Dan Kalshan, MD

I had a great experience. Leave a message and the receptionist will call you back. I will continue to keep going to Dr. Kalshan. He listens to you, doesn’t rush you out of the office, and is easy to communicate with. He’s one of the best doctor’s I’ve had.

It’s tough to write this review, as I’ve been a patient of Dr. Dan for at least 3 years now, if not more. I’m a huge fan of his personally, he’s always given me sound advice and has been easy to work with, until recently. He’s lost his personal touch.
The result of being one of the best rated doctors on Unilocal when SF goes through a massive population increase is supply can no longer meet demand. It’s now become incredibly tough to get an appointment to see him or get real one-​on-​one care. As most people have complained, I understand why he’s not taking new patients unless it’s a serious illness given that he barely has time to see his existing patients. I did the same song and dance years ago to get in to see him. But at this point, I think he needs to stop taking new patients entirely.
First frustration round: I went in for a physical in May, to which he ordered me a bunch of labs to check blood, cholesterol, etc. Except he failed to tell me which of the 2 labs I should go to before I left my appointment and his assistant never followed up to give me that information. Being busy with travel overseas and work, I forgot nor did I feel like I should have to be the one to call in and inquire about it.
Second frustration round: Since May, the past 3 times I’ve called for an appointment, I’ve been unable to get in to see him in under a week — I’ve gone instead to Urgent Care Centers for 2 out of those 3 times — one for food poisoning, another for a fairly severe viral infection because I couldn’t wait 5 days to see him.
Third frustration round: For that 3^rd time, when I called to make an appointment after 5 weeks of persistent heartburn, he made an exception for me because I complained about being unable to get an appointment to his assistant. It took her 2 days, even still, to call me back and tell me that he would see me after hours at 4:45pm (how that is after hours, when you open at 9am, no clue — doctor hours never cease to amaze me). I was told that it might be bacterial, having never had heartburn historically, and that test would tell him whether or not I should have medication or further assessment by a specialist. He ordered another set of labs, including the same ones that weren’t originally processed from my physical and off I went to Quest.
Fourth frustration round: The test results were delivered to me by his assistant on the phone. NOT by him, and she knew nothing about his commentary to me regarding meds or a specialist. It was a simple, it came back negative… with no solution. I asked her why he wasn’t able to pick up the phone to call and speak with me directly, since he’s the person familiar with my case. She said she’d send him a message and let him know. I called just now this morning to check back and instead of him calling me, like I asked, she read verbatim a message he’d typed her telling me to take my labs and go to see Dan Conlin, gastronomist. And when I asked again why he couldn’t call me directly to discuss this, she said he’s too busy to make calls to patients and he would be leaving for 3 weeks of vacation which has compounded that issue.
Why is it that you have time, Dr. Dan, to text your assistant a lengthy message, but can’t simply pick up a phone and dial me directly? And, if you can’t call your patients directly with being too busy, why are you even bothering to take new clients still?
I’m going to One Medical for now on. You’ve lost me as your patient.

I’ve been seeing Dr. Kalshan for 6 years now and he is fantastic. When it comes to medical care I want someone who knows their stuff, can translate medical jargon, geeks out on the WHY, asks direct questions, and somehow bundles that all up with the best bedside manner I’ve experienced. It truly is wonderful to have a physician that you can speak honestly and earnestly with — who also has a great memory & systems for keeping all his notes and records about you for future visits. He is not covered by my insurance and I still go to see him.

Adding some more information. Another great thing about him is that he was willing to experiment with me for my fibromyalgia. I brought in a book by a specialist and he was willing to try the protocol. Many doctors would not do that. He won’t do anything crazy but will consider something reasonable.
He also made himself available when I was having an emergency severe tooth/​earache. He was at an offsite seminar, but his receptionist asked him to call me and he did, prescribed something and I think he even checked in with me later on (or I called back). Either way, I got the treatment I needed.
For those who think it takes a while to get ahold of him or his receptionist – please keep in mind it is one doctor and one receptionist. As you can see from all of the 5 star reviews, he spends time with his patients. Be a little «patient» yourself and you will be soon benefit from his great treatment.

I am 62 years old and because of my job (s) during those years have moved around a lot. My last job brought me from Southern California to San Francisco. Once again, I need to find a primary care physician and a friend recommended his; Dr. Kalshan. I couldn’t have been more fortunate. From my very first visit to my 8^th or 10^th now, he has spent the time necessary to examine me, answer questions, and explain lab results or medications. I have never felt rush and he didn’t park me in one waiting room to hop across 2 or 3 more before coming back — he stayed with me until we were through. Dr. Kalshan treatment recommendations have been excellent with only minor course corrections, were excellent. I have had to see a podiatrist and a surgeon and being new in town had no idea where to go and I was pleased to find his referral recommendations were equally excellent.
Without hesitation I would, and have, recommend him to my family and friends as I know they will be treated well.

Dan Kalshan is one of the best doctors I have seen. He is personable, intelligent and quickly diagnosed my issues. The medicines and life style changes he prescribed worked out great.

Every time I think to myself that I should forget schlepping all the way to the city to go to the Dr (I now live in Redwood City), I go to Dr. Kalshan and remember why I keep hauling my ass up there in the first place. He never rushes me, he is always thorough, and he keeps up to date on what is happening in the medical field. I just went in for an eye infection and casually asked a question about a female medical issue that I didn’t like the answer my OBGYN gave me. Not only did he actually listen to me, he had just read some new information about gene mutations that might be part of my problem. So now I am on some simple OTC remedies to see if that alleviates my issue. Something, I might add, that I have talked to my gyno 3 times about with no solution. I have yet to go with any ailment that he hasn’t quickly recognized and remedied for me. I will definitely be a lifelong patient!

Was very impressed by the 4.5 star rating, and tried him out last year. Went in for my annual physical/​well woman exam, came away with nothing more than a creeped-​out vibe (I’ve worked with male physicians in the past. I’m not trying to hate, but… just look at his photo on his website and draw your own conclusions for a first impression), a cursory examination of the mouth/​ears and a quick blood pressure check. A few questions about my general health, how much I exercise, etc. Then he gave me a piece of paper with a list of tests Quest would need to run on me whenever I could make it over there for a blood culture, and that was it. I had been with Palo Alto Medical Foundation for years before, and I definitely didn’t walk out after 10 minutes. Pretty sure no part of my examination with Dr. Kalshan was at all related to well-​woman issues.
After a couple months, I called in to get a normal flu shot. None available. No referrals, no stocking (or re-​stocking?) available. Asked again about what else is generally included in a physical/​well-​woman exam, and the generally clueless ladies he has at reception offered no information and said he was unavailable for comment.
Today at around 10am, got increasingly disturbing symptoms of a pretty serious UTI and called him to see if there was anything he could do, whether it was a quick over the phone triage or praxis and then prescribe me something, I could describe all my symptoms. or i could go in for a quick culture at Quest and then he could give me a Rx then. Lady at reception says, we’re booked up until next week but I’ll see what I can do. Doesn’t call me back until 3:20pm. By that time I’d gotten Palo Alto Medical Foundation on the line at least 5 times, gone through their amazingly efficient procedure (5 times, only because I was/​am in pain and because the first time i called my symptoms weren’t bad enough), gotten a prescription, driven and gotten my prescription and taken the first pill 2.5 hours ago.
In short — don’t count on this guy. He will let you down when you are most in need. I haven’t gone through insurance/​non-​insurance issues with him, but it sounds like others have and perhaps you don’t even want to start that relationship to begin with…

Dr Kalshan is one of the best drs I’ve ever seen. Surprisingly I only see him about once a yr for the past 8 yrs and he seems to remember so many of the things I’ve told him. He’s very personable and down to earth. Easy to joke with!
I never have to wait in his lobby and there’s no runaround like you have at big hospitals. Making appointments are easy!

Kalshan the Teflon doctor. Nothing sticks, he is never there. The receptionist is nasty.
He tries to get you in and out as quickly as possible. He does not return phone calls and cannot be reached.
My wife was very sick over a weekend and had to wauit until Tuesday before Dan woudl tlka with her. And then she had to plead with the receptionist to get through.

Dr. Kalshan has gone all Obamacare on me. Suddenly, the health insurance policy that I’ve been using since 2011 is no longer acceptable in his office. Rather than trying to find new insurance (hard), I’m going to find a new doctor (easy).

A terrific PCP. Highly knowledgeable, easy to talk to, and very thorough. Very happy to have found such a great Dr. in the city since moving here a year ago. 5 stars in every sense.

I stand by my review. I’m not a «paid-​to-​hate» Unilocaler. Maybe «chubby» wasn’t the exact word he used, but I was put on the scale and told to start exercising more as I looked «heavier» than previous visits. Not surprising he couldn’t find me in his records, as I haven’t been there for a few years. Again, I went there for a throat infection, not weight loss advice. That, and the awful front desk service, made me drop him as a doctor.
Also, haranguing me via the Messages option to try to get me to delete my review doesn’t work. It’s a free country and we have free speech, do we not? Isn’t that what Unilocal is for?
As for Claudio O’s comments, my experience is obviously different from hers — I am happy she had a great experience with him. I respect her opinion even if she doesn’t respect mine.

Dr. Kalshan is THE best! I was extremely lucky to stumble upon his name in the long list of doctors within my insurance network. He’s been my doctor ever since I first moved to SF roughly 10 years ago. I just cant see anyone else! He’s super down to earth, young, funny, kind, honest and great at what he does. He makes you feel extremely comfortable, like you’re talking to a friend, not your General Practitioner. I have a short list of amazing people I would love to grab a beer with which includes Alec Baldwin, Will Ferrell, Andy Samberg and Dan Kalshan. If he can make you laugh while treating your strep throat, you know he’s hilarious (and a tad bit sarcastic) under that white coat.
I’ve referred all my friends and coworkers, we all love Dr. Kalshan!

Dan is the MAN! I feel totally comfortable around him and he’s just a very trustworthy guy.
Warning: «Friends» joke coming up… I didn’t want to end up like Ross with an old pediatrician my whole life, so once I moved to the city I did some research and heard nothing but great things, so I made an appointment.
Dan and I can joke with each other, but be serious when we need to be – especially when it comes to my health.
It does take a while for them to get you into the system for your first appointment, but someone bailed, and they called me up right away and I was in about two weeks after I called.
I recommend Dan to all my friends, and would advise anyone else looking for a great doctor to make an appointment with him.

I was prompted to write a review because of reading Mi M.‘s review. Sorry Mi M, you must be mistaken.
I have been going to Dr. Kalshan for almost 10 years now. He has always been caring and patient. He is very knowledgable and communicates that well. It is rare to find a doctor you feel comfortable with and trust. Not to mention, always has the best smile on his face making me forget why I came in, in the first place. :)
I have recommended him along the way and everyone I have ever recommended him to, love him. I could not boast more about him!!!

I’ve been going to Dr. Kalshan since he started his practice 12 – 13 years ago. I literally think I was one of his first patients when he took over his practice. Naturally he was less busy when he first started, but I’ve noticed no change in his attentiveness or level of care even though he’s much more busy now.
I hold Dr. Kalshan in very high regard. I trust him completely and have been recommending him to everyone in my company who will listen to me. I wouldn’t be surprised if 25% of my company now sees him and I’ve yet to hear anyone say one bad thing about him.
I’ve moved states a few times over the 12+ years of going to Kalshan. While living out of state it’s required me to to see different doctors. Not one of them was good as Dan. Seriously.
A few times I’ve seen a specialist before going to Dr. Kalshan. Two of those times Dan actually ended up helping me faster and giving better care than a specialist. Another reason I trust him so much.
He’s had a wide variety of staff help over the years. After reading other reviews, it seems to be the most discussed part of his practice. I’ve always try my best to be as friendly with his staff as I know they have an incredibly busy and stressful job. In return, I’ve always found his staff to be great to deal with and very pleasant. If you treat them well, they will absolutely return the respect.

Dr. Kalshan is by far the best MD that I have been to over the years. He is attentive, easy to talk to and knowledgeable.
Let’s face it, most of the time you are at the doctor because there is something wrong, so it’s refreshing to see a doctor that makes you feel welcome and relaxed.
I’m lucky to have found him as my MD.

I have been a patient of Dan’s since ~ 2005. He’s my favorite doc of all time. Down to earth, explains things well and efficiently, and isn’t rushed. Very good guy and quite knowledgeable. I looked around a bit in SF before I found him but happy I did.
It’s not easy being a primary care doc in the US and I appreciate having a smart, friendly and patient physician.

Ok I am still preaching about how much I love Dr. Dan. My husband and several friends all go to him and are quite happy. He was so awesome in treating us when we got that pesky h1n1 situation. And would even return our phone calls after hours to followup.
His assistant Negar (sp) is super awesome and always returns phone calls for appointment booking and she makes sure your questions get answered.
Update: They take cards now!