Andrew Diamond, MD, PhD - Metropolitan Medical Group

 

2

25

Jeffrey F.

San Francisco, CA

After moving to San Francisco a bit more than a year ago, I finally decided that I should a) have a doctor, and b) get an annual physical. Of course, I check Yelp, and I begin to call around.

"We don't accept new patients"
"We don't accept new patients"
"We accept new patients, and our first appointment is four months from now"

None of these answers were satisfactory.

I noticed that the Metropolitan Medical Group charges an annual fee, and was thus a bit hesitant to call. But then I thought about it, decided that I'd wasted $100 on far dumber things, and I'd give it a shot.

Good call on my part. They accept new patients. They could see me the next day. Dr. Diamond was pretty great, and as an added bonus, he answers emails (promptly too!). Five stars indeed.

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6

25

T D.

San Francisco, CA

After researching medical practices in the city (and after a few less than satisfying experiences) I came across Metropolitan Medical Group & Dr. Andrew Diamond.  When I phoned the office at 9 a.m., I was shocked to find that they would be able to see me at 12:30 the very same day.  The receptionist informed me that Metropolitan charges $99/yr in "membership fees."  My initial reaction to this was negative & I told her I'd call back later.

After doing some research on the web, I realized that these guys actually stood for something & were aiming for real reform in the patient-provider relationship.  Additionally, they generally have same-day appointments, stress the fact that an appointment is more about communication than anything else, & also appeared quite web-saavy.  Long story short, I realized that if I can throw down a $99 bar tab on most weekends, surely I can afford the annual fee.

My appt with Dr. Diamond was nothing less than outstanding.  Unlike other doctors who spend 18/20 minutes starting at a chart, 1 minute taking your blood pressure, & 1 minute listenting to your complaint, Dr. Diamond & I "conversed" for nearly 15 minutes before he performed any kind of test.  Once he fully comprehended the issue at hand, he confirmed it with tests & gave me a very thorough diagnosis.

I highly recommend this place.

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Elite '08

482

617

phil h.

San Francisco, CA

My primary physician recently retired and I was randomly assigned to Dr. Diamond. What a stroke of luck! Dr. Diamond spent at least an hour with me during our first appointment, carefully going over my concerns and questions. I have pretty severe allergies and mild asthma and it was refreshing not to feel rushed by a doctor.

Dr. Diamond has recently joined the Metropolitan Medical Group which handles patient care in a whole new way - appointments can be made online, doctors correspond via email and are even willing to give out their cell phone numbers. Most 'boutique' practices charge hundreds if not thousands of dollars a year...Metropolitan has a set fee of $79 a year, a bargain considering the personalized care and attention that they provide. The first time I called them the receptionist picked up on the second ring...at my old primary it sometimes took days to talk to a live person on the phone.

When it comes to your health, you really owe it to yourself to get the best care possible...if you are looking for a new primary care physician, I highly recommend Dr. Diamond and the Metropolitan Medical Group.

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3

13

M T.

San Francisco, CA

I am a big, big fan. I went to the 2 EC location (which opened 2 days ago) which was clean, well-lit, lacking of any stained carpet or 40-year old arm chairs one finds in most medical practices.

I came a lookin for a new primary care doc when my 2 previous doctors resigned within 2 years of each other (was it me, or was I just in a flaky medical group?)

Anyhow, I walked by this new location on the way to the gym several times and then decided to stop in. Not only is the location convienient and the staff friendly, Dr. Diamond is a top notch clinician who has not been jaded by too many years wearing the white lab coat and stethoscope. He actually listened and asked questions about my medical history, urged me to get some bloodwork done (they will be offering this service on-site within a couple of months- soooo convenient!) and said he or his assistant would follow up with an email even if the results are totally normal. What a coup! I've always had to call to get test results.

I'll be back! (That is, next year to get a flu shot if my emailed test results come back normal)

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4

14

Madeline M.

San Francisco, CA

I was looking for a new primary MD as mine was 72 years old and I'm pretty sure he is going to retire soon and I would have to find a new one anyway, so I figured I'd see if I could find a new one before I got randomly assigned.

I have Blue Shield HMO and I was able to look and see a list of MD's taking new patients.  It listed their age and where they went to school.  My criteria was someone under 50 and educated in the USA.  After I compiled my list, a very short list, I checked to see if any of them were on Yelp.  Only 2 were, one had 4 bad reviews and Dr. Diamond had one very good review.

I figured it was worth taking a chance and had myself switched to him.

I'm very happy I did.  He is extremely nice and easy to talk to. He did spend quite a bit of time for a first visit, about 40 minutes.  I really don't like going to doctors, and have been lucky enough to have been able to avoid them, having only seen my other primary MD, twice in 22 years.  The only reason I went this time is because everyone is urging me to have a colonoscopy since I'm over 50 and I just had a friend get diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 52 (her primary MD told her when she asked about having a colonscopy when she was 50 to not worry about it, she was young and healthy).  So this scared the bejesus out of me and I figured I'd better get a referral for one.  

Dr. Diamond gave me the referral and ordered a bunch of blood work and another test I requested.

The office doesn't look like your typical doctor's office, no medical equipment hanging around outside the exam rooms.  Jazz music was playing and there is a computer in the waiting room, I assume this was for patient's use.

You fill out your medical history online before your appt., I liked this a lot better than those forms they usually hand you.

It seems like a very young practice, all the staff look young, and the other people waiting to be seen also.

The down side for anyone wanting to have Dr. Diamond be your primary is, you'd better switch soon, he told me he is going to stop taking new patients soon.  I assume this means new HMO patients.

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0

2

John B.

San Francisco, CA

I recently switched primary care physicians to Dr. Andrew Diamond.  I have read all of the other five-star Yelp reviews about him, and agree with them all.  Dr. Diamond treats you like a person, not like a medical chart.  His "bedside manner" is second to none.  He is attentive, pleasant, and thorough.  His office staff are pleasant, they answer the phone on the first or second ring during office hours, and they follow through on inquiries promptly.  I love the fact that you can schedule appointments for the same day (sometimes even within an hour or two of your call), and that you can communicate with your doctor via email (which is PROMPTLY responded to).  

I recently had an urgent medical matter and needed to speak with Dr. Diamond on a Sunday afternoon.  I called the main office number, and found that the office was closed -- but to my surprise, the office answering machine tells you the cell phone numbers for two of the doctors in the medical group, including Dr. Diamond.  Despite the fact that I had met him exactly once before (my initial visit a few weeks prior), he answered my call that Sunday afternoon and spent as much time with me on the phone as I needed to take care of my issue.  I have never had a primary care doctor in the past who I could even get a hold of on Sunday, let alone who would take so much time out of his weekend on the spur of the moment to help out a patient who he barely knew.  

If this level of dedication and service does not deserve five stars, then nothing does.

Several people have also mentioned the initial fee of $99 for patients to join the medical group.  My advice to you -- pay it with a smile, and just think of the fee as a slight addition to the cost of your health insurance, in exchange for which you receive a level of prompt and thorough attention and compassion from your doctor that you will almost certainly not get elsewhere.  When Dr. Diamond and Metropolitan Medical Group say that they have offer health care that is more personal, accessible, and helpful than your typical medical group, they actually deliver on that promise.

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9

48

Daniel W.

San Francisco, CA

After horrible experiences with the Notorious D.A.K. (Dr. Arlene Keller) and the primary care clinic at UCSF, I was given a referral to Dr. Diamond.  And let me tell you, instead of singing the blues, this athiest is now singing Hallelujah!

I first saw Dr. Diamond at his prior practice in Pacific Heights.  I was complaining of minor headaches and joint pain.  Dr. Diamond spent a whole hour with me examining me and getting my medical history.  He was extremely thorough, interested in what I was saying, and appeared to be caring.  Although my symptoms were very vague, and probably stress-related, he gave me all of the relevant tests and referred me to a neurologist.  And although he is grounded in traditional Western medicine for the most part, and I did not spy an ankh on his chest or smell any incense, he is open to alternative treatments, suggesting without my prompting him that acupuncture could be helpful.  He is also not overly happy to push pills on you.  Quite the contrary, in fact.

I was impressed enough with Dr. Diamond to follow him to his new medical group.  The new medical group charges a modest yearly membership fee ($79 if I remember correctly), but they promise -- and deliver -- quick appointments and superior communication.

I saw Dr. Diamond last December at his new practice last December, as I had just entered a new monogamous relationship and wanted to do routine STD screening.  (The relationship has since ended, but I don't think I can blame Dr. Diamond for that.)  I called on Friday afternoon for an appointment and was offered my choice of appointments on the following Monday.  Despite the routine nature of the examination, Dr. Diamond insisted on taking a full medical history of everything since I last saw him.  Also, although perhaps not the primary criterion in choosing a doctor, since they're there to cure you and not to chat, I do have to say that Dr. Diamond is very friendly and has an excellent sense of humor.  However, his friendliness doesn't stop him from telling it the way it is.  After I told him that another doctor had put me on allopurinol because I had suffered attacks of gout (the disease of kings -- a result of going to all the restaurants that I yelp about), he challenged me to lose 20 pounds and eat healthier so that I didn't have to rely on the allopurinol.  (Which I did!)

The only slight knock was that he ran a bit late for the appointment last time I saw him.  But it was pretty understandable seeing that I had a 6 pm appointment (the last one of the day I would fathom) and he said that a few last minute emergencies came up during the day which backed him up a bit.  (It was during flu season.)  Even so, he apologized profusely.

I therefore grant onto thee, Andrew Diamond, M.D., five yelp stars.  He's a good man, and thorough.

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Elite '08

30

127

Yvette K.

San Francisco, CA

I have been seeing Dr. Diamond for over a year at California Pacific Medical Center (Brown & Towland provider network). He has recently decided to switch medical groups and is now at the Metropolitan Medical Group. He is the best doc I've had at this annoying California Pacific Medical Center office where I got a new doctor about every 2 years on average because no one wanted to work there. Do I hear meat factory? Get 'em in get 'em out. I'm sure that's really the fault of HMOs rather than CPMC (great hospital, though).

The last time I saw Dr. Diamond he told me he wanted to switch medical groups because he wanted to spend more time with his patients than was allowed at CPMC. That made me very happy because he ALWAYS had taken more time with me than any other doctor I have seen at CPMC. He wants to go in depth if necessary and now he will be able to.

Dr. Diamond is young, very smart, nice, very caring and gentle and I was nervous about having a male doctor. But, he is such a nice guy that I was willing to overlook my discomfort being seen by a man. My goal is to have him be my doctor forever and not have to keep switching every 2 years with whatever new doctor CPMC gets to replace the last. I want to stay with Dr. Diamond. He's a keeper.

In a recent email to me he said: "The new practice is called the Metropolitan Medical Group, and is located at 110 Sutter Street, near Montgomery Street in the Financial District.  It is quite different from a typical doctor's office. The basic concept is one of superior service to our patients, made possible by the use of cutting-edge technologies.  We are a group of five academically-trained clinicians dedicated to providing high-quality, education-oriented medical care. We offer same-day appointments during regular business hours; unhurried, more personalized visits; online requests for prescription refills; and secure electronic medical records. We have an interactive web-based patient portal under development, which will enable you to view and edit your health information from any computer.  ou will be able to schedule appointments online, and you will be able to contact me or my colleagues by email or by mobile phone whenever necessary.

Metropolitan Medical Group is like a "boutique practice" for everyone, not just for the wealthy. When you receive medical services at Metropolitan, your health insurance is billed just as it would be with any other physician (you pay your typical co-pay and co-insurance costs). We accept most forms of PPO and HMO insurance as well as Medicare, and we'll even see you if you don't currently have any health insurance.  In order to cover the costs of our remarkable level of service, we also request an annual fee of $79/yr. If, for any reason, you are unsatisfied with our services, we will gladly refund your fee.  And for those with undue financial hardship or other personal reasons, you may always opt to waive the fee upon registration."

This new change makes me very happy and I will go to his new office for my next doctor's visit. I give 5 stars to Dr. Diamond for bucking the system and finding new digs where he can spend more time with his patients and hopefully be my doctor for a very long time.

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0

2

e c.

San Francisco, CA

this doctor is a good man.  and thorough.

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