Johnny Tsai, MD - Portola Direct Primary Care - Family Doctor's Online Review Report Card

This is how medicine should be practiced.  Walked into a nice, large space and greeted by Dr Tsai himself.  (Or just Johnny as he introduced himself).  My first appt to talk thru some issues and he spent close to 1hr 20 mins just talking me thru what he perceived, recommendations and a physical check of my issues.  Walked me through images from books to help me understand, and best of all he listened.  What a novel idea for a doctor.  After a recent experience where a doc barely paid attention, rushed thru the appt and just gave me a really strong prescription that I had a bad reaction to....Dr Tsai was a huge relief.  The idea of taking a more full body approach, help the body help itself and get advice towards overall health vs just treating symptoms with medicine is what Ive been looking for.You cant put a price on health, and I acknowledge that Im lucky to have the financial means to have this be an option on top of my health insurance.  But if you can make it work, its absolutely worth it to have a doc that responds quickly, is super easy to book and takes the time to get you comfortable.Not to mention he clearly seems like a super smart guy, has strong academic pedigree, and figured out the best way to serve patients in a compassionate and not greedy way.  Can not recommend highly enough and Id normally never make a dr review after a single visit, but I feel confident here.

I am so in awe and gratitude that I was able to see Dr. Tsai within hours of finding his services online. And more so when I walked into his office and was greeted directly by him. And no rush, nice calm set up already eased my anxiety. Honestly, he opened up the space for sharing so much so that I forgot I was talking to a doctor. Thats a true healing spirit and space!  And yes, his services are affordable compared to the regular doctor office visits. He doesnt push any meds or labs or other modalities unless those are necessary. He is a great therapist as well. He really studies the entire person, and is above and beyond the usual treat the symptom kinda doc. No insurance costs and no waste of time. This is the best model of medical practice personal, optimistic, realistic, low cost labs, meds etc if needed . And he is accessible as many times , for as many questions at no additional costs once you are a member and pay your one time registration fee and the monthly membership fee, as many consults and visits as needed at no extra cost. Isnt this revolutionary? The Direct Primary Care approach is so worthwhile !I am staying with Dr. Tsai as my PCP. May your practice flourish to serve the humanity and bring hope and peace to all your clientelle!

I wish I could give him 10 stars. He’s a very caring and thoughtful doctor. I truly feel that he cares for each one of his patients. I highly recommend Dr. Tsai to anyone looking for an excellent and wholesome general doctor.

I went to Dr. Tsai for some vaccinations, lab tests and physical examination to fulfill health requirements for my graduate school. Dr. Tsai has been super helpful and responsive, and of course professional! Although Ive only met him in person twice to complete all the health requirements, he has the charm that made me already trust him deeply with my future health concerns.Personally I hate making phone calls. Dr. Tsai communicates with patients through a chat app called Spruce, which is a huge plus for me!! He answered my questions via Spruce clearly and quickly, and its very easy to make appointments with him directly! I tend to feel anxious when I go to doctors, but Dr. Tsai is really cool, plus his office is bright with sunshine coming through windows, relaxing and comfortable, which made my anxiety all go away.There is no checkingin process with receptionists or awkward waiting time with other patients, because Dr. Tsai will greet you directly when you walk into the door ;) Very friendly and welcoming vibe in the office, but not too much to make me feel uncomfortable. I would definitely recommend to go to Dr. Tsai for any health concerns!

Dr Tsai is the best! I came to him with so many health symptoms, but ever since the first appointment, Dr Tsai has taken the time to listen to what is going on with me and address all of my questions and concerns. I am now seeing how everything in the body is interconnected. Healing the body takes time and is something I wanted to happen from one day to the next. But beginning to heal one area at a time has allowed me to understand how my body works.Also, Dr Tsai has an app that makes communication super easy! Questions, refills for prescriptions, not feeling well etc just message him and he will reply back. He also shares with you your lab results and explains your test results. He also goes further and will share articles or videos to help you further understand.Having him as my personal doctor has been such a great experience. Finally, after so many years, my body is beginning to heal one step at a time.Thank you Dr Tsai!

Dr Tsai, he is really a very good doctor. He is enthusiastic, attentive and patient, and has helped my father a lot. He always responds to patients' calls or messages in a timely manner. He really thinks about the patients. He has treated many diseases of my father. I feel very lucky to meet such a good doctor.

Great person and very easy to talk to.  Definitely value the personalized service.   Doc is very easy to get ahold of and would highly recommend his practice.

Dr. Tsai is one of the most caring and thorough doctors I have been to! The style of his practice allows you to be seen quickly and without feeling rushed. The office is very clean, modern, and homey feeling. Every time Ive been in, we are the only people there which calms my anxiety rather than sitting in a crowded waiting room. Most of my appointments have ended up lasting over an hour because we end up talking about life in addition to medical concerns. Dr. Tsai is also available for texting through an app which I love because I always have lots of questions, and many times he was able to answer my questions without me needing to make an appointment. He also does not push drugs when it is unnecessary, and suggests alternative approaches like massage and acupuncture, which I think is a great quality in a doctor these days. Definitely recommend if you are tired of the typical PCP process and want a very personalized style of care.

Dr Tsai is an amazing person. Very kind and always receives us in his practice within a day. We moved to the city about a year ago and only had peace of mind when we became members.

Direct Primary Care like Dr. Tsai offers is simple and affordable. For a small subscription fee I can contact him at any hour day or night (within reason) about any complaint small or large. I can reach him through an online interface if the matter is not urgent, or by phone if it is. Appointments are offered at the drop of a hat, next weekday at the absolute most. Pay only for lab tests, x-rays, prescription drugs etc, but diagnosis and consultation is free and convenient.Super convenient, great price, and an unhurried personal touch.

so im finally leaving this long awaited review. when i signed up w/ dr tsai i didnt have insurance and needed some kind of primary dr at the minimum. I had a reoccurring issue with what i was told was strep. time after time i went to urgent care and it costed alot of money and time and stress and the underlying issue was never properly addressed. i finally found dr tsai online and after 1 year of dealing with my throat issues he properly diagnosed it. and fixed it. while it was still reoccuring we atleast new how to deal with it and it has since gotten better. he is very informative. and always puts the patient first. no matter day or night. even when he is out of the office he referred me to another dr to see me since it was urgent. excellent customer service. always follows up. his prices are very reasonable. we need more dr's like him. now that i have insurance it was time to move on but should i ever be in a position with no insurance again i will be sure to sign back up with him without hesitation Thanks Dr Tsai...sorry for the late review!!!! Miguel Mendoza

so im finally leaving this long awaited review. when i signed up w/ dr tsai i didnt have insurance and needed some kind of primary dr at the minimum. I had a reoccurring issue with what i was told was strep. time after time i went to urgent care and it costed alot of money and time and stress and the underlying issue was never properly addressed. i finally found dr tsai online and after 1 year of dealing with my throat issues he properly diagnosed it. and fixed it. while it was still reoccuring we atleast new how to deal with it and it has since gotten better. he is very informative. and always puts the patient first. no matter day or night. even when he is out of the office he referred me to another dr to see me since it was urgent. excellent customer service. always follows up. his prices are very reasonable. we need more drs like him. now that i have insurance it was time to move on but should i ever be in a position with no insurance again i will be sure to sign back up with him without hesitation Thanks Dr Tsai...sorry for the late review!!!! Miguel Mendoza

Dr. Tsai is a one of a kind primary care physician (PCP). There have been multiple times where I have contacted him directly at irregular hours and he has responded quickly and potentially saved me a few hospital trips as well. If you need to meet him in person he provides lots of availability. He really knows his stuff and mixes both his knowledge of western and eastern medicine. I can honestly say I have never received better services I couldnt imagine a better PCP!

Dr. Tsai is the best around. If you become a member, the benefits are endless. Same day appointments. Direct access to your physician (seriously! No receptionist!). Wholesale medication, labs, and radiology. And best of all the wait time is nonexistent.

I absolutely love this office and have had the best experience every time I needed to see Dr. Tsai. He is friendly, knowledgeable and couldnt be more caring. Extremely easy to get an appointment if need be. Ive never had better care from a healthcare professional.

Wow.  So helpful.  Called to make an urgent care appointment and blood draw from lingering fever.  Was surprised when Dr answered the phone and not secretary.  It seems like he had concierge service.  Very personalized and spends a lot of time with you.  He asked me a lot of questions about my symptoms and medical history.  I felt like I got a free consult! :). He said hes available tonight (sat) or tomorrow (Sunday) if I want to make formal appointment.  He doesnt take insurance, but his fees are reasonable for thorough personal care you get and night/weekend availability.  He does his own blood draws and labs pick up blood samples on weekends.  Very cool.  I have insurance but may use him for extra care and high qualitt service.

Dr Tsai is super awesome!!! He's very professional and responds really quickly. He also explains in terms I can understand and likes to educate me so I can improve my health and not take medications or see him so often.

I had to see Dr. Tsai at the last minute, and he was able to see me at a time convenient for me.  He was very courteous and professional, and treated me all within 30 minutes.  Im not sure you can say that about most urgent care/hospital visits, no matter how big or small the problem.  His office is clean and comforting, and he offers multiple various services.  His attention to detail is impeccable.  I highly recommend Dr. Tsai, and the convenience of being able to see him on short notice with little if any wait time is unheard of in this day and age.  Thank you Dr. Tsai!

To start, this office is a very clean and well organized facility. I had a great experience with Dr. Tsai. Hes an amazing doctor with a high level of knowledge and professionalism. I felt very comfortable and was able to talk to him freely.  He answered all my questions and didnt rush my time. His cost are very affordable and Id highly recommend him. Ive even referred my friends and family. Great experience overall.

I guess I am a bit confused at a couple of the reviews for Portola Direct Primary Care and wanted to share my experience since it might help others looking for their primary care physician.I met Dr. Johnny Tsai awhile back after a visit to a local urgent care facility (he was an urgent care physician in Irvine).  When I was looking for a new primary care physician and looking at the direct primary care model, I coincidentally found Dr. Johnny Tsai at his new practice.  In reviewing his pricing and knowing the level of medical care he provided, it was a no brainer for me.  My plan for medical care is to become a member at a direct primary care practice and to have basic medical insurance.  The membership at the direct primary care practice is extremely affordable and will cover all my primary care office visits (and even my urgent care visits).  The medical insurance will be used for specialist visits (which I do not really need) and for emergency/hospital care.  So my medical insurance (like my auto and homeowners insurance) is for the just in case stuff.  This will allow me to get a medical insurance plan that is much more affordable since most higher plans are to reduce the cost of office visits and the emergency coverage is fairly similar.  The end result of this combined plan (direct primary care & basic medical insurance) is lower overall costs, better medical service, and still have coverage for emergencies.  So my confusion with some of the negative posts are:1.  Based on a membership pricing model that does not involve dealing with medical insurances, I do not know why there would be additional costs resulting from a visit with a direct primary care physician.2.  Dr. Johnny Tsai seems to be an extremely mild, mannered physician (and person) with little ego (no doctor god complex).  Not sure what the reviewer was saying but several of the comments made in her review do not seem to match up with this physician.  This is the last person that I would expect to have anger management issues.  I would bet that this yelper was writing about someone else.My recommendation...1.  Set up a meeting with Dr. Johnny Tsai and form your own opinion... I guarantee you will walk away wondering why anyone would say he has anger management issues.  I feel that you will walk out feeling very comfortable and confident with him as a physician.2.  Calculate your numbers for the membership model versus your current full medical insurance plan and you will see that you will probably end up paying a lot less (be sure to calculate the costs of the insurance premiums along with each copay for office visits).3.  Give it a try since there are no contracts/commitments.  I am just glad to finally be a member in a direct primary care model with a physician that I like.  I can go to him as many times as I like without worrying about paying another copay just to get some basic meds for a cold.  Also, I like the fact that I spend my time with the physician... not a nurse (nothing against nurses) with the doctor popping into the exam room for a quick 5 minutes like most other practices.  Good luck.