Clinton W Young, MD
2100 Webster Street
Suite 416
(between Clay St & Sacramento St)
San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 923-3101
- By Appointment Only: Yes
25 reviews
Neighborhood: Union Square
"Came in here for an "emergency, I am DYING...think it's the FLU"....without an appointment.... Jim took me in, ran the usual diagnostics…" read more »
10 Reviews for Clinton W Young, MD
If you've got an endocrine problem and are tired of doctors talking down and pandering to you, Dr. Young is a breath of fresh air. He's always busy and rushed, but he listens and is willing to work with you to get you to the best health possible. I really appreciated his treatment when he was my doctor, especially after years of poor care under Kaiser.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of minuses. He IS rushed. He's hard to schedule an appointment with, not the least of which because is secretary is impossible to reach and tends to forget to send you things she says she'll send. Also, he dropped my insurance without any warning -- they apologized for this, but it wasn't cool finding out by way of my insurer that my most important doctor wasn't on my plan anymore.
Hmm... whoever this front desk dragon in the previous reviews was, she seemed to have either moved on, or improved drastically. The ladies with whom I spoke were efficient and not rude at all. I even managed to get an appointment reschedule with a day's notice (and the new appointment was within the week).
But like I said: the reviews about the secretary seem to be a few months old... maybe it was someone different now. And maybe there are now new doctors in the practice to share the workload. Either way, works for me.
As for the appointment itself:
- I didn't have to wait long
- Dr. Young was personable and seemed to listen to my concerns (although I have to admit he was multi-tasking, which doesn't bother me, but I know some people that feel that you listen with your ears and your eyes, so I can see what the problem could be)
- The appointment was brief, but I didn't feel rushed (could be because it was something routine enough... TSH levels... we'd both been there a gazillion times)
Like several other yelpers I have to agree that Doc.Young is a pretty good endocrinologist but his Secretary or whatever she is sucks a big one! Not only does she take 2 1/2 hour lunch breaks but your lucky if you can get her on the phone for the 10 minutes she actually spends working throughout the week. I have called several times this week to schedule an appointment and nothing. Finally I had to drag myself down to his office to get my test results and set up another appointment.
Sorry doctor Young but you dropped a few stars because of your horrific front desk chick.
I mean I am all about slacking on the job, but not when others health is in jeopardy.
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Doctor Clinton Young is a terrific doctor. As other yelpers have commented, if you have an endocrine problem he is really the only reasonable person to go to. I am on medication for my thyroid, and you have no idea the time I save have my primary doctor also be able to monitor my thyroid levels. Dr. Young is efficient, kind, and I feel like I have superb care in his office. I recommend him highly.
I found Dr. Young to be helpful, doctorly, and he had a matter of fact bedside manner. I don't want a doctor to hold my hand, just be efficient, friendly, and knowledgeable. He fits the bill.
The front office staff is friendly, and they do call me back quickly when I leave a message. They will also phone in a prescription for you.
Dr. Young was kind, knowledgeable-seeming, and quick as well as thorough. I'll add the fifth star when what he prescribes works.
* EDIT 7/10/07 *
I'm dropping Dr. Young a star.
He does seem as if he knows what he's talking about, but (as another reviewer noted) he's extremely rushed and his nurses and assistants are as well -- I don't expect roses at the door, but you definitely get the sense that you've got your five seconds of time, use them wisely. That pisses me off when I've incurred several thousands of dollars' worth of medical bills (and after seven months, I've seen absolutely no improvement) -- and that aforementioned five seconds with Dr. Young costs something on the order of $300. Very frustrating.
* EDIT 7/20/07 *
Dropping Dr. Young down to one star. I'm about to switch doctors. I've been in his care since November, run up thousands of dollars in debt, and have seen absolutely no improvement.
Today when I told him this, he insinuated that we'd hit a dead end. Finally he said he'd get "free advice" for me from a colleague of his in Wisconsin. Thanks, dude. Thanks for nothing.
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Clinton Young, MD, is pretty much the only primary care physician in Aetna's San Francisco network who is also an endocrinologist specializing in diabetes. What this means: if you have a chronic endocrine problem like diabetes, Clinton Young might be a good option for you, especially if: a) you don't want to deal with a primary care doctor who doesn't understand the biology or the importance of diabetes, or b) you don't want to be referred to a specialist several times a year.
It's a tough world out there for diabetics. Diabetes kills more people in the U.S. each year than AIDS and breast cancer combined, yet it receives only a fraction of the federal research funds as those two diseases. Bush vetoed HR810, the bill to fund stem cell research, inarguably the most promising path to a complete cure for diabetes. And, no matter how much you whine, people aren't ever going to stop having the same common misconceptions about diabetes: that all kinds of it are caused by being fat, or eating sugar; that only grandmas get diabetes and it isn't that serious; that diabetics can't get it up (if you ever tell me this, I will punch you in the face... with my raging boner); that diabetics aren't supposed to eat sugar; etc; and so on; and so forth.
The good news is: diabetes is a manageable chronic disease. (Well, don't get TOO cheery: HIV and kidney failure can be manageable chronic diseases, too.) That means that if you work hard, and do all the things that good diabetics are supposed to do, your body has a lesser chance of getting fucked up.
I've had diabetes for over ten years. During most of that time, I was fortunate to have one of the best diabetes specialists in the world as my doctor: Richard Brand. He developed type 1 diabetes while in med school, and changed his specialization accordingly so that he could understand what was going on inside his own body. Needless to say, having that personal connection to the disease makes him the best in both science and empathy.
If you live in Southern California, go to Dr. Brand. If you live in San Francisco, I guess Clinton Young will have to do. He recognizes a healthy diabetic when he sees one, so my time with him was quick -- really quick. But, during that time he covered all the necessary bases. He was even sort of friendly and likable, in a gruff way.
Also, he has a lab right in his office, so you can pee in a cup and get your blood drawn right after your visit. And that reminds me: have you ever tried switching your urine sample with your blood sample? It really freaks people out!
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On the one hand, Dr. Young is smart and efficient. On the other hand, his practice is insanely busy which means it can be very difficult to get a hold of his assistant for appointments or refills and it also means that an appointment with the doctor can be more than a little rushed.
The reason I go back, though, is that he's very laid back, and he respects me enough to listen to me when I tell him what I think I need from him.
Dr. Young is not bad but his front office lady needs some work.
I was referred to Clinton Young several years ago. I wanted an endocrinologist. I will admit that he gave me some important advice regarding my particular health situation; however, his front office person is solely the reason I left. She never answered the phone. You had to leave a message and hope (pray?) that she would call you back within the week. That was/is unacceptable. There were several times when I never got a call back and when I finally spoke to her she was rude and unprofessional. I'm sorry but Dr. Young needs to mind his front office as well. I am certain that there have been other complaints about "M". He should either hire more front office people or get someone who can multi-task better. It isn't that difficult of a job.
Update:
I have patience beyond the reasonable. Please--this is a physician's office not a pizza parlor. And, yes, one would hope that they would call in a prescription. That is what they are supposed to do.
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