The Best 12 MEDICAL SERVICES near Santa Barbara, CA (Part 3)

Mara Dworsky I am so fortunate to have Dr.Sager here. I have an incredibly complex medical history. Dr. Sager has spoken to all of my out of town doctors to coordinate my care. Each and every one of those doctors have commented on what an extraordinary primary care doctor I have.

Claire Herzog I was sick with pertussis and I knew something more serious than “post nasal drip” was going on as I had been sick for 3 months at this point. He told me he would only draw blood “for my parents peace of mind” which I found frankly condescending and ignorant of my history.

Cara Terlep My stepdaughter waited for a PCP appointment for SIX MONTHS (I am NOT exaggerating) for a specific doctor that I had thoroughly researched and wanted to be her PCP for the entirety of her time here in SB County... THE MORNING of the appointment she called to verify the location and guess what! IT WAS CANCELLED! And... the appointment coordinator told my stepdaughter that there were no waitlists, and the physician was booked out until May 2023. She explained she is going to college and she needs to get an appointment with this physician beforehand. The fact they didnt call or notify us is asinine. And they are extremely unhelpful with trying to amend the situation in any way shape or form. Were done with Sansum. Switching over to UCLA Health in Montecito like 50% of the county since MAYBE well actually be able to receive care in a reasonable amount of time.

Toshiko C Had a mammogram by Ms. Lisa whose efficiency and presumable were exceptional. I also enjoyed their photo collection on the walls inside the building.

Lillian Luu I have a rare gallbladder cancer, Stage 4, at 33 years of age. Dr. Newman pulled out all the stops to find effective, in some cases experimental treatments AND get them covered by insurance. He did so much of his own research and he listened when we presented our own. That he got my drugs covered by insurance is nothing short of a miracle. Through several hospitalizations and surgeries, I have been fully supported by Dr. Newman and Dr. Conway. They were ever present and managed my care while I was hospitalized. Rebecca and Stefanie Rashti in palliative care have been with me every step of the way, calling every week to ensure my medications are on point. I couldn’t have asked for a better team. I’ve never received healthcare of this caliber and it has made a challenging diagnosis that much easier.

another view Worst first phone call ever! Fast talking, non-listening, rigid, rude, wouldnt respond to my question about the name or spelling of names she was giving me, mid-sentence cut me off transferred me to a different department. A womans name with an S in the middle and a Lee on the end, impossible to distinguish or even get her to repeat her name. I have great hearing. Its not a hearing problem, its a 10x the speed like the end of an ad on the radio giving the disclaimers faster than any human ear could grasp what is being said. Yikes. Hoping the MDs and cancer care is better than the staff person who is their first connection to a newcomer. Their hiring department hired a bad person for that job.

Dianne Welch SBCH What an Outstanding Staff! I never met a stranger and I truly appreciate the honest concern from EVERYONE! Doctors, nurses, lab techs, test takers, aides, the list continues. Thank you! You warmed this veterans heart!! Dianne

Clara van Meeuwen I had knee replacement surgery on August 27, ended up staying in the hospital for a few days. I was well taken care of, nurse Tom ( from Bulgaria) was wonderful and caring. Nurse Karin ( from the Netherlands) was another favorite. I did not eat much but liked the fact that anything can be ordered all day long. The room was comfortable, plenty of space for the family to visit. Thank you very much, Clara

melissa nelson I do not recommend this doctor. She does not care about trying to treat complex issues. She just wants to get her visit over and done with. I have chronic insomnia and back pain, which are difficult to treat. She told me there was nothing she could do for that and wouldnt even prescribe any medication for temporary relief because in her opinion there is no medicine that works, and therefore I jsut have to suffer. Useless. Did not become a doctor to help patients, thats for sure. Dont believe me look on health grades and you will find similar reviews.

Ana Fallon Dr Park was attentive and professional. She is a wonderful communicator and I felt like she really listened to my concerns.

Nick Alward-Saxon We have been taking our kids to see Dr. Kayumi at the clinic for five years. Shes exceptional, but weve also had good experiences with the other doctors, and its good to know they are there to cover if Dr. Kayumi is not available on short notice. Weve never had a problem getting in for time sensitive issues. They got us though the chaos and near weekly doctors notes of the pandemic!

Rebecca Cox We have experienced nothing but the best, most thorough and thoughtful care from all of the doctors at Children’s Medical Clinic. Going above and beyond, Dr Kayumi-Rashti even called us back on a holiday weekend to follow up on an emergency room visit we did while traveling. We have also been given excellent referrals for specialists when needed. I leave every visit feeling like my concerns have been addressed and our children have received excellent care. I’m so grateful we found this clinic of an amazing team of doctors who really care for their patients and the emotional concerns of the parents as well.

catherine masi The loveliest, friendliest, most helpful team. In a system that can typically be dismissive and quickly push along during appointments, Jackson Medical (Kelsey PA, Allie, Alena, etc) are wonderfully present and patiently explain. Very thankful.

Ian Griffith My deaf partner attempted to make an appointment at this practice. In doing so she requested that an interpreter be provided for her as is required by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Dr. Jackson refused to provide an interpreter, and accused my partner of threatening to sue when bringing up the Americans with Disabilities act. Dr. Jackson and Nubia, the manager, have been completely uncooperative on this matter and have resulted to hanging up on our phone calls. Be very wary of this unprofessional practice. I hope that individuals with disabilities, and abled people, will avoid this humiliating and poorly managed practice. The Hippocratic Oath is certainly not being followed here, how is denying a deaf woman an interpreter doing no harm or injustice?

Aden Hailu I wish I could give this doctor a ZERO - I have NEVER experienced a doctor who was rude such as Dr. Rosa Choi. The moment she walked into the waiting room her reply was, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing here’ without even looking at my chart and she proceeded to basically give answers to her own questions without allowing me to explain the situation. Once she finally stopped and finally asked me why I was there she basically stated that I needed to take medication [lots of it] and that she can refer me to another doctor and ‘that’s it’ – she then walked out. This was an experience like I’ve never had. I highly suggest for anyone to seek another doctor. This doctor needs to reevaluate the ‘Hippocratic Oath’ – a despicable doctor! I will also contact the board, this is unacceptable behavior that needs to be corrected. Dr. Choi needs to treat her patients with respect, no matter who they are.

Liz Simas My lucky day was to meet Dr. Choi. I met her the day of my cancer diagnosis. She was compassionate yet direct. She answered ALL my questions and made staff available to contact should more questions arise (and they did). At one point when scheduling my surgery, I requested a timeframe and the response by staff was "Dr. Choi is going to want to do what you want to do." When my surgery day came, I had enough contact with her and her staff that I was totally comfortable and trusting that I had the right surgeon. She couldnt have been more COMPETENT, informative, caring, and professional. Sansum Clinic is lucky to have her on their team...and so am I.

Brandy Nicole I would love to say one thing. This first session already being a life changing experience!! Thank you.

Alissa Mullen I saw a therapist that absolutely did not want to see again, so I did my research before picking another. After I found one that I thought would be a good fit I called life stance to book the appointment with her, and she had one opening soon and I thought she said more in the end of October. Instead of the receptionist booking it for me, she was trying to sell me on a different therapist who she thought I should take a look at to see. I’m not sure why she thought she was better fit to suggest names to me rather than the person who I had researched and originally asked for. So after circling back she said “oh I’m sorry that appointment was taken and she has no more appointments in the foreseeable future.” I am now booked with no therapist and have two negative experiences with this company finding me therapy. I wish that her error would have been fixed and finding a way to get me the appointment with the provider that I had asked for since I called for it and was given the run around.

Lys Poet Dr Rafael literally saved my life. He called me several times to have an urgent hysterectomy. It was scheduled immediately. After the surgery he came to see how I was doing. He was right to insist to have surgery right away as it revealed it was indeed cancer. The surgery was successful and the cancer did not spread thanks to Dr Rafael’s immediate actions. Very grateful to him!

Lauren Eubanks My doctor was not available when my daughter decided to make her debut. He was so knowledgeable, calm and caring. I had an emergency c section and he did the best with the birth of my daughter. Not to mention the incision and healing was great. Not one problem and I was up and moving by day two. Completely healed after two weeks with barely any scaring. I highly recommend him and hope I get him again for my future children.

Makenna Green I’m 19 had my first surgery (ever in my life) here today and the patient care was excellent. I felt really supported and comfortable the entire time. I was not anxious as I was wheeled to the OR and genuinely felt like I was in good hands and cared for by *all* of the personnel that I met and performed or assisted with my visit and surgery. I haven’t had great patient care in the past, so I was genuinely really happy with my experience here today. Once the anesthesia was wearing off I chatted of all of my family members’ ears, telling stories about everyone there and how grateful I felt. (Nurse Tawnya you’re amazing and are MEANT for nursing!! Thank you!!)

Edward Chang Jr. My wife have had nothing but the best care from a series of outpatient care overnight. RN and PCT care is 100% the best caring people we met. Been coming here for care since 2021 knee and hip surgery.

Yanfei Yu Extremely impatient nurses/staff especially Dr. Hannah Gross. I spent 8 hours sitting in the ER running a high fever got tested for at least 6 different samples and they didn’t take the time to briefly explain why those were being taken/examined, immediately got sent back to the waiting room after they got their samples. In the last hour I got put into a medical room with a bed and had an iv inserted. I was extremely nauseous and Hannah Gross attempted to look in the back of my throat once again (no results the first two times she looked) and I broke down crying because it kept triggering my reflux and I was just stressed out/uncomfortable for 8 hours. She threw off her gloves (after I cried for not even a minute yet) rudely saying “Whatever I am done” and stormed out of the room. About 5 minutes pass by, she peaks into the room telling the nurse that she just clocked off her shift and the next doctor will take over. My understanding is that her shift was over and she just wanted to go home so she didn’t care to be patient. Overall unprofessional, I would’ve disregarded this entire experience if she didn’t have that attitude towards her patient.

Maria Mendez If youre ever having a mental health crisis do not go to cottage hospital! I wish I would of kept it to myself. I went there under a voluntary hold. The first nurse who attended me who took my vitals wrote under her triage notes that I thought I was dying when I had told her that I was such emotional pain that I FELT like I was dying. There is a large difference between these two things, and not noting this difference could of greatly affected the mental health care that I received and could of potentially resulted me in getting treatment for thinking I was dying when thats not what I said. Furthermore, I asked for one of my medications which is a sleeping aid because I have insomnia. I asked for this twice from two different nurses. Both nurses said they would get it for me and I never ended up getting it which resulted in me staging up all night whoch only worsened my symptoms. I was tired and upset so I asked the nurse behind the desk if I could leave since I was under voluntary hold. She became clearly panicked and started talking to me as if I was crazy or a child which was upsetting to be dehumanized in such a way. She directed me back to my room. The mental health specialist who talked to me was extremely rude and condescending and told me that I was a complicated person. She also would not let me finish talking and would interrupt me. She lacked the empathy and compassion and especially gentleness that is necessary for individuals in a mental health crisis. It is clear to me that the staff there stigmatizes mental health and have not received the necessary amount of mental health training to be able to treat mental health patients. Furthermore, on my chart it was noted that they have me a medication but I was never given anything.