Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics At Ucsf-Lppi

If you want poor administrative support, mediocre care and exorbitant rates, this is the place for you.
Its also good for wasting hours on the phone bouncing from voicemail system to voicemail system.

I was here for a week, on a 5150 (involuntarily committed, although I did want to be somewhere to be cared for — I was suicidal and did not trust myself). I cannot fault anyone. The staff were all quite helpful. I felt that they cared about me. They did help me, especially one tough-​love nurse (didn’t get her name) who helped me let go of my delusions and face reality.
About the negative reviews, I can say that some of them may raise valid points, but others seem to be based on objections to conditions you would find in ANY facility where you are kept against your will. While there, I observed several fellow patients refusing to face their anger issues, and instead wasting energy and time trying to get out of the place. Hello! Make use of the available help! You have to get over being offended, and get on with getting better!

I have used UCSF-​LPPI on and off for almost exactly ten years. I have finally reached the conclusion that UCSF can not handle patients effectively, or in a timely fashion, with their staff of Residents. In addition, the «Attending» Psychiatrist is supposed to solve problems, and I have found them eager to jump to conclusions, without spending enough time to gather enough information, to reach an effective conclusion.
It’s a teaching hospital, so I have forgiven many gaffs and mistakes over the years, but I have finally reached a breaking point. The «Attending» Physician can usually correct any mistake that there staff (the Residents) make, but now I’ve found that appealing to an «Attending» can lead to a complete loss of coverage and care. So, whatever you do don’t give constructive feedback. I did, and now they are showing me the door. It makes me sad, but in the end, looking back, it’s clear that they have committed far too many acts of Medical Malpractice, in its simplest definition, for me to ignore, any longer. So, it’s all for the best.
Steer clear of this institution, if at all possible!!! I’ve gotten more compassionate care at SF General, CPMC (California Pacific Medical Center), Stanford Hospital, and even St. Francis Hospital. I would choose any of these other institutions over UCSF-​LPPI any day of the week and twice on Sunday!!!

Easily one of the worst hospitals, if not the worst one I have ever been at or tried to contact. As many others have mentioned, no one picks up the phone at this institution. Also, the hospital has billed me and two other patients I know for charges that were not even discussed or informed ahead time. Informed consent is one of the number one factors of a reliable medical institution. I can tell you right now DO NOT TRUST this place. STAY AWAY from Langley Porter hospital and try a different San Francisco hospital, or better yet the East Bay!

I wouldn’t even give this facility one star. I thought, since UCSF has such a stellar reputation, that this would be an excellent program. This is the worst mental health facility I have ever known or heard about. My son got worse going here and it scarred him more having spent time at this insensitive place. They care more about research than they do about their actual patients.
Months later they are sending bills they say we owe, even though I was assured by them and by our health insurer that everything was covered. I have called four times and they never answer their phone nor do they ever call me back.
Do NOT under any circumstances use this facility. There are far better places in the Bay Area than this one.

Completely useless. They never answer their general phone line and ask that you leave them a voicemail that they claim they will answer ‘as soon as possible’. So ‘asap’ might be never as in my case. Thus, if one is in need of urgent information (especially for a close family member) forget about contacting them and look elsewhere! Anyway, the previous reviews should be a good indicator of how poor this facility is which is a shame.
Note the «Funny» ratings to not only my but others’ poor 1* reviews of this incompetent facility. No doubt these were ‘awarded’ by someone connected to the facility. Listen it does nothing to make the facility better just confirms how unprofessional the staff are.

We were so lucky to find this facility. Could not have asked for better staff, teams, resources for a crisis situation. I cannot say enough for how they treated my family and the staff was so kind and knowledgeable.
Certainly took the scare and taboo out of the equation.
If I could give them a 10, I would!
Thank you LPPI!!!

Alright, let me start by saying the only reason I was here is that I was a ward of the State under section 5150, so it was either here or SF General for the mandatory 72 hours. Not that I was actually a danger to myself or others but as the SFPD themselves have explained to me many times, it’s their job to arrest people so if they get called out someone’s probably getting arrested or will if they get called out to the same place again.
And I was in fact at General for a little while until they realized I had good insurance that would cover the cost, so this review is based on being interned here for about 68 hours, and by interned I mean forcibly confined not in professional training. Normally I would give minus 1 star for being unable to leave, but that would be unfair to UCSF since it was actually the SFPD and State of California making that determination so I will give them the minus one, and we all know they earned it.
So anyway compared to SF General and El Camino this is the fucking Ritz Carlton of psych wards. The food was really good, I’ve had worse room service. The psychiatrists were very intelligent and actually helpful. I might still be in therapy if I could see them but they work here and all the other ones I’ve seen just tell me things I already know about myself in different words. The other patients were more or less regular people in the same situation, so it’s kind of like being in any bar in SF except there’s no alcohol and the bouncers are there to keep people in not out. However, if you ask nicely they might give you Ativan which works decently as an alcohol substitute.
Unlike the Ritz Carlton however it was far more expensive, I think something like $ 2,000 a night, and this was in 2010 so it’s probably $ 6,000 now. Fortunately my good insurance covered it, so this is basically a positive and a negative since insurance doesn’t typically cover stays in luxury hotels. So it’s kind of like prison crossed with the Ritz. However unlike either prison or the Ritz, there are free unlimited phone calls as long as someone else doesn’t need to use the phone. Did I mention the food was really good and it’s all-​inclusive? And if you ask nicely they might give you Ativan?
In summary, this actually turned out to be a nice holiday from reality so if you’re ever getting 5150’d and you have good insurance, ask the good officers to take you to UCSF.

I was highly disappointed and frustrated with the level of care offered at this institute. I was referred to it because it was the main center in my insurance plan (Anthem Blue Cross).
As a resident (read: student) program, the clinic involves a process of matching you with a random student, a less experienced student, and a series of supervising psychiatrists who have little real-​world experience. Having experience with severe clinical depression over the years, I felt far more experienced than the treating physicians who were often defensive when I took an interest or made recommendations regarding treatment. Moreover, they shot down my interest in medications only putting me on an option I knew from experience would not work (and it didn’t). This is poor practice because it negates placebo effect (ie, the hope a treatment will work). The program is also held in an oppressive 1940’s building and the structure of 3 individuals in a room makes it difficult to be open about needs.
The critical failure of the program in light of its structure is that it does not harness its size to try to match patient with physician. You’re stuck with whomever did your intake. They were *highly* offended (read arrogant and defensive) when I requested a change after suffering through four sessions, and they refused to help me find a better place, even holding up my insurance approval as I tried to move on.
The program also attracts a certain type of student which I would describe as a kissy-​faced Anderson Cooper clone cum Stepford-​shrink. I understand gay male doctors would gravitate to San Francisco, but this noxious precious subtype of phonies prowling the halls was a poor match for finding empathy. My own primary doctor (who is gay), when conferring with their residents, even remarked on how he was unimpressed.

My experience at Langley Porter has been fantastic! I was very skeptical about this place having read all the horrible reviews. The classes are very informative and the staff is very kind and warm. Going to Langley Porter was the best thing I could have done and I am glad I went.

Per Matthew J.‘s Unilocal,I know all about that woman Veni Bobis, who should not be working in the Psychology field at any level. I had the misfortune of experiencing her insensitivity, i.e., rudeness, back when she was an Intern therapist co-​facilitating a Grief group. Let me tell you, she did more harm than good!

The service at Langley Porter is abysmal. Elizabeth from registration won’t answer the phone regardless of whether it’s morning or afternoon, Monday or Friday, so get ready to leave a voice-​mail. After leaving a voice-​mail, get ready to not get a call back. Veni Bobis is the program director of the anxiety treatment program so I called her direct line and left a voice-​mail for her too in regards to getting into the program. I was honored by a call back from her a couple days later which was great. She is however incredibly rude. Her statements were sharp and lacked any warmth. Regardless of her lack of kindness, I decided to give her another try and sign up for an intake appointment with her. At the end of the phone call she said I had to call Elizabeth to see how much the intake would cost me with my insurance, so I called Elizabeth a few more times within the span of a couple days with no response. In the end I canceled the intake appointment via voicemail (of course), thinking this place would not be worth the trouble.

Worst front office and administrative staff ever. No communication between billing department and front office staff. My son started treatment under my insurance. He was termed out due to age but billing dept. sent invoices to expired insurance for 7 months — each time receiving an EOB indicating there was no coverage. It took 7 months for them to bill the correct insurance. No invoices, during the 7 months, were ever sent to my son, the patient. Front office staff never asked to see insurance ID. It was his treating psychiatrist who informed him of the large outstanding balance. Office staff never assisted my son on the benefit schedule of his new insurance when they clearly had a vested interest in doing so. Warning to the naïve or inexperienced… don’t expect any help from staff in determining your benefits under your plan. And, don’t be surprised when you are informed of a large outstanding balance after months of treatment.

I sad to say that the doctors here at lagangly porter do not care as much as one would hope. I was inpatient here 11/​21/​2013. and the doctors seems not to care about getting my addrall dosage right, they only gave me 5mg of my 20mg BID that I take. There responses were verbally abusive and did not care at all. I do not recommend this hospital or its doctors to anyone else

Reading the other reviews actually made me feel (somewhat) better — I suffer from anxiety that will become depression with suicide attempts if I don’t reach out for help right away — for decades off and on I have been a patient (in and out) at Langley Porter but have always been WORRIED that because I am a nonwhite disabled worker with Medicare that they would send me away to some charity clinic (something where nothing was), well my worries came true.
The last time (2011) that I was an inpatient, extremely sensitive; with very low tolerance, filled with anxiety, hurt, and anger, I recovered enough to feel hopeful again — still being WORRIED, I was rejected when my doctor referred me to the partial program that I really needed, by Veni (sp) the new director, promoted from facilitator and obviously in the wrong field as is her cohort a male nicotine addicted facilitator whose name escapes me — both are extremely judgmental and racist; and they let me know it — that partial program had always put me back on my feet.
Being female, nonwhite, disabled worker, and aged, I know that I am judged and discriminated against by some, everywhere, but although WORRIED that it will change for the worse I have always been comforted and professionally treated no matter what state I am in — yes, the students often miss the point but as an outpatient not an inpatient.
Well, that last LP inpatient experience is a lasting painful memory (to this day in 2013) because of dear Veni denying me admission to the very necessary partial program; my doctor’s referral, stating that there were no openings — yet, minutes later, she admitted the next applicant, a white male — naturally, I immediately asked her, before she left the ward, why she did that, and she responded with a shrug — and I naturally lost it, yelling as loud as I could «you racist b…» needless to say, that was that — inpatients yell, that’s why they are inpatients — currently, I am denied services at LP without given a reason, and my medication, a benzo, is not being refilled — this Porto Rican, Irish, Native American, SFSU graduate has been thrown to the dogs.
This may sound like paranoid ravings but I’m just needing to get over another bad patch as an out patient with a little help (before I become an inpatient-​who knows where) something LP did so well before allowing incompetents to rule — overall LP has been great as all of UCSF departments, and I too have had absurd mishandling with billing, nurses, emergency, and doctors as well; especially as I have aged — I must say that I am tired of being racially profiled by UC — Avoid this place with precious few who remember «FIRST DO NO HARM» and whose hands are not tied.

Veni Bobis needs her license revoked. She is cruel, judgmental, a poor listener, and verbally abusive. She has caused me intense and lasting emotional pain and trauma, during a time when I needed help the most.
A few months ago, I went in to see her for an intake appointment for the partial hospitalization program. I suffer severe depression and anxiety. I trusted her and poured my heart out to her. She didn’t listen to what I said, and she didn’t empathize with me at all. Instead she yelled at me, accused me of being the «most judgmental person I’ve ever seen,» blamed me, and was angry and rude to me. I was suffering and in pain, and she made it all a million times worse. I remained polite and kind throughout the whole appointment, because it’s my style. I’ve long suffered from my agonizing issues in life, and have tried extremely hard over the year to find solutions. She wrongly blamed me for not being able to resolve my difficult, complex problems. She angrily told me to think carefully before enrolling in the partial hospitalization program. She made me cry during our appointment because of her extremely harsh and abusive words. She made no apologies and had absolutely no sympathy when she saw me cry. She was shockingly cold-​hearted. I continued to be kind and professional towards her. I thanked her for meeting with me. She rudely tried to escort me out. I kindly asked if the partial program meetings were held in a room down the hall. She impatiently said yes, without expanding further, and angrily tried shooing me away.
That night at home, I cried some more. During the appointment, I was opening my heart out to her, and her response was shocking. She had not listened to what I said, and instead, yelled at me for being judgmental, blamed me, was rude to me, and pretty much didn’t want me in the program.
Mental health professionals are supposed to be kind, caring, non-​judgmental, and good listeners. She failed abhorrently in all respects. Since then I’ve had to do a lot of research and calls to find another partial hospitalization program in the Bay Area. I could not go to the partial program at Langley Porter after her shockingly abusive treatment of me. I live in San Francisco. Now I’ll have spend a lot of time and money each day going to a partial program elsewhere in the Bay Area. I would have to take public transit, since I don’t drive.
Veni Bobis really needs her license revoked for patient abuse. She has caused me trauma that continues until this day. She needs to know that I get repeated, uncontrollable, painful thoughts of her cruel words and treatment at least every few days. And that’s been going on for months. She has caused me intense and lasting emotional pain and trauma, and well as the expense, time and inconvenience of having to go to a partial program elsewhere in the Bay Area.

I would give them 0 stars if I could.
The Autism clinic is where we went to at Langley Porter. People don’t even waste your time. My son was seen by a certain doctor. Then when we went in, she said the diagnosis but said they didn’t like to label children. The main Dr., Dr. Siegel, who was NOT there the day we brought my son for testing, never met my son when he was being tested, claimed it was parenting issues and gave us whacky suggestions (like leaving our child in a locked car for time out– has anyone ever done this with an autistic kid???). When we go the report back (that took about six months to get in our hands), there was no diagnosis. I actually had to go to another neuropsychologist and through East Bay Regional Center to get a diagnosis for my son. They took the time and evaluated him. UCSF said I could come back in for another round of testing. Why waste my time? They wasted a year of my time already.
Now I got a bill, have yet to get anyone live on the phone at Langley Porter, they coded the diagnosis incorrectly so the insurance won’t pay and we are on the hook for the amount.
Do not waste your time at the Autism clinic. They are not helpful, they do not know what they are doing, and can’t even bill insurance correctly with the correct codes. And it took them a year to figure out this as well.

I regret to say that, at one time or another, I have found myself inside a wide variety of the nations psychiatric hospitals. Well, you know, no real regrets, but I could have possibly gotten just as much help from a week in Hawaii, for less money, you know? Sometimes it’s just a matter of needing a few days sleep and a few more days in quiet to get yourself back to fighting shape. But I’m way, way of track, so let me get to the point… sometimes it is about needing medical help with brain chemistry, and Langley Porter is as good as any I’ve been in.
It’s like this… most patients rate these places by how good the food is, comfort things. Once you’ve been in half a dozen times, all you come to care about is the quality of the care, that’s all I’m there for. Are the docs smart as hell, can they accurately diagnose what’s going wrong for me, and can they correctly diagnose the right combination of drugs to bring me back to functionality? This is where Langley Porter excels, better than any facility I’ve been in. I’ve worked with many of their resident doctors during the 10 times I was in patient there, and found no fault with a single one. Now, I’m a grumpy bastard, so I didn’t personally care for a couple of them, but that’s completely irrelevant, they did their jobs very, very well, The same was true for the students, both medical and nursing. You can see that some are not meant for a career in psychiatry, but that’s what students are about. They were all, however, friendly and helpful. They, more then the staff, had time to sit and talk one on one for a bit, and that is gold, man, having someone eager to hear you, while you’re in a place of pain needing an outlet, that’s the healing shit. The meds make you functional, the healing comes from talking. But I digress again.
The nursing staff are always the heart of any psych ward, and this one is exceptional. They have a very good retention rate, which is indicative of a happy workplace. They have a good team, with very good hearts. Now, no bed of roses, they also fill in with morons from temp agencies that are, well, in the wrong field, But that is gonna happen anywhere, staffing is a problem at all hospitals, temps get used. I have spent countless hours talking to these kind people, and got to know them over all the visits. Dude, they care, they just do. There’s better money to be made elsewhere, these are quality, smart people. Take the time to reach out the them, ask for some one on one time, it’ll really help you.
What else… they have the worlds sweetest man as a music therapist, Tom may just be the kindest man I’ve ever met. Forrest does movement therapy, she has a heart of gold, I was smitten at first glance. There is a fine rooftop facility that has basketball, volleyball, ping pong, etc., as well as many lounge chairs and beautiful views. If you think you can handle the competition, sit in with Kathy and play scrabble. She plays hard core, takes no prisoners! The food is not great, but it is not bad, either. You can have family of friends bring you food if you wish, there is a refrigerator and microwave. Diet caffeine free sodas and juices are always available, as are yogurts, fruit, peanut butter, crackers, and usually an array of sandwiches. Hungry is never an issue.
So that’s it. I hope I never have to see them again! Watch, with my luck I’ll have a relapse a week after writing this! No, I’m feeling ok right now. But I do feel great knowing that if I need help again, they are there, and they have welcomed me back time after time, and make me feel cared for. Priceless shit, that.

A bunch of incompetents. If you want an amateur psychiatrist (a resident) who knows absolutely nothing to experiment on your brain under the indifferent supervision of senior staff who would rather you were an inpatient, go to the LPPI outpatient clinic.
The outpatient clinic botched my withdrawal from Paxil 5 years ago and I have not recovered yet. Despite its association with UCSF, the clinic possesses an astounding ignorance about the drugs they hand out like candy. And they charge you top rates, too. (Not only that, their billing system is extremely inept, so you will spend a lot of time untangling their charges.)
Like Karen R., I had a horrible experience with Dr. Alla Spivak. I agree with everything Karen R. said, and then some. Dr. Spivak comes off as your nightmare of a «Cuckoo’s Nest» psychiatrist. She clearly despises patients. She is supposed to be a psychopharmacologist (run, fast, from doctors with this subspecialty). Dr. Spivak never met a side effect she didn’t think was trivial. She knows nothing about long-​documented adverse effects or drug interactions. She is completely lacking in empathy. This woman should not be allowed to treat human beings.
By the way, if a doctor tells you you will need to be on medication for the rest of your life because it corrects a «chemical imbalance» in your brain — there’s not a scrap of scientific evidence for anything in that statement. It’s just a manipulation to make you a long-​term customer.

I had great confidence in this program going in. Why wouldn’t I? It is part of UCSF, one of the most prestigious hospitals in the world, so I unfortunately assumed that, merely by relationship alone, Langley Porter would be ahead of the curve when dealing with issues of depression, bipolar disorder, etc.
To my incredulous surprise, the majority of care/​treatment is delivered through group treatment by staff members who have no skills in group facilitation. None of the personnel are taught that all groups must go through the necessary steps of: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. I know this because I asked if facilators had been trained in this simple but necessary group facilitation tool. Her answer was «No we don’t learn that b/​c our groups don’t last very long.»
Oh really? Anyone who knows anything about group facilitation knows that the steps mentioned above are used with groups that last a day, a week, or a month.
The other issue that stood out as a huge problem is that no one on the staff has any idea what people who are depressed, anxious, or bipolar go through. It would be vital for Langley Porter to hire people who are both successful and who live with depression or bipolar disorder.
Langley Porter can look to the model of the Bipolar Advantage, which does just that. The Bipolar Advantage works with doctors, psychiatrists, reverends, nutritionists, fitness experts, etc., who all live with either depression or bipolar disorder or both, but who are all extremely successful in their fields. These people are able to understand, and able to feel what depressed, anxious, and bipolar people feel.
One of the least helpful people in the Langley Porter program is Dr. Bobis Spivak; she has the most disdainful attitude toward people with «mental» disorders. I feel very sorry for her b/​c she has to really hate her job having to work with people she clearly has no respect for.
The only thing that must keep her going is her $ 750.00 fee per day. And that fee is for doing nothing at all! Is that incredible or what! She sat down with me one time for 20 minutes; later she lost the sheet with names of psychiatrists that I would be referred to, thus extending my stay at Langley Porter by an entire week (possibly in order to charge more $ 750. fees), but the only other times I saw her were in the elevator, or in the hall; at these times she would give me a condesending look mixed with just the perfect amount of pity; she would ask me in a «careful, don’t upset the crazy woman» voice, «how are we today?» And I would answer, «fine, I’m doing just fine.» And her look of pity would increase; her eagerness to let me know that she knew that I was too crazy to be able to assess my own condition would just get the better of her. She made me laugh. She is some kind of foreigher – German maybe – she reminded me of my mother, who psychoanalyzed everyone but herself – Dr. Spivak, although she’ll never get it, is one of the craziest people I’ve ever met, and I grew up around crazy people.
Two people stood out among the lot of this Monty Python group as being earnest in their commitment to something other than themselves and their paychecks. These two were Dr. Donovan and Dr. Daley. I don’t think that they really know what’s going on around them; I don’t know why; they were cool.