Felix Lee, MD – Heart Associates of Northern CA

As I’m still a patient, it’s about time for an update for Dr. Lee. Over the past couple years, the appointment situation has improved. After some thought, I can appreciate that the *reason* appointments can be delayed, is that he’s taking his time explaining a complicated situation, breaking news to patient, or postponed in surgery. I’d expect the same courtesy. I had an actual conversation asking the office to just inform me if appointments are being pushed back due to something unforeseen in the morning. They’ve been fairly accommodating with this request and I appreciate it a lot.
In terms of insurance, I’ve had a few different carriers over the years; most recently Health Net and United Healthcare. He’s thankfully in-​network with both on the group side (though Health Net’s individual policies share the same group network).

So very blessed to have found Dr. Lee for my family members. He’s a very skilled doctor and a kind person. We came from a cardiologist who treated us like we were idiots. Dr. Lee takes all the time we need to answer our questions and explain the treatment plans in a friendly and gentle manner. I am especially thankful for his assistant Hong. She has been my rock over the years and returns my calls the same day. She’s so dedicated and knowledgeable. Every time we come in she greets us like we are her favorite people!

My Mom goes to Dr. Lee and just loves him. She said he is one of the best Doctors she has gone to. Eleanore thanks Dr. Lee

Dr Lee was a disaster for me. He was not present for my tread mill test and the technician was a terrible communicator. Worst of all is the test results were a false positive indicating I had blockage in my heart that was not there. Never once did Dr. Lee advise me that false positives are a 20−25% possibility from a stress test. I learned this later through my own research. Any doctor with any professionalism at all would have been present for the test AND clearly communicated how unreliable the test results can be. Dr. Lee’s false diagnosis created 2 months of totally unnecessary stress and worry for me and my family.
I decided to get a second opinion with Stanford’s Invasive Cardiology Group (night and day more professional than Heart Associates at all levels) and they confirmed I have absolutely NO blockage in my heart with a Cardiac catheterization procedure. Whereas Dr. Lee was telling me I needed at least one and probably two or three stents. Stay away from Heart Associates if you care about your heart.

I am so excited I just got insurance again and can go back to him. Sure sometimes he runs late, most doctors I have been to run late. One that does heart surgery is probably the most understandable since heart surgery is so time consuming. He is the best. Myself, my husband and my Mom before she passed (at 93) of heart problems all went to him and this office was the BEST !!! The time they gave us as she was getting worse with her failing heart was amazing ! I was never rushed EVER ! We had meetings around his desk with the entire family and I could not have asked for more. He has been great with my husband and myself and I can’t give this office enough praise !

I feel so fortunate to have found Dr. Lee. I met him a few years ago when he did an angiogram on my father, who also is very pleased with Dr. Lee, and I was impressed with him in every way. I began seeing him because of my family history and he has been amazing! He even was able to get to the bottom of an issue that had plagued me for my entire life that I hadn’t even thought to be related to my heart. I have found Dr. Lee to be extremely knowledgeable, professional, punctual and he has a great bedside manner.
Dr. Lee’s office staff is very professional and caring. They follow up and are always kind and make me feel comfortable even though the tests can seem pretty scary. I always feel that I am in good hands with Dr. Lee and the Heart Associates of Northern California. 5 stars!

I am having a hard time understanding the bad reviews I am seeing here, so I am taking a moment out of my busy schedule to put in my two cents.
I acquired Dr. Lee through chance, as he was the cardiologist on call when I arrived in Good Sam ER with an arrhythmia while pregnant. He treated me well, and according to established standards of care. (I know this because I am a nurse.) I didn’t think I needed a cardiologist forever, but he was in my record when the baby was born and I complained of difficulty breathing, so they called him. (The difficulty was from c-​section pain, nothing cardiac, but this incomplete assessment by an L&D nurse serendipitously saved my life down the road.) He ordered an echocardiogram, which revealed a defective valve in my heart. On a follow-​up years later to check on that valve, his tech discovered an enlarged aortic root, which led to the discovery of an aortic aneurysm and allowed me to have surgery to correct the condition before it killed me. There are no symptoms or obvious signs of this condition until, usually, ones life is in serious danger, or, in effect, over. I am crazy lucky to be alive and to have had another baby.
In seven years of treating me, he has never been more than 20 minutes later than our scheduled appointment and only once was I called the day of my appointment to reschedule because he was called to an emergency. He has taken the time to know me and to do a thorough exam at every visit. His staff is courteous and professional and always do the job well. This especially applies to the nurse who checks lipids, his scheduler, Chris, and Millie, the receptionist. His billed rates never leave me with a huge bill after insurance pays.
My only complaint is that I can’t figure out when his freaking office hours are. I always call during times (like now, 2pm on a Tues!) that one would think are ordinary office hours, but no one is there! This makes it hard to cancel appointments or ask questions. Someday I will ask what the schedule is, because I keep throwing darts at the calendar and hitting times when they are closed.

He was 20 minutes late which is not too bad, but he was in a big hurry, he spent less than 10 minutes with me if that (as usual). He did not once look up from his laptop at me, read the test results, said «you’ve gotten worse», shuts his laptop, tells me he’s putting me on a another new medication, heads up to the nurse’s station with me walking behind, says they will email to my pharmacy and he will see me in a month! He didn’t not answer my questions cause he was in big hurry, just another medication thrown at me. He did not even ask how I was doing on the current medication, or I how was «period». I was taken back this last appointment I was actually stunned and walked out of there realizing that I was not even treated as a person, just results on his spreadsheet. Too bad I had high hopes that I had found a good doctor.