Jamie Marie Bigelow, MD, FCCP

Ha another one of those «I should have read the Unilocal reviews first» — I just wasted a whole afternoon waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting for my appointment. I turned up 15min early to do paperwork, her assistant said «we’re running a teeny bit late». Ok sure, I figured, 5 – 10 minutes, no problem. it was a first meet’n’greet appointment and I’d be out of there in 20mins anyhow but… oh no, not even close, not by a mile. TWO HOURS later I’m still sitting there. I’ve read all the magazines, I’ve checked my phone, I’ve tapped my feet, I’ve looked at the ceiling, and after TWO HOURS she pops out with a «thanks for waiting!». I felt insulted by such casual attitude after she’s screwed up my afternoon work schedule. I spend 8 minutes talking to her and I’m on my way. Her attitude was ok, but I had to work hard to suppress my annoyance. As a Dr, she was ok. When I leave, the reception guy says «thanks for waiting, I see it was a couple of hours by my clock». This is bullshit. Ms Bigelow, if bother to read these, you’ll notice that me and many other people are angered and insulted by your disregard for our time.
I’m particularly annoyed to see my experience wasn’t just a one-​off. I cannot recommend her if this is how she operates.

if i could give zero stars, i would.
first off, the sleep center she works at is totally disorganized. it took me almost 2 months of phone calls, voicemails etc just to schedule a consultation, and they kept dropping the ball on calling me back, responding to faxes, etc. a total mess.
anyways, i eventually got a consultation and did a sleep study. i met w/​dr bigelow to discuss my results later. she was cold and unfriendly. she told me pretty much *nothing* about my results. she just said i had minor apnea, and that i should probably get a breathing machine and briefly, mentioned a few other options. the whole consultation took like 10 minutes and i walked out as clueless as when i walked in. almost a year later, when looking through the folder of my main doctor, it turned out that there were like 10 pages of data etc that the sleep center compiled etc… i didnt even know this existed! i couldnt believe that dr bigelow never went over it with me. i was so mad. i couldnt believe that i had undergone this sleep study which cost over $ 1,000 and the doctor couldnt even have been bothered to walk through the results with me or to really delve deeply into what i should do next.
a couple years later, i met with another sleep doctor at the same center. he did an *excellent* job of going through my sleep study, explaining everything to me, discussing my options, making recommendations and a «next steps» plan, and answering all my questions. now i actually have hope that my sleep disorder will be fixed. if only i had seen him 2 years ago instead of dr bigelow, then maybe i would have had good sleep two years ago!
ugh. it’s sad really… you think of doctors as people who care about their patients and want to help them… not dr. bigelow.

i saw her about a year & a half ago. Waited an hour & 20 min to be seen. She is very brisk & had a good laugh when I told her I used Hepa type air filters in my apt. After reading other reviews I am never going back. She even gets mediocre reviews on my insurance website !!! Thank you Unilocalers !

Nice office staff, but not too sharp.
Dr. Bigelow is WAY WAY too hyper, interrupts constantly, minimizes, seems to resent questions. Seems like she wants to «phone in» sleep study stuff. Minimum wait is 30 minutes for scheduled appointment.

Really a bad experience. Thought I may have some underlying sleep issues, so I came and met with Dr. Bigelow for a consultation. After waiting for 65 minutes, we sat and talked about a sleep study. 5 minutes later I was scheduling one with the front desk.
The night of the sleep study was fine except that the instructions mentioned that you could do/​use whatever you usually do/​use to fall asleep (read, listen to music, etc). Well you can’t. It’s lights out while trying to get used to a strange place with TONS of things stuck to your body and head. I maybe got an hour or two of sleep as the walls are thin and the elderly lady in the room next to mine was snoring and talking in her sleep.
After the study, I scheduled a follow up appt. Something came up and I had to reschedule a week in advance. That was fine, but they sent me a $ 40 bill for a missed appt. I called and explained to them what happened they said they would take are of it. Well, they never did. I called 3 more times after getting 3 more «Pay Up» letters. Finally someone fixed it after I received a collections letter.
I arrived at my follow up appt. and she kept me waiting 75 minutes! I had to be back at work and when I went to the desk to tell the receptionist I had to leave, she went back and got Dr. Bigelow and magically she could see me! I tried to explain my frustrations, but she really could care less. I had to go and she said I should get another sleep study… really? Horrible experience, horribly run office and really a frazzled seemingly uncaring doctor. Sorry, but take my word for it, Go Somewhere Else.

UPDATE: We have now left TWO messages at her office to ask them to remove the $ 100 charge and no return call. Surprise.
Sounds like this doctor could benefit from a day planner or alarm clock.
To repeat the experience posted in many other comments, my husband had an early morning appointment here for a sleep test. We purposely book these kinds of things early to reduce the likelihood of the doctor doing exactly what she did — showing up late without any notification to the patients.
I am a consultant. I don’t get paid unless I’m physically in front of my computer working. I took a ½ day off (unpaid) to watch my son so my husband could be ON TIME for this appointment. He was there early.
30 minutes later. No doctor. No reason. No apology.
45 minutes later, the doctor sauntered in and took in another patient. Again, no reason for her absence. No apology.
After an hour I told my husband to just leave since there seemed to be no concerted effort to get my husband in front of the doctor he’d so patiently waited for. He rescheduled for the following week.
I read these posts and decided this is a pattern with this doctor and she isn’t worth our time or money. We canceled his appointment.
Fast forward two weeks and we have a $ 100 bill from her for a missed appointment.
When hell freezes over as pigs fly through the sky, she can expect payment for this «late cancellation» fee.
Doctors like this infuriate me. No consideration for anyone’s time but their own.

Wow. You’ll want to pass on this doctor.
My MIL is a patient of hers and could not get a hold of her for a worsening pulmonary condition that she had. My MIL wanted to get an Rx for antibiotics. She tried to call her office several times. The first time, the receptionist said she’d give Dr. Bigelow the message. When my MIL did not hear back, she called again and got a message that the office was closed for the day (at noon???). I intervened and called her answering service. It took two hours for Dr. Bigelow to return my call. That’s not so bad I guess. What irked me was that Dr. Bigelow spent 5 minutes telling me why she couldn’t call me back right away: she had to see her own doctor, she was busy all morning, and frankly that there was nothing wrong with my MIL, just that she was «a very nervous woman.» If she thought my MIL wasn’t sick, why did she bother ordering a blood test and chest Xray (BTW, she didn’t even get the results yet when she made this statement)?
So she thinks the only thing wrong with my MIL is that she’s a nervous woman. I guess she should be a shrink, not a lung doctor. I sent my MIL to a different pulmonologist that was able to see her within two hours. Stay away from this doctor!
Update: My MIL just came from the new pulmonologist and was told that she has pneumonia. MAJOR MISDIAGNOSIS, DR. BIGELOW

I saw Dr. Bigelow because I developed a terrible cough that would not go away after my cold seemed to be gone. She took a very detailed history and asked a lot of smart questions about my current symptoms and my past history. She gave very straightforward sensible advice and prescribed medicines that worked for me. While she did use one or two technical terms in speaking with me, she gave me a very clear simple explanation of those terms when I asked.
Several reviewers commented that the doctor was not on time. I did not have to wait very long, but the next patient might have waited a little longer, because my problem turned out to be a bit more complicated than it might have seemed at first. I would rather see a doctor who is thorough than one that cuts you off because they are «out of time.»
Before arriving for my appointment, I also called to see if the doctor was running on time, which is something you should do if you are seeing a good doctor who is sometimes on call for emergencies.
Finally, I noticed that Unilocal has the wrong address listed for Dr. Bigelow. She is no longer on Bush St. She is at 815 Hyde, just around the corner.

I like her. and shot last time I was there she saw me early. I like the blunt no-​nonsense talk. Took stars off tho because the staff does seem a bit inconsistent sometimes they call me every week other times it takes them a month to schedule something. Crys West was the most amazing ever tho I would give her 5 stars in a second. =)

Patients are noting but a paycheck for Bigelow. Go elsewhere.
I have been to visit Bigelow five times. Each of the five times I wasn’t seen until more than an hour after my scheduled appointment. This seems to be the case will all of the other patients I was in the waiting room with.
Based on the difference in testing, treatment I received in contrast to a friend who also saw Bigelow, I believe it is her intention to milk insurance companies for all she can despite the needs of her patients. For example, in our initial exam I told Bigelow that I had two confirmed cases/​observers where I stopped breathing while sleeping. She scheduled a full night sleep study. I requested a split study with the second half of the night working on titration since 1) I already knew I stopped breathing at night, 2) doing two separate studies takes more than a month longer, and 3) said friend who’s symptoms were not as severe got a split study. She insisted on a full night study – I believe because my insurance would pay for two separate studies. After the first study she made me wait two weeks for the results, insisted on an office visit/​consultation, another $ 35 co-​pay, and was more than an hour late for my appointment to tell me that I stopped breathing while I slept, I needed a CPAP and she was scheduling a titration study. Ummm… already knew all that. Why did you make me take a whole afternoon of work and wait two weeks to tell me?
I also believe she has a racket going on with the Sleep Center and Grove Medical company. While the paperwork you sign says you have a choice of durable medical goods companies, Bigelow would not give me a prescription for the CPAP, and told me Grove Medical Company would contact me. eg: I had no choice. When I requested consumable supplies from Grove Medical Company 180 days after receiving the CPAP, I immediately got a call from the Sleep Center requesting that I visit for a follow up.

Dr. Bigelow’s attitude is unique to say the least as others have mentioned. She gets to the point and does not sugarcoat. It happens to be something I can deal with and get along with so it works for me.
She is blunt about the companies she has dealt with and she is very forthcoming of directions on how to do a end run around red tape to get what I need asap.
Her real address is:
815 Hyde Street
Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94 109

Dr. Bigelow is neither a good listener or friendly. It is not that she is just honest and blunt, she is utterly rude and seems as though you are an inconvenience.
She kept cutting me off when I was attempting to answer her questions and on top of that her office has not called me back to schedule a sleep study even though I left a message over a week ago.
I have since made an appointment with another doctor and actually feel relieved that I do not have to deal with Dr. Bigelow’s attitude again.

I don’t understand the negative reviews below.
True, every time I see her, I have to wait about 30 minutes. But my previous family doctor’s waiting time is 45 min and my current family doctor’s waiting time is 1 hour. I don’t see complains in their reviews.
It’s also true that she is blunt with conversation. Here is the thing, I’m seeing a physician to treat my problem, not a shrink to make me feel better. I actually like her for not sugarcoating things. I do my homework before seeing her, and ask questions in an intelligent way. And I’m satisfied with the answers. Actually she is willing to share her knowledge.

Dr J. Bigelow may be knowledgeable, but she’s terrible to work with. She’s ALWAYS late to appointments, which isn’t too much of a problem for me. It’s her ABRASIVE attitude and LACK OF COMPASSION that really upset me. She wanted to cancel my appointment 15 prior to the meeting but I insisted on coming in to ask her some questions. This may have irked her or something because every question I asked, she responded with «I don’t know» and «what do you want me to do about it?» She will NOT take time to explain test results and she will not offer her insight on whatever ails you. I could go on and on about how much I don’t like her as a doctor but I think you get the picture. I DO NOT recommend Dr. J. Bigelow if you’re looking for a doctor who cares about her patients.

Every appointment includes a 45−1hr wait in the front office, followed by 1 – 2 hours in the exam rooms awaiting the Dr. as you hear her in nearby rooms with other patients. Once they moved me to 3 different rooms & gave me no reason. The office is so money driven, that the lights turn out on you periodically until you move about. Sometimes you don’t bother as you need the sleep. I missed an apt. 2 years ago & when I didn’t get the usual courtesy call from her office, I called to find I had messed the dates up & I was one day late. Her collection thugs still want that $ 45 & call every few days. Funny how your time is expendable, & hers is not. Some offices pay the rent from this practice & most doctors declare it unethical. By the way, its hardly a days pay considering she’s got em stacked up enough for a 3 hour wait. When she does finally see you, it is rushed & interrupted by making phone calls to her daycare etc. & the CPAP co. Grove Medical Equipment she refers to: My Dr says they stop answering calls & emails about the time they receive your insurance payment. Hopefully you’ve got 1 adjustment from them by then. Their collections is just as aggressive. Won’t pay for something I couldn’t use when they didn’t live up to their obligation. I’ve programmed both agencies into my cell (with no ringer). Bet she gets a kickback for that referral. This whole sleep apnea scam is really quite lucrative-​BEWARE! I Just read an article suggesting reporting doctors who pursue no shows & balance billing aggressively to the FTC. I think its time. This is the 2^nd time I’ve posted this review, not that there’s others, perhaps it will stick.

Dr. Bigelow does seem to be a somewhat knowledgeable doctor, but her interactions with her attitude and treatment of patients is poor. I’ve had more than five visits with her, and I’ve not yet been seen within the half hour after my designated appointment time. She is at best a half an hour late, and on some days, she’s well over an hour late seeing patients. I began having issues with her prescribed treatment and requested information on alternative treatments, but she refused to help me. She told me that my sleep issue was out of her field even though she’s supposed to be a sleep doctor. I got a second and third opinion from two other doctors, who both countered her decision and refusal to treat my sleep disorder, but she still only admitted they were right and still refused to provide with treatment. This was just the tipping point at which I stopped seeing her. There were other incidents of her office personnel losing medical releases, lying about forms being sent over, requesting additional information than was allowed by specification of a medical release, and taking WEEKS to return messages or follow through on agreed upon steps to be taken for treatment.

Dr. Bigelow seems very knowledgeable, however, her demeanor is not the greatest. I didn’t really feel like she «cared» about me and my situation. She did not offer many suggestions for my shortness of breath when all of my tests came back normal. The front desk man is fantastic, though. He’s a hoot!

Dr. Bigelow seems like a knowledgeable doctor but does not have a good attitude towards patients. First time I saw her I had to wait 90 minutes and second time I had to wait 45 minutes.
At the end of my 2^nd app’t, I cordially mentioned to her that I’d like to give her feedback, and told her how long I had to wait. She told me she’s a critical care doctor, and some emergency came up, but I told her once in a while it’s fine, but lateness seems to be a pattern. She then told me she’s never heard of a doctor that’s not at least an hour late. Oh, really?!?
I then told her plenty of doctors are on-​time, and she said «good for them». Well, I guess things like Unilocal really do make it good for them.
As I was leaving, Dr. Bigelow suggested I see Dr. Kram next time I come in. Thank you for the suggestion Dr. Bigelow… I will definitely do that and recommend other Unilocalers do too if they don’t want to wait 45 minutes past their appointment time.
I did give this two stars as she does seem knowledgeable, and the respiratory therapist in her office, Crys West, is fantastic.

I take issue with the administrative aspects of this practice. I have been there 3 times and all 3 times I had to wait 40 – 60 minutes past my allotted appointment time to see the doctor. One time I rescheduled the appointment because their late schedule would have made me miss another appointment later that day. I arrived home to find a message on my answering machine saying they were charging me a fee for a missed appointment because I rescheduled at the last moment, despite the fact that I was in the office waiting for my appointment but the doctor was nowhere to be found.
When my primary care physician referred me to the associated sleep clinic, one of the staff members left me a message about setting up the initial consultation. She left her call back number and extension. I called back twice over the next week and left a message, but didn’t receive another call. I finally had my third call routed to an operator and asked for a live person who set up the first appointment.
I have received my diagnosis and was told to wait for a call from the medical supply company. It’s been a week and I still haven’t heard anything. Either their supply affiliate dropped the ball or they never got the referral. Once again I will have to contact the office or their agents because someone failed to follow through on a commitment.
I haven’t sought another sleep specialist because I don’t want to go backwards in the progress toward a treatment for my condition. If I were starting out again, I would shop around a little more.
Update:
I finally got the medical equipment. This provider still proves to be difficult. A staffer re-​programmed the computer card that drives the settings on my C-​PAP machine and apparently «broke» some of the other settings. I left a message about that problem on the SF office voicemail on Tuesday. They called back on Friday.
The outgoing message on the office voice mail in the San Francisco office says you can call a 510 number to change an appointment. When you call that number (central office I believe), they tried to transfer meback to SF to leave a voice message. This has happened to me more than once.
I’m looking for another provider.

Dr. Jamie Marie Bigelow is a good listener, proactive, has a friendly demeaner, is very honest but also sensitive, and takes her patients seriously. She’s an excellent problem solver, and won’t just throw her hands up in the air if your case is harder than the average one. She does internal medicine, and specializes in pulmonology. So, whether you have asthma, sleep apnea, lung disease or some other lung-​related issue, she’s a great doctor to go to for relief! She’s affiliated with St. Francis Hospital, which seems to offer decent care, although is admittedly not on the level of UCSF… but it’s worth going there to get Dr. Bigelow’s care.
She also possesses a skill that most doctors I’ve seen seem not to be able to do: she is always able to refer you to another doctor for whatever malady you might have. If you’re like me, when you’re trying to find a doctor, you don’t just want to take a shot in the dark, you want some names of good practitioners! She’s always been able to give me at least 2 – 3 names and numbers of good doctors to start with. It might not seem as important as whether or not she herself is a good doctor, but it is one of the important services a doctor can provide as part of his or her practice, being able to help refer you to someone who can help you.
The only drawback to Dr. Bigelow’s practice is that her office staff aren’t the most on top of things. So, you might need to stay on top of them by calling more than once to make sure they fax forms where they need to be faxed, that sort of thing. And they aren’t always good about conferring first with you before scheduling a test for you — so it’s good to let them know that if Dr. Bigelow wants you to get some sort of test or procedure, they need to check in with you about your schedule before making any appointments, or better yet, give you the name and number of who you have to call to schedule that test directly with the appropriate office.
All in all, I really think she’s an excellent doctor. I can deal with the inefficience of her office staff, because nobody’s perfect. As long as I can get appointments in the reasonably near future, can be seem almost on time, and get good care, that’s all a person can really ask for in the greater scheme of things!