I agree completely with the other one star ratings. Riker's office also wasted two weeks of my time. I was able to speak to a medical professional exactly once during this nightmare. On Friday M. was very sympathetic and said Riker would review my records on Tuesday. I had heard nothing and called Menlo Clinic rheumatology on Thursday. The person on the phone would not put me through to M., but did have the courtesy to review my record. He said a letter had been sent to my referring dermatologist saying Riker's practice was closed. This isn't true. She accepts the patients she wants and lets the rest of us sit in limbo until the referring doctor tells us we didn't make the cut. Doesn't even have the courtesy to have one of her staff call the patient directly. I'm filing complaints with every agency I can think of. read more

This review is for the office of Dr. Riker. As they have made a mess of the referral process, which delayed my medical care and completely wasted WEEKS of my time. THEY WASTED WEEKS OF MY TIME JUST TO TELL ME THEY WON'T ACCEPT NEW PATIENTS WHEN THEY INITIALLY SAID THEY WOULD! They couldn't even have the decency to APOLOGIZE. Basically, it started badly as they have the wrong fax number available to providers (they no longer use it) --which they should update their system--. I had called them several times throughout the process trying to solve this. During the whole process, they told me MISLEADING and CONTRADICTORY information about the referral process. One lady told me it would take 1 week, then another lady said it should take 3 more days as I had already waited, then another lady told me that they couldn't even give me a timeframe for the processing. I, unfortunately, didn't get everybody's name but 2 people in contact were 'Yvette' and 'Tammy'. In the end, they call me WEEKS later to tell me they WON'T be accepting new patients!! Not just with Dr. Riker but with all the other rheumatologists at the clinic. WHY WOULDN'T THEY TELL ME THIS DURING THE SEVERAL TIMES I CALLED THEM?! They knew which doctor I was referred to and they told me they were accepting new patients!! The last time I called them was 1 business day before they told me they were no longer accepting patients. Their incompetence led me to not be able to get an appointment. Not only they misled me throughout the process, but now they have delayed the medical care that I desperately need! Their system is an inefficient mess, and their staff is badly trained. This is unfortunate as Dr. Riker came in highly recommended to me. But sick people shouldn't have to go through this mess just to TRY to get an appointment. It's unacceptable! Now while suffering for weeks, I'm struggling to try to find a new rheumatologist. I'm sick and I didn't have the energy to complain to them on the phone because they would just treat me with apathy (like they did before when I'd call). They don't care, but I'm writing so other patients don't go through this. read more

I would rate this doctor with no stars if I could. While she is part of an extremely professional practice, Menlo Medical Clinic, where I go for all my other doctors, I cannot go to her for rheumatology. The first time I saw her she told me I was "too young" to be experiencing the pain I was describing. I decided to go elsewhere and was diagnosed with lupus months later. I had to go back to her when my regular rheumatologist was out of town and I was in extreme pain because I had hurt my neck. She told me that it was probably nothing and to just work it off. (seriously!??). Two days later when my regular doctor could see me, he ordered an MRI and diagnosed the herniated disc. Dr. Riker has not the bedside manner or personable nature that is warranted and deserved, especially in a field that deals with so many pain issues. I also question her ability as a doctor, especially with young patients like myself that might be outside of the clinical mold. read more

The best. Caring, open, explains options and choices clearly, makes recommendations based on actual evidence. Never tried to hide or mislead if you've managed to stump her (rare indeed). Tenaciois in finding an appropriate answer for her patient. read more

Hmm, not sure why my review doesn't show so resubmitting. I have been seeing Dr. Riker as my Rheumatologist for about 4-5 (7 now) years and I can't say enough good things about her. I have to agree with the previous reviewer about being surprised to see bad reviews. I have been extremely happy with her and I have had way too much experience with the medical community in general so I consider myself a pretty discriminating patient. I was previously seeing someone at SOAR where my 'annual' check-ups consisted of touching my hands, asking how I was and saying see you next year. Dr. Riker believes that once a year is too long for RA (I now agree since my RA is under much better control since seeing her). At my appointments, I really appreciate the time that Dr. Riker spends to understand what is going on with my health -- maybe because she is also an Internist, but she asks me about everything -- dental, opthamologist, dermatologist, immunizations, cholesterol, allergies, etc.. She reviews my records while I'm there and follows up on things (things that I was supposed to do) from our last visit item by item. I have never once felt the least bit rushed with her either. Overall, I feel very well taken care of with her and I feel like she cares about my health. It was hard to get into to see her (I wasn't being seen at MMC at the time and she wasn't taking new patients), but I persisted and was able to convince Mary to give me an appointment. In re: to some of the other comments I saw, I think MMC has a pretty strict late policy as I've been turned away for being late -- It wasn't just with Dr. Riker though. And, yes, it sucked at the time. But then if you're the next patient and the doctor is running on time because they didn't take people beyond 15 mins. late -- it's a good thing. Also, the quality of medical care was there from the first visit but I'd say it took me two or so visits to completely warm up to her -- but that's my style as well. read more

I agree with the reviewer below. I saw her as a Rheumatologist as I am a patient of Menlo Medical Center, and was sorely disappointed. Her manner is 'if it isn't readily obvious what the problem is, then I can't help you'. She is not the kind of doctor that will go the extra mile. She also seems to take the route of using drugs, rather than treating the whole person (diet, vitamins, lifestyle etc) Even her nurse is standoffish. She may be a good doctor, but not for me. read more

Amazing member of the medical profession. I totally believe she recognized the problem I had, and save the use of my left hand. So professional and caring. THE BEST. And she is a Warrior and Giants fan (this shouldn't matter, but it makes it fun when I go in for my appointments). read more

I've been seeing Dr. Riker as my rheumatologist for several years now, following a bad experience with a rheumo at PAMP who scared the bejeebers out of me when I first moved out here. I'm shocked to see the bad reviews for her, since I've always found her warm and helpful. That said, my autoimmune disease was already diagnosed by my old rheumatologist in DC before I saw her, so maybe it's an issue of disease management vs. diagnosis? In any case, for me, she's always been great. In particular, my autoimmune disorder can cause issues during pregnancy, and she was super-helpful in running tests to anticipate any issues, helping figure out what my monitoring by perinatal specialists should be, following my pregnancy, and generally setting my mind at ease. She even helped me find an OB who was familiar with my issues who wasn't part of Stanford's perinatal practice, where I was tired of spending two hours waiting to be seen. As an established patient, I also find her nurse helpful and kind. She's always passed on my messages promptly and either she or Dr. Riker has gotten back to me within a day or so. read more

This review is for Dr Riker. I was referred to her by my primary physician. The staff called me and scheduled the first appointment, which was about 3 weeks out. I arrived at the clinic in time for the appointment where the staff at the front desk told me the appointment appears as canceled. I mentioned I was not made aware of the cancellation, and had driven for an hour from San Francisco to get there. Apparently they couldn't read their own notes (the name of my insurance) , and therefore had decided to unilaterally cancel the appointment without letting me know. I had United Health Care PPO, not a hard or little known one to miss! They asked me to wait while they figured it out, maybe the Dr could still see me. 40 minutes later they said they have spoken to the Dr, and she has said she is busy and can't see me. They offered to reschedule another appointment 4 weeks out! They made me wait for 40 minuets only to send me home and didn't even bother to at least offer another appointment sooner than 4 weeks out! Normally I would consider this as a disorganized and disrespectful staff issue, but Dr Riker was made aware of the situation and still decided not to at least make 10 min time in her schedule to see me even if briefly, to account for the 40 minutes they kept me waiting there (never mind the long drive to get there). This part I would categorize as extremely unprofessional and a person without respect, and sense of responsibility towards others, in whatever profession she is. For my Dr, I would want someone who is compassionate, respectful, and professional. I can even live without compassion and respect if the doctor is really good at her profession otherwise. But unfortunately the experience here shows otherwise. I will reflect this to the Dr who referred me to Dr Riker. I do not recommend this place, not because of the mistake the staff did in scheduling, but mostly because of the irresponsible way the Dr addressed the situation afterwards. read more

I have a great rapport with Dr. Riker and I feel like she does an excellent job caring for me as a patient with RA. I was initially diagnosed by a doctor on the East Coast but I've been with Dr. Riker for 7 years now - the bulk of the time I've been dealing with RA. She is admittedly conservative when it comes to care for her patients (recommending vaccinations, etc) but I also feel that she stays very on top of the latest advice/research/treatment options for RA. I feel like her care for me is dynamic in regards to keeping up on the latest information there is about RA. I get great response via e-mail if I have to ask a question though Menlo Medical Clinic's online patient portal. It's a great way to communicate on the off hours. Dr. Riker has also referred me to other physicians at the clinic and I feel that they have all been good. I trust her judgement all around. read more

I have seeing Dr. Riker about 5 years now and I couldn't say enough of the good things that I have been treated as a patient for my arthritis under her care. I don't often write these reviews but I'm shock to see how low her rating on yep and surprise of how yelp filtered/hided out her good, recent reviews from 2011 to 2013 and only listed and based the rating on 4 reviews from 2007 to 2009. As a patient with Arthritis, I know how important it's to find a good Rheumatologist and so I decided to write this review and hope that it won't be filtered out by yelp so other people can read and decide for themselves and hopefully find a good and a right doctor. About 10 years ago, when my arthritis started... which many aching, stiffness all over my body. I had been passed from dr. to dr. and no body know what was the problem. Any time when the problem was unbearable, I would be given paint relieve and cortisone shot. Until about 5 years ago, when my joins started flared up again and this time, nothing could stop it that got me to the point that more than unbearable. Fortunately, while seeing a foot dr. from Stanford for my toes joins flaring up that I couldn't walk, he referred to Dr. Riker and from then I feel that I have a great support of a great dr. and nurse to care for my health. Since I was under the care of Dr. Riker, she has not treated just the symptom but she looks at my body as a whole. Before she started my treatment, Dr. Riker did all the lap works and any MRI, Xray, etc.... and sent me to any additional treatment that needed so I won't get any complication from the arthritis medication. On my first appointment with Dr. Riker I was shocked and disbelieved that I was given so much time and attention. She carefully checked out everything, asked and explained to me thoroughly all the information, and gave me much understanding of the disease and treatment. She also listen carefully what I have to say and how I feel and mutually discuss the course of treatment and respect my opinion. Even it's unfortunate to get this disease but I felt above all I'm blessed to be under Dr. Riker care. She is a brilliant Dr. with an incredible heart with full of compassion and understanding for her patients. In addition, her entire staff, her nurse Mary and Kathy are such wonderful people. They are like her very attentive and very informative and precise all on the information. All and all, I consider it's my privilege and my blessing to be cared for by Dr. Riker. I hope and wish this review will be read by the people who need most. I wish everyone with immune disease would find the best dr. so they can enjoy a better quality of life. read more

Dr. Cathy Riker is one of the best doctors I have ever seen. She is smart, efficient, patient as well as kind and compassionate. I can't believe she had one negative review. Those people must have been talking about some other physician there at Menlo Medical Clinic. There are a couple of horrible ones that I would never go to again but not Dr. Riker. She is top notch and the best. I would and have always recommended her very highly. I have been seeing Dr. Cathy Riker for many years for my psoriatic arthritis. She is very thorough and knows her field very well. She does care about her patients and will always go the extra mile for them. She is just the best and one of the reasons that I would not move out of this area as I wouldn't want to lose her as my rheumatologist. I think her staff is also very helpful and kind like she is. read more

I'm also disappointed in the negative reviews for Dr. Riker. She has been my rheumatologist for about 12 years. I have a couple of autoimmune things, as well as some other chronic conditions, and is very careful to keep them all in mind when we are discussing a current problem. She takes the time to review older records when she needs to, but keeps an amazing amount of information in her head about previous problems, lab results, x-ray results, you name it. On more than one occasion she has referred me outside the immediate Stanford network to another MD or to another provider (in one case, an MRI) when she thought it preferable. I have found it has worked well to communicate by fax for some kinds of things, and the responses are timely. For example, I was tracking my blood pressure and saw it was rising steadily. So I faxed her a couple of weeks worth of data; staff called me back to set up an appointment. I like her staff very much and they do return calls very promptly. And when they call, I know that they have discussed my question directly with Dr. Riker and not just taken it upon themselves to brush me off -- as I have had happen in other medical offices. read more

Well, I am mystified at what other patients have written about Dr. Riker. She has been my rheumatologist for 13 years. She came with high recommendations from Stanford Clinics after I 'd had an unhappy experience with a Rheumatologist there. Dr. Riker has always opened every visit by having me catch her up on how I am feeling. She waits for me to tell her everything and only interrupts to ask questions that help me to clarify what is going on with my body. She is a great listener, unlike many doctors who have a fixed diagnosis for you in the first 5 minutes of the visit. She has always taken my complaints seriously, even when I feel they must be obscure or really out there. I have 5 autoimmune illnesses, am immuno-deficient, have had multiple opportunistic infections, some of which have been very rare and Dr. Riker has been spot on in diagnosing and treating all. When we differed in opinions regarding treatment after a severe side effect to one medication, she let me make the final decision of which course of action to take, even though it was against her better judgment. x Dr. Riker has always treated me with respect, empathy and true concern. Before we get down to health issues, she asks about each of my kids by name and always wants to know the latest on my dogs. Her "bedside" manner is warm and direct. I have been up to 15 minutes late a number of times over the years and she has always made an effort to fit me in, even though the office policy is that if you are 15 minutes late or more you may not be seen. I am normally scheduled for a 40 minute visit, but rarely get out of the office in less than an hour because she is so thorough. Her nurse, Mary is warm and very efficient as well. Dr. Riker is not one of those doctors who feels she has to have all of the answers. If she doesn't know what the next step in treatment should be, she lets you know and she consults other physicians or conducts research. On several occasions, she has taken my case to a circle of rheumatologists that meets at Stanford to discuss tough cases, Dr. Riker is also very thorough and works with my other physicians to monitor health issues outside of the domain of rheumatology. She also has empowered me to become informed and to pursue my own research. She has encouraged my delving into alternative medicine and health practices such as acupuncture (without herbs), yoga, meditation and prayer. She encourages many types of gentle exercise. The only thing she has not encouraged and not been open to is the use of herbal remedies and supplements that are not regulated by the FDA, her concern being that they may have fillers or other ingredients that could do more harm than good to an already whacked immune system. Dr. Riker is also really great about measuring baselines and ordering follow up tests every few years to monitor things like lung capacity, swallowing capacity, bone density. When I tell her that I have a bad feeling about some new symptom, she has always been willing to follow up with whatever studies are needed to determine what the problem is or how severe it is. She has never doubted my symptoms or brushed them aside. I guess I just cannot say enough about this doctor and I feel so fortunate to have found her. read more

I've seen Dr. Riker for 8 years now for lupus. She has been amazing. She always goes the extra mile, she always worries the issues, she spends as much time with me as we need (and this is seeing her every 2-3 months for 8 years), she remembers everything I tell her, and she always follows up. She cares about me and I have 100 percent trust in her and confidence in her judgment. I feel completely blessed to have her as my doctor and would recommend her to anyone. read more

Dr. Riker is a most compassionate, knowledgeable physician who is an exceptional diagnostician. I am so thankful to Dr. Riker for her knowledge and caring. She and her nurse are amazing. read more

I saw Dr Riker for 14 years and found she was a very solid doctor. She always, took the time to address my various issues in a professional and personable manner. She would take some extra time to put some thought into my medical issues and for that I will always be grateful! read more

She is wonderful She was the first to treat me and carefully explained my diagnosis and treatment plan. she listens to me and she monitors me carefully and is really caring. I couldn't wish for a better doctor. read more

I've seen Dr. Riker for 4 years and always leave her office feeling better than when I entered. My medical problems have ranged from very serious to minor issues yet she has taken the same thorough and careful approach each and every time I've seen her. Her staff does an excellent job of returning phone calls in a timely manner. I have referred two friends to her practice and both have had excellent experiences. Go early or late in the day when parking eases up. read more

About a year ago, I was referred to this office by my podiatrist. I had seen an arthritis specialist two years before seeing Dr Riker, they concluded that I did not have anything more than garden variety arthritis. Over time, my symptoms progressed to the point that I was referred for a second opinion and with the help of Dr Riker, learned that I did have a mild autoimmune condition. I have received wonderful care from everyone in the office and made a complete recovery. I would definitely recommend to friends and family. read more