I've had migraine headaches for 5 decades. When an MD retired , I looked for someone new. This…read moretime I hit the jackpot. Dr. Akers is a very careful, compassionate listener. She knows a great deal about migraines plus new medications, side effects and insurance coverage! A caring listener, she also assured me that if one drug did not work, there were others to try. And try we did!! Her positive determination and knowledge gave me confidence that she would find a solution. And she has. Professional and caring, she is a gem.

I cannot recommend Dr. Akers enough. From the very first appointment, it was clear that she is not…read moreonly extremely knowledgeable but also deeply compassionate. She takes the time to listen carefully, explains everything in a way that's easy to understand, and never makes you feel rushed. What impressed me most is how thorough she is--she looks at the whole picture rather than just one symptom. Her approach made me feel confident that I was in the best possible hands. She balances professionalism with warmth, which is rare and so appreciated, especially when dealing with something as important as neurological health. I also want to mention Nurse Chris, who is absolutely amazing--kind, attentive, and always quick to follow up. Together, Dr. Akers and Nurse Chris make such a caring and supportive team that you know you are truly in good hands. It's not easy to find a doctor who combines intelligence, patience, and genuine care for their patients, but Dr. Akers truly does. If you're looking for a neurologist who will treat you like a person, not just a chart, she is absolutely the right choice.

Dr Cohen is an excellent doctor -- knowledgeable, great listener and smart. He's not only an…read moreawesome neurologist, but has great knowledge of medicine in general. I highly recommend Dr Cohen.

Am a semi-retired MPMG physician and, at age 71, have had my share of doc office experiences,…read morepersonally and professionally. Dr. Cohen is among the best of the best. Knowledgeable, thorough, personable , humble, empathetic. He apologized (twice) for running late d/t a meeting (he works in a hospital setting and is likely overbooked-not his fault) I've entrusted my 34 year old, moderately-disabled, autistic son to his care. PAMF/MPMG is lucky to have him. BR

Dr. Sakamoto is a true professional. He is kind and caring. He looks at every aspect to help heal…read moremy neck. I highly recommend him. You will be happy to experience his services. Thank you!

I understand why Dr Sakamoto has such mixed reviews, because he is truly a case of Dr Jekyll and Mr…read moreHyde. I have been seeing him for some time now, and at my last visit, I got the Mr Hyde version, and it was truly awful. I was there for a critical follow up visit and had many concerns, all of which Dr Sakamoto dismissed. It wasn't just that he dismissed my concerns, it was the manner in which he dismissed them - he was extremely curt and cold. Given that he never followed up with me after my initial hospitalization and then ended back in the hospital with a much more severe condition later, I would have thought that he would take my concerns more seriously. That day, he clearly did not care to alleviate my concerns or that I left distressed.

Doctors are supposed to help us - regular mortal people - right? Not in this case... Now, I never…read moreposted negative reviews, but I've never felt so neglected by a doctor that I just can't help it. Sorry, Mr. Siegel. Thank you for all the physical pain you could have prevented me from. I have severe migraines, they usually last 2-3 days, and leave me pretty much non-functional. In August of 2007 I got a referral to Mr. Siegel, the neurologist from a regular MD. Mr. Siegel saw me and prescribed me Imitrex, which works great, my migraine goes away within hours, or a day at the longest. This medicine is prescription only, and so far is the ONLY medicine that helped me. I was able to enjoy my life much more in the last 2 years. On Tues 5/26 I called my pharmacy for a refill. When they stil did not have it ready on Friday 5/29, I found out that my request for the refill was denied by the doctor. Reason - I need to be seen. Ok... the doctor could have let me know that, does he have to use a pharmacy to relay the message? Fine, I call the doctor's office, and ask them why I need to come in. Why - because it has been over 2 years, they tell me. Well, not quite, I say, still 3 more months till August of 2009. Ok, then it's been over 1.5 years, they tell me, you still need to be seen. Any more words you going to go back on? But anyway, ok, sure. When should I come in? Oh, the doctor is booked today, and is leaving for 2 weeks vacation tomorrow, I can see him when he gets back. All is dandy, but... I have no medicine left. And also, I am going away for 2 months in 2 weeks. I explain that to the lady at the office, and ask her if I can walk in, or wait for after hours visit, or whether he can talk to me on the phone. Does he really need to see me? Nothing changed... At least give me one more refill so I am good until he gets back from his vacation. Or is someone taking care of his patients while the doctor is away? No, not really. I have to wait. She thinks about all this for a moment, and asks to have my pharmacy fax her another refill request. Which I request, and at 4:10 pm they fax it. I call at 4:30 to confirm they received the request, talk to the lady again, and explain the urgency of the situation. She takes all my phone numbers, and says "let me see what I can do". I call again at 4:54 only to find out that the doctor is still with the patient, but even though they close at 5 pm, they will call me no matter what. NO PHONE CALL. At 5:22 I get a call from my pharmacy that refill request is denied again. No promised phone call from the doctor's office, and of course, they are not at the office anymore. Once again, the doctor chose to have have my pharmacy relay the message. And now he's off on his vacation, and I am left to suffer, which could have been easily prevented. For what it's worth... Doctors are supposed to help us live our lives better, take personal care of us, their patients. Isn't that a part of the oath they take? If it's not, then it should be at least in every doctor's moral code. It's just not in this doctor's moral code.

Strictly as a physician, he is very good. He knows his specialty well and does find an accurate…read morediagnosis. He also knows his treatment plans well. The down side is that he does not have much of a personality and is very arrogant. At first he starts out kind, but I noticed as time progresses he becomes quite rude and seems almost bothered to have to do the follow-up appointments. Which you would think that he shouldn't be since he is the one who tells you to come back in a certain time line! I do appreciate his care and the fact that after 2 previous doctors I had seen, only he found the accurate diagnosis. So you have to weigh out your options if you are thinking of visiting him. As a side note, they charge you if you cancel/re-schedule your appointment under 24 hours notice.

I feel lucky to have found Dr. Von Koch. She is a skillful…read moreneurosurgeon who loves her work. Dr. Von Koch is meticulous, careful and will not be rushed to finish your operation. This is a surgeon you can trust with a scalpel near your spinal cord! Dr. Von Koch was referred to me by the head of the UCSF spine center because I was a member of Kaiser health plan. I didn't know at the time she was part of a neurosurgical specialty hospital which serves the S.F. Bay area. Everyone at this center was friendly, supportive and competent. All the nurses told me Dr. Von Koch was the best surgeon. At 80 years my back had many issues but the most urgent one was stenosis at L2-3 and L4-5. It has been 3 months since my operation and my back is far more flexible. Before the operation for the "bridge pose" I couldn't get my butt more than one inch off the ground. Now I can do a full bridge pose even supported by one leg. I am so very grateful for Dr. Von Koch's skillful surgery.

This is my story of how I came to know, trust and revere Dr. Cornelia Von Koch, M.D., as one of the…read morebest neurosurgeons at Kaiser. It has been eight months since I visited the primary care doctor for my neck pain and left leg pain. My journey to Dr. Von Koch began about 3 months ago, I started having tingling and burning sensations down my left side of the body down from the chest. I described my symptoms to my primary care doctor, and initially, he said that my condition was common and referred me to a physical therapist who would teach me to strengthen core muscles in order to improve my posture. After a couple of months since my symptoms didn't go away, he referred me to a rehabilitation specialist, who in turn has referred me to a neurosurgeon at Kaiser. I did a lot of research, explored all the alternatives, and visited Dr. Von Koch of my own choosing and decided to put my faith in her. So glad I did. I checked out Dr. Von Koch's credentials at https://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/providers/corneliavon_koch and was favorably impressed. My first appointment with Dr. Von Koch was very encouraging. She's a happy person who enjoys the respect of her staff and is a pleasure to be around. She performed some strength tests on my hands and legs. She looked at my MRI and said that my condition was caused by C6-7 stenosis. She explained what spinal stenosis is and initially offered c6/7 arthroplasty vs ACDF. She asked me a lot of questions and suggested I get all the prior images of my cervical spine to further investigate, none of my earlier doctors cared about those prior images at all. On the next visit, Dr. Von Koch showed me the bone spurs in the MRI that were threatening my nerves. Given the extent of disc osteophyte at c6/7 and congenital narrow canal, disc arthroplasty is less of an option and recommended ACDF c6/7 instead. She also encouraged me to get a second opinion if that makes me comfortable and gives me peace of mind. It was a hassle to catch hold imaging department at Kaiser to upload my prior images, Dr. Von Koch is very compassionate about her patients and made things easy for me by asking to drop prior images at her office and she took care of the rest. After my prior images are scanned in, Dr. Von Koch sent a message explaining that there is a slow progression in my condition over the years. Meantime I went to see an orthopedic surgeon at the UCSF Spine Center for a second opinion. Not only Dr. Von Koch reviewed other doctor notes of my visit, but also explained to me that he proposed a potentially bigger surgery 'corpectomy' depending on the amount of calcifications at the disc level. She explained to me that it would be good to avoid the corpectomy but if the calcified disc is too high then the whole vertebral body may need to come out. Dr. Von Koch encouraged me to confirm again with the UCSF doctor about his surgical plan so that I can make an informed decision. While I am still going through the pain and confused about the next steps, I feel fortunate to have Dr. Von Koch as my doctor who is always kind and compassionate about her patients. If you are looking for a neurosurgeon at Kaiser, look no further. You found one. She is a true gem of a person and an awesome neurosurgeon!

Absolutely excellent!…read more Dr. Kim listened, asked questions, diagnosed the problem, looked at past records and we agreed on what the next step would be and what results we were looking to see. I would recommend him to all who would like a very good analysis of their situation.

I had an appointment with Dr. Lawrence Kim today and I would say that he really cares about his…read morepatient. He takes time and listens to every detail about what I am suffering. He gives me relief and much understanding and explained everything to me. His front staff and assistant are nice too.

I have a rare disease and found Dr. M. Bhanushali knowledgeable as well as through with in my…read moretreatment. When it was an uncertainty, she recommended another hierologist from Stanford for a 2nd opinion. She is a very caring medical professional and I am very pleased to have her as my neurologist doctor. I am OK now, but still have a follow up appointments with her to check out the recovery progress.

Dr. Bhanushali is exemplary in every way -- knowledgeable, unhurried, has excellent bedside manner,…read moreand is collaborative in deciding on diagnostics and treatment. I wish medical students could observe her to learn how it should be done. (I'm a physician.)

Dr. Wilson was my neurologist for many years. He was thorough and caring. I left my visits with…read morehim feeling better than when I arrived due to his positive attitude. When I recently found out that he is now retired I felt sad that I would no longer be seeing him.

Didn't return phone calls for over a week…read more Had MRI films for 2 weeks. When I went in for a visit the office staff handed me the MRI films back. When the doctor came out to the lobby to give me a prescription, he saw the films and asked if he could review them! It was unclear why he hadn't reviewed them in the 2 weeks he had had them. He asked to have the folks who did my MRI compare it to a previous one. They FAXed him the results but he hadn't read it because he didn't notice they added an addendum on the end with the info regarding the comparison. He had dismissed it as a duplicate of the original FAX. For one appointment, he seemed to forget I was there. After waiting a half hour, I asked at the desk when he would be ready. They seemed surprised he wasn't already in with me. Someone went and got him (I assume from his office) to start the appointment. I did not feel comfortable with his thoroughness and attention to detail, and thus did not feel comfortable putting my health in his hands.

My 80-year-old father-in-law is in assisted living. He has a myriad of problems. He had a tremor…read moreand we were told that he also had dementia. Previous doctors had piled on the drugs (drugs we thought were necessary). My father-in-law was not in very good shape. He seemed to be continually deteriorating mentally, and physically he was getting frail, sometimes falling. One day he had a medical emergency and ended up in the ICU. My FIL spent almost 2 weeks in and out of ICU. After he came through that very scary episode, Dr. Telfer came to evaluate him in the hospital. He looked at all the drugs he had been taking and cut out a whole big bunch of them. This was not easy to do, because my FIL was on a lot of meds. Dr. Telfer straightened out the meds, and let me tell you, it is a freaking miracle. Beforehand, he was confused and frail. Afterward, he is sharp as a tack and walks better than he has for 5 years. He barely needs the walker anymore. I don't know HOW Dr. Telfer knew exactly what to give him, but he made the right choices. My FIL seems 10 years younger -- the way he was before going into assisted living. And he doesn't have a tremor anymore -- and he's not even taking meds for a tremor -- the tremor disappeared!

Yes, Dr. Telfer is very kind & the office staff very friendly. However, I presented to his office…read moreafter sustaining a self-inflicted injury & found him totally inept. I was diagnosed right away by my employer (DDS,MD) but Dr. Telfer ignored my input & sent me on a "wild goose" chase. An unnecessary ultra-sound was ordered - totally useless according to the MRI tech I was sent to by the 2nd MD I consulted @ UCSF. I requested a cortisone shot in my neck & he gave me one in the wrist!!! To no avail, of course. One week after the injection I went back to Dr. T. who then tried to refer me to an arthritist specialist. Upon my declining, he told me he could no longer be of service to me. I have a pinched nerve between my C-5/C-6 vertebrae; classic diagnosis in 1st year of med school. I am scheduled to have the cortisone injection @ UCSF next week, followed by physical therapy. Thanks a lot for a lot of wasted weeks with excrutiating pain!