Oakland Medical Group

I was most interested in reading the review that talked about the BILLING from this company!
They have not sent us an invoice in over 18 months — now we suddenly owe copayments dating back to January 2013!!! REALLY!
This is the second time this happened to us — they «withheld» service a year ago because we had not paid a bill from 15 months before that — when we told them we had not received any invoices — had paid all copayments at the time of visit … they said they had the wrong address for us. Obviously an excuse to cover up complete incompetence. This accounting manager must be someone’s spouse or cousin because nepotism has to be the only way they get to keep their job!
Dr Chen is a great doctor — very responsive and thorough — I wish he would join another medical group! Sorry Dr Chen — we love you but … I can’t use you because of this nightmare in the accounting department.
Go somewhere else for your healthcare!

Dr. Terashima who is part of Oakland Medical Group is a nice gentleman but I cannot recommend him as a doctor nor can I recommend Oakland Medical Group. I recently decided to find a new doctor and I had to use Unilocal to help weed out the good and the bad so I feel like it’s my obligation to now write about my experience.
My reasons for leaving Oakland Medical Group and Dr. Terashima:
* Quick to write a prescription with no explanation of other ways to remedy the issue at hand.
This was the final reason I decided to leave so I’m listing it first. I received results from my blood panels in a letter in the mail with a note saying something along the lines of «LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) very high. Take these pills and come back in 3 months» along with a prescription for Lipitor. For an otherwise healthy 35 year old?! Really? First off, finding out that I had an issue that can lead to disease and death was incredibly scary. I was appalled that no explanation of the test results was offered. No explanation of what I can do to lower my cholesterol naturally. Nothing. Just a prescription for a drug with side effects that can be worse than the issue itself. This was incredibly unprofessional in my opinion. The new doctor I’m seeing was also disgusted that he took this approach, with a medicine that has been receiving a lot of bad press from the ADA for someone who, as it turns out, doesn’t even have that high of cholesterol.
* Long wait times almost upon every visit.
Very old and uncomfortable waiting rooms. Upon every visit I could not help but to question how well the care at a place so outdated could be.
* Visits always felt rushed.
He does not take time to explain things in laymans terms or ask questions.
* Lacking bedside manor.
He was my doctor for about 3 years and every time I visited it felt like he had never met me before. It was strange. I never got the feeling that he truly cared or wanted to get to know me as a patient. It always just felt like he was in a hurry to get to the the person in the next room who has probably been waiting for a long time.
* Hours that are inconvenient.
The office hours are 9−5pm or possibly 6pm with a window from 12 – 1:30pm where everyone is on lunch so if you call with a question you’re told to call back by someone at a call center who more often than not comes across as rude and annoyed.
* Lack of responsiveness.
There were a few times when I had to call in a prescription and waited and waited and waited to hear back. I know Doctors are busy people but when you’re ill and don’t know if you’re going to be getting your medication or not is just the worst. There were times when I could not get ahold of anyone until the next morning only to find out that they had called into the prescription to some pharmacy without bothering to let me know.
* Old technology.
I asked if they could email me the release form that I need to get my records and they told me I had to come in because they do not have email. From the waiting rooms to the exam rooms, everything just feels very old, dated and not all that sanitary.
I hate to say it but I just cannot say anything good about this place.

This a review of the staff, not Dr. Chen, who is EXCELLENT:
I have been using Oakland Medical Group for my yearly checkups, and medication management for over 2 years, and in those 2 years, I have had numerous panic attacks due to prescriptions not being filled. Today, for example, is the 4^th time I’ve called the office to refill my anxiety medication, I am out, and as a result, I am late to work. I called Friday, Monday, and again on Tuesday… now that it’s Wednesday, I’m hoping the incompetent staff can do something as simple as call in a prescription. I used to manage an office for 3 physicians, run their spirometry and lung diffusion, and do billing… Oakland Medical Group, get your act together, it’s not that hard.
Changing to a different office today, sorry Dr. Chen, you might want to make sure your employees are doing their jobs.

This is where La Famille goes to see our GP. The Sibling’s Spouse referred us to Oakland Medical Group when The Mother was dissatisfied with the previous medical office’s GP had moved on. It seemed it was a revolving door at the previous medical office.
The medical staff at Oakland Medical Group are very professional and very kind. When a family member got ill awhile back, the staff went above and beyond in conveying compassion to the family member when they came to see the GP. I really appreciated their going out of the way in making the family member comfortable before the GP saw them.
Anyway, the family is in good health thanks to the GP and the staff of Oakland Medical Group. And oh yeah, the Sibling’s Spouse aka the Sibling-​in-​Law deserves props too.

This office’s billing department will put you through hell a year or more after your visit. They will give you some weak song and dance about how they could not properly file their claim with your health insurance company, then want you to pay their bill out-​of-​pocket two years later… maybe when you have already moved on to another job, with new or no health coverage. BEWARE.

I dont go to the Dr. office all the time. but when I do. Dr. Kevin Chen is my guy… I do not feel rushed when I am there… All of the staff are so polite and friendly. Dr. Chen takes his time, listens to me, and best of all is a good doc.