Robert H. Langston, MD

Dr, Langston and Dr. Johnston are wonderful doctors to our 3 ½ year old and our 20 month old. I couldn’t ask for better service and care for our fellas. Dr. Langston was our doctor when both boys were delivered and he handled both with perfection. I highly recommend him and his staff. You will be very pleased.

I’ve been with doctor Langston for five years. He is patient, kind and will always explain why and what he thinks is going on with your child. He will also listen to you without judgement. I never feel rushed and he always spends as much time as we need with us. As I mentioned to him today, I’m a bit neurotic (I wanted him to clean his stethoscope) but I like to stack the odds in my favor… his reply was «you’re doing a great job mom»
Doctor Langston’s staff is top notch. They are respectful and get you in to see the doctor as soon as they can. Sofia and Christine are the best shot givers :)
It’s clear that doctor Langston cares how his front desk staff treats his patients. I can’t remember what happened exactly but a remark was made to me that was not quite right and dr. Langston called a meeting over it and I’ve never experienced anything of the like since.
Most importantly and the reason main reason I’m with him… Dr. Langston is a great diagnostician and a smart doctor. Wknd clinics have been off with diagnosis and doctor Langston is spot on every time. Dr. L is the hardest working doctor I know and the nurses in the hospital speak highly of him and enjoy working with him.
Keep up the good work doc. We are lucky to have you.

We originally signed on as patient’s of Dr. Langston, but found ourselves over a period of time meeting with Dr. Johnston more and more until finally we decided to stick with her.
My wife and I found her to be an excellent fit for our young daughter. She has great bedside manner and was beyond patient with our many questions as first time parents. I would not hesitate to recommend her to any new parents. Mind you, Dr Langston is a superb doctor as well, but we thought our daughter fit better with Dr Johnston.
I also noticed that there are reviews of this practice that talk about long wait times — I think this should be taken with a grain of salt. When you deal with kids (as all parents should know) sometimes timeliness goes out the window. What I do find most valuable is that if I have a non-​emergency question, I can always count on the good Dr. to call me back.

Add us to the list of former Langston patients. He should really be in sales and not pediatrics because he sold us on his great personality and reassurance when we first met him at CPMC. Very happy, relaxed and calm — just what you want after the stress of a birth and the realization of parenthood. After 2 years of incredibly frustrating visits to the inconvenient office where they threaten you with ridiculous cancellation fees and late fees but ALWAYS keep you waiting at least 10 minutes past your appointment time (we’ve waited up to 25 minutes past — good times keeping a nervous toddler occupied in a doctor’s office) we are moving on to an office and a doctor that actually seems to care about our kid.
We were never even told that Dr. Langston wouldn’t even be our pediatrician. His name is still on everything yet we have only seen Dr. Johnston for the past 18 months at least. It honestly feels like she doesn’t even like kids and only gives us minimal information to help our kid. She also never remembers what she told us, even if it was 2 weeks before. And she’s diagnosed the same issue with 3 different explanations which makes us doubt her professionalism. The final straw was her obvious frustration with our sick kid. We’re the ones that are up all night for weeks now with her and were looking for some sort of resolution and professional advice on how to help her but we got no help at all. Google has been more help than Dr. Johnston has these past couple of weeks and is WAY cheaper and with less attitude.

We are relatively new at this parenting business and Dr. Langston has provided great guidance to us the past year and a half — since our daughter was born. She is super healthy and I know it has a lot to do with the great advice and care he provides to our little one. Great staff, clean office, easy communication, and a good location.

We love the staff and the doctors. We have seen Dr. Langston and Dr. Johnston. Dr. Langston always greets us with a smile and is patient with us. He is a busy guy, but never makes us feel rushed when we have visits with him. When our daughter was born, Dr. Johnston was on hand to visit with us and give her the initial once over. She is always prompt with responses and returns voicemails. She is patient, thoughtful, and down to earth. Dr. Johnston makes parents feel at ease and gives great advice re any medical issues. We called her our first night home with questions and though we disturbed her on a night off (big time oops on our part), she was completely professional and friendly. She is a gem.

Dr. Katherine Johnston is a part of Mr. Langston’s office, and she is the one I take my little ones to see.
She is the BEST. She spends time with you, listens and understands a parent’s concerns — it is like seeing a doctor from the past when they used to take time with you, listen and remember who you are… My wife and I really like her. One time we were tracking a possible problem, and she called us back with lab results at 7 pm and further thoughts. If you want really, really good care, then go see her.

OK, Dr. Langston is great. But damn, he is busy.
So, we’ve started seeing his in-​office associate, Dr. Katherine Johnston.
WOW! We’re SOLD. She’s quick to see you. Super thoughtful — she stays up to date on the latest research and recommendations for child health matters. She calls us at home to check in and stay up to date on our concerns.
Getting such personalized attention has been lovely for our two little girls. After her 18 month check up, with shots and all, our daughter said, «Dr. Johnston is a nice lady» :)

Dr. Langston and Dr. Johnston are amazing! If you are having a baby, go to their free pre-​birth interview where they tell you about their practice so you can make the right choice. We’ve been thrilled with them both from that first meeting on. I can speak honestly with both of them, they’re knowledgeable, helpful, and responsive. Yesterday I called because I was worried about thrush. Dr. Johnston called me back in 5 minutes and was so helpful! She’s great! We also adore Dr. Langston, a hip young grandfather who shows no signs of slowing down. Our baby loved him from the day he was born!

almost want to give Dr. Langston a low rating so we can keep him to ourselves… but honestly, he is an amazingly caring, compassionate pediatrician. our 4 year old LOVES going to this doctors office! cannot rate this man highly enough IMHO.

Referred to me by my (amazing) OB/​gyn Holly Holter, Dr. Langston is the city’s best pediatrician: He’s unflappably calm and gentle, listens carefully and answers all your questions including the occasional (and usually irrational) worry you might throw at him, always with a great amount of respect and patience.
Over the past 5 years, I’ve noticed the wait times have significantly improved and we only waited for a few minutes in the waiting and exam rooms.
That said, stack the deck in your favor and schedule well baby/​child check-​up right after lunch or as a first or second appointment after Langston comes in from hospital rounds.
Last, after he’s given your child a thorough check-​up, I really appreciate the doctor praising, «Good job, Mom.» I really do appreciate that respect and Dr. Langston says it with great sincerity and appreciation.
It’s not just my opinion but scores of others for many, many reasons: Dr. Langston is San Francisco’s best pediatrician.

When we first had our interview with Dr Langston, we were very impressed by how calm and collected he was. He answered all questions from future parents, even the most challenging and personal ones. He gave us a tour of the office and we liked all the fancy material and flat computer screens. He then gave us a welcome package with free formula samples.
A few weeks later our baby was born and we were the happiest parents.
On the 3^rd day (Friday) before checking out from the hospital, Dr. Langston told me that all the tests are good and that, I quote: «the risk for jaundice is unlikely».
Saturday morning we noticed that our baby was turning yellow and immediately called the number provided by our pediatrician. After the rather long process of giving the nurse all the information needed and describing the symptoms we see, we were told that «our baby was probably fine» after checking his mouth for dryness and other tests assessed over the phone…
We understand that new parents are sometimes over anxious and that the hospitals want to avoid overcrowded emergency rooms, but when it comes to serious matters like jaundice, nurses and doctors should take no chances and tell the parents to bring their babies right away on the 4^th day (as highly recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics!)
We decided to ignore the nurse’s feedback and rushed to the hospital only to find a very high level of bilirubin. We were sent directly to the NICU.
Two days later, thanks to the very competitive team at the NICU, our baby was back to normal except for the hearing test that failed for one ear!!!
We had to wait for a few more weeks and many more tests to find out that our baby was fine and the hearing test passed for both ears!
So why give one star to Dr. Langston when it is the nurse that didn’t tell us to rush to the hospital?
Because Dr. Langston did not schedule and appointment on the 4^th day like the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends.
Because Dr. Langston told us that he «was very surprised how high the bilirubin got and that maybe it is because of our ethnicity (something he knew in advance and could therefore have taken into consideration).
Because Dr. Langston gave us sample formula that was 4 months expired.
Because when we asked him if the nurse had called him on Saturday to tell him about our baby his answer was: «I wasn’t here, I’m not sure, I might have been out of range».
We asked Dr. Langston if, regardless of what happened, our baby is OK now. He replied that «we’ll have to wait and see the next 2 years and monitor his development…»
Talking about going from the happiest day of our life to our worse nightmare in a couple of days!!!
Dr. Langston was negligent and I leave it there…
We changed our pediatrician after a few weeks and are very happy now.
We asked around and did a lot of research and everyone is anonymous: gross negligence!
We’re back to normal with our healthy baby and are very thankful that we followed our instinct and saved our baby.
The 24h nursing service has since changed its procedure and now addresses any calls regarding jaundice concerns with extreme caution.
We’re glad our experience may help others.

I don’t dislike Dr. Langston personally but as a parent I cannot, cannot, cannot recommend him. In fact, if you are expecting know that you have leverage to get in with a great doctor because most will take new patients if the baby is not born yet.
Below is only my experience and I do not mean to offend current patients or parents of Dr. Langston’s. I just want to share my experience and frustrations.
Pros:
* he was at the hospital the day after our baby was born. And he came the next day too.
It is apparent he is aware that this is where he needs to focus… on getting the new parents in because in SF once you choose a dr for your little one you are pretty much stuck. Other pediatricians do not want to take toddlers, just newborns.
* he is a nice man. Calm to the point where you have to question whether he really cares or not.
* he returns calls the same day. I’ve only asked for a call twice and both times he did call that same night. The response was not helpful but he did call.
Cons:
* The staff at his office are unprofessional and overall uncaring (with the exception of one lone gal)! You have to wonder what online class they took to qualify for their jobs because it sure was not medical or service related. They barely address you when you come in and talk amongst themselves half the time instead.
* The wait is awful. The staff lets people who are 30 minutes late get seen first even though I showed up on time. Really?! But I was here on time so why is my appointment pushed back? They’ve come up with new rules about charging for being late but they make exceptions for certain people.
* Dr. Langston will not give your child their shots. It will be administered by one of the staff. Quite honestly, how do I know that they are qualified to stab my child with a needle? I was in recently where a staff member in scrubs (is that suppose to make me feel better) gave my child a shot and when I asked what she was administering she freaked out and asked the receptionist what she just gave. What?!!
* Technology is outdated. Sorry, but the poor attempt at technology is laughable.
* They lose your appointment times. I had to remind them of my appointments. They have lost appointments and asked me to call them when I find the card they gave me so they can record it in their outdated computer. Thanks!
* Medical knowledge is questionable or maybe it’s simply lack of caring. When I sought help about my child’s breathing during a checkup Dr. Langston’s response was, elevate the child during sleep «that’s the best I can offer you». Um, could it be more than the child’s sleeping position? I mean, he could be right, but couldn’t he take me more seriously than that?
* The billing department consist of one person that sometimes works half a day. She is very nice but can’t they have someone back up for her so that questions can get addressed more than once a week if she gets around to calling back?
That’s my take on this office and doctor. Good luck to parents searching for a doctor, it’s hard to find one but don’t give up and settle because you will be stuck unless you want to look outside of the City.

A heads up. Spoke with the office about Dr Langston’s practice and seeing how apparently booked it is asked specifically about his personal availability. As it was described he does try to attend to newborns personally, but after that honeymoon period you are much more likely to see his associates as he is «very busy». This aspect does not come up in the new parent orientation where Dr Langston is for sure very appealing.
No doubt I have heard good things about him but personally feel like the actual circumstance leads to a bait and switch situation. I want him as our pediatrician not a random associate.

Dr. Langston is a remarkable doctor for both our 6 year old son and us. He is the only doctor we have use for our son and he was there both delivery.
As a former hospital CEO, I have had the opportunity to work with numerous world class physicians across the US, and I can say Dr. Langston professionalism is second to none. He is very smart, yet has a extremely calming approach and manner in his interactions with his patients and their parents. He applies a lot of common sense in his clinical recommendations, treatments and care. He is always available for a long list of questions we have during periodic or yearly appointments. His compassion and caring attitude over the phone whether during a late night consult with my wife and I or 7,000 away in another country he has always provided us with relevant advice, guidance and comfort. Dr. Langston is very caring and is the quintessential pedestrian. We highly recommend him to any family.

So we were looking for a pediatrician and it was between Langston and Simons. A co-​worker, who’s also a first time parent, highly recommended Langston. The only downside I saw with Langston was that most people complained about having to wait. Dr. Simons on the other hand, didn’t have that problem.
So, I decided to go to Langston and I’m glad I did. For one thing, Dr. Simon’s was out of town during my delivery. So some other random Dr. would have seen my baby in the first few days of his life.
While I was in the hospital, the nurses all told me how I made such a good choice with my pediatrician. They say Dr. Langston is such a sweetheart and not as snobby as some of the other Drs… my ears perked at this point. A couple nurses have said that Simons is a little snobby, he used Langston to get into CPMC then left the practice to start his own. The nurses didn’t like him that much.
So anyways, I’m glad I chose Langston. He’s older, definitely compassionate about his profession, even coming in on the weekend to check on his patients. My OB didn’t do that and had another DR come and check up on me, which is fine. But when I asked Langston who would check up on me on Saturday and Sunday he looked shocked and said «me of course.» And on Sunday he was running a little late but called the nurses station to let me know. And when he came in he apologized saying that Sunday is the only day he had with his family. He wasn’t that late and I didn’t mind the wait.
Dr. Langston never rushes the time he has with us, always answering all our questions. He seems really nice and of course very knowledgeable and has a way with my son. He can calm him down rather quickly.

Being a new mom (and a long time recruiter — lots of due diligence under my belt), I was completely neurotic about finding our baby the best pediatrician in SF. My efforts proved to be worthwhile as I am completely impressed with Dr. Langston. My husband thinks I may even have bit of a crush on him, but I think it is pure adoration!
Dr. Langston’s 1^st visit of our son Drake was day 2 at CPMC. He happened to come in when we had some siblings visiting. He has this presence about him, a credibility and confidence that demands attention. We all watched in silence as he scooped up my newborn, and gave a little 101 on baby basics, checked his vitals and even showed us the proper way to dress him! He came back to visit every day and with the same vitality.
Further visits in the office were equally impressive. His assistant Sofia is very good — she takes care of the weight checks and then Dr. Langston comes in, washes his hands and checks Drake carefully, answers questions and takes his time with us. He is just a pleasant guy to deal with and really seems to love babies!
The office is spotless, and high-​tech (not a trace of paper to be found) and the bonus is great views from the 8^th floor. We have had a few baby photo shoots in their while briefly waiting for the doctor. The waiting room is never crowded. They do a great job at spacing out appointments.
We are not fans of immunization (and at 6 months have yet to do so — although we will do some eventually) and Dr. Langston never pressured us in either direction. This is cool as I hear other doctors do tend to voice strong opinions. Dr. Langston is supportive of parents and their beliefs. Plus, he makes me feel good about my mothering skills… for instance he congratulates me on exclusively breast feeding each time we go in. He tells me that Drake is doing so well because I am feeding him well. Makes me feel good as this is very hard work!
Dr. Langston loves our baby and we love Dr. Langston!

Dr. Langston has great bedside manner with our son and the nurses in his office are truly terrific.
However — to echo many other reviews — every single time we have an appointment (sometimes the very first slot of the day!) we wait 15 – 20 minutes in the lobby and then at least another 25 minutes in the exam room. While I’m happy with his advice and care, the late appearances at our appointments are starting to wear on me. If it was occasional, no problem, but this happens every time and there is never an apologetic greeting. Also there is not a separate entrance for sick patients… sick and well children share the same waiting area.
Dr. Langston does allow alternate vaccination schedules which was a big plus but the downside is he charge $ 50 for «drop-​in» shots. These are not billable to insurance and must be paid out of pocket.
He certainly has a way with babies and this makes a nervous/​anxious first-​time parent happy. I’d recommend this office if you don’t mind spending a lot of time waiting to see the doctor.

This was our fourth and final visit to Dr. Langston’s office. Each time, we have waited over 45 minutes to an hour, and today we were particularly time crunched as we had to meet our nanny and make it back to our jobs. We got there 15 minutes early, only to be shuttled into an examining room, where we waited 55 minutes.
When Dr. Langston finally decided to show up, he wasn’t apologetic. When I said something about us waiting nearly an hour, he blamed his tardiness on another «late patient.» He proceeded to spend about 5 – 7 minutes with us, then his «girls» rushed in to give us our shots.
Our general experience is that his office overbooks appointments, then gets way behind if anyone is late, or if a particular patient takes more time than is allotted. Dr. Langston is nice and laid back, and my experience with him at CPMC was quite good, but I have been consistently disappointed with the office visits and the long delays.

We just started going to Dr. Langston (and his new partner Dr. Simons) to take care of our little Dash. Actually, we met with him before the little guy arrived, and were impressed by his demeanor and professionalism, also his love of technology (he emails!). If there’s a doctor out there who will one day have a paperless office, it’s this guy.
Right after the birth, while still in the hospital, both Langston and Simons stopped in twice to check in on Dash. After we left the hospital, in our first days having Dash at home, he was readily available to answer any questions. Having now been into his actual office a few times, I’m just more convinced that Dr. Langston is as good as it gets. We’ve talked to other parents who use him as well, all glowing references.
As I mentioned above, he just recently took on a younger partner. I’d put Dash’s care in his hands as well.