One Medical Group

tl;dr, One Medical you are awful.
I’ve been a member of the One Medical group for almost 5 years and I’ve tried SO hard to love them, but after continued disappoints I think I’ve finally had enough and will not be letting them auto-​renew my membership this time around.
Let me first start with the time I had strep throat in 2013. After ignoring a horrific sore throat for a few days I scheduled an appointment at One Medical to get a strep test done. My boyfriend and I were going to Hawaii three days later and I wasn’t getting any better. So I take the swab test that comes back inconclusive (GREAT!). The nurse was pretty sure I had strep but the results of the test were unclear so she prescribed me antibiotics, sent my swab to the lab to get clarity, and said they would follow up in a few days when the results were in (WHICH THEY NEVER DID), but that I should start taking the antibiotics right away.
Following my visit, my boyfriend, also a One Medical patient at the time (not anymore though!) started to develop a sore throat and immediately went to One Medical, two days before we were leaving for Kauai. He explained to the nurse or doctor that he had a sore throat and that I had strep and asked if he could get a z-​pak since we were leaving in 2 days to go to Kauai. The nurse/​doctor very condescendingly told him that people always think they have strep throat when they don’t and refused to prescribe him the z-​pak.
Well let’s just fast forward to 3 days into the trip when we had to go to Mahelona Medical Center because his strep was so bad he couldn’t breath. The nurses at Mahelona Medical Center were actually appalled that his physician in SF wouldn’t give him the z-​pak given how contagious strep throat is.
I foolishly looked past this, but the joke was on me. I unexpectedly took a job that required me to relocate to NYC, which was stressful enough as it was, and I was relieved knowing that I was a current One Medical patient and that One Medical also had offices in NYC.
So when it came take to pick up prescriptions, I emailed my primary physician I asked her to fax over my prescriptions to a pharmacy in NYC. I was/​am still an active patient as I had/​have paid my membership fee less than a year ago, and the prescription still had months worth of refills. No response. I waited a few days.nothing.
I called the Clay street One Medical, where I usually went, and explained the situation. The receptionist or office manager, or whatever the title of the person who answered the phone told me to hold on and that she needed to ask a physician. She came back and asked in a very matter of fact way, «Are you going to join One Medical in New York?», I responded, «Why does that matter? It’s an active prescription and I just need to pick it up at pharmacy near where I currently am this month.» She told me to hold on again and that she needed to ask the physician. When she got back on the phone she said, «In order for us to this we need you to tell us that you’ll continue to see One Medical doctors in the future.» … THEY WERE HOLDING MY PRESCRIPTION HOSTAGE. Let me be clear that Walgreens can actually transfer prescriptions between pharmacy locations no problem. One Medical not only didn’t tell me that, they were actually holding my medications from me until I verbally confirmed I would continue to be a customer. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
It’s 20 degrees in NYC right now and my sinuses are killing me. Since my membership doesn’t expire until June, and One Medical has my prescriptions on file, I sent my primary physician an email asking if I could refill a nasal spray she had prescribed for seasonal allergies. Not shockingly at all though she hasn’t responded, and my head is still killing me. Some health care.

I think of One Medical as my fast, real-​time general practitioner services for preventative health that layers on top of my regular healthcare insurance provided by my employer. I was born and raised in Kaiser Permanente (not an option for me today with a company based on the East Coast, sadly) and have missed having the ability to make one phone call and be seen immediately and address most basic general/​preventative health issues. One Medical is a great service, provided you are a not a patient who needs a lot of energy or specialized healthcare or has a lot of health issues and needs to see the same doctor every single time. It’s a bit like the Urgent Care centers concept all over SF, any doctor when you need one but with a fluid and great user experience.
My goal was to find a new general practitioner and a group of certified medical assistants that could be available at the drop of a hat. I’d had a really bad experience with my long time doc, Dan Kalshan, and it being impossible to get an appointment to see him with him being busy with too many patients (funny thing, he started to charge $ 90 annually to his existing patients like One Medical shortly after I quit his services). For the extra $ 149 a year, it’s worth not having to sweat getting into see a doctor.
First time in, fairly easy and simplistic. They were also very clear about how they operate. I’d made my appointment online for a health check in, picked my primary doctor based on what I felt was the right fit from her experience and expertise. She came out to greet me in the main area to take me to her office. Then, she walked me through that each appointment is for 30 minutes unless you specify you need more time and that they prioritize immediacy for patients by having anyone on the medical staff available to see you. She did make sure to explain that if I had a need to see her every single time and right away, there will be times when it might be a few days out for an appointment because they actively split their time between appointments, lab time and office hours to review patient records and respond to inbound communication via email and can’t always be available on-​demand. For prescriptions refills or any new medications that I wanted to inquire about outside of scheduling an appointment, she recommended speaking with a medical assistant who could review my files quickly, so that she didn’t become a bottleneck.
We had a lot of ground to cover, going over my general health history and my reasons for switching to One Medical. In end, she made a recommendation to see a gastronomy specialist for the random heartburn I’d never had before (same as Dan Kalshan had told me and she gave me the same names as well to go see, so felt like she was on point). She made sure to walk me out to the reception area and asked them to triple check on my copay questions before saying goodbye. I did have to follow up over email to refill my Ambien prescription for work travel, but not really an oversight on her part as I didn’t bring up the refill until we’d already walked out of the appointment and were at the front desk saying goodbye.
I am a little confused how people don’t catch on that One Medical requires a membership fee. It’s all over their website… are you guys not looking at the website and only Unilocal before you call? For anyone considering One Medical:
–Read their website before you make an appointment.
–If you want the same doctor every appointment, even if last minute, a group might not be for you.
–No matter the doctor or group, you should always check in with your insurance and make sure you know what you’re getting into cost-​wise
–Stick to general health, cold/​flu or non-​urgent appointments. Have a gyno, nutritionist or other specialist handy elsewhere.

Best experience I’ve had with a doctor’s office. Easy to make appointments, doctors take time to understand their patients and are also quick to respond via email with any follow-​up questions/​concerns. Very much appreciated relaxing environment and amazing service. Very much worth the yearly fee.

I was blown away by the outstanding service of the front desk staff of the Clay Street location in SF. I’ve been a One Medical member for about four years now and overall I’ve had a solid, positive experience but on Friday I asked the staff, (Kaya and Jeremy) to clarify some questions I had about a former bill. Not only did they dig around to uncover the situation but they took ownership of a mistake that One Medical Group had made. They actually seemed to give a shit about my situation. Between genuinely caring about a patient’s question and being empowered by the company to be transparent with a client is enough for me to give them five stars.

Love One Medical Group, they are professional and caring. I usually go to the Clay office, but have also been to 2 Embarcadero also.
We recently signed out company to have these guys as our primary medical provider. I’d recently already paid my yearly subscription ($ 150) and they were super awesome and refunded me.
I would take one star off as about 1.5 years ago my PCP left and they didn’t tell me — however I love my new primary care physician so they can have all 5 stars!

Absolutely LOVE One Medical Group. I highly recommend to people who have multiple medical issues or people who feel too busy to sit in waiting rooms for hours on end.
After a year of living in SF I realized it was time for a regular check up. I turned to Unilocal and found OMG. I randomly selected Bernadette Donovan from the website and am SO happy I did! My first appointment with her was great, I had quite the grocery list of medical concerns and she was very thorough when discussing each topic. We actually went over our allotted time and had to schedule a follow up appointment to wrap everything up.
Bernadette explained all of the different birth control options and helped me pick which IUD would be best for me. The procedure was quick and relatively pain free, highly recommend for any woman considering an IUD! Back to Bernadette — she is very professional while being very approachable. Easily the most comfortable I have been while talking to a doctor ever.
Bernadette is currently on maternity leave, so I have since been seeing Beth Pferdehirt. I had some serious stomach problems for a month+. As soon as I reached out to Beth via email she had me come in for some testing. We finally got to the bottom of everything and I feel like OMG went above and beyond to help me figure out what was wrong.
Anytime I email someone in the office I get a response in less than 24 hours, much shorter than the expected response time. I love that I can request treatment for «basic» things (allergies, UTIs, etc), schedule appointments, renew prescriptions and more all through the OMG app on my iPhone. Very convenient. Highly recommend!

Do NOT go to One Medical if you are looking for a REAL OBGYN doctor. I have been a patient here for about 3 years now, and after what I would consider to be a HORRIBLE experience, I do not recommend any woman in need of REAL gynecological care to go here.
Several year ago, and prior to living in SF, I underwent a pretty major gynecological procedure for high-​risk HPV. About a year ago, I went to One Medical and saw a «women’s health» doctor (aka NOT an OBGYN) because I had been experiencing persistent pain and discomfort in that region. They took a normal pap and told me if my pain persisted, they would allow me to see their OBGYN.
Well, my pain is still here. I called yesterday and requested an appointment with the actual in-​house OBGYN. I was told I I was unable to request an appointment with their OBGYN. Instead, they would have a nurse review my «case» and I would get a call back that afternoon. I never got a call back.
So, I follow up today, only to be told they reviewed my «case» and they cannot schedule me with the OBGYN provider because they have a «very small» OBGYN program. Instead of meeting with the OBGYN, I was told I needed to schedule yet another appointment with a «womens health» doctor, who would then determine if I am eligible for treatment with the OBGYN.
And, with that, I will be taking my business to UCSF. One Medical — be assured both me and my fiancé will NOT be renewing our memberships when they expire.
And, to my ladies looking to see a OBGYN — do not waste your time at One Medical.

The «boutique» thing is smoke & mirrors. You RARELY see an actual doctor, in fact I don’t even know if they have one in house on a regular basis. You’re confined to 30 minutes, seriously I was asked «which is more important to you, discussing or examining?» The front desk doesn’t know how your insurance works with them. Honestly, I’d rather go somewhere where they call a spade & spade and don’t pretend to be giving me better service when they are not. FYI… the membership fee is a scam… you don’t need to pay it & even though they say you get better service, don’t buy in to it

Love Love LOVE One Medical. Especially Dr. Beth Pferdehirt and the rest of the staff. But really Dr. Pferdehirt is amazing. Always attentive, always sweet, always taking her time with you and always making you feel like what your issue is, is the most important issue. I have had a medical issue with my neck and stressed nerves and she is very caring to make sure I’m okay. If she can’t deal with the exact situation, she points you to the person who can. This has been the best $ 149 dollars spent and I highly recommend this type of service to everyone else. The best thing about this is that they have an app. You can just make your appointments online. And when you are done with your appointment and you have additional issues or questions. They have a staff on call 24 hours. And not a 1 – 800 number or an emergency room where they have to locate an on-​call nurse, its a happy nurse who wants to help. I can go on and on but you get the hint.
Thank you One Medical!!! Much appreciated!!!

Dr. Lager is an awesome doctor-​she actually listens to patients & cares. She has an excellent way to explain complex procedures & anatomy in a simple, understanding way. She did a surgery on me, which turned out well. Highly rec all people in medical one. It’s a breath of fresh air from UCSF… Thank God for medical one-​they are truely #1.
sincerely,
a happy patient :-)

Can’t recommend this group too highly. At a time of declining quality in often assembly line medicine, these guys stand out. Last night, for ex. came down w a raging sore throat and associated symptoms and knew I needed to see a Dr ASAP. Was able to go online at 9PM see the availability of all the drs, make at appt for 8:20AM the next morning. When I got there, the dr was on time and had already pulled up my electronic medical records, even tho I had never been to that office before. Got in and out in 30 minutes. Resumes for all the drs are posted online, and they are uniformly highly qualified. This is 21^st century medicine, folks, at a time when much our medical system seems destined to be heading towards 3^rd world standards.
The annual fee is only $ 149 – I had a similar deal in another city back east that cost $ 1500 a year, and wasn’t anywhere near as online/​digitally focused.

This is the second One Medical I’ve been to, and I’m just as pleased with this location as I am with California Street’s.
After being sick with a domino effect illness for over a week, the final straw was waking up with pink eye. My home office didn’t have a same day appointment until much later in the evening, so I opted to come to this location.
I saw their nurse practitioner, who was excellent. She’d already read my file, and knew about my week of illness. Her examination was thorough but quick, and she asked all the right questions. She prescribed two meds for me, and checked that my insurance would cover both.
Really happy about the same day appointments, as well as the email contact. But as with the last location, I have to dock a star because this is the way health care should work for everyone, not just those of us who can afford to pay for it.

3 visits, 3 different doctors, 2 unnecessary bills. I had high hopes for One Medical Group, but this turned out be the worst primary care experience of my life. After my first visit my doctor quit and they «lost my prescription records». So to get my prescription renewed I had to pay for yet another office visit with a new doctor. After my appointment, that doctor left as well and again they «lost my prescription records» forcing me to schedule yet another unnecessary appointment for my next prescription refill. Stuff happens, but on my second, unnecessary, visit I got billed $ 250 for a 15 minute appointment. I managed to talk them down $ 150 for my third, again unnecessary, visit. So I’m out $ 500, including my first visit, and a bunch of my time for what should have amounted to that one routine doctor visit. Save yourself the headache and go somewhere else.

I’m not sure how good this group is or not, but I called and set up an appointment. The process took about 15 minutes, since the Dr. I wanted wasn’t accepting new patients. The receptionist told me that I could either go online and register my new patient info, or come in 15 minutes early and do it in the office. No problem…
However, she conveniently forgot to mention that I’d have to pay $ 149 out of pocket to «join,» in order to have an appointment. Whether or not it’s worth the money isn’t the point. They should be upfront and straightforward about that kind of a fee. Give me a break.

What a fail company. Especially the one at Clay Street.
I have a HMO plan with HealthNet, and I had to choose a PCP when I moved to SF. When I scheduled my first appointment they never mentioned me about the annual fee (a highway robbery). I arrived on time for the appointment, and the only thing the lady sitting there had to say was their annual fee. She even refused to listen to me if I don’t pay the fee.
I called up hill physicians group and enquired if I have to pay for their service. Their answer was a NO.
When you choose your PCP you are not selecting One Medical but a physician under a medical group. One Medical is a company, not a medical group. If they use sacre tactics to rob you, right away call your medical group and let them talk to One Medical.
You are only required to pay a fee, if you are using their services, such as same day appointment etc. I was formerly with a medical group that had X-​ray, CT scan, MRI, everything that you need under one roof, they never charged me an annual fee. On the other hand, what One Medical has is some lab works, for everything else you need to go to nearby hospitals. The FEE is NOT WORTH.
So, next time assert your right to not pay a fee that you are not required to. You need not have to pay an overhead fee to a corporation just because your doctor happened to sit in their building. Every time you visit a doctor, they are already charging a hefty bill to your insurance company, don’t let them talk like they are doing some sort of charity.
If they don’t give you service with out a fee, WALK AWAY, it’s not worth it.
I really liked the physician there though, really attentive, and goes out of their way to make you feel home. Hence the 2 stars.

Given the state of our current Healthcare system in the US, One Medical Group is a refreshingly bright star in the deep dark doctor office universe.
Yes there is a yearly fee, but it is well worth it. Having a more customized and boutique style to medicine, One Medical makes sure that EVERY medical need you have is taken care of. Their personalized approach is perfect for working professionals in the need of same day/​same week appointments and their integrated services make it super easy to have several medical issues dealt with under one roof.
I highly recommend you checking them out. it’s worth it!

Are you one of those people who never reads through the entire benefits package you get from your employer? (Probably because you don’t understand the gibberish?) Do you hate being put on hold for what seems like an eternity while you’re trying to figure out said benefits, or simply while trying to find a provider to make a damn appointment?
Insert — One Medical Group. Yes you pay a membership fee. And although I’m usually against such an elitist idea, given the shitty medical system we have in place in the US, I think the fee is worth the hassle-​free service you receive. I seriously love the treatment I get here. The providers and front desk staff I’ve had the pleasure of dealing with are kind, genuinely interested in your concerns, and will go above and beyond to get you the care you need– and figure out what works best under your insurance coverage. Plus, they’re very easy to contact, you can book appointments online, and the staff is flexible with scheduling.
So far so good!

I’ve been going to One Medical for about a year now, and couldn’t be happier. I’ve never felt like had easier access to a doctor. Easy to book an appointment same day, you can call and ask a nurse questions, and doctors are very available and responsive via email.
I’ll particularly call out doctor Wayne Wolfe. I had an acute medical concern and he took care of me in a way I’ve not experienced by other doctors. He spoke to me clearly and like a human, and he even called a local expert to verify his recommendation. I can’t recommend him or One Medical enough!

This was only my first visit so my opinion may change but as of now I have nothing but great things to say about them!
I was a little hesitant to pay the yearly fee, but after one visit I already feel like it was well worth it!
I saw nurse practitioner Kristen Nelson and she is fantastic! I never felt rushed and was with her for about an hour talking about my medical history and current concerns. I walked out feeling completely heard for the first time in a long time.
The waiting room makes you feel more like you are in a waiting room at a spa rather than a doctors office. The receptionist was incredibly friendly as well. She even took the time to check my current insurance plan and make sure I wasn’t going to have to pay out of pocket. They have a great fee schedule for those without health insurance or with high deductibles. My OBGYN Dr. Gregory at SF Gynecology (another amazing doctor and facility) and I’m so glad she did!

Wow, I’m really shocked at the reviews I’ve read here. Perhaps they’ve taken these reviews to heart and worked on improving things?
I have been very happy with my experiences so far. I love that they have embraced technical advances and have a web-​based ability to provide medical information, schedule appointments and request medication refills. They have profiles of their medical teams, and you can choose which medical team you want to work with. Switching teams is as easy as clicking a link on the website. Awesome.
I have had experience with the front desk, a nurse practitioner for an emergency visit and subsequent case management and a technician to draw my blood.
Everyone at the front desk is very nice. Due to their systems being fully integrated with their website, there is actually not much you need to do with the front desk! I suppose in that case it has felt slightly awkward as I realize I don’t need to do anything with them more than provide my co-​pay. Also, the NP I have been seeing has always come out to the front desk with me and told them exactly what I need to close out the appointment.
I have been seeing a nurse practitioner, Kristen Nelson. I have nothing but glowing words to say about her. I wrote a review specifically for her on her Unilocal profile.
The technician who drew my blood was a very nice man as well. He did a great job and caused no pain (I have a huge fear of needles). We chit chatted a bit about the company, and he says its a great place to work with great people. The management apparently focuses on hiring people who will get along best with the current staff and work well with their patients. So far, my experience has shown that they’ve been reaching those goals!