Lawrence Bruce P MD

Minus territory here. Years ago, I accompanied my husband to an appointment with Dr. Lawrence. He looked great: trim and slim. Dresses well. Quoted Shakespeare! But when I shared that my husband has a drinking problem, Dr. Lawrence’s idea for how to treat his addiction was to make us shake hands that I would always have 3 bottles of beer in the fridge and my husband would stick to beer instead of downing his usual vodka. We shook hands and that was the end of that.
My husband went on to flame out. He’s been in and out of rehab 6 times within the past year. Lawrence and I were both clueless but one would expect a doctor to be able to spot an addict and suggest more effective treatment than stocking the fridge with beer.

Dr. Lawrence is a fantastic doctor paired with super helpful staff! I’ve been seeing him for over 15 years and I’ve always been able to get an appointment quickly when needed. He is very knowledgeable, professional and really easy to speak to. I couldn’t have picked a more personable and friendly doctor. In addition to having excellent bedside manner and professional care he takes the time to listen carefully — and expertly addresses each issue. I highly recommend him!

I had a pretty enjoyable first experience with Doctor Bruce. He’s located near 30^th street on the second floor of a building that looks slightly dilapidated on the outside. I suggest you bring change to pay for parking.
I came for the first time seeking help with a digestive problem. Coming into one of the checkup rooms, I noticed that there were a lot of newspapers and news stories plastered all over his walls– it gave me the impression that he was well read.
After reading Unilocal reviews, I had the impression that Bruce liked to go on lectures, but I had to experience it first hand. Me being the hypochondriac I was, I told the Doc all of my worries and ailments. He listened intently and gave me a long talk about how I was focusing on things that were beyond my age. I liked that he took the time to lecture me because I needed it.
His long talks really give you the sense that he cares, which is the Doc I need. Though he does pickup calls while checking on you, he does make it clear that he’s seeing a patient.
All in all, I had a great time with this Doctor and I will definitely go to him now as my GP in NorCal.

July 14. I met the good Doctor Lawrence for the first time today. Yes, he took calls and helped other patients during my exam. I learned a lot about him from listening to how he treats his other patients. This guy cares about your health and is capable above and beyond that of a typical family practice MD. He talks fast, thinks fast and all 8 cylinders are firing on high-​octane brain fuel. Beyond that, he quotes, Voltaire, Shakespeare and Einstein. Quite a refreshing change from your average, every day practitioner. This is my new Doctor! …and he accepts OBAMACARE (Blue Cross).

I cannot recommend Dr. Lawrence enough. He is, by far, the best Doctor I have ever had. Dr. Lawrence is thorough, caring and takes the time to really listen. If you have to be referred to a specialist, he knows all the best ones to send you to and he will even call to get an appointment for you while you are there. What Doctor does that anymore?! Dr. Lawrence truly sets the bar for exceptional care. I have never had to wait too long for an appointment, but IF I do, I understand as he will take the time necessary with each and every patient. He has done that for me when I needed it and he will do it for you too. Dr. Lawrence is straight forward in his communication and makes you feel like you are both working together to live a long, healthy life. I value that! Thank you, Dr. Lawrence! You are truly the best! :)

As patients we are all engrained by our experiences. As it goes I’ve been going to Dr. Lawrence for almost nine years now and have enjoyed the experience every time. He’s a thorough physician as he takes his time to ask the questions for a physical, checks back on the history, and makes sure that everything is good with blood and the heart. There was a time that I really wasn’t eating properly enough and Dr. Lawrence encouraged me to diet and exercise.
Thanks to his diagnosis and advice I’m living a healthier lifestyle and have more energy during my day. Not only do I feel great but I feel lucky that a doctor was able to help me feel better then I have in years. If you’re in the neighborhood for a doctor who’s been practicing for a good number of years, who is also a humanitarian who encourages healthy living practices and how to improve ones lifestyle, look no further then Bruce Lawrence!

I have to reiterate what previous patients have expressed. Dr Lawrence will take office calls and tend to other patients’ medical needs during your appointment. Not sure why he has a receptionist if he tends to the phone more than he does his patients.
As a working professional like many of the others reviewing here, I cannot plan for a 2 hour visit. My meter ran out in my first visit and should have walked out of the exam room but gave him a shot and myself a $ 60 parking ticket.
An attempt at a second visit never happened because he refused to reschedule me.
Pros:
(1) He is very personable so if you’re in the mood to get an earful of tangential conversation which will further prolong your 2 hour visit definitely book with him.
(2) He is very thorough. As a hypochondriac I can appreciate this.
Good luck!

Dr Bruce Lawrence has been my PCP for over 30 years and I couldn’t be more pleased. He’s a lipid guru. He keeps up on current medical treatments and trends and if he has to send you to a specialist his rolodex is second to none. He sends you to people he knows and would use and I have yet to be disappointed. In addition, he is not afraid to discuss the pros and cons of potential treatments given your ailment. And finally he doesn’t suffer fools lightly. He expects the patient to keep their end of the bargain as in follow his orders!

pros– same-​day appointment
— he will talk to you over the phone if you have questions
— Could give you lectures about various subjects, such as the cardiovascular disease, stroke, hypertension.
— Very knowledgeable.
cons–
1)He won’t let you talk nor finish. In fact he would cut right through you if begin to talk.
2) Motivated to see you based on how «good» is your insurance.
3) Will talk about his «philosophy» which hardly applies to the topic at hand.
4) He tends to digress a lot.
5) While seeing you, it is highly likely that he will take a few phone calls and will forget what he was talking about prior to taking the calls.
6) He has opinions about every subject matter.
7) Some days he will be nice and approachable and in some days he is down-​right mean.
8) He tends to rush a lot and does not have concerns for your needs nor your questions.
9) Projects a poor bedside manner.
10) Unpredictable moods.
11) Will make you feel like you are a burden or he is giving social services totally free of cost.
12) Has some issues against women in general; likes to make crass comments about women.
13) Will calk about his personal life such as his ex wife and how and why he divorced her while you wait for you turn to ask a question for which you came to him in the first place.
14) Receptionists are very rude; will hang up on you if you ask to clarify why you were billed twice for one visit.

My husband and I are patient of Dr. Lawrence. He is a good doctor. I agreed with other reviewers — he does like to lecture you on your health, but he means well. He will diagnose your problem and prescribe the proper medication to get you well.

I was a new patient with Dr. Lawrence in 2013 and have never experience such poor medical service. Almost one year I went to Dr. Lawrence and the only exam I received was listening to my lungs. He never suggested a physical; never look in my ears, nose, or anything. He did however to his credit recommended a MRI that revealed a problem with my back.
However, the most obnoxious events I was involved in and detested was «Dr Lawrence talking office calls and resolving other patients medical needs during my personal office visit». I always left his office feeling cheated and twice I left his office without discussing my medical problem because now he’s rushing me out because he’s taken two-​to-​three calls.
Then on one occasion he commented, «I need you to come into the office because this is how I make my money. OUTRAGEOUS!!. He seemed uncomfortable working with women… weird. The only patients I saw in his office during the time span I saw Dr. Lawrence were men.
IF THERE’S A WOMEN OUT THERE LOOKING FOR A FEMALE PRIMARY DOCTOR, CHECK WITH THE CAROL REED BREAST CENTER. GOOD LUCK

I love this guy! Spot on, smart, energetic, takes the time to talk about things until you are comfortable. Some of the comments about Dr. Lawrence telling the truth about weight, diet, etc… are exactly what I want from my Doctor. Too bad some people don’t realize how valuable that is!

I cannot stand this guy.
I never really expect to like doctors. I’ve seen him before and know that he is really intense. I have always gone in for minor problems and always thought that the enemy you know is better then the one you don’t…
However, this last trip was pretty horrible.
I went in because I really sprained my foot and was worried it might be broken. He interrupted me as I was explaining my injury to tell me I should loose weight. So I also expect doctors to have that opinion BUT he never asked about my diet, exercise, or any complicating factors .
Instead he just went on a dumb rant. I interrupted him to tell him about my veggie centric vegan diet, my 5 to 7 days a week exercise plan, and that I just quit smoking, so give me a fucking break. I know the medical profession has ideas about weight and bodies but at least ask a couple of questions and address the issue at hand.
The appointment continued and he NEVER even touched my injured foot and instead continued to interrupt me at every turn.
What a waste of time and money.

I have to say I was very pleased with Dr. Lawrence I had been with Kaiser for years and they just pushed pills and never solved anything, my insurance changed and I went to my 1^st apt yesterday he had time for me and really expressed interest in my health. I am very happy and I am going back on Monday for a follow up apt. Nice guy and cares, all the people I saw looked happy and one lady even gave him a hug guess all went well for her, that made me happy. Thanks Dr

Dr. Lawrence has been my physician for over 20 years.
He saved my life several times. He is the best!

My husband and I went to Dr. Lawrence for a few years. When I first went to him I needed something for allergies. He sent me for a mammogram instead and caught that I had cancer. He caught it early and I am now cancer free and I will be forever grateful to him for that.
After that it was just down right strange. He ran so hot and cold on each additional visit. I never knew what to expect each time I went to see him. One visit would be good and he’d be personable and nice to deal with and the next visit he would be on some self involved rant, talking only about his self, not letting me get a word in, made very rude statements about my weight like «I see you are enjoying your food» and would constantly answer the phone instead of letting his front desk people get it.
While sitting on the exam table, I would have to listen to him plan dinners and events with all the hot shots in Oakland or talk to other patients and then when he was done, he’d shuffle me out in a big hurry.

My husband didn’t like him at all and complained that he was horrible to deal with and very rude to him most of the time. My husband was having difficulty breathing off and on and Dr. Lawrence accused him of making it up and abusing the medical system. My husband started avoiding visits with him. One day I was at his office with my husband and was shocked at the verbal abuse my husband took from him. That was the last straw and we changed doctors after that day. Our new doctor diagnosed my husband with Asthma and he is just fine now.
I give Dr. Lawrence 5 stars for catching my cancer, but I have to unfortunately reduce it by 3 stars because of his horribly poor bedside manner. So, 2 stars it is.

Dr. Lawrence is my PCP, and while he will lecture you (and that’s something to be endured) and get a bit carried away with some of his rhetorical flourishes (he ended up dolling out relationship advice, and used an Arthur Miller quote to make a point; I had to cut him off there and point out how ridiculous that was) he’s essentially a personable, competent and fair physician.
Also, I didn’t get a creepy vibe from him with the whole turn your head and cough moment, and it’s hard to express how crucial that is. Three stars because unless I’m going being saved from death’s door, I don’t know what a 4-​star or 5-​star doctor would be like.

«There are four parts to a person: body, mind, spirit, and wallet. I can only take care of the body, but I can’t do it for someone who doesn’t take care of himself.» — Dr. Bruce Lawrence
I’m having trouble finding the words to convey how offended I was by the way Dr. Lawrence communicated with me. Literally within seconds of meeting me at my first appointment, he was berating me for not being able to remember the dosage of a medication that I take. Then he recommended that I pick the age that I want to be when I die, and he could tell me how to live my life so I could get to that point. I walked out when he pointed to a bunch of articles tacked to the wall and said «everything on that wall relates to illness and death.» I’m really not doing justice to how angry and rude he was. Absolutely the worst customer experience I’ve ever had anywhere, including the DMV.
The three other Unilocal reviews of this asshole were the only information I could find anywhere online about any of general practice doctors in Oakland who accept my insurance. Granted, the reviews were good, but it’s not that much to go on when you’re choosing the person who’s going to help you manage your health.
It really sucks that this is how the medical system works. I could make a much more informed decision about the person who’s going to cut my hair. If you’re reading this, please write a review of your doctor.

My physical took over 2 hours. I waited an hour in the exam room. He came in, gave me a rambling lecture on the blatantly obvious facts of public health (don’t smoke, exercise, eat well.) I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. During said lecture he answered the phone himself to discuss a Viagra prescription with a patient. He then got off the phone, told me about the patient (breach of confidentiality) and digressed about Viagra for a bit. After this he told me to strip down and left me in the exam room to freeze my ass off in my underwear for 45 minutes.
I had to come back for a follow up as part of my physical even though I didn’t want to take the time off work and I didn’t feel it was necessary. This took an hour of waiting. He came in, looked at my chart, told me tests were normal, and sent me on my way. I got the feeling he just wanted to have me back because my insurance is good and he could bill for it. In the end I had to pay the copay twice for a physical.
I know he can diagnose, prescribe and help out if you’re sick but the service was awful, he’s unprofessional, and there’s a good chance your insurance will be milked (see the review below where someone had to come in for a follow up just because their insurance was good.)
I’ve never gotten such an uneasy feeling about a doctor. This was downright creepy.

I was so weak, I couldn’t open doors or juice bottles or hardly sit up for more than a couple of minutes. I’d been in the hospital twice. I had an incompetent doctor (see review for Dr. Neil Gozan) who wouldn’t diagnose me, treat me, or in any way try to help me, and even seemed to be trying to keep me sick. Then I went to Dr. Lawrence on the recommendation of a friend.
In three minutes, Dr. Lawrence told me I had mono. He said he’d definitely test me to be sure, but I had mono. He sent me for the blood test. Results came back. I had mono. Dr. Gozan had seen me twice and couldn’t tell. The hospital had taken a number of blood draws and couldn’t figure it out. Hello? But Dr. Lawrence knew right away and gave me the care I needed. He helped me to feel like I’d get the treatment I needed, the information I needed, to get better.
I like that Dr. Lawrence is willing to admit when he’s not the expert at something, like when I had a problem and he recommended a specialist who could be sure. Lots of doctors have ego trips and won’t admit that someone else might know better. And if I have a question, he’ll answer it.
He doesn’t get 5 stars though, because he doesn’t take enough time to listen to me thoroughly. I am a little wordy, if you couldn’t tell from my reviews! But he does take the time to go on his soapbox about whatever he feels strongly about, and I wish he’d take that time to listen to me instead, and respond to my question instead of telling his opinion about stuff. For example, I asked him what my cholesterol level was and the guideline, and he went on for quite a while about how the guidelines are somewhat arbitrary. Yeah, I know, just tell me the numbers. Which he did, but still. Also, he answers his own phone half the time instead of letting his receptionist get it, and he’ll take calls when he’s in the room with you, which is distracting.
This might sound like a 3-​star review, but I give 4 stars, because the complaints are about non-​medical things, and medically I think he’s knowledgeable and a good doctor.