Kramer Damian DO

So my regular doctor wasn’t here… again, so I went with Dr. Kramer… again. Honestly, I do NOT understand the bad reviews of this guy. This man is WONDERFUL. I get that doctors can get upset especially after having to deal with bad patients or a long work day, but this man seems to manage the stress of his job pretty well and has been a nice guy the two times I’ve seen him. He never sounded like I’m inconveniencing him and he never sounded like I was wasting his time.
Thumbs up to this guy.

wow… yes, I was wow-​ed today by Dr. Kramer. This is one non friendly, non concerned dude! I had heard from others about him, and thought it could not be that bad. Well, it could. He is terse and literally speeds out after maybe 25 words spoken. I was shocked. I was in the waiting room for 3 and a half hours. Yes, three and a half. So obviously, the place was busy, but seriously, this doctor is not a pleasant person. He zoomed out before I could ask for a flu shot. The staff otherwise was fine. I do not recommend this place. And, here is a thought: of my 4 hours in that germ-​infested place packed full of coughing people, no lysol was sprayed, no cleaning wipes were used in any way. I do wonder why they would not try to stop the germs from spreading. I am afraid of leaving the place with a whole new illness.

CHC is conveniently located down the street from where I live. The wait is long (usually around 45 min to an hour) but the nurses and doctors have always been very nice. They get the job done quickly and listen to whatever I need to tell them. I have personally visited CHC 3 times over the last 4 years and have taken my daughters in several times. My kids’ pediatrician is 20 minutes away so its really nice having them so close as a quick substitute for the ER.

I have had numerous experiences visiting the CHC urgent care office in Arroyo Grande on Grand Ave. Admittedly, none of these visits were by choice — but I really didn’t expect each visit to be worse than the last. I generally give people the benefit of the doubt, (more than the average person, actually) but Dr. Kramer and several staff members at this office are a shining example of why many people are angry, disheartened, and disappointed in the health care system in America. I really respect and appreciate the work that CHC attempts to do in my community. Indeed, my own children and myself have had to rely on the generous low-​cost health care that CHC offers. However, more often than not, the experiences have left us feeling like second class citizens who, because of a financial disadvantage, are assumed not to deserve the time and compassionate care that should come from any practicing doctor.
In particular, Dr. Damian Kramer is rude, arrogant, and has a terrible bedside manner. His terse, insensitive comments are very off-​putting (to say the least). He was rude to both myself and my five year old daughter on two separate occasions. He makes his patients feel as though they are a nuisance for being ill and bothering him to DO HIS JOB! I actually overheard him in the hallway speaking to the nurse practitioner about my daughter (with whom he spent all of five minutes examining) say with disdain when asked for a second time about the dosage of medicine to administer to my child: «Ugh, we’re STILL on that case?!» RUDE RUDE RUDE.
The second encounter with Dr. Kramer left me feeling just as angry and badly treated as the first. I have private insurance now, for which I pay a lot of money. This added to my frustration, no doubt. but regardless of the insurance coverage we pay for out of pocket or not, I think we deserve to be treated with respect and given at least more than the standard «5 minute Kramer treatment.» My daughter got strep throat on a day that her regular pediatrician is out of the office. Because of this, we were directed to urgent care. Dr. Kramer made us once again feel rushed and made no effort whatsoever to make my daughter (a child!) feel comfortable or at ease during the examination. In fact, he chided her for not responding to his satisfaction (apparently) to his first request to open her mouth wide enough that he could examine her throat. In my opinion, Dr. Kramer should not practice medicine. He is the kind of physician that gives the «clinic» setting a bad reputation. This CHC office, in particular, treats its patients like cattle, herding them hastily through a broken bureaucracy. The first bad experience I chalked up to «well, everyone has a bad day…» even the second and third experience I refused to believe were the norm! But this final experience with Dr. Kramer left me feeling like I simply cannot go without expressing my disappointment and anger. I will not be visiting this office EVER again, and if the emergent need arrises for me or my children to be forced to do so, I will INSIST that I see anyone but this rude, insensitive man.