Alex Zaphiris MD, MS

In her new practice, «360-​MD», Dr. Zaphiris offers an innovative and much needed approach to primary care medicine, treating each patient as a unique human being rather than a nameless, faceless specimen to be rushed in and out of the office door in under ten minutes (or ‘treated’ via email, as is now the common practice at many large HMOs). Each appointment is a full, uninterrupted 30 minutes, during which Dr. Zaphiris gives the patient her full, undivided attention, listening thoughtfully to their concerns and devising a healthcare plan that respects the patient’s individual needs and limits. She’s also deeply compassionate and sensitive to patients’ varying psycho-​social histories and backgrounds. I’ve been seeing her for about two years now, and I strongly recommend her to anyone looking for a truly excellent family doctor.
(I meant to add that she has a lot of experience; she just looks about 15 years younger than her age… Also, if you’re looking for an addiction specialist, she’s the best out there! She practices harm-​reduction in a non-​judgmental manner, combining traditional (western) and alternative approaches to addiction treatment. So, if this is something you need, you’ll be doing yourself a tremendous good to incorporate her as your PC doctor in your recovery plan.)

Care Practice doesn’t take insurance. So, this is not the place for you if you don’t want a place like that or you don’t want to go through the paperwork to get reimbursed.
I was looking for a better doctor experience than I was getting in a normal practice and so I tried Care Practice and Dr. Zaphiris out.
I called on a Sunday and they got me in on Monday. On Monday, I arrived to a very pleasant office with nice people. I saw the Doctor on time. We decided I needed a test which we got done right then and there. Since then we have followed up with 5 – 10 emails to answer questions and check-​in. This is how it should be everywhere.
Dr. Zaphiris is kind, knowledgeable, and a great communicator (both listening and speaking). I have so much more confidence in the care I get with her than I did with my previous doctor. I highly recommend.

Dr. Zaphiris has been our family physician for three years now, taking care of me, my wife, and our two toddlers. A year ago we moved from San Francisco to San Mateo and we continue seeing her because she’s just that good. And our kids love her. She takes an integrated approach — embracing all aspects of medicine and healing — so I feel comfortable with her quarterbacking whatever is going on with our health. She’s also incredibly committed to being there for her patients — she’s very present and reachable.

Let me preface with this the fact that I have not been to Alex Zaphiris, but I wanted to save Unilocalers some time to not waste their time calling, as I just did. I just spoke on the phone with a female who gave me so much attitude that I wondered why anyone would want to book an appointment there in the first place. I asked a simple question, do they take insurance, and she said «No» in a really snide manner. I asked why, and she said, «Because we don’t need to.» I asked what that meant, since I thought that was a strange answer, and she said that they had plenty of patients who were willing to spend the money and that it was «a lot of paperwork.» This incredibly unfortunate phone conversation has led me to give this place 1 star. To sum it up: they were rude on the phone and they don’t take insurance.

I found Dr. Zaphiris in Unilocal when I was looking for an osteopath and primary care physician. On my first visit, she asked me to write a Unilocal review, and I’m finally getting around to it. As primary care physician she is okay. As an osteopath she is waaaay over priced ($ 350 for first visit, $ 260 for follow up treatment) and underexperienced. After a lot of wasted time and thousands$ spent addressing an issue, with no positive results, I finally wised up and went to a real osteopath for half the price. I resent paying for someone’s learning curve. If you don’t have a really simple issue (and too fat bank account) try an experienced osteopath.

I have had my share of doctors. I have gone to several doctors trying to establish a primary care doctor for my health. I prefer a holistic approach and I want someone who respects this. I also want a great doctor who spends time and has great bedside manner. I wanted someone who also was in my insurance plan, but I realized that after years of searching, I just never found the right fit.
I went to Dr. Zaphiris after I had a really bad sore throat for two weeks. My usual herbs weren’t working and I was afraid that I had strep. Dr. Zaphiris was able to squeeze me into her schedule as a new patient so I was seen that day. She spent 45 minutes with me asking lots of questions, she did a strep test on the spot, and gave me a lab slip for blood work. She gave me some great suggestions for home care. Her front desk staff gave me a super bill to easily submit to my insurance company.
Dr. Zaphiris called me back as soon as the blood results came in. I felt completely taken care of. And I am excited to know that I have a great doctor who also supports my choices to use natural medicine. Yes, I pay out of pocket, but my insurance reimburses me. It’s completely worth it!

My wife and I are thrilled to have Dr. Zaphiris as our primary care doctor because of her wide lens through which she sees the human body and it’s total ‘being’ — for example, I had a numb big left toe for about two years, and other doctors had seen it, but she immediately thought about vitamin B-​complex and its relationship to the nervous system, and suggested I do an added vitamin dose — and within a month I could tell a difference, and now after about 3 months the numbness is almost gone. Not to mention she’s very pleasant, and has taken more time with me (at age 60 when all kinds of things could break down) than any doctor has every done. I say, «Hat’s off to ‘Dr. Alex’ …»

We saw Dr. Zaphiris a few times for well-​baby visits for my infant son, and like everyone else in this practice, she’s awesome. (I gave her four stars just because I’ve only met her twice.) Very grounded and relaxed, and equally knowledgeable about western and holistic medicine. I’m so happy to know there are three great family doctors I can turn to with any problems! (Plus, house calls for a newborn are a godsend.) I feel really safe in Dr. Zaphiris’ hands.

Dr. Zaphiris has a great balance of osteopathy/​homeopathy and grounded traditional medicine. Unlike many doctors I’ve worked with in the past, I feel that Zaphiris truly believes in preventative medicine, not just fixing problems. During my last visit, she not only helped me with a current ailment, she provided steps to avoid it in the future, answered all of my questions clearly and even followed up with me a few days later.