I had a really disappointing experience with CHOC Otolaryngology in Irvine. My child had an earring stuck in his ear lobe, and the doctor there said it needed to be removed surgically under anesthesia. We scheduled the procedure, but when I tried to get a cost estimate, CHOC couldn't tell me if the doctor was even in-network with our insurance. For almost two weeks, I called multiple times trying to confirm -- they kept saying there was a "system error" and that the doctor should be in network, but no one could verify it. When I asked to switch to another CHOC doctor who definitely was in network, they refused and even told me I was being "impatient." Then, a day before the surgery, they finally admitted the doctor was actually not in network and still didn't give me any out-of-network cost estimate. I had to cancel and take my son to MemorialCare, where another ENT handled it in 15 minutes without anesthesia and was extremely professional. CHOC's lack of transparency and communication caused unnecessary stress and delayed care for my child. For a children's hospital, that's really disappointing. I hope they fix their internal communication and insurance verification process -- families shouldn't have to go through this. read more

Was a very long wait but Nurse Tristen David brought snacks and toys for my son which put him in a better mood.

CHOC has been by far the worst experience we could have asked for in the moment we needed them most (i.e. our three year old son's medical emergency). They treat nothing with urgency, rush you out of the office the first chance they get (after fighting with you and trying to ensure you do not book an appointment with them in the first place), and once you are actually in an emergency situation they do nothing to help or even treat you with an ounce of respect. The department we are working with, gastroenterology, offered us no assistance in any of the help we required, left everything to us in terms of determining next steps and trying to facilitate tests, and the doctor we have is doing everything in his power to avoid us and delay us from booking our son's procedure that he needs to get healthy. If any other hospital were to offer the procedure we need, we would use them in a heartbeat and gladly leave this hospital out of our thoughts forever. read more

We came to the CHOC ER for my child's broken arm, and she received wonderful care. The staff was wonderful, and yes, we waited about an hour in the waiting area after checking in. But once inside, my child was doted on for the rest of her stay (overnight). Everyone was so kind and compassionate, and the surgery went well. My only regret is that we left in a hurry, and didn't get to properly say thanks to all the nurses who helped us. read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - Patient Regular Diet Menu - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

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From the moment we walked in we were treated so well. Very happy with the care my children have received at CHOC.

Great hospital with awesome nurses and doctors who will listen to your concerns. Parking here is a nightmare though and the wait especially for the emergency department is atrocious! read more

I understand that it's a large hospital with good facilities, but why are the ER front desk staff and nurses so rude and condescending? It may be the same routine for them every day, but for patients it's either the first time or an emergency. Being asked the same questions over and over in a dismissive tone, and being ordered to "sit" or "put out your hand" like we're not even human is extremely upsetting. We're not animals. Showing a basic level of professionalism and respect is part of their job. read more

Waited 2 hours in empty ER room because all the doctors were on lunch? All we needed was stitches removed. Receptionists Said Should have taken 10 minutes... why are all the ER doctors on lunch at the same time? read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - Waiting room - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

Honestly, it depends on the day you come unfortunately we've been here a few times the last few months. I am going to name a nurse that works the front, her name is Gideon. This is my second interaction with her today. She's very crude gives you dirty. Looks at You like you just fell from the sky. Or jumped off another planet. Horrible nurse she should be working in the back not in the front face-to-face with patient. The last seeing a patient coming in wants to see is a recruit Nurse with an attitude when their child is sick. There are nurses that truly care for people. And some that are just in it for the money. I spoke with the charge nurse. She's very friendly and approachable. I did recommend that this woman shouldn't be front facing with patients. Maybe they have a spot in the laboratory back room area. I handed her my daughter's urine sample. She wasn't busy. She's just staring at the screen and then I said the nurse said to bring this, she looks at me with this disgusting look grabs a urine box and I put it in there. So sad even my daughter noticed since she's nine. so with her working here, I would give it a one star, but there are some pleasant, friendly, caring nurses here. read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - iPhone - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

Do better CHOC... We heard great things from home health nurse that other families had more success here than other nearing Children's Hospital. Sadly, their medical and surgical unit needs management to get involved and make that unit better. Overall, train your nurses how to properly suction a trach patient. But to be told, this unit doesn't have Airvo or drainage gauze and end it at that. Loma Linda University Children's Hospital shared equipment from their PICU, Step Down, and Acute unit. So, I don't want to hear any excuses why the supplies and equipment my daughter needed while in CHOC's care were unmet. To ask for a Child Specialist 3 times and still nothing but before the day my daughter got discharged a CHOC bear... When I requested sensory toys while my daughter was inpatient. read more

CHOC is absolutely terrible for sick kids. Nurses here are unprofessional, rude, and will yell at you just for asking simple questions about updates. This kind of behavior is unacceptable in any hospital. Parents, avoid this place if you value your time and your child's care." read more

Even with the horrible experience of going in for my two year olds fractured elbow, the xray tech Noemi still made it a good experience ! She was so sweet and gentle with my daughter, I couldn't have more appreciative and thankful. read more

The phlebotomists are good but blood results take forever (more than 6 wks for a simple thyroid panel). My child's referral was canceled with no notice after a long and stressful wait with painful symptoms. The people in the lab are wonderful but the people in Endocrinology are unfriendly and just want to get you off the phone. The facility is state of the art -- no question about it --and I'm sure some of the doctors are great. But there are a dozen obstacles in your way before you can win your first appointment. Not worth the red tape. read more

Weekend took an unexpected turn and we wounded up being transferred to CHOC. From the get go, all the nurses and doctors we encountered were phenomenal. Once we were officially admitted and brought to our room upstairs, we were greeted by two nurses. I can't say enough about how great the staff are - from our nurses (shoutout to Brittany) to the staff dropping off the food we ordered. The playroom wasn't operational during our stay but there was a staff member who came by everyday to bring toys / switch out toys to keep our baby entertained. Can't expect much from the food but our baby loved it so can't complain! We were generally quoted 45 minutes for the food to be delivered to our room, but it generally came within 25 minutes. Hubby & I were offered tea/coffee/cookies in the mornings and omg - don't sleep on the cookies!! Those chocolate chip cookies were amazing. Only con is the bedding. The bed size was in between a twin & full - not much room for two people. The middle of the bed concaved in a little so being on the edge was quite uncomfortable. Parking structure available with partial validation provided at the front desk. We paid $3 every time we had to drive out of the lot. read more

Great hospital in Orange county for our kids We always have great experiences with the staff and Doctors read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - Choc Hospital Main entrance - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

Amazing experience donating here. I called to make sure they would allow me to donate brand new unopened crafts etc to the children and they were so friendly a lady named Kate helped me and she was beyond friendly from the second I called to the moment I dropped off boxes of crafts and items for these amazing string children. I love to donate my time and donate money but when I can donate fun crafts for the children it makes me so happy because I know when I'm doing crafts nothing else in the world matters so hopefully these crafts can make them excited for even just a moment! Such a beautiful hospital and such a beautiful mission to help amazing innocent children read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - Bought a bunch of Halloween crafts from Michael's to donate to the children - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

Customer service is terrible!! Makes me want to return to Kaiser. Trying to make an appointment - waited on phone for an hour and I was next in line, then the phone picked up and then hung up. Had to call back and now have another 8 people ahead of me!! More than the first call - clearly don't care about the mental health of the parents caring for the kiddos. Honestly, do better CHOC. read more

Super attentive hospital. They are trained well in understanding that parents are wrecked and stressed about surgery and they are great at walking you through each step of the way. I wanted to cry as they rolled him away but each nurse, doctor and anesthesiologist assured us of their process. Though it was not easy to allow him to go through surgery. This hospital made it easier with great staff. read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - Prepping for hand surgery - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

Terrible patient care in the Endocrinology department. Appointments are months out with no sense of urgency on delicate issues involving growth hormone for children. Often sent for lab work and imaging just to show up without the orders in the system. It's a terrible position to be in considering this is pretty much the only office in town. read more

Stuff was amazing. Ever nurse was so nice and attentive. Going out of their way to even. Make sure myself and my husband was comfortable too other than my son read more

CHOC - Children Hospital of Orange County: Its glorious failures and shortcoming. My visit at CHOC was easily the worst health facility that I have ever been to with my infant. We presented to the hospital around 11pm with an infant with flu like symptoms, high fever, not eating, slightly lethargic, etc. The admission and triage folk were extremely polite, friendly and warm. We thought we'd erred in not switching our PCP to CHOC ealier from these lovely spirits interactions.....little did we know. The problem started with a subpar provider name Alyssa Fukumae, MD (the woman). This woman was an absolute nightmare in all her arrogance, a bit unfriendly and abrasive. Hope that her attitude is not a reflection of Creighton Med school, but it is on CHOC desperate board in their hires. Dr. Fukumae should not be seeing patients, at least not work in these types of settings. She needs to open her own private practice. Dr. Fukumae comes into the room, does absolutely no assessment, just stood in front of her station taking notes on her computer and immediately jumps into suggesting testing for a UTI , wanting to insert an INO catheter into a 6 month old infant female patient without doing ANY ASSESSMENT, NONE!!! At no POINT did she consider anything else to eliminate the high fever possibility. I'm sitting there shocked thinking is this protocol, are there not any less invasive tests that could have been suggested from Flu/Covid Swab test, even blood test, WBC, and a number of other lab tests that could have been done, less intrusive to eliminate some things before jumping into inserting catheter. Our reluctance to allow this procedure somehow made her upset, why? because......godlike hubris! and this seemed to have invited her passive wrath, as if to say, if you refuse the UTI test then, I will not do anything else in assessing the patient. This was sadly the worst provider that we have ever encountered. I am of good mind to file a formal complaint with the medical board and invite an investigation into how many other patients she's mistreated this way. This pure failure of a resident thought she'd try to convince us to do what she believe was easier and best for her not the child. Selfish Again, since we refused, she thought we were likely beneath her and that rendered her tone deaf and dismissive to anything else. We spent well over 3 hours at CHOC, just to have gotten no advice, but basic google search literature and charges on our insurance cards. How are you a ped at CHOC and unfamiliar with these Flu like symptoms? These are easily the most common causes for new parents in the ER. She rudely suggested that "they don't go poking kids, unless there's good reason". I'm like rude and condescending much? yet you make brash suggestions w/o checking the child's ear or even assess... This was low quality care at best. Much to Dr. Fukumae's consternation, my wife and me happen to be in healthcare. My wife, a nurse w/ 15 years experience and myself a healthcare exec for 30 years. I attempted to give both the attendee Dr. Seth Brindis and the resident Alyssa Fukumae the benefit of the doubt but it may not be deserving. I personally do not think CHOC providers care about their patients at all. Maybe Dr. Fukumae may have been under the impression that we did not have health coverage thereby content with subpar treatment and care. I realized that it wasn't until we were discharged and I started inquiring about the providers names and respective positions that there was any kind of effort place. And for Dr. Brindis, while he had an emergency call and immediately walked out of the room as if he was not in the middle of talking to us, not even so much as an excuse me, this wasn't what was most bothersome. What transpired AFTER we were discharged made me even more upset. AFTER WE WERE DISCHARGED, Dr. Brindis may have reasoned that his resident failed, decided to come into the room and do an assessment of our infant, suggesting that he's going to take "Another look at the infant's ears" for infection. My wife and I looked at one another and laughed. Dr. Brindis, neither you nor your resident ever looked at the patient's ears at anytime during our 3 hours + stay here at CHOC. In closing, having bad doctors wasn't enough, but the discharging nurse had to be just as rude, unprofessional, crass and equally unfriendly while providing our paperwork. Nurses and providers talk at the stations. That seems poetic now because it all makes sense. I reached out to my network of mid level providers and nurses and they had some not so bright things to say about CHOC and its staff. I wish we had known this. We thought we'd chance our infant because we live in the OC, and after all it's CHOC. Come to think about it now, we should have gone to Miller Children's Hospital or even UCI Urgent care. read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

Let's start where it matters the most, the dining hall!! My goodness, it's delicious!! The chicken strips are out of this world!! Not like the food from that dump across town UCI Hospital #Barf read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - Chillin' after my delicious meal!! - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

Everything was going great with our visit. Food was good and nurses were great. We were there for a couple days for my son's EEG, so it was going to be rough. However, I felt the planning was bad since we were moved from our shared room at 2:30 AM. I believe the charge nurse didn't plan the best that night. read more

brought my Korean Family here after my 10 year old niece was sick on vacation. They have very good travel insurance and so we weren't worried. The billing Agent working there on Saturday 26th 11:30pm called Maggie. (The picture is of her) Decided to force my family to sign hospital documentation in English, after we specifically requested a Korean translator, as it is illegal to sign documentation in a language both parties do not understand in the state of California. Going to report this billing agent on Monday as I have the director of CHOC's number and will update here. Not only did she do this, but once she heard them speak Korean only, she said "I regret taking them as a patient" in front of both mine and their faces, thinking they couldn't understand it. Unreal. What children's hospital treats kids and their families this way? Disgusting piece of human waste. read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - Maggie the racist billing agent -.- - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

Scheduling an appointment 9 months out is absolutely unacceptable. Patients can die waiting to be seen here.

This is the only hospital I will be taking my children to from here on out. We had taken my two month old son to the emergency room for turning blue on me. Long story short our experience here was the best it could have been for someone having to stay at the hospital. Volunteers, nurses and doctors were always making sure that I was okay and taken care of during my sons stay. The team of doctors did everything possible to rule out what happened. My son loved the doctor Morton(I believe that was her name it was all kind of a blur in the moment) he loved to coo and talking to her. I want to especially thank the CA, kaitlyn (I hope that was her name she also ended up being a sitter for the other patient in our room) she helped me stay calm when my son went limp on me during the middle of the night and called the rn for me. Also especially thankful for rn? Tea(I have no idea how to spell it she said like the letter "t") and Miranda? She was a sitter for the other patient but helped me when alarms went off on the monitor until help could come. I don't remember everyone's names during our stay but I am extremely grateful for everyone that helped. My only complaint was having his iv put in downstairs in the emergency room took a long time and I feel like the gentleman should have asked for someone else to try after the failed second attempt with the ultrasound. That being said I'm sure poking a baby is hard thing to do and he was very sorry it took so long. I would like to add parking was expensive it cost 18$ by the time I traded with husband to go home and shower. I ended up having my mother drop me off so we wouldn't have to pay the expensive parking again. read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - Baby Zane says thank you for everyone caring and help take care of him. - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

Even we had an appointment, we waited almost two hours to be checked regular control. Really unbelievable.

Such a great experience @ Choc Children's Hospital in Orange off La Veta St. The in take lady, who took our vitals was such a delight and so helpful. She took the time to understand our son's situation without shooting us off. Engaging in our conversation and concerns going above and beyond to provide as much information and support me can do. But it did not stop there. The X-ray man, who made us feel at such ease with laughter and Jokes. Made us forget why we were there in the first place. Was amazing and did his job with proficiency. Nick Beckman was our nurse for the night including Kaitlyn and multiple others. I have to say by far the most wonderful experience for such a difficult time with our 13 ye old son. They cared for his every need and made sure that they did their best to accommodate to his concerns including myself and a mother. Nick, Kaitlyn and others who helped our son feel at peace during this trying time. Not only for our son but to us as his parent. Thank you so much, never stop being amazing especially on days that are difficult. You sure made an impact on our son and his view of Choc Hospital. God Bless you and yours Sincerely, Ev.Mariie read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

The wait times are horrendous. If your child is in pain don't take them here they will just offer you Tylenol and send you on your way after waiting 5 hours. They won't run any tests to try and figure the cause of what is really going on read more

I have PKU, a rare genetic disorder. Wanted to talk to my Dr. about my condition, but it is rare enough that he knew nothing about it and referred me to a geneticist at CHOC. Authorization came in; called CHOC. Voicemail states press 1 for pediatrics, 2 for cancer, 3 for prenatal, 5 for billing (skips 4) or 8 for Spanish, or pound to repeat these options. Obviously none of those apply to me. Waited a few seconds to see if a person would pick up, but a very loud pre-recorded "Goodbye" sounds out and hangs up on you. Called back and randomly tried those options to try and speak with someone but there were no answers at any extension. Disheartening to see such sloppiness in a medical institution that deals with life and death matters. read more

We usually take our kids to providence urgent care, but they don't always have pediatricians available and we figured we would take my 8 month old daughter to choc since they're usually really good. My daughter had been dealing with fevers for about 3 weeks and wanted to make sure it wasn't something that required antibiotics and I just wanted to make sure she was okay. We went on a Sunday and the wait was 4 hours which is fine because everyone and their moms seem to be coming down with the flu and measles but once we got in to see the doctor, the nurse and the doctor were not attentive. The nurse took her temperature and since it was taken in Celsius he converted it to Fahrenheit in his head but was off 2 degrees because he GUESSED. My wife had to convert it and told him it's higher than that and he brushed it off and took over an hour to bring her Motrin. Then the doctor was no help, said it could be this, it could be that and no assurance of anything. Lastly when the nurse did give her Motrin he gave her a different dose than we've been giving her at home so when I asked the front desk to double check and ask him to make sure he didn't over dose her, he came out looking annoyed and like it was a drag to ask for that reassurance. It's my daughter I need to make sure she's going to be okay. Anyway, took her to our regular urgent care and they actually showed the care that we expected at choc. I understand if they're exhausted and burnt out from all the cases they're seeing but cmon man this is the field you chose and this type of stuff comes with the territory but to act like it's just whatever when we're stressed out as parents isn't cool. Probably won't go to choc again for a while. When they were on Chapman they were cool and super kind but idk what's up now. read more

I really appreciate the care from the specialists, doctors, and nurses here. I arrived here afraid, my tiny daughter was very sick, and the professionalism that I experienced from the staff was impeccable. As a father I was afraid, nothing worse than seeing one of your kids sick, and they kept me calm. There was even a gentleman there bringing me sandwiches, as I had not slept, brother I appreciate you!! Thank you to the RTs, nurses, doctors, and all of the other specialists! read more

From check-in to check-out all the nurses, doctors, PAs, and staff were friendly and answered all questions/concerns. All staff worked as quickly and efficiently to care for my child. Nurses Emily and Heather were amazing! PA Kelly did an amazing job of caring for my child, even the xray tech Jeff was super friendly and attentive to us. Thank you for taking a very traumatic experience for my child and myself and making it one were she felt safe and sound. read more

On 6/9/25, after 3 days of my teen having stomach cramps, I decided to take him to CHOC emergency room, where he had his appendectomy last year. Having waited in other hospital ER's for 8+ hours, we packed an "overnight" bag with chargers, his switch, snacks, jackets etc. I wanted to be prepared, as we live 45 minutes away. We parked valet and walked right up to the ER check in station. The two ladies that helped us were great, super friendly and explained the process. They texted me the registration link I needed to finish. Next we were pointed to the vitals station, very efficient. One nurse asked me further questions while the other nurse took my son's vitals. We've only been here about 10 min at this point. Next we were asked to take a seat in the waiting area. Now, I knew it was time to WAIT. The registration link was user friendly, and mostly already filled out since he was a patient there before. I was done in 3-5 min. Next, I was about to take a pic of me & my son to send to my hubby to let him know we made it, then they called my son's name. What?!? Already?? I didn't even get our picture, ha! Um ok.... they led us into a shared room with about 6 beds divided by curtains. A nurse immediately came in, hooked him up to blood pressure monitor, etc. Super kind, asked a few questions. Then told us to hold tight, a doctor would come in shortly. We finally took our picture to send to dad then BOOM, a doctor walked in. WHAT?!? Already? She was great, asked all the questions, did a thorough exam. Let us know what was happening and what she suggested. WOW, ok. 2nd supervisor doctor came in, asked those same questions plus a few more, he gave additional suggestions for diet changes. Lastly, the first nurse came back, gave us our paperwork, and let us know we were good to go. Oh my, that was all less than 45 minutes. I didn't get to watch one of my Netflix shows, didn't get to eat any of my snacks, and my cell battery was at 89% still. I've never experienced an ER visit like this but I must say, I was pleasantly surprised. Never once did we feel rushed. We always felt heard. Every person down to security was kind. I realize I'm very blessed that my son's problem this time, wasn't more serious so we were able to get in and out of there very quickly. I know where we will go to next time, if my kids ever need more care than an urgent care visit. Thank you to everyone!!! read more

When you need Choc For your children's health. Then you'll understand why this has five stars. They have done a lot for us and our family. We appreciate that. Thank you for all the people that give them donations and their wonderful professional staff. read more

My experience at CHOC - ER was incredible. From the moment we arrived, the staff were compassionate and supportive. The wait was 3 hours which was to be expected at a busy trauma 1 ER, but once we were attended, the hospital staff worked amazingly with us. Couldn't be happier. Much respect to the men and women that work here to keep our families healthy. Thank you so much!! read more

Omg, do not bring your kid here unless you are expecting 3rd world service. Absolutely astonishing they work with kid emergencies. This hospital is GHETTO AF. They keep your kid suffering for hours. I have Cigna PPO excellent insurance and was treated like I have no insurance. My kid screaming until 2AM in pain. Then they decided to add another kid into the room like I'm in a TJ hospital. WTF is actually going on here. read more

Don't bother bringing your kids or even trying to work here. They're very prejudice towards the Hispanic community as well as the people who have special needs children. My autistic nephew was turned away all because they didn't his parents don't have the correct insurance to cover his disability, they didn't offer assistance and didn't have anyone try and respond to my multiple inquiries. read more

This hospital is top notch!!! When we arrived on Saturday in Emergency we were greeted right away and grateful to get a room within ten minutes. I was prepared for a long wait but that wasn't the case. X-rays were completed within the same hour of arrival and my son's issue was reviewed and a solution was presented. We are so grateful for the doctors and nurses that have helped take care of our son. I was scared but he wasn't. They made him feel at ease and treated him like a human being. Thank you and God bless you all. GRATEFUL read more

CHOC Children's - Children's Hospital of Orange County - My son smiling a few hours after his surgery! - Hospitals Near Me - Orange, California

Other people on here have also complained about the front desk staff, check the comments! I talked to a front desk staff member about where to return my paperwork for CHOC. The staff person was very discriminatory toward me, giving minimal responses to my questions and turning me away as if he wanted nothing to do with me. I was polite and respectful throughout the interaction. This behavior caused me to walk back and forth, delaying my process due to their lack of instruction. How is dismissing a client considered decent customer service? How did the hospital decide to place someone with such a demeaning attitude at the front desk - the very first point of contact for everyone? This position was given to a young man who treats people disrespectfully. read more