ought to mention it.

I know they are non-​profit and hence wasn’t really expecting much from them. But my, did they blow me away! Great, excellent and professional service. What more can I say … other than how friendly and understanding everyone is. I promise, nobody paid me to say this. Remember, they are non-​profit so they don’t even need reviews from Unilocal and places like this for their business. I highly recommend it. I just made an appointment for dental work there.

Thank you N.P.F.H.C, I was coming to this Family health for the first time after having a negitive experience at another location. My visit was awesome! So what that I had to wait a little longer, because it was well worth the wait. My provider Lori Lapina was great, she was kind, understanding and very knowledgeable. My life the last few months has been stressful and unpredictable, but thanks to someone that enjoys the job of caring, and really listening to what a patient has to say without prejuding. I have found my new provider that I can count on which in turn helps my stress. Thank you, you have made a difference in my life. :-)

I have been coming here for 7 months and am normally greeted with kind and caring doctors and staff which is why I’m still giving them a 3. But today when I went in for my 39 week pregnancy check up I was greeted by the most condescending and entitled attitude. Dr. Mimi Shaffer. It was her first day and I could hear her outside my room confused as to which patient was getting what care and even didn’t know who had been waiting in what rooms. I had gotten undressed because I was supposed to be checked for dilation. Upon her entering I had asked if we could do a quick ultra sound since the machine was already on and what mother doesn’t want to see her baby. Literally she snapped «that’s not why you are here for today». Thanks captain obvious. Do you even know why I’m here? I laid back to proceed with what I was there for. Then I was told that if I wasn’t having contractions then I didn’t need to be undressed and it was a waste of time and «uncomfortable». How am I supposed to know what I’m feeling? Did you ask me if these Braxton hicks are constant and or sometimes painful? Did you do any sort of questioning to how I feel before you came to this conclusion? No. I’m due in 6 days and I’m scared. She gave me no sort of warm welcoming or even concern to how I was feeling. Just a in and out and made me feel like I was wasting her time. Even when I asked about what position my baby was in (which my previous doctors are always happy to just feel for me and tell me) her response was «it’s hard to tell they move a lot». She actually did end up using the US machine and darted around saying she couldn’t tell what position he was in. Wow. I told her to leave my room and I would not deal with her attitude any longer. Then to be followed by questioning by the overseer of the clinic in a room like I was in trouble by the principle and questioned about how I had behaved after hearing her deny an sort of wrong doing. I was in tears and absolute shock. If you don’t have the patience for your patients or the intent on helping then you are in the wrong field. Really an awful feeling for a first time mother to be so left out and uniformed about anything. And might I add that you should keep your mini dress and high heels and your immature attitude at the club. A doctors office is no place to treat people like ‘mean girls’. Grow up. I’m here to have a baby not sit with you. I would rather give birth in an ally than have Ms. Shaffer deliver my baby into this world. I’m thankful I don’t have to go back to this clinic and if she’s the one at the hospital when I’m in labor I will waddle right back out and go elsewhere.

I have had to walk in twice now without an appointment, the first time was ok once I finally saw a doctor after 2 ½ hours of waiting, for the second one they told me I have to come back at a later time that day for an appointment if I want to be seen. When I explained to them I have done this before and seen someone they told me «we don’t have an onsite doctor for walk ins»…well then who did I see last time I was there? Every time I talk to someone in this place I get a different story or a different set of «policies» every time. There is just no sense of urgency or care. You are here to tend to the health of your patients, perhaps that should be considered.

The only reason why I even gave 2 stars was because my doctor is awesome. However the staff at the front desk couldn’t be any meaner and cold! I mean this is their job! If they hate dealing with people then they are in the wrong place!
I have been waiting in the waiting room observing how they interact with patients and it’s very awkward. Then they called me up and I didn’t have my insurance card (they were sending me a new card in the mail) the girl up front gave me so much attitude and almost turned me away. I asked if my info was on file and she claimed it wasn’t. So I asked if I could just talk with he doctor since I was just coming for a prescription refill. Then, miraculously she found my info. People come in here for many reasons, most of the time they’re not feeling well. So it would be nice to be treated with some sympathy and some care!

After my rant I did get a call back not exactly the out come I wanted, but close enough AND my voice was heard. A+++++ for customer service/​concern.

It took two months to get an X-​ray. They then told me I need an MRI. I couldn’t make the appointment for the MRI right then (needed to do it later). Even though the doctor said I needed an MRI she never wrote me a referral or put it on my chart. Now after 2.5 months of waiting they are making me go to another doctor appointment just to get the referral. Since each appointment takes a month I’ll be lucky to have my MRI and results by the end of the year.
The doctors and staff are nice but it feels like it’s impossible to be seen when you need to, or be helped over the phone.
Update: It took 6 months to get an MRI. The City Heights location also showed me that the North Park doctor wrote some weird stuff on my chart. And they put the wrong limb on my chart that I was having pain in.

I think this place is run by med school drop outs or something. Worst experiences ever! I had two referrals and they said someone would call. Nobody ever did so I called the number they gave. Left messages several days in a row and never got a call back. Good thing it wasn’t life threatening.
Had an appointment that included blood work. Lab request had STAT stamped in red three times. Dr and Phlebotomist said I’d hear back in 2 – 3 hours. It’s been 7 so far and left 2 messages. Still no results.
Can’t get an appointment for weeks (and somehow we were afraid of long lines with universal healthcare?!?).
Total Fail

With a new job and new health insurance I found the closest facility to my house through the ‘find a provider’ section on my insurance website. I scheduled one appointment for a skin abnormality, and another at a different branch for a women’s health consult. After many phone calls to my insurance and the health center, we determined my insurance ‘may not cover’ the other branches, so I only went for the skin issue. I checked in on-​time (4:25 PM) and am now informed that this visit may not be accepted by my insurance company. While irritating, the staff is very friendly, courteous, and attentive.
I was brought back to the exam room about 4:45 PM. After sitting there for a bit, the nurse moves me to a different room because of the computer height for the provider. I then sit in that room till about 5:30 PM and can hear the staff (mainly the provider I was seeing) complaining about being there past 5:30 and that they were short staffed (which I understand from working at a vet hospital for many years.) He then comes into the room and complains about the computer height.
Here is where things get bad:
The doctor (an internist) takes one look at my arm and first thing says, ‘that looks like skin cancer.’ I’m 27 years old. Please take this tip to heart doctors: Do NOT use the C-​word unless it’s confirmed. He then says, well it could not be, so we will have to biopsy, but not today because we are closed so you will have to come back. Their earliest appointment was one week later.
I chose to go to a dermatologist and get the biopsy today instead. My trusted dermatologist was very surprised the doctor used that word and said, I don’t think it’s skin cancer.

My reply to Mr. Victor D.
Dear Victor D.,
I appreciate your explanation regarding fee structures, sliding scales, etc. However, if someone, as I did, comes into the office and explains that they will be paying cash, how hard can that be to figure out?
Also yes, I did not come back for my follow up vaccines. I chose to have them completed someplace else.

After having Kaiser briefly I would rather be here, it’s a million times better than Kaiser. Kaiser can rot in hell! Yep this place isn’t so bad after all.

This is a review of prenatal care only.
Everyone that I have dealt with at this location is extremely nice. My appointments are fast & the doctors/​staff really seem to care. They always answer my questions and have a lot of extra resources available to those that need/​want them.
I had my reservations going into this place, but overall I have nothing negative to say.

I take my daughter to the pediatric part of this clinic for her regular care. Being a pediatrician myself, I am obviously going to be a little picky about my daughter’s care. We absolutely love Dr Johnson-​Patel. I never feel rushed even though I know her schedule is overpacked and she is super busy. She gives great medical advice and great practical parenting advice. I am always a little super paranoid about something on my child because I know too much and know the worst case scenario (and it’s hard to be logical and reasonable when it’s your own child), and Dr Johnson-​Patel is great about calmly diffusing my anxiety. It’s not a 5 star review because the wait times can be long and the referral process can be slow, but I would prefer this to no wait and a dr who doesn’t care and looks for the path of least resistance to get out of the room.

My review is based on the Womens Clinic and the Obgyns, all the girls there are very helpful and nice. I’ve only seen one Dr. For my pysical and she was very nice. Very informative and made conversation with me. The nurses are okay I do dislike that they tell you to arrive at a certain time but call you several minutes later.

Worst service ever !!! Don’t come here this place is a joke so much for helping the community the staff is rude the Drs are rude this place sucks

5 stars are for the girl who checked me in and the guy who escorted me to a room and took my blood pressure etc.
I only came here for a referral to neurologist so I wasn’t too concerned about the quality of doctor I saw but oh my goodness could Dr Ebrahim Mohamedy have cared any less as I told him of my visit to the ER due to confusion, memory loss and headache. He actually stared out the window as I spoke so I just stopped talking and hoped he would hurry up and approve the referral.
I would never visit this clinic again.

I’ve seen Dr Ascher (terrible bedside manner), Dr Chen (rushed me through both visits), NP Johanna Green (knowledgeable but called in on my second visit with her) and another as needed Nurse Practioner that was awesome and I don’t remember her name. The front office staff was moody at times and pleasant at others. The nursing staff gets 5 stars for being consistent and caring.
I’m transitioning to a new provider that is not Family Healthcare Centers of San Diego.

I recently had to visit the clinic for an infection. The staff understood the necessity of treating the infection and got me in to see Dr. Chen first thing Monday, since the infection began on Friday afternoon and I figured I would have to wait until Monday to see a Doc.
Dr. Chen took a moment to consider the right course of action and decided to prescribe a powerful antibiotic to ensure the infection was well controlled. I could tell that she was very careful to make a good decision since the wrong one could lead down a dangerous path.
Her bedside manner was perfect, showing great care regarding the infection, but the right professionalism to make a medical decision.
It was obvious that the whole clinic worked as a team and that they really want to take care of their patients.
I really appreciated the great care the staff made to help me with the infection.