Family Practice Medical Group's Online Review Report Card

Although the practice is close, I find it almost necessary to comment on the following: 1) if a prescription is sent to the pharmacy and the patient doesn t pick it up for several days; it is unfair to blame the office for not treating In a timely manner. 2) if a patient is seen on Monday and they have also been in the waiting room tuesday, refusing to be seen but insisting to get tested. If they do not pick up their prescriptions, do not thank the staff for working hard on the phone several hours on getting a specialist apt, then of couse one wonders how to make this patient happy 3) prescriptions are sent electronically and when the receiving pharmacy system is down, it looks as if the MD is not doing his/her job. Only, after several days did we learn all the prescriptions going to that phy company had to be resent. We apologized to our patients and had to phone all these rx in.The majority of them understood. Of couse, we had to prioritize the calls by severity of illness. So insulin for example was called in first, etc... When reading a yelp review please consider there are 2 sides of the story. Many primary care providers leave private practice for exactly that: "the other side of the story." Long hours of care, wondering if this patient's CT is going to show a terminal illness, or how could i convince this patient to take his/her meds or how can i treat this patient who cannot afford the meds they need. Rare are the time when the doc gets a thank you. Slandering is so easy on this site.

I too feel compelled to rant about this office even though it is now closed which after reading and experiencing these things for myself I am not surprised at all. I first came to this office to see Dr. Beltran. She was a fantastic Dr. Period, end of story. Then she left and was too classy to disclose the, now obvious, reasons for leaving the practice. I was handed off to Dr. Lenoire and told to come in for a meet and greet type of visit. I saw her for a total of 10 minutes. Two weeks after I get a letter that she is leaving the practice as well! Rats leaving a sinking ship I think. Then I get the bill, $125 to meet a Dr. who won't be my Dr. WTF? I called the office to negotiate a lower fee and was told essentially pay up or we'll just send you to collections. What an awful business practice! They made good on the threat. I'm now in the process of attempting to repair my once stellar credit rating. In hindsight I believe they knew the business was floundering and were simply milking every patient for everything they could. I'm self-pay for most things and so I actually review the bills instead of the Ins company just paying up. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the insurance companies were looking at this business for fraud.

I have been seen by doctors in the Family Practice Medical Group since 2011. First by Dr. Beltran and her care was excellent. When she left the practice, I called the office on the advice of my Cardiologist and asked to be transferred to Dr. Careen Whitley. Her care of me has been a godsend. I am sad that the practice is closing. I understand smaller practices are feeling pretty challenged by larger practices and that doctors own family matters can become a priority. I understand. I was just beginning to get to know Dr. Whitley and I greatly valued my appointments with her and the staff. I wish them well in all ways.

[Your Name] 6607 Heartwood Drive, Oakland, CA 94611 Cc: Complaint to Blue Shield Careen R. Whitley, MD Family Practice Medical Group 350 30th Street Suite 407 Oakland, CA 94609 Dr. Careen R. Whitley: I am sending this letter of complaint to you, regarding your very low standards of care, and am also formally complaining about you and your staff to Blue Shield of California. I got your letter dated 3/30/2015, today, and you began the letter with the sentence, "As you know, a good relationship between a physician and his or her patient is essential for quality medical care." Dr. Whitley, you have not tried, in the least, to establish any relationship between me and yourself as a physician after Dr. Lenoir, my former physician, left your practice. Dr. Pipette Lenoir was one of the most extraordinary people I have ever met, and definitely the best doctor I have ever had. She had an engaging presence, and was easy to talk to. She asked me about my life, as well as about any symptoms that I had. She was diligent with all tests. I cannot say enough good things about her. She was White and I am a woman of color, but I am very sorry she has gone. I only wish that you had had the class to send out the same letter Dr. LeNoir wrote to us, her former patients, that was posted in your office. The letter notified her patients that she was leaving, and that you, and other doctors, would take over the responsibility of health care for your practice's patients. Your office did call to inform me she had left, but a letter would have been far better. I am no longer willing to come to your office, anyway. I wrote a letter (3/20/15) to you about Maricela, your medical assistant, who was quite rude to me when I got an unidentified piece of mail from your office signed and dated by you. Your letter of reply (3/30/2015) basically says you do not want to be my doctor, and that I have to find another primary care in 30 days (4/30/2015). The fact that I am forced to find another doctor is probably all over town, since it seems quite the fashion to humiliate and slander me. The question is WHY? Why do I have to find another doctor? My complaint is that you have absolutely no basis for forcing me to find another physician. You, or your staff, created the situation in the first place by sending me a requisition, signed and dated by you, Dr. Whitley, you did not identify the requisition with a cover letter, and the requisition was not identified on the form as a requisition. Your staff very poorly communicated with me (it took them three calls on my part) that the form you sent was not a diagnosis. On opening it, I had thought it was a diagnosis. As I previously stated, I have never even met you. Both you and your medical office have terrible reviews on Yelp, and maybe you should start listening to your patients for a change. I think your staff simply does not know the basics in customer service. Also, I have already formed a poor opinion of your staff, only to be equaled now, with the receipt of this vague and supercilious letter, by my poor opinion of you, the chief doctor. This bad opinion of both you and your staff is echoed in three out of five Yelp reviews that I attach, for Blue Shield's benefit. The sequence of events that led to your letter in effect cancelling me as a patient was as follows. 1. You, or your staff, sent me a lab requisition in March, without a cover letter, When I read the form, I immediately thought it was a lab diagnosis. I had never in the past seen such a requisition, and there were no words identifying the form as a requisition, nor have I ever had requisitions from your office. Dr. Lenoir always sent her labs to straight to Quest without sending the requisition to me, the patient. 2. I did not appreciate being frightened to death by what I thought to be a new and unexplained diagnosis of hypothyroidism on the form. When I called your office to see what the sheet of paper meant, the staff looked at my file, but did not tell me that the paper was a requisition, even though I am sure they had a copy of the requisition in my file. Maria was involved at one point, and Maricela even rang Quest to find out if any lab work for me had been done. 3. Unfortunately, Maricela got colder and meaner as your staff tried to find out what the paper was. To be honest, I felt your staff was trying to make a fool of me, since I could not believe they did not keep a copy of the document in my file. 4. Then I also found out the phone number your staff had for me was wrong, and the wrong number was on the requisition also. 5. Then I come in to see Dr. Sinha, and Maricela decides it is a good idea to tell me off as I sit on the bed in the patient's room because I was also mean to her on the third phone call AFTER she was mean to me. 6. I write a letter on 3/20/2015 reviewing the whole mix-up and advising you to speak to your young medical assistant, Maricela. The whole situation has been completely ridiculous.

Wow, a lot of negative reviews. I wished I myself had read these before choosing this practice. Fortunately my experiences have been OKAY. I had Dr.Beltran listed, but when I finally went in to my first appointment there, they told me she had left the practice. So I never got the chance to meet her but I read many reviews (on other sites as well) about how great a doctor she was. So instead I had Dr.Lenoir who was very kind and very pleasant each visit. And now I am told that she has also left the practice. So I'm a little worried. Why are all these doctors leaving? I already don't like the fact that I have to pay for parking. I chose this location because it's between home and work and was listed under my insurance. But I guess I can always switch places. I've only been here 3 times. There was one shady (now that I think about it) appointment. I had scheduled a PHYSICAL for work and when I went in, they told me to undress. I haven't had a physical since god knows, 10 years or so ago? So I did and somehow it ended up being a woman's annual check up with pap smear. I'm like "Dude, I only need my blood pressure read and height and weight? I have my own OB/GYN so weird.." Anyhow, I just went with it because I was due for a pap I guess in a few months anyhow, so the sooner, whatever, another 3 years until my next one. Luckily I wasn't billed and it was part of an annual physical check covered under my insurance. But seriously, thinking about it now, that was shady. Don't they check their files ? But come on I should have clarify that myself I guess. Also during this visit I asked for a RX and specifically asked for generic brand. Which my doctor Lenoir also strongly suggested so I wouldn't need to pay high co-pay. When I go pick my prescription up, guess what? It's the brand name and I ended up paying $30 for it when I could have only paid $10. So I just let it go since it was once. But again, quite shady now thinking back and based on others' comments. Each visit though they would call and remind me about it. I hope they don't schedule me for another "physical" one year later (like stated in another's reviewers comments). So I will definitely call and check to make sure they haven't scheduled anything without my consent. Wait time is like any doctor's office. Could range from 30mins to hour. Also have online access to email doctors and refill RX supposedly.. They have a nice tablet to do check in and registration on. That saves me time and paper. I've always come on time, paid for parking, and checked in. Staff have been so-so so I can't complain or gratify. I've had worst experiences elsewhere. Hopefully nothing else happens in the future that would cause me to harass them on yelp. LOL. So I say GO FOR YOURSELF ONE TIME AND DECIDE YOURSELF. If it's nothing serious sure these guys will do the job. I plan to schedule one more appointment for a hand pain in the next week. Let's see how that goes.

This office is awesome! I have been a patient there for 3 years now and it has been a great experience for me each time. The hours are great for a working individual. My refills are always on time. No waiting! The staff are warm and caring. It is immaculate and if you are sick and need to have an appointment you will receive it. If you need to become established with a new physician, go here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am sorry to read all the negative reviews for Family Practice Medical Group of Oakland. I have been Dr. Whitley's patient since 1991 and my experience has been positive. In fact, I was trying to obtain a gastric bypass a few years ago and when my insurance tried to deny the procedure, it was Dr. Whitley who kept fighting for me long after I was ready to give up. i have had problems a couple of times with billing issues but insurance is so complicated these days I think that is inevitable occasionally, and the problems were worked out with relative ease. I think anyone who is looking for a doctor to treat the whole patient rather than one specific specialty should consider Dr. Whitley; she is an excellent family practitioner.

I hate to be 'that guy' but this place was so much better when doctor Beltran was there; she was pleasant, empathetic, and was just really on top of things. Unfortunately she is no longer there and I believe now works for Kaiser. I decided to still stay with FPMG due to the fact that it's conveniently located and they already have my records...I'm comfortable. I made an appointment with Dr. Lenoir. When I showed up to my appointment I was immediately told that I did not have an insurance card on file; no surprise, I recently started a new job and had a new insurance card...with the same insurance company. I informed the woman at the front desk about this and she quickly responded stating that I need to contact UHC. Now...I am no medical biller or coder...but isn't that something that she should have been doing? I called UHC which was a nightmare because there is absolutely no reception in that office. It took about 10 minutes, but I finally got everything that I needed to move forward. Again...isn't this something that they should have been doing? And wouldn't the common courtesy be to have done it at least 5-7 business days prior to my appointment? Whatever. While waiting I heard sniggering in the back "oh...well her appointment was at 10....it's 10:15 now is she here or..." ladies...fyi we can hear you in the waiting area. Eventually I ended up seeing Dr. Lenoir for the most basic doctor visit ever. Without getting into too much detail I was experiencing some lady issues. She told me that she didn't think there was anything wrong, but after doing some swabbing and she realized I was correct. She told me that she was going to contact a colleague to discuss the best way to handle this and that she would be getting back to me. It has been over a month and I still have not received a phone call. I informed her that I needed a prescription for my inhaler as well as an EpiPen...twice since she failed to reiterate that during our meds recap. So needless to say I had to re-remind the front desk when they gave me a printed summary sans the inhaler and EpiPen. c'mon guys, those are two incredibly important things. Hell I shouldn't even have to pay for this visit. I practically did everything myself with the exception of looking under the damn microscope and writing my own prescriptions...what sort of botched office etiquette and medical training?

Ok, horror story. Bear with me. I got a UTI and had a urine test done. They botched the in-office test but took my symptoms as proof that I had an infection gave me an antibiotic in the meantime while they sent the sample out to the lab for analysis. It was not the antibiotic I asked for, but fine. Turns out, the strain of bacteria I had was resistant to the antibiotic they gave me and my symptoms only continued and worsened. Finally, a full WEEK after giving the urine sample and not being told the results, I spent a whole day from 545 am until 445 pm calling and emailing them looking for some answers. This was the Tuesday after a three day weekend. Eventually, after much evasion, they admitted that the correct antibiotic according to the lab was the one I had asked for originally and sent in a new prescription. Obviously at this point I was already upset. But the thing that really got me is that when I went to a urologist later that week, he could see in my medical record that THEY HAD GOTTEN THE RESULTS INDICATING THAT THE BACTERIA WAS RESISTANT ON FRIDAY AND DECIDED TO LET ME SUFFER THROUGH THE WEEKEND. To me, this is something more than frustrating phone calls or office policies. This is dangerous. I had already had one kidney infection from an untreated UTI this year, and they knew that, yet they put me in danger of another one. F**k them.

Wow. If only Family Practice Medical Group of Oakland had had Yelp Reviews back when I first became a patient... I would have seen the other reviews and known immediately that this office is shady. Alas, I used my insurance's list of doctors and picked randomly and now I can be the warning to all future patients. I was a decently happy customer at first. I went to my yearly appointment and all was well. However, about two years ago I received a bill in the mail for an appointment that I never had. I called them and was told that I had been a "no-show" for my yearly appointment. The problem was that I never knew that I had this appointment. Apparently they had scheduled it the year before, at my last appointment. Sure enough, when the woman on the phone checked, they had never called me to tell me. She apologized and forgave the $50 fee. I figured it was a one-time mistake. Apparently I was wrong. This sounds paranoid and ridiculous, but it seems to me that this might just be their scam. A year and a half ago I moved from Oakland to Monterey. I called the office and let them know that I was moving and got a new doctor down here. That should have been the end of my dealings with this irresponsible, unreliable office. Imagine my surprise when I got a letter from a debt collection agency this past Friday. It says that it is for a no-show bill from Family Practice Medical Group of Oakland a year ago. After I had notified them of my move and had already been living in Monterey for months. Wow, this sounds all too familiar. I am a teacher and cannot talk to the woman who handles billing during the morning hours that she works, so I left her a message. I will admit, I was frustrated. Today I hear her message back from me. Apparently, once again this was a year-ahead scheduled check-up. Mmmhmm. She claims that they had no idea I moved, that they had called me to warn me of the appointment, and that they tried to contact me 9 times to pay the bill. Um, no way. No phone calls, no letters, no nothing until I got this letter from a debt collection agency, which apparently had no trouble finding me. Goodbye credit score. Why in the world would I have ignored those phone calls? This is absurd. I'll update when I am able to talk to this woman- or play phone tag with her- next week after their office reopens post-Thanksgiving. I cannot warn you enough: DO NOT BECOME A CUSTOMER HERE!!! This isn't about the doctors, it's about the SHADY way their office does business. If I could give negative stars I would. Please save yourself the frustration. Find a different doctor.