Sourpik Avakian, MD

Dr. Avakian is awesome! She is really caring and takes the time to listen. I don’t ever feel uncomfortable coming to her with questions and I feel like she makes realistic recommendations. After waiting almost a year living in LA without a primary doctor, I could not be happier to have found her!

Dr. Avakian is amazing. She has been my doctor for the past 4 years and I have referred many friends to her that are super happy with her. She is funny, caring, attentive and very thorough. I actually look forward to seeing her, she is THAT great. I had two things happened while under her care that she really proved to be a rockstar. First time I had strep throat and she gave me antibiotics– the usual. But after 2 days I felt worse. I called her office thinking it’s not a big deal, I prob need another type of pill. But she said I should go right away to see an ENT. She personally called him up and got me an immediate appointment. Turned out I had developed a secondary infection (abscesses on my tonsils) that needed to be treated ASAP! Another time a year or so later during a regular physical I mentioned to her that I had a tiny lump under my ear. She called the ENT that works in her building and got me in to see him right after her appt. Turned out I needed to have it monitored and ultimately a year later had it removed. Anyway those are just two examples of how attentive, responsive and caring she is. I moved out of LA recently but still drive 2 hours to see her!

Dr Avakian is a rockstar doctor, a complete professional. I have an acute needle phobia and her dry wit and sensible demeanor shamed me into submission — sounds pathetic for an old guy like me to be squeemish but she is a great doctor with a no bs attitude. And whoever docked a star for a doctor because of their parking situation should be schooled on Beverly HIlls parking and sent with a large vehicle to New York City where you can easily pay 400 $ to pick up your car after its towed from Times Square.

I meant to write this review a few years ago. Dr. Avakian is wonderful! She is smart, caring and very down to earth. I had to call her one time about something that wasn’t an emergency but urgent to me and she got right on the phone with me and helped me out. Another time I needed a health form filled out asap and she did it for me on the same day a few hours later.
All specialists she has referred me to have been top notch. I saw someone complained about parking. I would park in the 2 floor garages south of Santa Monica which isn’t far. I went to Dr. Avakian for about 6 years. I have since moved out of the area and need to find a new Dr. BTW: I found Dr. Avakian on Unilocal

My first visit today. Doc was thorough, kind, funny and caring. And I love the building, super chic. The parking blows tho… give yourself an extra 15 min to find a space a few blocks down or pay $ 12 to valet for an hour. Really felt comfortable with telling her anything without being judged

I just got back from my my first visit (routine checkup with women’s wellness options) with Dr. Avakian and it was a great experience. Despite other Unilocal reviews I read before coming in, I found her very warm, funny, patient, and kind. She answered all of my questions and was very helpful. I’m the kind of neurotic person who takes a ton of supplements and writes a bunch of questions down on a piece of paper, and even though Dr. Avakian doesn’t agree with the need to take a bunch of other vitamins besides a multi-​vitamin, calcium, and vitamin D, she still took the time to go through my supplements and questions with me to make sure i’m not killing myself somehow, and that I left knowing everything I wanted to know regarding testing, preventative medicine, what’s covered by insurance, if i needed to see a specialist for anything, etc. She takes insurance, she’s punctual (i didn’t have to wait forever), and she’s conveniently located. Highly recommend!

Dr. Avakian is such a great doctor. It’s clear that she cares about her patients, actually knows what she’s doing, and will spend as long as needed to answer/​clarify any questions. I never feel rushed there — and that’s so rare these days!
Also, Dr. Avakian is a no BS kinda gal. Some find this quality curt or rude but I love that about her! Her services come highly recommended from me.
Only reason I’m docking a star is because of parking. Her office is in one of the busiest parts of Wilshire, which can make finding a spot a nightmare sometimes. But just budget a little extra time before your appointment and you’ll be fine.

I have been going to Dr Avakian as my general practitioner for over 10 years. She is great — no bullshit and takes care of everything. There is easy parking with valet or plenty of street meters nearby. I have never had to wait more than 5 mins once I have arrived to see her. She has had the same great nurses for years and it’s nice to always see the same faces that are familiar with you. Highly recommend!

I’ve been going to Doctor Avian for over 14 years, and she’s the best doctor I’ve ever had. Tells you like it is, and that’s the way I want it. She cares and is very professional.
She stays with and discusses what ever you need to talk about. You never feel like your being rushed out. 5 stars all the way

I’m not into doctors. My assistant found Dr. Avakian a few years ago and I’ve been to her for 4+ years. She’s great. No nonsense. Knowledgable. No medical bs. Not trying to get me to take things I have no interest in taking. I can be totally honest with her about my concerns and get real advice and directions. I pay out of pocket, so I pay her cash. She’s done labwork for me and in the past — one time there was a problem. It took a while, but with the help of her staff we (the lab company & me) figured it out and they credited me a cash price. You have to ask the lab to give you the cash price — or pay them when they give you a service.
If you are looking for honest, no-​nonsense, knowledgable medical care I recommend Dr. Avakian. I know I can rely on her when/​if I have any medical problems.

She’s been my primary doctor for years. She’s efficient, thorough and genuinely cares about her patients. Not sure where the rude front desk staff comment comes from but they do their job without falling over you which I prefer.

Dr. Avakian is curt, abrasive and cold. They charged a $ 20 copay when I have hi-​option insurance (the absolute best) and usually have a $ 0 copay.
And her administrative staff neglected to input my insurance for my blood work. Just received a bill $ 555 when it should be $ 60
An extra hassle for me to resubmit this bill to my insurance… ugh…Be nice and do your job.
Will never go back.

If I had stayed with Dr. Avakian, I don’t know if I would have recovered. It certainly would have taken a while, but at the time I was pretty sick and didn’t really feel like waiting to find out.
After a few days of extreme joint pain I searched Unilocal for a competent GP to help me find out what was wrong. I knew something was truly out of the ordinary because in a very short amount of time I had gone from a super active lifestyle to barely being able to walk. Unilocal reviews pointed me in Dr. Avakian’s direction, and I was so relieved and so hopeful when I scheduled an appointment on very short notice.
After hearing how my physical health had rapidly declined (I could hardly walk to the bus stop for my daily work commute, could barely sleep because of pain, and woke each morning feeling like my joints were being bent backwards), Dr. Avakian asked me if I had tried aspirin. I suppose this is a reasonable question with respect to pain management, but it doesn’t even begin to address how a healthy 26-​year-​old can go from healthy athlete one week to rheumatic invalid the next. She told me she had no idea what was causing my symptoms, drew some blood, gave me some antibiotics to see if they would help, and sent me away telling me to come back if I didn’t see an improvement in the next week.
As luck would have it there was no improvement, so I returned. In the interim, I received results from my blood tests which showed high ASO titres. I was exhausted beyond anything I’d ever experienced, and in tons of pain. When Dr. Avakian came in, she asked me «What am I seeing you for again?» She again told me she didn’t know what was ailing me, gave me contact information for a colleague who was a rheumatologist, and sent me away with no concern.
At this point, I was desperate, and going into a third week of severe pain. I could barely function at work, and had developed crazy welts all over my shins. When I tried to get an appointment with the rheumatologist Dr. Avakian had recommended, she was booked solid, so I frantically searched for another GP — open to anyone who could help me.
This time a coworker directed me to her amazing GP — he immediately recognized the urgency of my situation and drew some more blood for additional tests. While he could not diagnose my condition, he immediately got me in for an appointment with another rheumatologist, and prescribed me pain meds to help me through the following days.
In the end, the rheumatologist quickly saved me — 24 hours after prescribing steroids for my condition I could walk again and all of my pain was gone. But it chills me to think what kind of long term conditions Dr. Avakian was about to let me develop under her «care».
I doubt that Dr. Avakian is unqualified as a doctor, or that she has never provided stellar care to patients. But in my case, I found her bedside manner, competence, and capacity for empathy seriously lacking.

Dr. Avakian is my family doctor for the last seven years.
I live in the valley but drive all the way to Beverly Hills to see her!
Dr. Avakian is no-​nonsense and caring professional.

RUDE rude rude secretarial, phone staff.

I recently had a consultation with Dr. Avakian and my experience was very pleasant. She really listened to all my concerns and requested the necessary exams I needed, I never felt like she ordered something I didn’t need like it was mentioned in one of the reviews here. She called me personally to deliver exam results twice and really helped me with a prescription when I woke up in a lot of pain last week.
She is very professional, never rushed me and really took the time to get to the bottom of the problem. I highly recommend Dr. Avakian… hope it helps!

RUN!!! TURN BACK FROM THIS DOCTOR; UNLESS YOU ENJOY LOADS AND LOADS OF BILLS AFTER THE FACT. i was referred to this dr. by my neurologist (her friend), so i figured why not. everything with the exam, etc. was fine, basic pap smear big deal right? well a couple weeks later i received 2 bills for «lab work» (when you hear that term RUN). now my $ 150 or $ 175 pap smear is pushing $ 800!!! WTF, NEVER IN 48 YEARS HAVE I PAID $ 800 FOR A PAP SMEAR!
since i don’t have insurance i am forced to pay this «lab corp.» bill or have my credit dinged. her staff had 3 opportunities to inform me that there would be additional fees. once when i called to make said appointment, twice when i checked in, and finally when i was brought to the exam room. after going to many doctors over the years for a pap smear i would pay and leave. (never ONCE receiving an additional bill).
I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO THIS DR.; WAS SHE NICE? SURE, BUT NOT NICE ENOUGH TO WARRANT AN $ 800 PAP SMEAR. there are countless other doctors who do the same procedure without the sly billing or omitting relevant information about the bill you are going to receive. i think her practice could use a lesson in communication with her prospective patients so they don’t end up stuck with an enormous bill. after reading some of the reviews i see that i am NOT the only one that this happened to; wish i had done my research before trusting a referral.

I don’t like doctors. I don’t like getting checkups. I’m not scared of needles or anything I’m just really lazy and never get sick.
Jay K. and other reviewers are absolutely right when they say Dr. Avakian is no-​nonsense and caring.
My last doctor when I had HMO insurance was close my home but every time I went to see her I would have to wait around an hour. She made me come in for everything. I was super poor then so the $ 25 I had to shell out for each visit – and sometimes twice if was going to her for a general checkup plus a question about something else really left a dent in my wallet. She ran tests on me all the time whenever I brought up a question about something I thought might be unusual so I stopped bringing anything up. She was super chatty and friendly and nice. I’m not going to name her or give her a bad review because I still think she may be a good doctor for someone else (someone who needs a lot of attention) and I never got the sense that she was trying to scam me or anything like that.
But Dr. Avakian is waaaay better for me. She is the only reason I’ll set foot in Beverly Hills. I never have to wait long in her office. Everyone says she’s friendly but personally I find her a little distant. I like that. Maybe she senses which patients would prefer that she remain more professional. Like I said though, I still feel like she cares.

I am a healthcare professional myself. I know what it’s like to work in LA and have patients worry about whether the doctor is trying to make money or care for the patient’s best interest.
and that being said. I absolutely Love Dr. Avakian. I moved to LA two years ago from the midwest and needed a new family doctor. I found her and now refer all my friends to her.
She is honest, no-​nonsense, and caring. She is down to earth and doesn’t talk over my head.
She takes the time to know me not just my ailments. She’s not in a rush to get me out the door. She never seems like she’s trying to sell me something. She is never trying to pull the wool over my eyes.
She tests me for what she feels is necessary for my health. She calls me personally
to explain all lab results.
She stays in contact with my specialists and makes sure she is in-​the-​know when it comes to my health.
She has a small office and not a lot of staff and I like that. It’s more personal.
(as for the fibromyalgia guy’s review. google fibromyalgia. Most healthcare professionals don’t want to deal with these patient’s, including myself. they can be nuts as a whole! sorry buddy)

«Nice» doesn’t make someone a great doctor by any means.
The Visit:
I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Avakian because of all of the great Unilocal reviews. I needed to find a GP in LA, and I figured she’d be the one. Boy, was I mistaken.
I waited two weeks for them to fit me in, and once I got there I waited another 35 minutes in the completely empty waiting area. This office was NOT busy whatsoever.
Once I got in, she was nice, but my specific issues I addressed were met with an «oh, that’s weird!»
She spoke to me, took my blood pressure, pricked my arm for blood, and pushed me out the door a mere 15 minutes later– maybe even less. We talked about my fatigue, increasing anxiety which I had never had before, and much more, to which she shrugged and said «hmm». She ignored everything I tried to talk to her about. I even told her about the dizziness, throat closing, and ear pain I experience every time I work out, and she basically stared at me like I was crazy and again said «oh, weeeeeeiiiirrrd». She actually laughed when I asked her to do an allergy test for dairy, as allergens were a concern I voiced to her, but she agreed she would have my blood sample tested.
I got a phonecall a few days later saying my labwork and blood allergy tests all came back normal (I later found out that blood allergy testing is the least reliable way to diagnose an allergy; they are rarely accurate and not recommended). I then received a huge bill in the mail for a visit that I wish I had never scheduled. The last time I’ve spent more than $ 200 on 15 minutes of feeling completely neglected and talked to like I’m lying? Oh yeah, never. I will never be back to Dr. Avakian again.
The Kicker:
My GP from my hometown examined me a month later and listened to what I had been going through, and made sure to check my thyroid, my iron levels, and more in order to rule things out and try to find me an answer. As it turns out, all of the super «weeeirdd!» symptoms I had been talking about with Dr. Avakian (dizziness, constant fatigue, pain when working out to the point where I can rarely work out, anxiety, blurred vision & more) are all pointers toward Fibromyalgia or an underlying histamine-​related disorder.
If you feel like wasting countless amounts of hard-​earned cash or using up your entire insurance deductible in fifteen minutes, then you’re all set. If you’re looking for answers and someone to treat you like you matter, then search on my friend.