Kaiser Permanente San Mateo Medical Offices

This is a review of the Kaiser Pharmacy in San Mateo. My mom sends me here once every couple of months to pick up her medications. Usually, they put the order in when I get there but it would be nice if it was waiting for me. Everyone on the staff is pretty friendly and I don't have to wait more than 15 minutes to get my mom's medications. After I receive them, the pharmacist is very good about meeting me at the consultation window and telling me how and when my mom should take her medications. I give this pharmacy a 5/5 and am pretty happy with their service.

I never make reviews but I was so disappointed with my visit today that I just feel like I have to. I made a appointment over the phone for 11 am and when I arrived to check in they told me the doctor wasn't even in the building and that they couldnt help me reschedule my appointment so I sat in the lobby and tried to reschedule over the phone and was told I had to wait until tomorrow which was understandable to which I said I would go somewhere else because I am concerned and would like to be checked out today. I got a call from the assistant nurse of the doctor I was supposed to see at 11 saying I was not seen by the doctor because I missed my 15 minute grace period but that the doctor was in the building the whole time (don't know why the receptionist told me the doctor called out today) and they would only understand if there was a long line (mind you I had been waiting in a LONG LINE up until 11:11) which still is not past the 15 minute grace period. If the receptionist wasn't talking about bulldogs with a patient ahead of me in line for so long I could have been seen. I drove from palo alto to san mateo because it was the only available appointment I could get for today just for them not even end up seeing me.

Doctors are overbooked and understaffed - so when you finally get to see them, you get a very rushed, passive aggressive "you should have known..." attitude. I've experienced this personally and with my son's pediatrician.

The actual Kaiser offices are pretty great. Clean, efficient, and kind staff.

This is just a review of Dr. Patricia Fung. My kids have been with her close to 10 years and she hasn't been a very attentive doc. One child has an ongoing medical condition and Dr. Fung has been lazy to find the real problem, not cared to follow up and pretty much told us that the condition will go away on its own, which it didnt for years now. I hate to think that something couldve been done about it, but because of negligence, our kid is stuck with this medical condition. We changed doc, and we're much happier.

Over all San Mateo Kaiser is good. The only reason I gave 2 stars is because my doctor is the least responsive medical person I've ever dealt with in my 66 years. If I could switch back to Sutter medical I would in an instant. Sutter doctors, listen to their patients concerns and use the information to make a well advised decision. My doctor on the other hand never listens to what I am saying and follow some stupid protocol rather than her medical knowledge. When she requests I make an appointment her schedule is 3 weeks out...what the heck! I'm asking to see you because I need attention now, not in 3 weeks. When I aggressively complain via email, I become the bad guy because I'm grumpy, in pain and not fun. Now she won't even authorize my prescription refills Christ this is killing me! Kaiser sucks!!!!

I only go here for my Lab work, they are great folks and really quick.

Worst time to go: Before or on 12:00PM. It gets packed inside and you wait til your number gets called while you are waiting outside. You cant hear them call your number.

Best time to go: after 3PM

Pharmacy takes a while but please be patient. They are working very hard to give out our appropriate medications.

I recommend Kaiser needs to install a soft speaker to call numbers or add another TV outside for folks waiting out the corridors.

I came here yesterday for the first time to pick up my mom's prescription for her, as she had just switched to Kaiser effective this year. There was definitely a very frustrating hiccup initially when we submitted a request to transfer her prescription over the first time, and a week later, there was still no record of it. A 2nd request however thankfully resolved that issue and her medication was ready the next day.

The pharmacy itself is located on the first floor of the hospital to the left side once you enter. The lines are well partitioned from anyone in the waiting area, and each individual counter is also partitioned as well between guests for additional safety.

The experience itself was pretty seamless. I simply presented my mom's insurance card for them to scan, paid the deductible, and I was off and on with my life.

The parking lot in front is quite large, so there are plenty of spots to pick from, provided you don't mind parking closer to the back. Parking itself is free for members and did not appear to require a permit displayed.

Kaiser was fine until I became pregnant and had Dr. Chiguchi as my OB. She never followed up with my blood works, and I thought that was the norm until I started seeing other midwives and doctors. Everyone else was more kind, more informative, and more responsive. Dr. Chiguchi made me feel bad like I was wasting her time for making an emergency appt after I experienced multiple spotting (this is my first pregnancy).

She never responded to my glucose blood works either even though I failed both 1 hour and 3 hour test. I had to reached out to 2 different doctors and 2 midwives to get my glucose meter ordered and diabetes class set up. Since Dr. Chiguchi is my primary OB, she approved the glucose meter to Redwood City Kaiser when my primary pre-natal care is San Mateo (close to work), and I live in Fremont. I had to waste 2 hours to contact the pharmacy and traveled during this current storm to pick up my glucose meter.

A previous review about her stated that she mid-read the anatomy scans...This is your job and it affects people's lives!

I am upset, frustrated, and disappointed in her as I was always patience and try to be understanding.

This place has to choose to employ such rude staff! I think during the interview process they choose the rudest people to work here. That is the reason I stopped going here for any kind of care except for the pharmacy and lab. I went there for an injection because my doctor in Redwood City had not put in the order so I figured if I go to San Mateo in person maybe I can get some kind of pain injection for the raging migraine I have. The woman at the desk says "you need an order for that". Hello? Did she not hear me that I have no order and I want her to contact a doctor? I am speaking English after all. Then after leaving with an even worse headache, I get a text message saying I have an appointment with the injection clinic at 2:30. What on earth guarantees that I will have an order put in by then? So I march back up to the 3rd floor and ask who made the appointment. The lady says "no I didn't do that, and says that I walked away the first time so she can't help me. Staff lacks total compassion here. So save yourself the misery and don't go here for care unless you want to die. I love Redwood City because they are so nice and the nurses at least show some compassion. Redwood City also employs nice staff at the front desk.

Go to another location. The doctors here are not competent at all. Just one example of an interaction I had - I went in for intense period pain and was told by the male doctor that "period pain is pretty normal for women". Yeah no sh*t Sherlock but it's not normal to be puking from the pain. Result of that meeting was just told to take more ibuprofen, no tests or anything. They also misdiagnose pretty consistently. I wanted to explore the option of meeting with a dietician to help with healthy eating since I am overweight and was randomly diagnosed with anorexia. I am not/nor have I ever been anorexic. I was literally eating a snack while on call with the doctor. So much incompetence here.