FPA Women’s Health

I found FPA through a referral by PP. I was able to make an appt two days out from when I called. My insurance didn’t fully cover my initial appt so they recommended that I apply for supplemental insurance that would cover my visit and to my surprise I was eligible and paid nothing out of pocket for the actual visit. My initial visit and follow-​up appt were a very pleasant experience. Nai, the receptionist was friendly and to the point. Samantha, the medical assistant, was very genuine, helpful and informative. Tamara, the nurse practitioner, was awesome. She made me feel incredibly comfortable and was the ultimate reason why my visit was a great one.

I decided to go with FPA because I was on a high pay scale for out of pocket with planned parenthood. It would’ve cost me over $ 700 for under 12 weeks or $ 900+ for over 12 weeks. Last week when I only did a urine pregnancy test… Which they charged me $ 65 for and they just guessed 11 weeks based on my last period. they only had 2 locations that did surgical: San Jose (Tuesday/​Thursday) and San Mateo (Fridays), and they didn’t have an appointment till 1 – 2 weeks so I called FPA to see if they had anything sooner, which I’m glad they did!
I found Nai at the front desk to be very patient, even though alot of people were being rude to her about the long wait. The other ladies were nice/​friendly as well, I especially liked talking to the ultrasound technician.
My appointment was at 11:30, when I got there at 11, she told me there was going to be a long wait. The reason why I rated my experience as 3 stars instead of 5 are as follows:
1. I ended up not being called until 3.5hrs later (2:30pm), which was only for a urine sample. I then waited a bit more to go in again for the ultra sound. And waited again after to talk to an assistant for referring to another clinic. I was out of my appointment by 3:10pm
2. I believe there is a huge problem with the call center because I am not the only customer that wasn’t given full information. When making my appt, they just took down some general information and told me to fast from midnight to the following morning. I even told them I would possibly be 12 weeks at the time of my appointment. Later when I’m at the clinic, I am just hearing Nai on the phone with other patients and FIRST, she says that the Oakland location only does local anesthesia. I was not informed of this. Why was I even told to fast on the phone because that is only needed for general anesthesia… Nai told other patients that they can have light meals cuz we’ve all been waiting over 3 hours and starving. SECOND, I hear her tell someone that they only do surgical procedures for under 9 weeks here in Oakland. The call agent also did NOT tell me about this. So I wasted 4 hours waiting at FPA, got my ultrasound which told me I was actually at 10.5 weeks and did not qualify to do it there. The ultrasound alone cost me $ 130.
The good thing is that they will recommend you to another clinic, Family Planning Specialists which still has better pricing than Planned Parenthood, $ 550 for general anesthesia, so I made an appointment with them for tomorrow, first thing in the morning (hopefully then I won’t need to wait 4hrs) but in the long run I feel as though I wasted 4 hours and $ 130 since the $ 550 tomorrow includes the ultrasound as well.

Kate, Nai, and Nezha were extremely helpful and instantly put me at ease. I only had to wait for around 20 minutes versus over 2 hours at a Los Angeles location.

Nai was incredibly helpful as soon as I stepped one foot into the door. All of the nurse practitioners were friendly, helpful, and upbeat. I saw dr. feinstein and she was sweet, personal, and helpful. Definitely coming back here! =)

FPA Women’s Health is the best! Tamara, the nurse practitioner, took the time to call me, answer my questions, and give thoughtful, nuanced health care recommendations. She also patiently navigated complex insurance situations. If only other businesses offered such phenomenal customer service.

I had to wait two hours even though I had an appointment! That is just not okay! I had to wait twenty minutes standing up because there were not enough chairs. It is unacceptable to book so many patients and not have the room capacity. No water, no magazines, no anything and not enough chairs in the waiting room so you’re doomed if you set foot in this place!
ZERO STAR.