Family Practice Medical Group - Santa Barbara (CA)

1 /5 Reed Loose: My initial visit at the Family Practice Medical Group was with Dr.Payne in the summer of 2020 - totally fine first visit, no problems at all. I ended up having a telehealth visit in 2022, but hadnt been in person for several years, so recently booked an appointment. I ended up missing my appointment this week because of a communication issue (definitely partially my fault). I called them today to reschedule and they let me know that there was a $40 no show fee - which I was happy to pay immediately. They then proceeded to tell me that a new policy had been implemented back in 2023 that classified existing patients as new patients if 3 years passed between appointments, and that because my last appointment had been in 2022, I had to pay a $240 admin fee (only for new patients). They noted that they werent sure when my telehealth appointment was in 2022 (month/day), but because it was now 2025, I would have to pay the $240 fee. I havent gone back to check when in 2022 my appointment was, so Im not even sure its actually been 3 years since my last appointment, but it was super odd they didnt have this information and decided that the best course of action was to assume my last appointment was in the first quarter of 2022. I asked them if I would have been charged this $240 fee if I showed up to my appointment this week, and I was told no, which made it seem like they overlooked the fee initially and only noticed once I missed the appointment. When I pointed out that that seemed odd, the person I was talking to decided to check with their manager to see what would have actually happened. I was then told that I actually would have been charged when I showed up at my appointment - which ironically seemed even worse. That means that I would have showed up to my appointment and been given the choice to either pay a $240 fee in addition to my copay if I wanted to see the doctor, and if I had declined, I would have been charged a no show fee. Which is quite literally strong arming the patient into paying some sort of additional fee no matter what. The biggest issue is that they didnt communicate any of this to me at any point until today - no mention of it when I booked the appointment, and no call in between booking and the appointment date. I asked them if they normally let current (lapsed) patients know that theyll have to pay the new patient fee when they call to book their appointment, and I was told that they normally do, but they forgot to tell me. If I had received that communication, which they say is normal practice, I could have scheduled earlier to avoid the 3 year lapse or immediately decided to look for a different practice if I didnt want to pay the $240 admin fee. And even though they told me multiple times that this was their fault because they didnt communicate this to me, they said I would still be responsible for the $240 fee if I wanted to reschedule. That was enough for me - I paid my $40 no show fee, because Im happy to correct my own mistakes like an adult. However, Ill be looking for a new practice/doctor because apparently Family Practice Medical Group think its good business to trap patients into a lose-lose situation where they would be charged some sort of additional fee because of their lack of communication. TLDR: I would definitely recommend visiting Family Practice Medical Group if you would like to give your health data to a business that will happily charge you a $240 lapsed patient fee based on a date they cant even verify themselves. For anyone else, I think its a hard pass.

1 /5 Julia Pujo: Sadly, Dr Liang has little regard for her patients, made evident by the unprofessional way this office is run and their unethical practice of charging No Show fees for appointments they failed to honor. I had a telehealth appointment and was told that the office would call me. After waiting 15 minutes with no call, I reached out assuming that the doctor was running behind. The Office claimed they had tried to call me, however I never received any calls. It may have been a technical issue, I am understanding and I would have been okay with rescheduling. However instead of acknowledging the issue and offering to reschedule, the front desk staff insinuated that I was lying and demanded that I pay a "No Show" fee. To make matters worse, they refused to reschedule my appointment unless I pay for a call that never happened. I took time off work for this appt and was with my phone the whole time. Yet they still demanded payment despite my call log proving I never recieved any calls. Hoping to find a reasonable resolution, I spoke with the Office Manager only to be disappointed to learn that Dr Liang herself decided to impose this fee knowing that the appointment was never honored. After years as a patient, it is shocking and disheartening to see this doctor prioritize profit over patient care. This wasnt just unprofessional—it was unacceptable.

5 /5 Rodrigo Clark: Exceptional Care and Support I have been a patient at Family Practice Medical Group for several years under the excellent care of Dr. Payne. His professionalism, extensive knowledge, and availability for any health-related concerns have truly set a high standard. The entire staff, especially Nurse Suzy, has consistently provided outstanding support during my visits. I highly recommend this clinic to everyone seeking comprehensive and compassionate healthcare.

5 /5 Big Jim: I greatly appreciate the service at FPMSG. I’ve always received attention when needed and the staff is helpful and caring. Dr Liang has helped me drop 60 lbs weight, and also guided me through other health issues in a caring and non judgmental way. Highly recommend

1 /5 Angel Ball: The front desk staff are incredibly rude and unprofessional they should be working for DMV instead. My husband was incredibly sick and so we were 15 minutes late. They then told us there was nothing they could do cause hes late and he is marked as a no show. To add insult to injury 2 weeks later we received a "NO SHOW" bill! Talk about greed there. Real talk, this is the last place you would want to be seen.