Dr. Forrester is the best doctor ever. She has saved both my husband's life, and my life because of her highly intelligent expertise in her field. She is a phenomenal diagnostician and leaves no stone unturned for solving an issue, with an intuition and knowledge-backed assessment of where to begin treatment. There are no words to describe how fantastic she is as a doctor. I have been told she is retiring and have no clue where to go from here given her amazing track record with my family. Thank you Cheri for your wonderful care. read more

Dr Forrester, I believe, is brilliant. For this reason I let slide a lot of interpersonal interactions I've had with the good doctor. Ive had some serious medical problems I.e, heart attack in my late 40's, 3 different cancers by my 50's all of which are in remission. So because of this I am a bit hyper vigilant as I am here today because all these issues were caught early. I must have annoyed her when I was seen by her for 2 weeks of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. She couldn't find the cause and refreshingly said she didn't know why I had these symptoms. She then went on to make a snide remark about how many tests I've had. I let several incidents like that slide thinking "as long as she fixes what's wrong with me", I'm good. No. How a doctor makes you feel is important! She's a good clinician, just a lousy people person! read more

I've been under Cheri's care for 20 years and can sincerely state you won't find a better more caring personalized doctor or for that matter human being. She listens, connects and responds. She is all about overall health and personal well being. I simply can't recommend her highly enough. read more

I have not treated w Dr Forrester for several years now, but because it makes me so mad every time I think of my last visit with her, I decided to finally get it off my chest. This reviewer pretty much summed up my own experience: "I am treated as if I am a huge nuisance to her." She spends the entire visit with her eyes glued to her computer screen, typing away madly. At my final appointment, I was trying to update her on a health condition for which she had been treating me and she finally huffed in exasperation and barked: Be Quiet! as I was speaking. This is not only rude, it simply underlined my feeling that writing down her notes was far more important than looking at me. Isn't the patient the reason she is there in the first place? I was astonished and regret that I didn't simply get up and walk out right then and there. As it is, I found another practitioner and never saw her again. I am old and have seen many doctors over my life, but none of them has ever treated me like I am something stuck to her shoe. At one point I was commenting on the cost of a certain drug she wanted me to take. She dealt with this by handing me a paper bag full of samples of that medication - all of them expired. I cannot comment on her skill as a doctor, as her lack of skill in dealing with patients is her most pronounced characteristic. read more

This review is a tough one for me. Dr. Forrester was our GP for over 15 years. While never warm and fuzzy, she was very competent and responsive during our visits. When her practice moved from Mill Valley to Sausalito and she joined Prima ,there was a significant change. It always felt she was rushed...frustrated when asked questions...a bit condescending, even. I ended up feeling worse after every visit I had with her. After so many years of seeing her, I was used to lack of eye contact, but when it became 75 percent of the visit she was staring at a computer/25 percent face time (and I think I might be underestimating, even) it just became ridiculous. I am sad to say that I would never recommend Dr. Forrester to anyone...something I never thought I would say when she first became my doctor. read more

Beware of what you say in Dr. Forrester's office!   Dr. Forrester's Insensitive & Harmful Behavior I've spent very little time with Dr. Forrester over her six years as PCP, approximately twice year for twenty minutes each time.  She is competent and makes good references to specialists.  However, she is interpersonally inept as she focuses on the computer and is emotionally distant.  None of this particularly bothered me because she doesn't provide treatment. In September, 2017, my daughter accompanied me for an appointment. We discussed aging/memory issues. During the discussion, my daughter blurted out something like "There were car issues. ...scrapes on car and a fender bender."    Dr. Forrester stood up and proclaimed, "I have a responsibility to report this to the DMV."  She never asked my view of what was said.  I found the situation stressful and upsetting.  She continued at the computer while I tried to explain what really happened.  With a recent move to a new house, the garage was narrow, resulting in two incidents of scraping my car. The fender-bender a year or more ago resulted in the driver not even taking my information.  His truck had no damage. My driving record over all the years has been good.      After the appointment, I sent Dr. Forrester a note letting her know I already made an appointment at the Aging/Memory Center, and I requested that she wait before involving the DMV.  She ignored my request.    The challenges with Dr. Forrester: * She doesn't listen when she's already made up her mind about an issue.  * She filled out the DMV form and wrote her conclusions and ratings in areas where she has little competence and no credentials.  She added ratings to the form she filled out without making reference to using my medical records to support her claim. Not making reference to where data originated, she arbitrarily wrote her conclusions.   From a driving perspective, I have followed through with testing at UCSF in the Aging/Memory Center.  My neurologist at the Memory/Aging Center provided a strong letter indicating my functionality for the hearing at the DMV.    Dr. Forrester's seemingly arbitrary behavior caused me significant stress. I passed the written test, the eye test, and the driving test. Dr. Forester's behavior has had extensive impact on my well-being. read more

I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Forrester and I am very happy to have her as my physician. I truly appreciate her compassion, her intelligence, her professionalism and her attention to detail. I feel that she sees the whole patient, and not just a list of symptoms and medications. She listens well, and makes the communication a two-way street. She understands very well how the physiological and the psychological are connected, and within the context of the current reality of the Medical Industry, I think she does a pretty damned fine job of addressing both. She doesn't come off radiating all the "warm & fuzzies", but that's not what I'm there for. Believe me - there is a great and caring heart at the center of her practice. I have a medium sized list of chronic health problems and most of them will probably never go away or get much better. During our recent Zoom appointment, we covered all of them in reassuring detail and together we saw a way forward. I came away relieved and most grateful. Dr. Forrester has helped me through some challenging health issues. I have always felt heard and cared for, and I am stronger and healthier for my experience with her. read more

Dr. Forrester refuse to give me medication that I need so I can go my trip to Mexico she has hung up on me and as behave totally unprofessional I'm going to reporter to the American Medical Association I'm outraged read more

I have been a patient with Dr. Forrester for about 7 years and I still dont feel welcome. She is simply professional and follows a step by step procedure with no room for own questions. She never agrees or discuss anything that you suggest. Recently she messed up a medication prescription for me. I ended up paying the medication on my own caused by lack of knowledge, still not knowing if it was safe to take the medication. I never received promised call backs from the office. I did not received an apology. I did not hear back after my last annual exam. I don't think that I receive that care what I should get at least what I expect. I am considering changing my primary care physician now. read more

I don't think Cheri really cares about the individual. I usually only get to see a nurse and when I see her it's brief and impersonal. I want to switch because I don't think she gives enough attention to the patients needs. I had a reoccurring problem and instead of discussing it she would just blow me off by prescribing me antibiotics that I had already taken before and leaving abruptly so I never had time to speak with her about it. The problem would go away then come back later so I figured out on my own that I had to change my lifestyle i.e. eating habits etc. to make it less persistent. ... Also DON'T go to her for a gynecological exam... it was painful and it shouldn't be. I went to Dr. Galland later and it was great. Well, 'as good as it gets', I should say. read more

I was terribly sick for three months. I couldn't walk and couldn't write because of pain. I had low grade fevers all the time and I was extremely fatigued. A friend of mine recommended Dr F. On my first visit she didn't even exam me and she didn't order labs. In the first three minutes she told me it was all in my head and I was depressed. I was so insulted!! Fortunately soon after I had seen a top rheumatologist and she diagnosed me with rheumatoid arthritis. I called Dr F and told her the diagnosis and she didn't say anything. I told her I don't want anybody else to have experience what I experienced with her and I hung up. Since then I have only heard terrible mistakes she has made with other people. read more

This review is based on my employment for several years with dr. Cheri Forrester although it was about a decade ago she remains always a kind caring and compassionate medical practitioner she is also a very intuitive type of healer. Please don't be put off by the cynical cranky negative reviews you see on this site it is obvious that she has her heart in her work and sometimes when she feels rushed it might have come off badly to the patient but believe me it's because she knows she wasn't giving the patient her hundred percent at that moment. Doctors all across this nation are feeling overworked and stressed with the extreme greed of the insurance companies putting them in the middle between the patient's needs and the finances. Dr. Cheri Forrester is still one of the finest medical practitioners I've ever met and I would highly recommend her to anyone needing general family care I am now a critical care nurse at a major hospital but much of what I learned I learned in Cherie's office read more

This is my first yelp review; I feel compelled to share my experience as the last post re Dr. Forrester is seven months old. Today was the last straw of many disappointing experiences with Dr. Forrester; after five years, I will be finding another doctor. I have had two acute issues in that time, both requiring getting into specialists offices for testing and surgeries. She provided zero support in both cases. I decided perhaps she is only helpful within her four walls. She has always been cold and impersonal, but at least I thought competent. Today, I went for an appointment for both a possible uterine disorder and also an exam post a ski accident where the pain is getting worse. The office was overbooked today with a doctor out, so I waited an hour for my appt. I understood, and was patient. When I brought up the shoulder injury, Dr. Forrester refused to discuss it or examine me; she said she was overbooked, and could not deal with it today, I would have to come back for another appointment. I told her I was in a lot of pain, and concerned I had broken something. She repeated I would have to come in later in the week for her to discuss it with me. I was speechless. I am still speechless. She could not have cared less about me. I cannot imagine spending another appointment in her care. read more

To anyone looking for a doctor: DO NOT CHOOSE DR. FORRESTER. She is the most cold and callous doctor that I have ever met. If after reading this you unwisely choose to visit her look for the following traits (detriments) that she possesses: 1. Lack of punctuality (she will make you wait in her office for at least 15 minutes before being seen). 2. When explaining your issue to her she will type and repeat (while typing) everything (verbatim) that you have just said without going further into specifics by asking questions. 3. She will not try to further investigate your issue and she will discount any other information that you bring to her about possible symptoms or solutions. 4. She only has two answers to every problem: referral or pills (both given right when she finishes transcribing what you tell her). 5. On the way out she will nonchalantly insist that you go with the nurse so you get all the vaccines that Big Pharma (her real boss) "recommends" that you get and if you question her she will make you feel like an ignorant idiot. In summary: if you want to pay around $200-$300 to have what you say transcribed, discredited, and then leave with a couple of prescriptions for pain meds that don't even apply to your case and an arm full of "approved" "necessary" vaccines then by all means MAKE AN APPOINTMENT RIGHT NOW! read more

Dr. Forrester's bedside manner is rather cold and mechanical. I made an appt. for a vaccination and then when I went in they didn't have it and hadn't bothered to let me know, so I had to come back. I've been to her twice and both times was overcharged (charged double). They ended up collecting from my insurance company and dropped my charges. What's up with that? I guess that works for them, but it doesn't work for me. read more

I have been going to Dr. Forrester since the age of 21 and I am now 46. I have had some serious health issues and have not once been made to feel rushed or made to feel as though I were crazy. She has read reports from specialists and sent me to better specialists because she felt the first was not doing enough follow through. She calls me to make sure I'm okay, that medications are working. I unfortunately am in the ER once a year or so and she always calls as soon as she is notified to check in. I can't imagine anyone else being my doctor. read more

Dr. Cheri Forrester has been my doctor for years. .... only because I could not get in to anyone else. I feel like a number in her office. She has a callous, uncaring demeanor. She is quick to prescribe medicines and not address the underlying problems. She is quick to get you out of the office. I have been to her so many times, because I always forget to look for a new doctor until I am sick and need immediate care. I will give the office that - that one star is because they will see you on short notice. I have never had a good experience in her office. She is unkind and unhelpful. I highly recommend that you look further for another doctor. I have found one now that is amazing. I will never go back to her. read more

So frustrated with Dr. Forrester and her office. I have been a patient for almost 10 years (on and off depending on insurance). Have had repeated issues and have had to see her three times in the last 6 months. I am treated as if I am a huge nuisance to her and the office staff while trying to get to the bottom of a complicated set of health issues. She is robotic and cold, interrupts me mid-sentence, just types as I talk and never looks at me. Receptionists have hung up on me when they deemed I have given them enough information, then (for 1 1/2 hours at lunch and immediately at 5) calls go to the rudest answering service in the universe where you can't leave a message. Six weeks has passed and repeated phone calls and visits and no effort has been made by her office to complete a fairly simple online form required for reimbursement. I have no confidence that whatever is really going on is resolved. I am just trying to stay healthy and keep working but apparently I am not worth much time. I do understand that insurance companies have made it difficult for doctors and they need to see far more patients that they used to, but if that's the case I am switching back to Kaiser where at least there is a motivation to treat people as people. My dog gets better treatment from his veterinarian. read more

Cheri is incredible. She's been my doctor for 10 years and I've never had such good, meticulous care. Super smart, massive breadth of knowledge, and deeply caring. Despite being busy and sought after, she is always available, and great with follow up. She even read my a poem once to help me relax ;) read more

I've waited a long time to write this review, as I don't take publicly criticizing a physician lightly. That said, I think Cheri Forrester should not be practicing medicine. She seems incapable of compassion, of truly listening and of doctoring well. My list of complaints is long. I saw her several times over the course of a few years. During that time, Dr. Forrester misdiagnosed my medical conditions on more than one occasion. On top of that, she embarrassed and humiliated me. I had a severe thyroid problem and was told I had depression--even though I insisted again and again that the only reason I was depressed was that I felt physically terrible. This went on for YEARS--I feel like I lost years of my life due to her poor skills as a doctor. One time when I went in to see her, I asked her for a referral for some help in dealing with my oldest child, who is a very intense albeit wonderful person. Her response? She totally humiliated me, essentially asking me a string of questions about whether I abused my child. It was horrible. These are just two of many examples I could give. Why did I see her for so long? I was like an abused person: somehow she convinced me I was the problem--and I believed it. Almost. Finally, I came to my senses and went to a new, wonderful doctor who properly diagnosed by thyroid condition and who has been a compassionate and wise counselor in many areas, including helping me find some help in parenting my challenging son. My new doctor goes above and beyond. Cheri Forrester? She is beyond awful. read more

Dr. Forrest was my family doctor for past 10 years. She was cold and unfriendly, but I thought she was confident in her job. However, I lost my voice for 3-4 days with mild coughs so it was painful as a teacher so I went in for emergency, she forgot to collect my throat culture and told me that I have a virus. She said there was no medicine to cure it, so rest and drink lots of hot tea and soup. So I did for another week, but nothing got better. On my second emergency appointment she finally collected culture from my throat and left a message three days later that I have an infection and I can pick up the antibiotics from the pharmacy. So I called office requesting to inform me about the infection whether it's contagious or not and explain more details about the infection so I can decide to request another sub for my class or not. She didn't call back. The day later, an assistance called and said it's strep throat type A and it's not contagious. I could have gotten the antibiotic at the first visit and I didn't have to suffer for extra week and half if she took my throat culture at the first visit. I am looking for a new doctor! read more

Dr. Forrester is very thorough and extremely competent. Forrester has picked up the phone to call me to follow up dozens of times and, most remarkably, when she thought a specialist left me hanging, she phoned him and read him the riot act. She got results. She believes that a doctor should be there to help and should have a plan of action. She doesn't always communicate that well, and sometimes she is busy typing what you are saying into the record on her computer, but you will not find a better doctor. If you want somebody to feel warm and fuzzy with, go elsewhere, because Dr. Forrester is serious about doing everything she can for her patients. If that means she has squeezed you in to help with your most urgent problem and that you will have to come back for a second problem, perhaps she -- or the staff -- should have told you that she squeezed you in and has a limited time. But it's a plan of action. She is a perfectionist at being a doctor, and over the 10 years or so I have been her patient, I have seen her improve her bedside manner skills too. She knows what's important in my life. When I ran into her and her husband, she introduced me with exactly the salient details from my life I would want people to know, my most creative endeavors. I feel appreciated by her. If you want 25 eye contact seconds per minute and a hug when you arrive or even when you get bad news, then you need another doctor. Myself, I have fired doctors who are all touchy-feely. I want competence and the facts. read more

The doctor-patient relationship is so important! This doctor can be intimidating. Never let anyone, and especially your doctor, cause you to question your judgement when it comes to health care. Know that it is unacceptable, harmful for your doctor to tell you to stop thinking and blindly follow their directions instead. It is possible that the doctor is right and you will see later, but doctors can be wrong, and this happens most when they adamantly disregard a patient's concerns. read more

Cold and mechanical, you must have been there on a good day. She does not ask questions or listen to my concerns. When talking to me on the phone I know she was also on the computer or something, she was totally distracted. She never bothered to check about updating my prescriptions I got years ago from another dr. She just kept writing refills. My new dr. took me off them, and I feel better. Will never go back. Oh, and when my new dr. requested my records, and I signed a release, she never got them. We sent in 3 requests in 8 months. Still nothing. read more

I was shocked to find less than stellar reviews for Dr. Cheri. She is absolutely hands down the best doctor I have ever had, and I am known for firing doctors. I went to doctor Cheri after years of condescending doctors who didn't believe anything I said and thought I was a liar or stupid, or that it was all in my head or stress related. I'm glad I kept trying, because she is fabulous! I went to her for years and only stopped because I moved 3000 miles away. She has twice called me on the weekend to tell me she was thinking about me and researching my condition and had a suggested course of treatment. I have had chronic pain for decades and her suggested care ended it. She saw me during her lunch break multiple times when I had something that needed immediate attention. She recognized a condition in my son and helped him immeasurably. She was patient with another son who has deep needle phobia. When I went to her feeling completely unlike myself, she correctly diagnosed the beginning of menopause and began to shepard me caringly through that change. She cared about me and about my health and she improved the quality of my life and of my sons' lives. If I could afford to fly back to San Francisco to see her whenever I needed a doctor I would. I could not recommend any professional more highly. read more

Unfortunately, I agree with the others who were disappointed by Dr. Forrester. I stopped seeing her a few years ago but recently went to her because my new GP (who was great) has taken a leave of absence. Same issues this time. read more

There are not enough wonderful adjectives to describe my experience with Dr. Forrester. I kept hearing positive things about her from my friends and after a dozen people suggested I consider her as my primary physician, I scheduled an appointment. I have been a patient for years now. She is brilliant, a great listener, asks important probing follow-up questions and explains anything I don't understand. And she follows up immediately with test results. I have never felt as cared for by any doctor as from Cheri Forrester. Besides her brilliance and emotional intelligence, she is one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. I have recommended her to many of my friends who share how lucky they feel to be in her care. When I was going through a particularly difficult time with a medical issue, she called daily to check in on how I was doing. I have never had this kind of dedication from a primary care doctor before. Cheri Forrester rocks! read more

I was a patient of Cheri's for many years, then moved out of state for eight years. I returned summer 2014, and became a patient of hers again because I thought she was an excellent doctor. However, recently I find her style, her attitude toward patients, and her office staff to all be less than tolerable. She is rude and insulting to patients, writing on her computer the entire time you are with her. She rarely makes eye contact, she dismisses patients' input about their own health, and it is impossible to reach her office. Further her staff has made several mistakes regarding prescriptions. Even if she paid me, I wouldn't go back to see her again. I have problems that need to be dealt with by a caring human being. read more

I've lived in the Bay Area for over 40 years and have had several excellent doctors, but Cheri Forrester is clearly the best. She's a superior clinician, a good communicator and goes out of her way to keep me informed. I left my previous physician after 15 years who was top-rated on Yelp, and had impressive credentials as an Internist. But I could never reach them on the phone, never heard back after lab tests and lost confidence in their ability to manage my health care issues. Changing to Dr. forester was a breath of fresh air. My exams have been incredibly comprehensive and the follow-up is amazing. I get called when my lab results are back and we have a thoughtful conversation with clear advice. Very happy now and have been recommending her to my friends. read more

I love Dr. Forrester! I have three girls 11 and under. She makes it a point to personally see them for their appointments. She takes time with all of them and actually REMEMBERS their past and/or stories that they have told her. As for myself, I am fine with seeing a nurse practitioner because as an adult I can explain myself well and can get my point across. It is more important for me that she see my daughters. Saying that, if she can see me, she will. I have never felt rushed by her. She does have a schedule that she has to keep to. I realize that and try not to suck up ALL of her time as if she has no one else to see. If I do have a concern, she makes sure to keep on top of it. She called me this morning at 7:30 a.m. to give me results to an ultrasound I had on Friday. A long time ago my baby was having trouble for a long time, she gave me her home phone and said to call at any time if I needed her. Where do you get? Not very many places. I wouldn't entrust my girls to anyone else! read more

Dr Cheri Forrester has been my doctor for more than twenty years. I have high standards - I come from a family of doctors and do not tolerate incompetence. She is a wonderful doctor and I feel very, very lucky to have her. She works extremely hard, which means that she treats your presence as a medical visit, not a social call - although she is extremely sociable and empathetic. I have found that she is very knowledgeable, highly intuitive and extremely focussed. She has been extremely helpful with several medical issues I have had over the years and once, when I experienced a crisis, took immediate, drastic and appropriate action. When I have had an urgent problem, she has seen me immediately. I can't say enough good things about her. I really don't recognize the bungling, insensitive robot described in some of these posts and wonder if the reviewers have told the full story or have some other agenda. read more