Damian H Augustyn, MD

 

3

69

Killing Me Softly ..

San Francisco, CA

I rarely give anybody or anything 5 stars. I am a professional complainer. But Dr Augustyn really blew my mind. I, too have short patience with the medical industry. I ended up in the ER one night after a peculiar pain in my chest and they urged me to see a GI specialist the following morning, after not being able to diagnose the problem. I called a few and could not be seen, despite the ER's tips and urgent request translated. After speaking to several receptionists, I was referred to Dr Augustyn. He would see me that day. I arrived on time, and had to wait only a moment before I was ushered into his cool, calm office. He walked in, and let me tell you, I was taken pretty unawares - we never see older doctors and this one has plenty years under his belt. He was kind, sympathetic, caring...listened to my whole story and in a second said he knew what the problem was. He gave me some precriptions and then spent the next 30 minutes giving the hospital short shirft to get me into the labs for testing the following morning. He was my rockstar!!! We communicated from then on via the phone, often after hours. His diagnosis was proven correct by the tests, and at once stage he upped my meds, but after 7-10 days I started to feel the pain disappear and started to feel myself again. I truly feel blessed to have met Dr Augustyn and only wish more of my problems fell into the DI area.

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1

57

Cal Z.

San Francisco, CA

He used to be my primary care physician.  He was allright but I did not have any major issues.  My husband likes him and has been with him for a long time now.

BUT please remember he is a gastroenterologist and that is his specialty so he may not read one's symptoms from other than a gastro's point of view.

He used to have a great secretary but now he gets whomever he can get and that office on the whole has crappy secretaries sorry to say.

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Elite '08

36

282

Christine H.

San Francisco, CA

I've had stomach problems since I was 19...and it's only gotten worse. I've had a really difficult time finding a gastroenterologist that was as good as my doctor back in Utah, but thank God, I found Dr. Augustyn! He is thorough, considerate, and extremely professional. He really wants to help you...I trust him completely!

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Elite '08

338

235

Joyita A.

San Francisco, CA

UPDATE
8/15/2007
I initially gave him five stars, but lately, his busy practice is very hard to get a hold of. It goes straight to voicemail and they don't call you back promptly. When I told the doc I was having palpitations, he referred me to see him in a few days or go to the ER. Great, but it was the last straw. His receptionist is overwhelmed and a little too snappy. The other issue is he leaves before business hours and there is no doctor to cover for him. This means if you need Rx changes or have an urgent issue you have to go to the ER, which is silly. I've changed my primary to someone who is more available recently. He is a good doctor still, but very, very busy. He'd be better served doing only his specialty, rather than as a primary MD.
__________________________________________________ ___
Chapter I.
Yesterday, some disturbing, scary things were happening to my vision.
My vision got blurry and everything looked very bright. I couldn't write because I couldn't focus on what I was seeing. When I told my co-workers, they checked my blood pressure and it was high. it was 150/100. Not good. It usually is  around 120/70.
I couldn't drive because of what was going on and so I went to the SJ ER, but all they could come up with was I had a migraine. The ER doc was good, but felt it best to see a primary doc the next day to check the blood pressure and treat as needed.
Chapter II.
So, I called this other lady first thing in the morning at 8:30 am, Dr. Michelle Guy, who was totally busy and had three hundred receptionists who don't understand that it was an urgent matter and I needed to get seen the same day. The only recourse they gave me was to see Urgent Care at UCSF.
Chapter III.
This visit at Urgent Care was almost a complete waste of time and money. When I got there my blood pressure was still very high and because of it everything was hard to think quickly. I arrived there at 10 am and they told me to come back at 1 pm, which I did. The doc there sat me down and I told her what had happened and still the Blood pressure was high. She said she couldn't help me and just referred me to two other docs who specialize in blood pressure.
Chapter IV-I call those docs and they can't help me because one has left for the day at 1:30pm! and the other is at the hospital-who resolves to see me the next day-but they say I need a referral from the primary doc Dr. Guy. So I call the evil receptionists again and I end up arguing with one to just please get me a referral to see that specialist tomorrow...she says she will tell Dr. Guy directly and says she'll call me back. Okay it's 2 pm. I call back the specialist and everyone has gone home early and still no doc who can help me. AND Dr. Guy's evil receptionists never got back to me!!!! ....OBVIOUSLY this is a big f++g mess of bureacracy! UCSF? NEVER AGAIN!
Chapter V
2:30 pm
Then I call my OB/GYN and ask for their recommended list of primary providers. From that list, Dr. Augustyn's name attracted my attention.
I called, nervous. I explained the situation to the very NICE receptionist who was very kind and courteous. One star for her! She said she would talk to Dr. Augustyn directly and let him know right away and she would call me back to let me know if he would see me. She called me back at 2:45pm to tell me Dr. Augustyn agreed and said it was important that I get seen today and told me to come in at 4:30pm.  What a relief!
I then called the insurance company to make him my primary doc. A good doc makes himself available to his patients. Two stars for that!
I then had time to relax at home and his office is just a walk from my house. I was still nervous about what he would say and what would happen.
Chapter VI
When I got there, registration was painless and the wait time was less than ten minutes! Three stars for that!
The medical assistant was friendly and took my blood pressure which was still high.
The rooms were well-lit,  clean, comfortable, and quiet. Actually relaxing. So I rested while I waited for Dr. Augustyn. I didn't know what to expect.
I waited another ten minutes and then he came in with a big smile on his face and was very engaging. He really wanted to know what was going on and wrote down what I said in his notes. He actively listened and helped explain things as we went along to make a plan of care for me. He has great bedside manner and is very thorough.
He even checked my blood pressure too! Yes, it was still high.
So, he knew that someone as young as me with high Blood pressure isn't normal so he ordered a battery of blood tests as well as a medication to bring down my blood pressure, which he said would also help make the "ocular migraines" less frequent. He also agreed I should see the eye doctor tomorrow to check to make sure there was nothing wrong with my eyes.  Four Stars for his assessment and bedside manner.They have a lab there in the same office to take your b

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0

5

Thom V.

San Francisco, CA

I agree, Dr. Augustyn is terrific.  I"ve been seeing him as my general practitioner for almost 11 years!  He's a bit rushed sometimes but when you need to discuss an important matter or have questions he's patient, professional and caring.  If you need additional attention for lab work, tests, another referral, etcl,  he and his staff will ensure rapid follow-up. Sometimes though it is a bit difficult to schedule an appointment right away.

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0

1

Steve F.

San Francisco, CA

I would rate the doctor highly, perhaps 4 to 5 stars, but have to give one star because the staff are so bad that they can endanger your health.  They run roughshod over anyone trying to make an appt.  At times they are Incredibly rude, disrespectful, and supercilious.  Other times they do not even return phone calls, even when you request results from possible cancer pathologies.  Would therefore recommend a different doctor despite his positive reputation.

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