John Muir Health/UCSF Health Berkeley Outpatient Center

Experiencia negativa: Long waits, understaffed on phones. Appointments continue to be cancelled and a reschedule is months out. Better primary care in area

Experiencia negativa: I’ve been a patient here for years but just recently transitioned my care after a terrible experience with multiple staff. I used to love this place and recommended it to many new friends moving into town looking to establish care in a new community. From my experience with the front desk to the PCP to the blood test at LabCorps, I was consistently met with short, rude, and unprofessional exchanges. During my physical exam, I wasn’t provided with any background, context, let alone comfort with what to expect that day. I had to proactively ask questions to get a clear understanding and even then, was met with responses in a tone like I should already know these things. This made me afraid to ask more questions even though I felt I had a lot riding on this appointment to learn more about my overall health. As I was getting my blood work done, I prefaced that I tend to experience anxiety with needles. Something I’ve grown accustomed to doing anytime before a blood draw and am usually met with empathy and ways to remain calm. Here? The person doing my blood draw told me I was acting like a kid by the end of the procedure. I was so appalled by my experience that I didn’t have it in me to advocate for myself, I just wanted to get out of there :( Never a good sign from a place you’re going to for care and wellbeing…

Experiencia negativa: Came here for my first prenatal appointment after booking the appointment weeks ahead. My appointment got cancelled after I arrived because the provider does not see first time prenatal patients and the next appointment is week away. Worst part is i still got charged copay and could not get a refund.

Experiencia negativa: Very expensive. Long wait times. Make sure to find out exactly what they'll be billing you for.

Experiencia negativa: Predatory billing practices and zero communication or customer service when you try to follow up to get answers. Do not go here if you have a high deductible plan! They charge exorbitant rates for services no insurance would cover, and sometimes for services never requested or received. Even when you open a dispute with the billing office, they never follow up unless you contact them over and over. IF you ever hear back or get through, no explanation is provided even when they refuse to waive the charges and deem them as 'valid'. Don't be fooled by the nice building - I would leave 0/5 stars if I could

Experiencia negativa: The only reason I continue coming here is for the UCSF specialty clinics and the urgent care, though the urgent care is usually a waste of time. The number of times I've had my appointments cancelled at the last minute without any explanation, after waiting for months to be seen, is ridiculous. They call a week or less before an appointment to cancel, say the doctor won't be in, and then want to reschedule soonest appointment, which is always several more months away. What's the point of an appointment if they figure they can cancel it any time? When doing so, the onus should be on the provider to find a new appointment within no more than a week or so from the original appointment, not make the patient jump through hoops and place them at the back of the line to start all over again! While there are some good doctors with JM, most of the PCPs here have been a joke, they have failed to obtain my records from other facilities despite numerous inquiries, and as a result, they have wanted to set up unnecessary duplicative diagnostics and not known my history, which has led to incorrect assumptions on the part of the doctors. Total waste of time and energy. And don't even get me started on the parking situation. Good luck getting in and out of that parking lot without scraping the side of your car. And once in, good luck trying to find a space. You have to drive around the lot over and over, competing with the gym customers for the occasional open spot. Total crap.

Experiencia fantástica: Dr Abe and staff were very professional and still have empathy in this modern age. We traveled for 2 days to see her after our local Cancer Center gave us the run around for 8 months!

Experiencia negativa: 0 accountability. They were supposed to send a CT scan order to the insurance and four days later after I keep getting worse I learned they never sent it. I pointed this out and nobody is taking responsibility or offering a solution let alone an apology. The people on the phone with the exception of imaging are total NPCs.

Experiencia fantástica: I was seen in 10mins upon arrival. Courteous medical receptionist, technician knowledge of his jo. Very clean environment and easy to find parking

Experiencia fantástica: Best PETscan expedience I’ve ever had. Technicians were friendly, helpful, caring and professional. IV placement was painless! I will definitely recommend UCSF to ALL.

Experiencia fantástica: it was great and my mri appointment the receptionist and the staff were also extremely great

Experiencia negativa: Staff are polite, but the wait.... Been here for an hour now. Still no doctor in sight.

Experiencia fantástica: Everyone was professional, polite, caring. Recommend highly.

Experiencia fantástica: everyone was very kind and respectful. erica was just the greatest. she is very soothing. my only suggestion is that when you send text appointment reminders and request we call if we have questions, that you provide a direct phone number. there is no phone number and i have had trouble getting lost in a voicemail tangle. thank you!

Experiencia fantástica: On time, fast, lovely staff person. Overall, service couldn’t have been better.

Experiencia negativa: Google maps takes you to the wrong location at 3100 San Pablo in Oakland even if you tell Google maps to take you to 3100 San Pablo Ave in Berkeley. Then when you again tell google maps to take you to 3100 San Pablo in Berkeley it sends you again to the wrong location again. There is no way to get out of the loop unless you have Google maps take you somewhere else in Berkeley. UCSF needs to fix this with Google maps or something because it is making people late for their doctor appts if you are unfamiliar with the area. Phone number is in SF so there is no way to speak to anyone at this location.

Experiencia fantástica: everyone in the staff were very kind and respectful.

Experiencia fantástica: Fast, friendly and professional.

Experiencia fantástica: This operation is unmatched for expertise, attentiveness and professionalism. I highly recommend them.

Experiencia fantástica: Excellent staff with patients #1 focus!!

Experiencia fantástica: I got my ultrasound done immediately and quickly workout having to navigate a phone call labyrinth, driving, or finding parking. Due to the expert advice from my nurse in Dr. Shakes’s office, I walked my ultrasound order to imaging for scheduling. Jackpot, the very friendly receptionist, bearing Lindt chocolates, got me right in. The technician was communicative, professional and got the job done. In no time, my ultrasound was done and on my way. Now, I want the images to reveal good news.

Experiencia fantástica: Customer service was great!

Experiencia fantástica: Best for mom and kids I was impressed

Experiencia fantástica: I was a last minute squeeze in patient. When the nurse realized they would have to access my port which meant he would not be able to leave on time he was very kind and professional. The technician and nurse worked well together.

Experiencia fantástica: Techs at this medical center we're very nice, friendly and knowledgeable

Experiencia fantástica: Excellent ICSF imaging.

Experiencia negativa: "A Shocking Lack of Care at John Muir Health/UCSF Health Berkeley Outpatient Center" (I'm posting this after two weeks of waiting for a response to my email to the "care team): I visited this facility on October 13, 2024, at 10 a.m. for an X-ray on a broken finger. The technician who conducted the X-ray showed an alarming lack of care, bordering on ruthlessness, in helping me reapply my immobilizer afterward. What more obvious signs would one need to treat a patient’s injury with the necessary gentleness than the fact that they’re here specifically for an X-ray on that very finger? In the midst of shock from my accident, I found myself subjected to impatient and aggressive handling by a professional who, astonishingly, seemed more focused on rushing me out than on proper patient care. I am genuinely concerned that his roughness may have aggravated my injury further. This level of indifference and lack of empathy in a healthcare setting is not just disappointing; it’s unacceptable.

Experiencia fantástica: Ultrasound technicians were kind, professional, thorough and understanding of the sensitive nature of the scan. Plus - the results were provided same day which prevented a lot of anxiety for me.

Experiencia negativa: If you are disabled or Covid conscious, do NOT go to the radiology department here. Do not. . Any of the doctors here are absolute wonderful so I am not talking about the doctors at this facility, only radiology. i am immunocompromised like someone basically with cancer. extremely immunocompromised. Covid would likely be the death of me as well as a case of H5N1. Since i worked for years in clinical trial management in a medical research setting in Pharma, i've read thousands of studies and pieces of research on Covid and i know how dangerous it is, i know that there's still an extraordinarily high rate of it in the Bay Area because i track it on multiple different wastewater trackers, and i know that H5N1 is making waves and any day is going to gain human to human transmission. I know that the XEC and KP variants are so much more contagious than any variant we have seen so far. When i arrived at radiology 4:30 on a Saturday to get my x-rays that my doctor ordered for me, when i walked into radiology, the receptionist who was checking me in was a woman wearing glasses. she had a loose surgical mask on, but it was hanging below her nose. i politelybtold her i was immuno compromised, and that i really really needed her to raise her mask. I was in a respirator. she wouldn't do it and she argued back and said "my mask is on my nose." it literally was not, it was hanging below her nose and this was after after i told her i was immuno compromised and she obviously did not care. When the radiologist technician came out, she was a slender woman with brown hair with a blonde overlay and dark brown eyes. . She was only wearing a loose fitting surgical mask. i literally begged her to put on a better mask and she said "a surgical mask is appropriate because i've never gotten covid." Why should i take the word of some random radiologist? i begged her to put on a better mask and she said that you don't have any in stock. I know for a fact that isn't true down there. So she was fine with putting a disabled person at risk. She didn't seem to care that although she didn't have Covid so she said, she could easily give it to other people asymptomatically. I explained all of this to her very politely and she just did not care. Since this facility takes Medicare, anyone who encounters this can file a complaint with CMS and that means a lot of red tape and fines for this facility.

Experiencia fantástica: I was very pleased at the service I received

Experiencia fantástica: Fue muy buena atención y muy eficaz los especialistas

Experiencia fantástica: quick, concise, no-nonsense

Experiencia fantástica: pleasant. staff were extremely professional, friendly, and caring.

Experiencia fantástica: The person who conducted my mammogram was kind, gentle, and compassionate. I felt respected throughout this vulnerable procedure.

Experiencia fantástica: The staff was super friendly and fast. I would recommend this place to everybody. Very clean. Nice environment. Keep up the great work.

Experiencia fantástica: Very professional, caring & accomogating staff.

Experiencia fantástica: So convenient to East Bay. Have had cat scans and x-rays over time and always a great experience. Don't have to wait long, staff is great.

Experiencia fantástica: Very caring team of professionals. I had a great experience!

Experiencia negativa: I was scheduled for my ultrasound for weeks but then a week before the scan got a call that said actually you didn't perform that type of ultrasound and I’d have to go elsewhere. so by then, the other places were booked full and now I’m delayed over a month getting a scan I really needed on time.

Experiencia fantástica: This site was great! It was clean, employees were very nice, & the wait time was very fast. Definitely recommend.

Experiencia fantástica: Great front desk.My mamogram echnician made my visit easy as had to return for additional scans. She was able to alleviate my anxiety and make my visit a very pleasant one.

Experiencia positiva: Good layout, building needs better signage. It’s like a maze with no clearly marked exits or physician directory on the walls (good luck with the touch screen!)

Experiencia fantástica: Good experience the women were very nice and helpful and educated. They made me feel comfortable, and also they called the me same day to tell me the results, thanks again

Experiencia fantástica: Great service. Professional staff.

Experiencia negativa: The worst treatment. They cancelled three consecutive appointments for me without any excuse and without informing me of the cancellation the appointments. When I go to see the doctor, they tell me that my appointment is cancelled. When I ask about the reason, the employee says, “I don’t know. I’m not the one who did that. You can contact the employee who did that.”

Experiencia negativa: I can't overstate how terrible it is to navigate making an appointment: truly horrendous phone trees that seem to go in circles. I spent 40 minutes being shuttled around from tree to tree and never actually found what I was looking for (UCSF Orthospine). All 3 people I spoke with were curt and quickly transferred me back to the original phone tree without telling me what they were doing or what I could do to reach the clinic I wanted.

Experiencia negativa: It's absolutely insane that the blood draw lab in the cancer center doesn't require masks, even for phlebotomists who are doing draws. I hope you know that your immunocompromised patients leave having panic attacks. I deserve to be safe in a medical setting.

Experiencia fantástica: seen twice by dr. Schamber,,, best doctor i’ve ever had…

Experiencia negativa: My partners appointment was at 3pm, we arrived at 2:30 as asked, and we waited over an hour to be seen for a first visit. 30 or more people went ahead before us with no communication from front desk or doctors and we never got to her appointment. She left work to make this appointment. Dr.woo’s schedule was extremely behind and we had to leave and reschedule for later in June. Pretty awful experience…

Experiencia fantástica: Elena rocks!!!! There was a problem with my mammogram order:scheduling and she fixed in 10 mins by calling my provider and not giving up until it was fixed! She didn't give up and was determined to get me my appointment because I was there waiting!!! Amazing staff! The radiologist was outstanding! I think her name was Cheryl. Best experience ever. Elena CARES about her patients and there health! And the procedure was easy and painless. 10 stars ⭐️ amazing.

Experiencia negativa: I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Ravindran in June 2024 after waiting nearly three and a half months due to my complex medical history. Despite my appointment being at 4:00 PM, I was running about 10 minutes late and called the office to ensure my appointment wouldn't be canceled. They assured me it would be fine and confirmed I was on my way. I arrived at the office and checked in at exactly 4:13 PM. However, when the front desk checked with Dr. Ravindran, she refused to see me. I even requested very politely about my wait time for this appointment and my complex medical history. As a healthcare worker, I understand the frustration with consistently late or no-show patients, but this was my first time, and I had called in advance. This was an incredibly unempathetic and unreasonable service. I am very disappointed. I would have given a negative star for this provider if possible. On the contrary my husband sees Dr. Tracey Taylor in the same facility and has been her patient for nearly three years. I accompany him during his appointments so can admit that she is an amazing provider. She is on the top of everything to take care of her patients and also goes above and beyond when they need special devices or medication advocating for patient's care with the insurance company.

Experiencia fantástica: My visit was good and safe, both people were nice and professional and considerate to my needs!!

Experiencia fantástica: i felt really well cared for. i needed a second mammogram and an ultrasound. thera scheduler got me right in . the nurse and radiologist couldn't have been any more efficient.

Experiencia fantástica: everyone is super efficient, competent and incredibly kind.

Experiencia fantástica: very thorough quick in and out. caring staff..

Experiencia fantástica: it was quick and easy work best customer service

Experiencia negativa: i'm stuck on the 72 bus. i came from san francisco. i researched in google maps. i am going to be late. i will never ever go to the east bay for routine car.

Experiencia fantástica: my experience went smoothly. the tech explained what all was involved with the test from beginning to end. and she made sure that i understood what was being done.

Experiencia fantástica: the xray tech was great, made me feel comfortable and was very experienced. straight to the angles needed to get great photos

Experiencia fantástica: accessible, easy parking, staff helpful and supportive, timely and professional. A very positive supplement to my ucsf medical care!!

Experiencia fantástica: i loved the staff, the mammogram technician, the fact that they informed me right away that all looked normal. also love the location, free parking and i can view the images on my chart which is just awesome! i could not be happier

Experiencia fantástica: experience with real nice and informative

Experiencia fantástica: efficient and professional

Experiencia fantástica: there wasn't a long wait and my x-ray only took about 5 minutes.

Experiencia fantástica: the people who took care of me were competent, patient and kind.

Experiencia fantástica: i have been with the establishment since 2022 and extremely happy and satisfied with the level of care and professionalism.

Experiencia fantástica: clean, newer buildings. great staff, great doctor. i will definitely use it again

Experiencia fantástica: they got me in way before my app time. very fast and friendly

Experiencia positiva: Easy parking and no validation or ticket requires. Great facility though there were delays due to back up in radiology all reception staff were excellent The x-ray tech was professional, warm and efficient. I would like to challenge the system that requires every single person to ask me if there's a chance that i'm pregnant -- i should be able to answer that question once to suffice -- esp since i am two years past lmp and even though the question "comes up" on the screen -- the reception staff didn't ask it of very elderly women who arrived after me also - why is it appropriate for a pa to challenge my knowledge of my own weight? i wrote down my weight -- which was not relevant for this visit -- and he asked me to stand on a scale. i refused and he asked me twice - if i was sure about my weight i responded that unless he was an anesthesiologist or preparing me for surgery -- it wasn't relevant it's not thoughtful or caring to treat female patients like they are ignorant of their own bodies

Experiencia fantástica: Joelle Tansy (NP?) was very informative and thorough; she answered all my questions and called to answer another one post appointment. I was impressed with her ability to translate the medical info, charts, and statistics into layman terms and to fully answer the questions I had. She calculated my risk based on family history which I found very valuable. I now have a more definitive framework from which to work with in addition to statistics and numbers (given family history) that I didn't get at prior mammography appointments. This information is crucial to patients who endeavor to keep cancer at bay if possible and who wish to be informed about risk and prevention. The one thing I would like to see in addition to the informative appointment is a printout of the various charts highlighting patient risks to take away, and also, further resources with regards to prevention of breast and other cancers. For example, Sutter Health on Dwight Way has a cancer center and many classes but it's mostly for cancer patients. However, hospitals and medical practices need to put more resources into education and preventative measures as far as cancer is concerned, starting with people in their teens. If teens and "20-somethings" were given their risk assessments at an early age, they might make wiser decisions about diet, saturated fats? alcohol and lifestyle and get check-us as needed. Then, perhaps, would not be seeing as many 30 to 40-year-olds being diagnosed with late-stage-cancers.

Experiencia fantástica: everything was just fine. the receptionist was welcoming even though i was a few minutes late. the ultrasound technician was efficient and personable. and my results came quickly. everything was great!

Experiencia fantástica: it was quick. i was early and i was done . very pleasant experience .

Experiencia fantástica: and i was able to do this here in berkeley which is much much easier and less stressful than having it done in mission bay

Experiencia fantástica: Very short waiting room time. caregiver was knowledgeable, fast, professional and pleasant.

Experiencia fantástica: it was great everyone was professional and very attentive to my needs, the entire process was fast, I was in and out.

Experiencia fantástica: was seen promptly, problem was addressed and medication was ordered. all staff and doctors were concerned about my condition, respectful and friendly.

Experiencia fantástica: making the appointment was easy. receptionists are friendly and efficient. kim, the ultrasound technician, explained what i saw on the screen, she has a wonderful, cheerful, calming demeanor. easygoing. a caveat that will make me have to choose a different outpatient center: the ramp to the roof top parking lot is extremely narrow and curvy - with structural pillars protruding into the downward part of the ramp. on my way down from the parking lot i scraped the door and rear side panel of our honda odyssey and am now looking at a costly repair. the ramp should be inspected daily and materials to pad the spots where patients scape their cars on a regular basis - as evident by the marks on walls and pillars. it happend to my husband a couple of years ago. the cost to repair and repaint was over $3,000 and he subsequently moved his care to sutter. after he damaged the van i saw the building manager to ask for changes to make the ramp safer. and while she agreed to pass on the message to the owners of the building, changes took more than a year and have not been sufficiently kept up. she also denied liability. street parking is almost non-existent around the john muir outpatient center during most of the day. i have to worry about car windows being broken, car theft, and being accosted on my way to the appointment. that's why the rooftop parking is so important to us. my hope is that john muir management will be more attentive and proactive about the danger of the ramp to patient's cars, nerves, and wallets.

Experiencia positiva: Great facility, good staff. Warning, do not park in the parking structure if you have a large vehicle like a truck. The ramp is extremely tight and you stand a good chance of damaging your vehicle. I did a number on my Tundra on the way out and am out $1,000.

Experiencia positiva: efficient and effective personnel. technically sound and skilled technician. i miss being connected with as a unique human being - even just a little bit. maybe there are so many patients that the staff is under stress and it's all they can do is do their job. the best place in the ucsf system that does this connection, even though it's brief, is ucsf sports medicine at 1500 owens in san francisco. every employee there is happy and welcoming, every single time. i often wonder what the difference is. thank you for serving us all every day and for doing a good job. you are appreciated more than you know!

Experiencia negativa: Staff behavior is manic, controlling and unprofessional. People are merely items on a menu and treated unfairly. Management is out to lunch. They would serve everyone if they trained staff in correct conduct, and probably avoid heavy criticism. Has anyone ever heard of maternity leave? Postnatal hysteria needs attention too. A particular staffer with limitless narcissism does not belong anywhere near patients. The insatiable drive for power over others by craft is destructive to everyone. Truly hellish experience.

Experiencia positiva: Both the Xray technicians were excellent: efficient, caring and safety oriented To the contrary: lamentably the ultrasound technician was abrupt, insensitive, and either unaware or disinterested in her "patient's" (my) limitations & a very poor listener

Experiencia negativa: I really like my doctor, but it's been a struggle to get proper care at all with the hoops I need to jump through to communicate simple things to her. Whatever call center they use is often super rude, reps give me conflicting or flat out incorrect info, do not put in important requests for medication I need, or as of yesterday, blew me off and put me on hold for over 10 minutes and made zero notes nor attempts to call back. I get my doc is stretched thin with patients, but it's gotten to the point where my care is really suffering. My doc promised to order me some blood labs over a month and a half ago, I can see notes made in MyChart but the lab work has yet to be ordered, and now I am going back and forth with multiple reps and my docs assistant. It's been two days, I've now spoken to three reps, two help nurses, and my doctors assistant, and it's still not resolved. Why is this so difficult? I've provided them all with the date the appointment took place and where to find the notes the doctor left in the appointment summary, specifying what tests need to be ordered. It's very clear that the reps and the doctors assistant herself are barely skimming those notes based on their responses. I am very lucky that my health issue's aren't more serious, but the idea that my health care providers and office is this incompetent and keep dropping the ball like this time and time again is very worrying. If you have a serious issue and cannot afford to waste time, I cannot recommend this office at all.

Experiencia fantástica: Quick and professional.

Experiencia negativa: Chaotic.

Experiencia fantástica: Short wait times, easy access, validated parking, helpful staff. Far superior to San Francisco campuses.

Experiencia negativa: Urgent care is a different story. Those docs are great. No ego no 'tude. They are informative and treat you like a real person who cares about their health. But DO NOT USE THEM FOR PRIMARY CARE. They are incapable of getting something as simple as a prescription right. The notes were garbled so they ordered the wrong med. Several hours and visits later, someone finally gives me the manager's card and Andronique straightened it out. New tests and we need to change the amount. JUST THE AMOUNT. So they change it back to the WRONG MEDICATION INSTEAD and update the amount to something that makes NO SENSE with this medication. I now have a 90 day supply of the wrong medication in the wrong amount. Andronique is no longer responding and neither is anyone else. NO ONE CARES ABOUT SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS A PRESCRIPTION! I HAVE LESIONS BECAUSE IT IS SO WRONG.

Experiencia negativa: The only experiences I have had here have been negative. First, I came to urgent care, which was fine. But then they charged my insurance (Covered California, who they told me multiple times that they accept) with a provider that was somehow out of network. So they are telling me I owe hundreds of dollars and sent me on a wild goose chase to figure it out with my health insurance. Then I tried to schedule a primary care appointment to get an urgent rx, and they told me my appointment was scheduled for the next day when in fact it was scheduled for three weeks later.

Experiencia fantástica: fast check in, fast exam and got results within an hour

Experiencia fantástica: easy check in, short wait, very professional

Experiencia fantástica: Fast service, very professional and caring.

Experiencia fantástica: This was a top notch facility . I got the appointment on urgent notice, and the tech was attentive snd skillful and kind.

Experiencia fantástica: short waiting time, quick easy instructions for the xray

Experiencia fantástica: great dr. dr becky. organized system. people kind. only proble is epic tech issue and scans could not be transferred to stanford

Experiencia fantástica: very organized, timely - didn't have to wait at all. results shared with me before i made it home!

Experiencia fantástica: the ulsd tech was excellent; on time, professional, explained the procedure and made me feel very comfortable and confident.

Experiencia fantástica: Check in was easy, the staff were very helpful and kind, and we were able to get in quickly. Thank you for taking care of our family!

Experiencia negativa: it is because of the one who did the ultrasound, she was disrespectful and not well professional as she spent much time and did ultrasound twice and didn't care of me during holding breath

Experiencia fantástica: it was perfect as could be. the front desk attendee and nurse/ doctor attended me very kindly and respectively. smooth and quick!

Experiencia fantástica: took me in early. great service from check in to check out. it would be nice if they had gowns for plus size patients

Experiencia fantástica: The doctor was great and friendly. He gave good advice! Love John Muir!! Video appointments are so easy!