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Arlene Keller, MD
Rating Details »
Category: Internal Medicine [Edit]
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights2100 Webster Street
Suite 423
(between Clay St & Sacramento St)
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 923-3598
- By Appointment Only:
- Yes
36 reviews for Arlene Keller, MD
Andrea, the new secretary, is super fab. I've recently figured out that it is waaaaaay easier and speedier to email Dr. Keller about concerns, appointment, etc, instead of leaving a message and waiting for 1/2 a day to pass to get a response.
I've been going to Dr. Keller for years...basically, after I started becoming a woman, and realized I was too old/creeped out to go to my male pediatrician.
I go to Dr. Keller for everything: flu to annual exam.
Parking can be a bit tricky, so bring some cash for the lot across the street.
I just read some of these reviews and I wonder why Dr. Keller doesn't seem interested in reading them and do a little self-reflection.
I don't know if she knows her stuff, but she seems to not listen to what is said, and that was pretty frustrating.
Everyone in that office, including Dr. Keller, is great. I'm seeing her while my other doc is on leave but I wouldn't hesitate to see her as my regular doctor. The secretaries, doctors, medical assistants, are all really good. It's top quality. She takes the time out to understand your concerns.
I really wish i had read some of these reviews before i went to see Dr. Keller. I remember I went to see her when I had a terribly painful bladder infection. I thought her office was located at a different builiding so I admit I showed up 15 minutes late. I tried to call and let them know that but no one picked up the phone, shocking right?
When i got there the receptionist informed me, quite rudely, that i was late and would need to reschedule. I told her that I was confused and went to the wrong building, it was my first time, give me a break! and that I really was in a lot of pain. The receptionist said "well i guess you could talk to her assistant, Natasha and see if she could get you in. "
After i waited there for another 20 minutes Natasha saw me and said that Dr. Keller was too busy and it wasn't their fault cause i was late. ok now i understand that i was late and it was my fault but turning a patient away and refusing to help them when they are sick?!?!? SERIOUSLY?! I started to cry out of sheer frustration and shock (and i really was hurting). I think then she felt bad for me and Dr. Keller did end up seeing me.
Another time i went there cause i had allergies. I had expressed to Dr. Keller my concern when my sister had been diagnosed with allergies and later on it turned to be cancer. (she had a different doctor).
Dr. Keller basically talked to me like i was a 4 year old that had a bad nightmare. She made me feel like I was making things up or that i was being a baby about it. i can't remember what she said exactly but i remember thinking she had no bed side manner and I'm sorry I think that's something that you need to learn as a doctor. I guess you can pay a lot of money for a fancy education and still lack compassion and general kindness to strangers.
I never saw Dr. Keller -- this is a review about the appointment process as a new patient.
I arrived for my 10:30 appointment 6-7 minutes early, surprised by how many people were in the 2 waiting areas, and waited as the gentleman in front of me was told he did not have an appointment today. He seemed bemused, stating that he'd scheduled it some time ago and was sure it was today. He was told to wait, perhaps he could be squeezed in.
My turn: the receptionist greets me with "You're 27 minutes late," sounding like a high school registrar. No, I say, my appointment is at 10:30. "You're appointment was at 10:00," she admonishes. I explain that I wouldn't have made a 10:00 and remember quite clearly being offered a 10:30 slot, which I immediately wrote in my agenda while on the phone (and I am not that much of an idiot that I can't write down the correct time). She hands me a new patient form and tells me I can reschedule. I protest further, and she tells me someone left me a message about my alleged 10:00 appointment. I never got this message, check my voice mails and sure enough, no message about the bogus appointment time.
Thanks for wasting my time, and I'll be finding another doctor with a more competently run office. It's one thing to be overbooked or running behind schedule, another thing entirely to try to fob off your mistakes/backlogs on patients and pretend they're at fault.
I went to Dr. Keller ONCE way, way back when she took over my former doctors practice when she moved out of the area. She was horrible and not a suitable replacement for my former doctor (Dr. Cynthia Point) who was truly awesome.
She was strangely timid and wishy washy combined with a wierd quiet snootiness. Not someone I could ever imagine opening up to or feeling comfortable with.
Anyhoo, if you are considering her you should read all of the reviews and come to your own conclusion.
**The doctor I have now rocks but I wont review her because I don't want it to be any harder to get an appointment.
You know, just because she's not totally chatty...some people are a little soft spoken!! I've been a patient of Dr. K for a few years, and she's actually really sweet and a great listener - will talk you through anything and never makes you feel like you've asked something totally ridiculous. TRUE Natascha was awful...but don't worry, she's gone now and the new assistant is nothing like the last....
Ok...I should mention...she would have gotten 5 stars if not for a pretty major misdiagnosis about a year ago.
Has everyone gone absolutely insane in the membrane? I met this woman several months ago, and all I could think of during my appointment was how professional, friendly and kind she was!
She even made sure I had a flu shot, because I'm especially susceptible to getting sick because I have a chronic illness.
Really, let's be fair!
PS: Have you noticed that the people who gave her nasty reviews are all 1 review, no photo type of people? Hmm, these seem like an irate person to me who just created a bunch of accounts just to be spiteful.
So my previous review totally backfired....
I go in to see Dr. Keller a few days after I wrote the previous review (unfortunately with an HMO insurance plan, you can't switch doctors before going through a long and annoying process..) and the receptionist tells me that I don't have an appointment. After some confusion and a lot of waiting, I get taken out into the hallway by Keller's personal receptionist.
She tells me that Dr. Keller read my Yelp review and because of this, does not want to see me anymore. She says I need to find a new doctor!
I can't say I blame her.. I would be offended too. But nothing I said is untrue.. and it is really a criticism on the way they run things, not on her as a doctor. Either way, it's totally unprofessional. And weird that she checks her own Yelp page, probably all the time unless that's a major coincidence. And I mean it would be great if she checked it in an effort to make improvements (I had some pretty good suggestions, right?)... but clearly in this case, she used it to get revenge on an unhappy patient, instead of attempting to fix their flawed system. I mean, this whole thing completely validates my initial speculations! And she totally schemed it so that I'd have to come in and waste my whole morning dealing with this instead of calling me. She fired me -- is that even legal?
I was clearly looking for a new doc anyway but this was just too ridiculous not to share.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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3/16/2009
This is a tough one because I actually do like Dr. Keller. My issue with this office is clearly a… Read more »
Dr. Keller has been my primary care physician for 9 years. She has consistently been on time, and has diagnosed various conditions correctly 100% of the time. She explains things clearly. The specialists she has referred me to have all been excellent. She always treats me respectfully. I wouldn't say she is warm and fuzzy, but she is certainly friendly enough, and I have never felt the least bit uncomfortable telling her anything. Her new assistant, Andrea, is much better than Natasha. I am completely satisfied.
Let me first say that EVERY SINGLE TIME I have called Dr. Keller's office, I have NEVER received an answer on the other line. This can be quite distressing when it's your health you're dealing with.
In all fairness, I'll begin by saying that my first experience with Dr. Keller was decent at best. She was quick, not terribly warm, but did what she had to do for an annual and I got my prescription--a win/win. I did have some issues with incorrectly processed insurance and was instructed to visit the "billing department," a two-desk closet where the women talked badly about clientle right in front of me. But this I can deal with--I'm in general good health and only really needed Dr. Keller to prescribe my oral contraceptives.
Upon my second visit, I saw Dr. Keller for a very brief moment after sitting in the room for almost an hour. A week later, I receive some very disturbing news on my cell phone voicemail regarding my tests. She called the findings "abnormal" and did not advise on next steps or what this meant. So naturally, I immediately go into panic mode. I call and call and call and leave messages and no one returns my phone call! Finally, her assistant calls to take down my message so that she can deliver it to Dr. Keller. I felt compelled to tell her my personal details since this was going to be the only way to get through to the doctor.
Dr. Keller finally returns my phone call and I start with some light humor like "Hi Dr. I don't mean to stalk you but I wanted to speak to you about my results." She says "yeah, you are stalking me...," very obviously annoyed. She is incredibly short with me on the phone and does not ease my mind about the situation. I ask her a question and she acts as though she doesn't understand my concern. She concludes the conversation with "OK, so now you won't be stalking me anymore?"
Needless to say, I was/am appalled at Dr. Keller's bedside manner. I went to her on a coworker's recommendation who has also decided to stray. While I appreciate Dr. Keller being able to see me when I need, it's simply not worth it.
I have to agree...Natacha is not the best on the phone. Her bedside manner is.....lacking. She would do better to treat the patients kindly, not so brusquely.
If that is really Natacha's review/response below, I would be mortified if I was Dr. Keller! Natacha is proving her lack of control, maturity, concern and professionalism by getting into a verbal assault on Yelp!
One time she called me, left a vm saying my blood results were fine. I called back requesting a copy for my records. Upon looking at the results myself, I noticed some things were higher than normal, so I called back to inquire if what I read was correct. Turns out, I was correct! Natacha had told me my blood results were fine, when in fact, they weren't. Poor attention to detail. (this was in 2005)
Dr. Keller seems to want to do all the talking in the 15 mins she spends with you and does not appear open to non-Western medicine. Also, I agree with other posters who said she takes inaccurate notes. She verbalized to me that "you won't take medication, so I won't prescribe it to you." Huh?? That is not me at all. Must have me confused with someone else.
I wanted to like and respect her, so I gave her a couple more chances. No more.
As for Dr. Keller scolding another patient for her lateness (in an earlier review), she is always late for my appt. And I usually get her 8am slot. One time, I arrived at 7:45am, and she did not see me until 8:35am.
****UPDATE 10/19/07: I notice that Natascha took her unprofessional response down. There is hope!
****UPDATE 1/8/08: I just read Chris W.'s review. I guess one needs severe health issues in order to get Dr. Keller's attention. And no, I am not wanting giggling chatter. I want effectiveness and professionalism.
****UPDATE: 7/28/08: I never received the copy of my blood test results which I requested back in OCTOBER. I give up on Dr. Keller and her office.
After moving here, I had to blindly choose a doctor. Arlene Keller seemed like a good choice because she was convenient to where I lived. I called to make and appointment and was amazed that the assistant Natasha didn't answer. After a week passed, I daily began to call and finally got a reply a week and a half later. When Dr. Keller finally saw me, she hurried me up the first time I saw her and seemed really distracted. Now, I should have taken this as a warning sign but no, I decided to continue seeing her.
I got a pretty bad ear infection a few weeks later and to no great surprise, didn't hear back from the office for over a week. Luckily, I still am close with my doctor back home and had THEM prescribe me something. I was so upset I could scream but I didn't want to go through the hassle of changing again.
The last straw came a few weeks ago, when I needed to be seen. I called on a Monday and when nobody replied to me back by Wednesday, I began calling every day with angrier and more frustrated messages. Natasha never called me until Friday, and I returned from lunch to find a message from her with huge attitude saying that "she never received any of my messages." I was ready to kill her. She didn't even suggest a good time for me to come in! So, I called the office and she didn't answer as usual. Eventually, she left a message with a possible time, I called back and got the machine, and she never called me back to confirm the appointment.
I now have a new doctor, but Blue Shield f*ed up and it's a rheumatologist. So the search continues...
Bottom line: don't EVER choose this doctor unless you feel like scratching your eyeballs out with your insurance card.
I also had a negative experience at this office.
I was referred by a family friend to another physician in Dr. Keller's office. However, that physician was not accepting new patients and Dr. Keller was the only physician in the office available to see me on short notice.
I was told to arrive 15 minutes early to fill out new patient paperwork. I arrived eight minutes early because the parking lot in the building is a nightmare (if you have business in the building park in the parking lot across the street which has easier parking and is cheaper too). I was somewhat chastized by the receptionist for being "only" eight minutes early, and was informed that I should fill out my paperwork quickly because the clock was ticking. (At this point I hadn't read other yelp reviews informing me of the consequences of not being 100% ready on time.) Part of the paperwork that I was required to fill out was an agreement to resolve any disuptes with the office by way of binding arbitration. I won't go into a legal diatribe, but this is a huge negative if you are ever in the unfortunate situation being the victim of medical malpractice.
Dr. Keller was pleasant enough when I was examined by her. However, I never heard back from her with the results of my lab tests. I called two times and I was finally called back by her assistant. The assistant, who apparently acts as Dr. Keller's spokesperson, informed me of my diagnosis and of the drug that I would be prescribed. Since I generally don't like to engage in dialogue regarding my medical condition with a stranger in her early 20s whose only post-high school education likely consisted of a couple of classes at city college before dropping out, I insisted on speaking with Dr. Keller.
After two requests to speak with Dr. Keller, I finally got a call back from her. Her tone suggested that she was bothered by the fact that she had to call me. She also appeared annoyed at my simple request that I get a copy of my lab tests. There was also no suggestion on her part regarding any follow-up regarding my condition, such as any return appointment to monitor how I was doing.
Paging Dr. Keller: Your star rating is slipping badly.
I saw her for a few years and she seemed to be caring and patient. But when I requested a simple authorization I was told via her receptionist that I needed to pay a fee which I disagreed with. There should not be any fee for it at all but I was told that's their medical practice's policy which my insurance company disagreed with also. I was considered to be rocking their boat so Keller dropped me. I wanted to laugh as it seemed like a bad comedy as I wasn't dropped personally by Keller but by her assistant who may or may not have been the infamous Natscha (did I spell her name correctly??). I can't remember the name at this time as it has been six five years now and I tend to forget names especially if they have been particularly nasty to me.
I'm glad because I needed to get out of there as I didn't want to be scammed!
I read fellow Yelper, Magdalena's, account of her own experience with Keller and how Keller wanted a $15 fee to send her files to the new doctor. This is similar to what occurred with me and why I was dropped by this 'doctor'. What they are doing to patients is nothing less than extortion. I have no idea how her medical office can get away with it but they do obviously.
Note: Apparently when a doctor is accepting new patients one has to beware. I have found that there is a reason why they have openings and namely it's because they are horrible!
It is very upsetting for me to read all these negative reviews about Dr. Keller. Although, recently, I also switched to a new primary care doctor - but not because I had any problems with Dr. Keller. I simply moved to a new address - I now live right across from CPMC Davies and couldn't help but take advantage of my proximity to a hospital. I have to say I miss Dr. Keller (my new doctor is male, which is OK, but still... I guess I'm a little old fashioned) and again, I'm sorry that so many people had bad experiences with her. She was always kind and professional with me. Her staff was just OK - but again, that seems to be the way it is with medical staff.
UPDATE 8/2008. OK....I have to agree with the others that the staff is not the most competent and efficient. Called the office to try to get an appt, but it's been 2 days now, and I ended up calling their $25 emergency line to get another doctor's consult and prescription over the phone instead. Thus far, no follow up calls to my messages despite my condition. Dr. Keller is great I think, but I'm not sure about her staff now. In times past, I've always received a call back the same day or the next day, but not this time. Like all other reviews, I'm getting a voicemail with no returns. It's too bad for Dr. Keller.
I have always had good experiences with Dr. Keller. She does listen and takes the time to answer my questions. Of course, she runs behind like all doctors.
I just don't know if there are really good doctors left in San Francisco anymore because of the whole insurance system. All front desk staff members are just universally rude b/c their jobs are boring, and yes, it's only a job to them, not their own business. I say this b/c I'm also in the health care business. They are universally the same unless they have an incentive program!
Natasha doesn't answer the phone, but she's returned my calls in a decent time frame. Minus one star for Dr. Keller not being decisive enough at times or aggressive enough with treatment and also recommendations. Really, if you can by-pass seeing the GP to get to the specialist, I would do that. It's so much more effective. I also went for a check-up for something specific that she missed, and if I were not aware of my own history, it would have been missed. All in all, I have low expectations from GPs, so she's been fine. I never find her rushed with me.
When I first moved to San Francisco, I searched around for a doctor that I liked. After my 4th attempt, I finally found Dr. Keller. I think she's fantastic. I've seen her 5 or 6 times over the last 4 years and she has always been attentive, communicative and recommended me to appropriate specialists.
Dr. Keller has always been professional with me, and although she is a little awkward, I always feel like she listens to what I'm saying and explains to me her rationale for her recommendations. She always asks follow up questions from her notes from previous appointments, and they are always appropriate and accurate.
I also have never had a problem with Natascha. Although I do think it's strange that they don't answer the phone, Natascha has always called me back the same day to schedule appointments, and has been nothing but helpful.
As for those postings from people who Dr. Keller has refused to see, it seems like most of them are for people who were late to their appointments. If you're late to an appointment and the doctor sees you, it means she will potentially be late for every appointment after that throughout the day. We expect doctors to respect our time when we have scheduled appointments, I would think doctors could expect the same of us. Dr. Keller has always been on time for my appointments with her.
Dr. Keller was assigned to me through my work insurance as I didn't already have a GP in place. Imagine my alarm when I looked her up on Yelp and found such horrid reviews. In general, I find Yelp reliable, but I am still capable of making my own decisions. I decided to stick with Dr. Keller and see for myself how terrible she and her assistant Natascha were, figuring if they were as apocalyptically awful as Yelpers said, no big to find another doc.
So, it was only my first visit, but it went perfectly well. Dr. Keller was friendly and communicative, offered up deft recommendations that made perfect sense to me; she was very thorough, asked pertinent questions and best of all, gave me the least uncomfortable and the quickest pap smear and pelvic exam of my life. That alone is worth five stars to me.
My interaction with the notorious Natascha was brief and efficient and not unpleasant. I would hardly describe her as effusive--I certainly wouldn't invite her over to drink chardonnay and do each other's nails--but she was nice enough.
Who knows, maybe my second visit or future interactions with Dr. Keller will mar this rosy first impression. But for now, I say with confidence to any potential patients that my experience with her was as perfectly fine as a doctors appointment can be.
A lot of problems that people have mentioned are with Natasha, and the fact that they never answer the phone. I agree with that this is rather lame and I don't like it myself.
However, Dr Keller herself is great. In my experience, she listens and treats you as an intelligent person rather than another dumb patient. I'm often very informed about my illnesses when I have them and I prefer a Dr that can recognize that rather than one that is annoyed and dismissive of what I know about my condition.
If it wasn't for the lame lack of phone communication I'd give her a 5 but instead I'll give her a four.
I really like Dr Keller and Natasha both- Dr Keller completely saved my life, (and that of two of my relations who have the same heriditary condition) I was in a bad way- and instead of just blowing my symptoms off as stress or bad habits- she looked into a condition not diagnosed by others- set me up with a hepatologist- and has continued to monitor my care. Dr Keller spends time reading journals, keeping up on the latest stuff- and
I think she is topps!
** on Natasha- she is always always very friendly and nice to me- often answers the phone- sometimes not- but I always get a call back-
Joel
It's taken me three years to write this review. Dr. Keller SHOULD NOT be a medical pratctitioner. She has a complete lack of compasion and general caregiving traits. I can only say "ditto" to all the other bad reviews as they mirror my experiences with Dr. Keller to the tee. Too bad - waste of a medical co-pay and an education in general - this one must have missed the "patient empathy" and ethics courses in general!
Dr. Keller is a consummate professional. She is informative, concerned and knowledgeable. She has been my primary care doctor for years, and I have never had an unpleasant incident. Mind you, I am in decent health so my follow ups have always been around minor issues, but her thoughtfulness and even tempered demeanor are qualities I would want my doctor to exhibit were I ever to have a serious problem. I hope if I ever suffer a serious illness , my judgment will remain intact and I won't see everything through "sturm und drang" colored glasses.
I am appalled at how some Yelp users seem to think this is a space to rant irresponsibly and immaturely. How would you like it it the world were anonymously judging your professional abilities?
Dr. Keller has given my aunt great care since her stroke in 2002. She always remembers my aunt's medical situation, is kind and warm, never rushes us, and responds promptly when I call or email between appointments.
We came to her from a doc who was rude, inattentive, and rushed -- more interested in his golf game than my aunt's medical situation. Dr. Keller gives me peace of mind and has made my life so much easier.
I, too, would give Dr. Keller no stars if I could.
She nearly killed my wife by prescribing a course of antibiotics that was too weak and the wrong kind to treat a Giardia infection. My wife started to feel a little better (as is typical when you start a course of antibiotics), and then while we were out of town and the antibiotics ran out, she went way downhill in a hurry. We had to rush her to a medical clinic in Phoenix, where she was severely dehydrated, had dangerously low blood pressure, couldn't keep anything down, and had to have an IV inserted. This is for a 35-year-old woman in perfect health!
A few months after this, I signed up for a life insurance policy. The life insurance underwriter needed to confirm with Dr. Keller that she had been the doctor who prescribed my blood pressure medication. Dr. Keller refused to confirm this with them unless I came in for another visit with her, which would have resulted in the life insurance underwriter canceling my policy application if I hadn't begged them to give me an extension to try to convince Dr. Keller to come to her senses and provide me with the personal health information that was my right to receive. I had to threaten to sue Dr. Keller (I actually never spoke with Dr. Keller about this -- only with Natascha, who is exactly as described by the other one-star reviewers) under the HIPAA laws before she would agree to turn over my own medical information! Absolutely unbelievable, yet 100% true!
Bottom line -- there are tons of other doctors out there. Why would you choose this one when she is one of the lowest rated doctors in Yelp? This isn't like taking a chance on a new taco shack. This is your health here. You deserve better service. Stay away.
If I could give zero stars I would! I was referred to this pracitce by a co-worker who saw a doctor in the same practice. Unfortunately, that doctor was not seeing new patients. So, I saw Dr. Arlene Keller because she was available. I can understand why. I would imagine very few, if any, go back to her a second time. I certainly won't be. I had a terrible time with Natasha, she does not return phone calls and scheduling an appointment was a nightmare. The staff, in general don't seem to know what they're doing and don't seem to care either. The doctor, well, let's just say her bedside manner needs much improvement. I was shocked at her tone and behavior. She was very rude and judgemental. When I switched to another doctor's office and the new doctor sent information to Dr. Keller so she could send my file to her, she turned around and charged me $15. I refused as I know this is not the way things are done. (Honey, I did not just fall off the turnip truck.) And my new doctor was quite shocked as the files were being sent to her office directly, not to me. They refused to send my files until they got their $15. How sad and pathetic and just downright petty of these people. Not to mention wrong. Since the files were necessary for new doctor I gave in and paid it. I know, I sholudn't have. But, the situation was urgent. I figured $15 is not going to break me and KARMA is a BIATCH!
Sadly, if I had come to Yelp first I would have known better but I had not started using Yelp yet, and so lesson learned. I am now seeing a doctor that I did find on Yelp and am very happy. Thank you yelpsters.
I am a native San Franciscan and I have been seeing Dr. Keller for many years. I can't believe all of the negative reviews as she's articulate and professional. She's easy to talk to and treats you with respect. I would highly recommend her as a primary care physician.
Note: I will say, it is useless to leave voicemails for Natasha. Keep calling back until she answers.
the h.r. woman at the nonprofit where i work told me i needed to choose a doctor when i signed up for bluecross, and since i had no idea which one to choose, she signed me up with hers, dr keller.
i have spent the last 3 days trying to set up an appointment. in 3 days, they have not answered their phone once, and half the time don't call back. i've called back over and over trying to figure out when they can see me, and no response back at all. also, their fax machine is out half the time.
i'm running away, fast, already, and looking for another
I am really glad I decided to see Dr.Keller (from a friend's recommendation) even though I was hestiant after reading all the negative yelp reviews.
In regards to the office -- I was taken back to the room in a timely manner, the lady working the front desk was pleasant enough, and I never dealt with the notorious Natasha everyone writes about.
When I actually met Dr.Keller, I was quite happy with the experience. She did not rush me at all, asked me a lot of questions, and explained to me why she was prescribing each medication. I actually felt like she cared and treated me like a person rather than just another patient. She also made me feel comfortable asking all the stupid questions I always ask doctors....
I am pretty particular about my doctors (I HATE being rushed or leaving feeling like I still have unanswered questions), and I am definitely going to go back to Dr.Keller.
If I could give zero stars, I would. Arlene Keller has no bedside manner whatsoever, and she was blatantly rude to me all three times I went to see her. I got a referral to her from another doctor and I was so displeased by her terrible treatment that I switched primary care physicians. She argued with me on every diagnosis and treatment that I had received prior to becoming her patient - as if so many doctors could be wrong except for her. Laughable. She is insulting and unprofessional, and on one occasion she became so heated during a consultation that she actually started shaking! [ZERO STARS]
Dr. Keller is a wonderful doctor, one of my friends referred her to me when I first moved to SF. She made me feel comfortable and at ease. She was easy to talk to and she really listened to me and answered all of my questions in depth.
Like Elena G., I literally just joined Yelp in order to be able to write a review about Dr. Keller. I am new to San Francisco and made an appointment with her for the earliest I could get, which was July. Today something started to worry me, so I called the office at 1pm to see if she could squeeze me in for a quick visit, or even just talk to me. I got the answering machine so I left a message. I called back every half hour until I finally reached a human around 3:30pm. She had me describe my symptoms and said she'd speak with Dr. Keller and call me back. I got a call back from a different receptionist around 4pm saying the first one had left and she was covering. She asked me more about my symptoms and said she'd speak with Dr. Keller again and call me back. I never heard back from her, and since I was going away this weekend and didn't want to be risking anything serious, I drove over there (after calling repeatedly). Both receptionists I'd been speaking to had left, so I plead my case to a third. She went back to speak with the doctor, and then said since I was a new patient, she absolutely would not prescribe anything to me. I started crying at this point and asked if she would at least speak with me. Nope. She was THERE and would not even speak with me. The receptionist rudely told me I could go to the ER if I was really that concerned. Well besides the fact that I really hope nothing serious happens to me over the weekend before I can get to a doctor, I am canceling my July appt with Dr. Keller and telling everyone I know never to go to her.
Hi, I am currently a patient of Dr Keller's office and have had a great experience, when I married my husband who moved here from London, I sent him to her as well since he was new to the city and obviously didn't have any medical care set up here. I have always had prompt phone call returns, help getting a prescription filled within one day and getting in to see her right away if I need to. My husband was also in a motorcycle accident and we called her that morning and she saw him right away, got x-rays, etc. Now she is not a doctor to see if you need alot of attention or maybe have some serious issues to work through. She is fast and efficient and I actually love that, because I hate being in there too long! I want to be in and out! We are rather healthy people so we don't need lots of attention, but when I did get a back food poisening last year, I called her on the phone, spoke with Natascha and they goto back to me within 1 hour to tell me what it is exactly I had and what to do, it was pretty scary and I felt like they were there for me. SO sorry I don't know what all the bad reviews are for...but I have always been fairly happy. Now they are not super dooper cuddly, warm and can chat for you for a long time...., but who is in this city??? It is good solid care.
Dr. Keller herself is pleasant enough.,..... but I was quite concerned when I came in to try to be squeezed in for an appointment .. rather, was given a prescription of antibiotics without being seen for consultation. I felt like I diagnosed myself (and trust me, I am no doctor!!) and was given a prescription. I am sure she had good intentions, but that to me sounds like malpractice. I could be wrong, but you just never mess with prescriptions. Her assistant Natascha has gotten bad reviews on Yelp and I can completely see why. Some days she is an angel, and some days, just don't even bother..... I guess we all have days, but the last thing a sick person wants to be subjected to is attitude. And Natasha definitely has a personality... I guess it's partially being REALLY busy, and partially a power trip. I stay with this group because of my health insurance and proximity to my home, but I wouldn'r really recommend it.....
While Dr. Keller herself is pleasant, her assistant, Natasha is a nightmare. She NEVER answers the phone (in six years of calling she has answered once), and then she doesn't call back until you call at least twice. I was waiting for very important (to me at least), test results and she didn't call me back with them for a week (and I left three messages during that time). I don't understand how a Dr.'s assistant can be so thoughtless.
Really? I would give Natascha 5 stars. I've always had a great relationship with both Dr Keller and Natascha for YEARS and hope to be with them for years to come. I trust them both completely and vice versa. They tell it like it is there, yet compassionate and real. They actually really care about their patients which is more than I can say about many dr's in SF. I reco them to all my friends who move here and all I've met. Pros: everything. natascha, her teamwork with dr keller, dr keller's memory, caring, and tell it like it is attitude, good bedside manner, gives you time to ask all your questions and doesn't rush out on you. very quick to get back to you when you need to see someone right away or need a rx right away. They are a fab team!
