William F Owen Jr, MD

Dr. Owen is a lovely man, however this review has to do with the utter incompetence of his staff. When he closed the office in January to change over to Sutter Health I became ill and called his office and they said they would give me a referral to see another doctor since the office was closed.
They never sent the referral and became belligerent with me after numerous requests were made. Fast forward 6 months later and we are still dealing with this and now the insurance has denied my request for payment because Dr. Owen’s office never sent in the referral. When you call you either get this airhead who swears they did everything right. Or you get the rude woman who is their biller who will accuse you of lying.
It is now 10 months later and this is still not resolved. Do yourself a favor and do not support this business, they treat you like you are a criminal and now I am stuck with a bill for $ 500. They will not help you and they are beyond rude. I cannot say enough how awful this experience has been with this office. Elitist jerks

Dr. Owen is a great Doctor. He listens, he doesn’t rush you, he’s caring and brilliant! He spends a lot of time asking questions. He explains things so you understand. i couldn’t be happier with my choice. He was recommended by a doctor friend in Chicago and he said he is the best and he was right!

I’m a new patient in Dr. Owen’s practice. He was recommended to me by a friend. My experience couldn’t have been more positive! Dr. Owen spent quite a bit of time getting to know me and my medical history. Whenever I have a question, I can email him and he always responds within a few hours. The patient portal he uses makes it very easy to view lab results and stay connected. I would recommend him to anyone!

I’ve been a patient of Dr Owen for 25 years. I received a letter on Saturday Dec 20^th dated Dec 17^th informing me that the practice is transfered to Sutter health and further informing me that i had until Dec 22^nd to complete and return the form if i wish to remain a patient!
Really? After 25 years you give me one weekend to return the form and remain a patient?!
And to make matter worse the form had to be in the office on December 22^nd which requires fax or scanning capability.
oh and by the way don’t forget to print out your own medical records because they will ‘disappear’. If you need any refills better to take care of that before Dec 22^nd AND if you happen to get sick in the next one month and a half call 911! Thanks a lot guys. .happy holidays

The office will close on 12÷22÷14 for renovations and will reopen in February as an affiliate practice of Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation. This change requires a signature on a release form in order to remain as a patient.
It is safe to assume the office was aware of the closure and patient signature requirements for some time. To issue a letter 12÷17÷14 requiring a patient response within one business day during the holiday season is indicative of an appalling lack of organization and forethought.

I can’t comment on anyone but my own experience with Bill Owen. He’s been my doctor since 2000 and have seen him at least four times a year. I drive from Napa Valley to see Dr. Owen. My appointment is always on time and he spends an hour with me. He’s interested. He’s interesting and he’s very easy to talk with.
Admittedly, Eleana has a big bark, but behind the bark is a very kind and compassionate woman. Appointments are tough to come by because he and Karl are busy. They’re busy because they’re good at their craft.

Wow… I too am surprised by the negative comments. I have been a patient of Dr Owen and Carl Stein for over 6 years. I have received nothing but exemplary care.
On numerous occasions I have found myself needing same day medical care and the front office staff has always worked to squeeze me in on the busiest of days. Prescription refills are always turned around within the business day.
Due to my busy schedule if I find I need to reschedule an office visit the office staff is always accommodating as best as possible.
Carl is friendly, caring and knowledgeable. I know this is a busy office and I never feel rushed in any of my appointments.
I can also attest to the fact that Carl and the office staff go above and beyond to insure I am provided the best healthcare given some of the hoops insurance providers make them jump through.
I agree with James T, Eliana keeps the ball rolling and is always willing to help should the need arise.
I know I am not always the ideal patient… in fact I know I can be difficult… and that is why I am writing this review… this is great care delivered by caring professionals.

I have seen Carl Stein for over 10 years and he is by far the best primary care provider I’ve ever had. He is extremely knowledgeable, attentive and thorough in the office visits I’ve had with him. Above that, he is compassionate, kind and has the best bedside manner. I can’t say enough good about him!

I am surprised and appalled by some of the negativity expressed below, especially since most of it does not relate to actual quality of medical care. I am a physician and have known Dr. Owen for about 35 years… and have seen him as a patient for about 20 years or more. He is a doctor’s doctor. He stays on top of the latest developments in treatment; he is warm and affable. Iliana, the office manager, runs a tight ship; sometimes this results in her delivering information that you may not want to hear. But she keeps the ball rolling and it is because of her that the place functions on time most of the time. If you make a strong case for some exception, she listens and is willing to help you get the result you want.
Many patients have unrealistic expectations about what a physician can do these days. Many insurance companies do not adequately cover their patients… but should not be interpreted as Dr. Owen’s fault. He may be a compassionate doctor, but he is also running a business with employees who have to be paid. Insurance plans vary widely in what they cover, and you cannot expect the office to solve the problems created by your insurance.
After all these years, I still recommend Dr. Owen to my friends and colleagues.

I need to write an update. Although I really value and appreciate Carl Stein, I think the office is really hurting from the office manager, Eliana. As a front desk person the first thing you should do is answer the phone. Eliana does not. This has resulted in week long games of phone tag, which really gets annoying.
When you finally do get to talk to her she tells you that you have horrible insurance. Every time she starts lecturing me about my insurance I try to get her to stop by informing her that she already told me this last time. You’d think she’d want to save her breath, but no. This gets her to talk MORE. I’m guessing this is because she screens calls all day and when she finally gets ahold of someone she can really go for it. Plus, if she gets another call while she’s lecturing, you know it would go to voicemail anyway.
Lastly, I’ve seen her lecture Carl. After this I no longer took her lecturing personal, and instead thought she is surely crazy to have the gall to lecture her boss.
I hope they give her the ultimate (and shortest) lecture possible: «YOU ARE FIRED» and then if she tries contacting the office you bet that call is going right to voicemail!

I’ve been a patient a this office for most of the past 10 years. As they are a very busy office, I have experienced some of the issues mentioned in many of these reviews. But with the change in front office staff, I can now say that overall it’s a very good experience when I’m feeling under the weather and/​or need a checkup. It’s very easy to make an appointment, and everyone’s demeanor is usually pleasant and professional. I’m not very fond of having to make an appointment to get certain lab results (cholesterol screening for example) in person rather than getting them over the phone. I realize in some cases one needs to be in the presence of the doctor or physician assistant to get the results, but sometimes when I’ve gone into the office, it’s just a simple 10-​minute or less reading of my results, a short disussion, and that’s it. They’ve recently automated their systems, so that you now can create an online profile, which is a nice update.

I kinda like Dr. Owen and I kinda think he’s greedy and out of touch with the current times. I stopped going to him. He’s behind the times. It’s the age of the internet for god’s sake and most medical facilities and doctor offices are automated these days.
As patients, we’re entitled to our lab results that we paid for, obviously he didn’t pay for them, but he sneakily doesn’t mark the box for his patients to receive a copy. He does not give the lab results over the phone either, regardless if they’re good or bad, instead drags you into his office, so he can nickel and dime you for office visits. Cha ching, cha ching!
His exact words to me when I voiced my annoyance for dragging me into his office, enduring a 15 – 45 minute average wait, losing my hourly wages, and wasting my time just to give me the good or bad results, were: «.But if I don’t get you to come in and instead give you the results over the phone, I cannot charge an office visit fee…»! I told him to simply bill it against my insurance.
I even called my insurance company to make sure that neither of us are doing anything unethical by him giving me the results over the phone. Needless to say that my insurance company had no problem with him doing it over the phone and billing an office visit IF need be! Most decent doctors’ receptionists will give you the good results over the phone, free of charge, and only ask you to come in if the results are horrendous.
I also found him to be on the prissy side when I asked him to test my testicles health for a hydrocele showing up. He just backed out and took a panned out view and said that they’re fine; without even touching them! :O
I’m just amazed at how many doctors stay under the radar and don’t get reported to the board. And when they get slapped with a lawsuit, they’re all dumbfounded and full of huh’s and what’s! Their oaths are to the insurance companies anymore and not in the interest of their patients. They’re in competition with other Dr. Jones’s to see who finishes the race of achieving 2.2 mansions and 2.2this and 2.2that! I swear that most doctors have sold their souls to Satan and in denial about it.
Seems to me Dr. Owen is way too busy counting his pennies than caring about his patients’ welfare. I wish Unilocal had negative ratings! Some people or reviews are not deserving eve of one star!

Six hours and I have not gotten a call back for my request to make an appointment. Unacceptable. This is not the first time I have had issues with the front desk at this office, however it is the last time I will be calling them. Not recommended.

I was new to San Francisco and made an appointment upon recommendation from a friend. This was a big mistake.
I was able to see Dr. Owen once; however, one must book an appointment far in advance because he is too busy. After the initial visit, the staff will tell you that Carl Stein (the PA, NOT a Doctor) is the only option unless you want to wait a few months.
Carl Stein is an extremely rude person who spoke to me as if I were a child. I found myself dreading each appointment and finally decided that it was not worth the anxiety before and during appointments there and found another doctor.
It is obvious that this practice is after the dollar more than out to help patients. The base price for my initial exam was around $ 450 and only took about 20 minutes. I realize prices are more expensive here in San Francisco but it seemed very greedy to me.
Please don’t make the same mistake that I did. There are much better options in San Francisco.

I don’t know why they have any negative reviews. I have seen both Dr. Stein and Dr. Owen. Both are extremely profession and friendly.

I did a google search for «Gay Friendly Doctors in San Francisco» and Dr. Owen showed up in the search results. I called his office to make an appointment and the nurse got me in the next day at 8am for a preventative exam that was required by my employer. Dr. Owen spent about 45 minutes with me making sure all my questions were answered and giving me an extremely thorough physical evaluation. It was the best experience I’ve ever had in a doctors office without feeling rushed.

This Doctor is an all time low in medical care-​I was referred by several people who said that they thought his bed side manner was lacking-​That is an understatement!!! It’s not there at all. I had been in Los Angeles where I found the folks at Pacific Medical Center to be amazing-​accomodating about refilling prescriptions and very service oriented. My
first few interactions were not good. He had me take a ton of tests and ordered tons of unnecessary blood work which I did not need and cost me thousands of dollars out of pocket even with my insurance. He made very
inappropriate comments which I have considered reporting to the AMA.
I’m not sure why this person is in a healing profession his energy sucks.
He’s hired a more attractive assistant in a largely gay male practice to
try to help his reputation but, I have to say if you have a choice at all-​Pick any one else besides this guy. He’s a grouchy, negative and non
service oriented as any doctor I’ve ever met. I’ve heard similar complaints
about his cohort Dr. Stein. Do yourself a favor search elsewhere. Why pay
for this kind of treatment-​Report him!

In general it takes a lot to impress me when it comes to a physician’s office. I usually walk in and assume the worst in every aspect. The first two visits were a little rocky as a lot of people were out on vacation, but since then every thing has been as efficient as it gets. When I call, they know who I am. They can usually get me in within 2 days of calling. During each visit, a complete evaluation is performed. There is a «no hold back» policy with Carl. You can confidentially discuss anything.
If you are new in town or looking for a good primary care practice, this is one I definitely would have on my list of options. Caring staff, great medical opinions, accurate treatments, ease of making appointments, and being able to have trust in your provider — see it for yourself.

I’ve been a patient of Dr. Owen for almost 6 years. I read some of these reviews with quite a bit of shock.
I find the office to be well run and friendly. I’ve not experienced any negative attitude from Carl, Dr. Owen, or the front desk staff. All of my interactions have been positive experiences and very professional.

I am a physician and have seen Dr. Owen for many years. He is a doctor’s doctor! He stays on top of most of the significant medical developments in internal medicine and infectious disease. His staff, particularly Iliana, do a fantastic job. They almost always run on time and you do not have to wait weeks to be seen if you have an urgent problem. I have recommended Dr. Owen to many friends and colleagues.
Thanks to Dr. Owen, we discovered that I had prostate cancer at an early stage, early enough to seek excellent care and have a good prognosis.
I am surprised by some of the negative comments on Unilocal,but they appear to be from people who have a limited understanding of what can be done in some circumstances. Dr. Owen is a caring physician, but he still needs to run his business in a way that it stays afloat… and that includes getting paid for his work. The current insurance situation serves the insurance companies well, but not the provider or the patient.