Lalitha Ananth's Online Review Report Card

This is my first negative post on Yelp so you know it must be bad.  This is my third appointment with this Dr.  The first appointment, I waited 1 1/2 hours.  The second appointment which I waited a month for, she didn't bother to show up.  The 3rd  and last appointment I am currently waiting 2 1/2 hours and have to write this.  She prescribed me two pretty hard drugs which I will it take as the appointment was a consultation on my condition.  She had me take blood and x rays over a month ago and I just need them read or else I would stop waiting for her.  I will never recommend her or come back.  She needs to be held accountable for her actions.  She is so unprofessional it's dumbfounding.

Dr. Anath is great! He cares a lot for his patients and takes time to explain and answer any questions. He is open minded to what I have to say. Their office is very innovative with treatments and am very happy. Best to get a hold of someone over the phone during business hours if you are trying to make appointments.

Dr Ananth saved me. I was in severe pain from 3 compression fractures and an Annual tear in my back. I have severe osteoporosis. My Spine specialist and orthopedist just sent me to "pain management "doctors. They just prescribed opioids for pain. Dr Ananth took the time to find I had fybermialgia also. She prescribed meds that actually relieve the pain, and put me on the premiere osteoporosis drug, that hopefully is building up my bones. I now wake up each day feeling glad to be alive!

While I thought highly of Dr. Ananth, her mean spirited, evil staff was always looking for a way to mess with me. Unfortunately, I was highly drugged on 80mg. of Oxicontin 4x/day, and the evil trolls kept pushing back my appointments each month so that I would have to fight. Well, I finally caught them red-handed and the good doc refused to listen and didnt want to hear the truth. I was too drugged to launch a cogent, articulate protest, and with my bad SLE Lupus I would have been hospitalized if I had gone cold turkey without the Oxicontin, and her behavior would have been completely illegal. Lupus took my mother early and will take me. I only wish I could have retaliation. I now live out of state and my doctors here have all asked Dr. Ananth for my medical records, but it's been many months and no reply, also very much illegal. Best to stay away from this one.

I visited Dr. Ananth today, having been referred by my doc. My experience does not match reviews I read about excessive wait times. Also, her staff was helpful (one called to update referral because my ins changed). Dr. Ananth was competent, considerate, and friendly. She took time to appropriately address my condition and to answer my questions thoroughly. The only reason for a 4/5 is because a 5 is for a grand slam. She hit a triple, yep. I'll go back soon for my follow-up .

I was giving Dr Anath a second chance after seeing her in 2013. At that time her waiting room time was an hour is and my health would not allow me to sit in her tiny uncomfortable waiting room. Recently, she moved to a new office in Huntington Beach, so I thought I'd try her again. However, when I got to the office NO ONE TOLD ME, even as I was sitting in the waiting room updating my paperwork, that Dr. Anath was not there. (She was with her daughter who was delivering her baby, as she should be.) But her stand in Dr was a GENERAL PRACTICTIONER not a rheumotologist. I only found out through the course of the examination when she said, "I'm just a GP you need a rheumatologist." Can they even do that?!? Dr Anath is a good Dr but she's not worth the bait and switch and lack of common courtesy I received today!!! Again!!! Nothing has changed. Her office staff had every opportunity to tell me Dr. Anatha was not in and her replacement was NOT A RHEUMOTOLOGIST!

I went to the office today. I thought I was seeing a stand in for Dr. Anath while her daughter was having a baby. The office staff never bother to call, never bother to tell me as I sat in the office waiting, that the person I was seeing was a PCP.  Not even a rheumotologist! She was pleasant, she was thorough, but when it came time for the actual rheumotology part of our visit, the truth came out.  She said, "I'm only PCP, you need a rheumotologist." At that point, I lost my cool. I had seen Dr. Anath in 2013 and didn't go back because the office staff was disorganized and I physically couldn't wait for an hour to be seen. Well, the office staff called me last week to try to reschedule and I had another appointment, they couldn't have called again to reschedule this appointment? I was giving Dr. Anath another chance. But common courtesy does not exist in this office. They made sure they billed me.  I'm not sure if they'll bill my insurance for the primary care rate or specialist rate.  What do you think? Sad part is, Dr Anath is a good Dr.  I just can't seem to get in to see her.

I am a new patient to this doctors office and I called tomake my new patient consult and the receptionist said "the only available appt is for December 5th , and if I didn't like it to go find another doctor." I said wow, this is how you treat new patients and then she repeated the same statement. I even asked if I could be seen earlier due to an injectable that I'm on and I needed to be seen regarding my autoimmune disease but this didn't even matter. I was so disgusted and disappointed that this office treats horribly the new patients. I had no choice but to make an appt but now I deserve respect and will go elsewhere. So sad that my community has this type of office.

Dr. Ananth is worth the wait, but her front desk staff were vindictive and ruthless for no reason. I taped them changing my appointments too far out, but when I tried to show the doc evidence of their bad behavior, she refused to listen. I can easily sue and then she'd be forced to listen, but I'm too sick. I dont know why they were so mean, but now I know I should have gone into withdrawals, which is what they wanted, and go to the ER, the ER doctors would have chewed out Dr. Ananth.

I should have read and listened to the reviews here because they are true. I was going to be a new patient & made an appointment to see Dr Lalitha over one month ago. The appointment was for 11am. I arrived at 10:40am to fill out new patient paperwork & noticed 4 other patients in the front room. I turned my paperwork in at 11am sharp & asked when I would be able to see the Dr. The front desk told me there were 2 patients in the waiting rooms and 4 patients in front of me in front room. I mentioned I had an appointment at 11am and asked when I would be able to see the Dr? They indicated it would be around 12-1230pm best case. This Dr. has no regard or respect for other people's time whatsoever. The least the office could've done is called to let me know how late she was running. I guess her time is much more important than everyone elses. Beware