Dear Contra Costa ENT, I was going to ask what your problem is. Instead, I will spell out exactly what your problem is: the quality of the doctors! The 2 doctors I have seen in this practice are rude, arrogant, don't listen, want to do the minimum amount of work figuring out my problem, don't want to do a thorough workup, and could care less about my prior symptoms/medical experiences. The first doctor I saw told me to take ibuprofen everyday for a month despite my prior history of a GI ulcer. And I didn't even have neuromuscular pain! I sent him my file with my medical history a few days before and he obviously didn't review it. A doctor not familiarizing themselves with a pt's history is irresponsible. How can a doctor effectively treat a patient's problem without understanding their past medical history? The second doctor was fixated on a TMJ diagnosis could not accept that not only were night guards unhelpful for me, but that my dentist does not think they are necessary. His response was to tell me to keep wearing it twice instead of accepting my answer the way a respectable doctor should. A dentist's opinion that a night guard isn't necessary should be the end of an ENT bringing up a TMJ diagnosis, period. The same doctor (#2) made rude and arrogant comments demonstrating how immaturely he behaves. "I already investigated by looking into your ear" is not how to respond to a patient asking for a thorough work up. "I'm a pretty good clinician" is not how to respond to a pt who doesn't think you are communicating well with them. After dumping doctor #2, I found an amazing ENT who not only communicates respectfully but did a thorough evaluation that caught significant problems that require surgery. She and the audiologist who diagnosed a mild hearing loss were surprised my prior ENT kept pushing TMJ with the absence of dental symptoms. My new dentist (& my former one before I moved to CCC) did not see any evidence of TMJ. I'm pretty sure both dentists would have said something if they did. My current ENT also thought my hearing would have been worse than it was and honestly I think it would have been if I stayed at CCENT. I actually submitted a complaint against the doctor who refused to evaluate further (& was rude) with the CA Medical Board because I want him to see that not listening to patients isn't just rude but dangerous. I'm worried that people who don't have a lot of medical experience may not know to seek a 2nd opinion the way I did after I was mistreated. Contrary to other reviews, I never had problems with the staff. However, my experiences with the doctors in this practice have been horrible and 100% outweigh my interactions with the staff. This practice really needs to hire doctors who enter medicine for the right reasons, especially those who listen to their patients and want to do as thorough of a work up as possible. The two doctors in my review contributed to my PTSD diagnosis from several male ENTs who dismissed my pain. As a result, I would like to see this practice to hire female doctors as there are other women who feel the same way as me about needing to see female doctors only. I will never go back unless the practice hires female doctors who genuinely care about their patients the way mine does. I will also tell anyone who asks for an ENT recommendation not to go there either. read more

I had an appointment the other day to see if I could get surgery on my sinuses as I have already been diagnosed with a deviated septum and polyps. The day I arrived I walked into the lobby and grabbed a mask. I proceeded to go down the hall to their office when outside their door they had a sign stating "masks are no longer mandatory however we recommend you wear one". I put the mask I grabbed I. The lobby in my purse and walked in. The receptionist checked me in and then proceeded to tell me that masks are no longer mandatory but we recommend you wear one. I informed her of the specific sign outside their door and told her that I have suffered for a few years with not being able to breathe through my nose, that I start hyperventilating with a mask because I am breathing in and out of my mouth and plus they had it like 80 degrees in there. I said no I am not wearing a mask. A few minutes later I was taken back to the room and a few minutes after I was in there a male nurse came in and set a mask down on the table staring the Dr will require me to wear that when he comes in and again I referred to the sign they had outside their door stating masks are no longer mandatory and that I would not be wearing one. A few minutes later the dr walked in Dr Joshua K Au. He said I needed to put the mask on. I told him again about their sign an I was not going to put the mask on. He then said he can't do surgery on me if I don't put the mask on and I told him that I would not have a mask on if and when I have surgery and that the mask will be down while he is in my face shoving a camera inside my nostrils. We spent about 20 minutes going back and forth about me not wearing a mask. By then I was pissed and he then said this patient Dr relationship is t goi g to work so I can't be your Dr. I told him he better not charge my insurance for this visit and I left. If they were still going to enforce masks they should NOT have had the sign outside their door stating they are no longer mandatory. If I could give zero stars I would. This was on Wednesday April 12th. I have since called Diable Valley ENT in Walnut Creek and got an appointment scheduled for this Friday. I told them what happened with Dr Au and they laughed and asked if I was kidding. They said we won't do that to you here. They also said Dr Au is a newer Dr and may not know any better. They couldn't believe he did that. read more

CONTRA COSTA E.N.T. - Dr Joshua K Au - Doctors Near Me - Concord, California

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I don't recommend Dr. Ford. I've been suffering from sinus pressure, post nasal drip and ear pressure for a long time- my right ear won't "pop" at all. Day of of my appointment I came in and started to fill out my paperwork- but there was quite a few pages and I didn't finish before going into an exam room. Dr. Ford came in- noted that I said my "ears were clogged" (from when I made my appointment 3 weeks prior), and asked if I grind my teeth. I answered yes and that I wear a mouth guard (it's been a problem for years). He quickly diagnosed me with MUSCLE TENSION and told me there was nothing he could do for me because this is a VERY COMMON PROBLEM. "Take baths, use a jacuzzi, eat soft foods, avoid granola and gum" was the advice I received. Dr. Ford spoke quickly like he was in a hurry and didn't ask me additional questions- so I started to list off some other symptoms/ additional info. I recently quit smoking hookah (was a daily smoker for years), the sinus pressure in my forehead and nose is intense, I hear crackling in my ear when I move my jaw, I feel wet fluid drain from my ear when I sleep on my side- the list is long. Blowing my nose causes BOTH ears to clog up, followed by occasional balance issues, and it can take hours for my left ear to feel normal again- while the right remains unchanged and is very painful. I went to urgent care when the pain was unbearable prior to making this appointment and they prescribed a nasal spray (Azelastine HCI) and told me to take Claritin. Dr. Ford examined my ear, nose, throat after he diagnosed me- told me I'm "perfectly healthy" and once again- said there is nothing he can do for me. I looked at him ready to cry and pleaded asking if there was anything else he could say or recommend (because I refuse to accept that THIS is my new normal). He repeated his previous recommendations: baths (I love them, but it's not eco friendly so I only do it to help with pain periodically), jacuzzi (no access to one), eating soft food (already do), no granola or gum chewing (I don't because I've had a lot of dental work done)... He recommended these things WITHOUT asking me any other questions about my habits or access. (What if I live in a home/ apartment that only has a shower and no bathtub..?) Dr. Ford said the other symptoms I mentioned were "totally unrelated" to the ear pressure/ pain that I feel and that again- there is nothing he can do. The only other EXTREME cooping methods would be getting Botox injections in my jaw or a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication (a sedative) to help with my muscle tension.. This whole interaction lasted about 5-6 minutes- and after that last statement I just sat and stared at Dr. Ford in disbelief. He asked if there was "anything else..?" and I shook my head "no" at which point he said "okay, good luck" and left the room. I wasn't clear if my appointment was over or not until someone came in to check on me and see if there were any follow up instructions from the Dr. They asked that I continue to fill out my paperwork in the waiting area- even though my appointment was over. I understand that I still needed to sign the consent forms at the back, BUT the intake forms I hadn't gotten to (meaning the Dr. didn't/ couldn't review) asked specifically what symptoms I was experiencing that day! Needless to say- I do not trust or believe Dr. Ford's assessment that I am PERFECTLY HEALTHY- and I will find someone else for a second opinion after the holidays. I know that I am not a healthcare professional, I didn't go to medical school- but I feel like he was just trying to move on with his day without actually asking me anything besides his initial question of "do you grind your teeth?". This was a very disappointing and horrible experience. *Should also mention how high the co-pay was. I have great insurance- so it was very surprising given the quality of care I received.* read more

Do you take medi-cal? I need to have a ear lobe surgeon in the Contra Costa County to look at my ear lobe. I have pierced ears ( I had) I have a slice 1/2 on my ear. I would like to have consultation to see what the doctor can do. My email address is: ktmmrm222@gmail.com and or my number is 925-726-9916. If you don't take medi-cal, I'd like some referral to where I can go. I'd like some help to where I can go in the Contra Costa County area. Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Martinez, Orinda, Lafayette, Moraga area only. Thank You Karie Martin read more

A few days after my emergency room visit I had to make an appointment with an Ear Nose and Throat Dr. (ENT). My eyes and face were black and blue and I did what I could with some large shades to hide it. The office staff, all of them, were incredibly sweet and nice. On the phone and in person. Once I was inside I had to explain the weird situation in which caused my nose to be broken. They loved the story. It is a pretty good story I must say. When I was done with my appointment and scheduling my procedure the main nurse made me tell the office staff my story. They all loved it too. The Dr. was open, honest and straight forward with me. My prognosis wasn't too bad. I just needed my nose a little straightened all without having any cutting done. It all could be done internally, up my nose with some tools. My breathing wasn't inhibited in any way thankfully and nothing else major was going on inside. He also couldn't believe that I could just wrench my own broken nose back into place right after it happened. I don't know, maybe Im just that hardcore. I scheduled my procedure with the office staff for a few days later and was on my way no normal nosedom. read more

Dear Contra Costra ENT, concord. I am writing this review based on customer service of one of your employee, unfortunately i wasn't able to get her name. I work in a SNF and I am calling to follow up an order for one our patient who was seen by one of the ENT doctor. The person who assisted me was so rude and un professional when I first called her, all I am requesting is to fax us the order. Later in the afternoon i called again to follow up since we never receive the fax, a nice lady pick up the phone and I was happy that she answered it, she put me on hold because she's on the other line. Then this lady whom i spoke to earlier pick up the phone I was in the process of telling her that I'm following up the order then she cut me off right away and started yelling that she already fax the order, she even hang up on me. This employee is very un professional and rude. She needs to be educated how to talk nicely and what good costumer service means. I don't know if she is having a bad day or personal issues but she needs to work on her attitude. I hope this review reach the management so that this interaction can be prevented in the future. read more

I highly recommend Dr. Au for anything ENT, he did an outstanding job on my septoplasty and turbinate reduction. I previously had the same surgery done at another clinic that did not go so well. He was extremely informative and reassuring. My recovery was much easier and much less painful the second go around. The first surgery left me with a very aggravating whistle which I no longer have. Comparing the two surgeries was like night and day, I couldn't believe what a difference it made in my breathing/smelling which in return improved my sleeping, cardio, and as a bonus my taste as well! Great doctor who clearly knows what he is doing. He went above and beyond, which when it comes to something as serious as surgery..is very important. read more

Dr. Wenokur and Dr. Ford are good doctors and know their stuff, but the billing and admin staff in general, and Linda in particular need either a) retraining or b) to be fired and all new customer friendly staff hired. This is specifically the CONCORD staff, never had an issue with WC staff. Summary: horrible customer service as your "face" of payments and billing. Detail: The front office staff, in particular Linda S. (saverin? savage?) refused to give her last name when we had a major billing issue. She claims to have worked there for 30 years. But now, I will never go back there which is a shame because have been going to Dr. Wenokur for almost 10 years and never had this issue. My daughter had an issue that needed a doctor to examine - we were worried her nose may be broken, the staff was good enough to get us in because I had been a long time patient. We got an early morning appt at 8:15 and arrived at 8. We were admitted within 10 minutes of filling out the paperwork. So far so good. The doctor took about 3-4 minutes to explain that my daughter's nose did have a minor fracture and didn't require any Xrays or 'resetting' and that she would see the pain go away and all be healed within a month. I took advantage of this quick turn around - since most appointments are 30 minutes - to ask Dr. Ford to look at my ear, it felt plugged. Without any hesitation or "well, it's going to have to be a separate appt", nope. He quickly looked and let me know that the ear was clogged and he could vacuum it out in the other room. Again, no mention of separate charges, no paperwork request, nothing. Within 5 minutes of my sitting in the other room, the procedure was finished. Total expert time, 13 minutes at most (being generous). Since I had to get my daughter to school, I gave them the credit card while I was asked to fill out a "new patient" information packet - the claim was since I had not visited in over 3 years, I was technically a new patient. Little did I realize, they charged my card $440 instead of the $220 that was originally promised. We were paying out of pocket, not through insurance and the woman, Linda, even proclaimed she was doing us a "favor" by discounting the whole visit. The following day I called and I've actually not spoken to someone so rude in a long time. Not only would she not budge on any sort of refund, she rudely explained to me that I was asking something unreasonable even after I explained that the charge was never agreed to. However, she said she'd call me back the next day to let me know if she could do something. She didn't call back the next day, and then the weekend came, and she only called late afternoon on Monday. No problem. I called back and was rudely told that "I don't like doing this, but I am going to refund you only $100" on this. At this point, I was pretty unhappy, but didn't berate her. I asked if she could refund immediately, at which point she claimed that she had my credit card (last 4 digits) there and could refund. After 5 minutes on the phone, with dead air, I was told she couldn't get it to refund and I'd have to wait 2-4 weeks for a check. At this point, I said I could come by and she could give me the check, she said "the company" would issue the check and she didn't have any checks there. After I said, "It sounds like you don't really want to keep me as a client though I've been coming there for 10+ years", she said "We're not taking any more patients". Nice attitude there. Linda needs lessons, lots of them, if after 30 years she can't speak to a customer with respect and no attitude on basic customer service skills. She doesn't know the first clue about how to talk to clients. It's almost like she was taking lessons about how NOT to be polite. Bottom line, if you can find a way to get Dr. Wenokur and or Dr. Ford in a setting without this person - do so, otherwise stay away from this. read more

I would recommend looking elsewhere if you are in need of the services of a good ENT practice. Having never written a review of a medical provider it's difficult to know where to start but I'll say this is the first time I've ever felt scammed by a physician and physician office. Had surgery at the beginning of the year and was given a total cost of the procedure based on my insurance. Having operated under the assumption that my post operative office visits were covered, I returned to see the surgeon twice (and he wanted me to come back a third time). When I got the bill I found out why as I was billed nearly as much as the surgery itself for a less than 3-minute in-office procedure. I contacted their billing office for an explanation of those charges, I was promised a call back since the person I spoke with did not have an answer. No call back so I wrote the billing office a month later. No call back. Finally, after three months and yet another phone call I got an answer from the billing office manager. Since my procedure was "minor" my pre-op and post-op visits were not covered and cost me more than 3 times what the actual surgical procedure cost. This practice is good at billing and good at sending bills but not very good when it comes to providing answers. I would give them less that one star if I could. read more

I had my tonsils removed by Dr Ford after strep throat 7x over 8 months. He is a wonderful surgeon and did a great job with my surgery. His staff however was very unaccommodating and unfriendly. Post surgery 3 out of 4 of their doctors were out of the office (don't know who approved this scheduling) so they were unable to efficiently help me with complications I had post surgery. I felt very alone at home in tons of pain. When I called, they suggested I call "one of my other doctors" with these issues. After the surgery itself the staff was not friendly at all in post op. I was the 5th tonsillectomy of the day and it was very evident to me, even drugged out of my mind, that they were trying to hurry me out of the hospital so they could go home. Overall I felt very unsupported by this office and I would suggest going somewhere else for your E.N.T. issues. read more

I saw Dr. Ford. This is how you should be treated when you go to a doctor's office. I was treated with respect and kindness all the way from the initial phone call, including all interactions with staff and the doctor. Also, my issue (which had been going on for weeks) was resolved. read more

Dr. Au has been easy to work with and has presented solutions succinctly. Along with the priority or order for which to do first.

I was referred here when an ear infection swelled my ear canal shut and urgent care didn't know what to do with me. By the time I was referred I had been to urgent care twice and hadn't been able to sleep for more than an hour at a time without waking up crying and screaming in pain. I was exhausted, popping acetaminophen way more often than I should have been, and feeling completely out of my mind. Dr. Loos walked in, asked how he could help and got right to work. He made sure that I had double antibiotics, put a wick into my ear canal to keep it open I actually let the medication into the ears, and put me more at ease than I had been in the 5 days that I had been suffering. He made sure that urgent care had gotten me pain medication so I could some damn sleep. He had me come back in at the end of the week and I was feeling like a person again- the first thing out of his mouth when he walked in was "Oh my god, you're smiling!" Because of the awful state I had been in three days before. He took such amazing care of me, made sure that I was being medicated properly and healing at a good rate and explained his entire process to me step by step so I understood every part of my treatment. I hope I never have to go back under the circumstances, but I know that I'll be in amazing hands if I need to. read more