First off, I have to say that I was skeptical after reading about the wait times for Dr. Cummings. But after my very first appointment yesterday and waiting over an hour once I got into a room I can understand why there is a wait time. Dr. Cummings is very pleasant and leaves no stones unturned. She went over my history more thoroughly than any other doctors ever have. I mentioned to her that I had a stye and thought she would tell me it would go away or to see an eye dr. but instead, she looked at it and told me that it wasn't a stye and she wrote me a prescription for antibiotics and told me how to take care of the infection. Because Verity went bankrupt, I was forced to get a new doctor within a new group and my insurance couldn't have picked a better one for my medical needs. I told my boyfriend that she was a female version of Dr. House! Medically, that is! read more

I couldn't agree more with both of the reviews that have already been posted about Dr. Cummings. She truly listens to her patients, and she must really care about what she does since she definitely goes the extra 9 yards to ensure that all bases are covered for any possible medical issues. Beyond that, she's really bright, sharp, and personable. If you want a fantastic doctor, see Dr. Cummings. It's well worth the wait. read more

This is a poor excuse for a doctor's office for so many reasons: 1. There is always a wait of an hour or more to see Dr. Cummings. Always. 2. When calling for anything--appointments, test results, to discuss an urgent medical situation, you can't get a life person on the phone. Leaving messages and then getting a call back the next day is standard operating procedure. 3. I've had to contact the office 3 different times to get a prescription called in to the online pharmacy. It's not rocket science, but somehow, the office couldn't manage it. 4. For 5 years, the doctor missed the signs of parathyroid disease in the standard blood work. My calcium was out-of-range high, and when I left a message with the office to ask the doctor about it specifically, the nurse called back to say, "Don't worry about it." I asked another doctor, who immediately said, "That's very significant. We need to check into it right away." Sure enough, having parathyroid disease resulted in significant bone loss, severe osteoporosis, and a tremendous amount of bone pain which has plagued me for many years. I've talked with the office manager about these many issues, but there hasn't been effective improvement. It's a medical group that is too big for any personal care. read more

Dr. Cummings is THE BEST doctor I have ever been to. Period. Many, many, many other people feel the same exact way, which is why you will ALWAYS have to wait to see her (45 minutes to one hour past your appointment time is standard). In addition, it can be difficult to see her on short notice; she is often booked weeks or months in advance. A few tips on this front - if you get in for her very first appointment, you don't have to wait long at all. For physicals and other routine appointments, book as far in advance as possible so you can get a midweek appointment in the morning. There are doctors out there that don't even touch their patients. I mean, come on! Dr. Cummings will sit and chat with you for a long period of time, give you the full run down, run all kinds of blood tests (and make sure that the right codes are on all your tests so they get covered by your insurance). I don't know what the other reviewer is talking about with regards to prescriptions - the last several times I have needed a prescription Dr. Cummings has been informed about the availability of generics and specifically asks me what I want. When I didn't have insurance and was unsure about a certain prescription, she provided me with some samples so I could make sure before I paid out of pocket for it. My WHOLE family sees her. We have had horrible experiences with other doctors and it doesn't matter if we have to wait in her office all day or if we have to call her nurse and leave a message in order to get a last-minute appointment. She will call you in the evenings with test results. She will find a specialist that is covered by your insurance. She will fit you in if you have an urgent problem. She will do ANYTHING for her patients. That is SO hard to find. The problem with the other reviewer: if you want a doctor like Dr. Cummings, you have to be willing to leave a message for her or the nurse and wait for them to call you back. You have to be patient. If you aren't willing to wait for the best, PLEASE, go see someone else. read more

Small note to Jessica K.: Patience is not an option when you're in excruciating pain, and a doctor should understand this, no matter how busy she may be. read more

If you have to wait atleast an hour past your appointment every time, it could mean only two things. Either the doctor is lazy and starts late everyday, or is really good for two reasons. One, he/she doesn't rush through your appointment giving you 100% and second, that he/she has huge number of people wanting appointment. Well, both is true with Dr. Cynthia. It takes a long time to get appointment, and then a long time to be seen. But it's worth it. Everytime I and my wife leave her office, we leave with positive feeling and optimism. She's been our family doctor for more than 3 years now, and we are really really happy with he, just like so many other patients she has. read more

Dr. Cummings has been my Primary Care Physician for more than 10 years. She is an excellent doctor. I just don't want to think what I will do when she retires. I don't believe I will find a doctor that takes the necessary time to listen to his/her patients. That is the reason Dr. Cummings is always behind schedule; she always takes the necessary time with her patients. A few times, I have been with her up to an hour, and in those times, I never saw her in a hurry to finish with me. For the contrary, she listened to all my concerns and provided the help I needed at that time. It is true that the waiting time at her office is usually more than one hour, but I believe worth. I always bring a book with me to keep me entertained. It is also true; you cannot see her in short notice mostly. But I have been in the office when she has seen some patients that needed urgent care. She is also seeing my young daughter, and although she hates the waiting time, she usually leaves the office with a positive note about Dr. Cummings. She is not like other doctors that push you to get vaccines or certain medications. She is a compassionate doctor that does not judge you. If you want to be seen by a doctor on schedule and have with that doctor 30 minutes or less consultation, Dr. Cummings is not for you. read more

I have been going to Dr. Cummings for over 10 years. She is a truly kind a d compassionate doctor. She one time kept quizzing me and checking things on me late on evening when I kept getting migraines. Turns out my pulse was over 100 beats per minute at the time! I got treated to get & that id the trick. I will never forget that extra detective work. This reminds me, must to see her for my yearly exam soon. read more

The best doctor I've ever met. Dr. Cummings is a very gentle lady with years of experience and knowledge and gives you time, which is so rare with doctors these days. She'll listen to all your problems and is extremely patient. Yes, you'll have to wait in the lobby a little bit longer to meet her, but its worth all of it. Once when we were travelling to Europe, we wanted to find out if we needed any extra vaccines and called her office. She was kind enough to return our call the very day and spoke to us in the evening, giving us information about essential stuffs. It was very courteous of her to accept our call even later in the evening and still be so patient. I recommend her to anyone looking for a good doctor. However for people who don't like to wait, well then you got to look from some other practitioner. read more

She is the best dr ever! Been my dr for almost 25 years! She is kind caring takes her time with each and every patient!

I agree with the other reviewer, expect to wait an hour to see Dr. Cummings. She has been my Doctor for the last 20 years. Dr. Cummings is easy to talk to and very nurturing. This has been my experience. She will pursue a diagnosis until the patient is satisfied that all efforts for accurate results have been reached. Now days in the age of in and out in 15 minutes this is a rare quality in a Doctor. With many Doctors that I have seen anyway. If you want to pick a Doctor that will rush you in and out and refill you meds do not pick Dr. Cummings. If you are interested in a complete and accurate diagnosis then bring your favorite reading material and chill out, the end result will be quality and conscientious medical care. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Cummings for several years now and just switched to another Primary Care physician. I found myself going to urgent care far more frequently because: 1. I could not get a sick appointment for at least 2 weeks and 3+ weeks for a general appointment. 2. Every time I showed up for a scheduled appointment, I waited at least 30 min in the waiting room and 30-45 minutes in the exam room before seeing her. She is a great doctor but seeing her is completely impractical. read more

I have been seeing Dr. Cummings for a very long time. She was my doctor when I was a little girl, and she did it as a favor to my parents because she wasn't taking any new patients at the time. My mom has been her patient for over 20 years and she still says that she could never have a better doctor. She has always taken great care of my mother. I, personally, could live without the 1 to 3 hour waits to see her but when she finally gets into the room, she has always been a caring and efficient doctor and because of that I will keep going to her. read more

Healthy:I have had a physical here and even though I was the 1st patient of the day She arrived 45 min late and I was seen over an hour after I arrived. But during the physical I was impressed by how thorough she was and took her time w me. So I decided to make here my primary care physician. Sick: Today I am sick w difficulty breathing coughing and wheezing etc. I am 7 months pregnant and was told to contact my pcp for care. So I called dr Cummings office and explained my symptoms to the receptionist and she says Dr Cummings is off on Fridays but I can wait till Monday. Ok... I asked do u have any covering physicians that I can see today she said yes but he's booked but Monday you have an opening. Wow. I was not happy. Urgent care here I come. Why have a pcp if There are urgent cares and they hAve the time to see their patients. Ridiculous. read more

BTW, I did get a new Dr. Now my husband is waiting in the lobby over an hour past his appointment time. In the morning! I understand Dr. Cummings has cut back her hours, although if you can't keep on a timely schedule, it's time to retire. It's just not respectful to your patients. read more

Dr Cummings is truly a angel in Dr's clothing she's one in a million and I couldn't imagine ever changing doctors I've been her patient over twenty years and she is the best!!! read more

My sister and I have taken on a role of advocate for our mother who is a patient of Dr Cummings. It is hard to express the amount of frustration we feel dealing with her office. It is almost impossible to get an appointment when needed. On one occasion she had an appointment for a surgery clearance that she waited 3 weeks for only to have the office call the day before to cancel and want to reschedule for another 3 weeks out. This would have put the surgery clearance appt out past the scheduled surgery. When you can get an appointment be prepared to wait in both the waiting room as well as the examining room for a very long time. It is concerning to think of other elderly patients trying to navigate their heath care with this office without an advocate. We are counting the days until we are able to make a change to a different Primary doctor. read more

I had the pleasure of speaking with Doctor Cummings one evening 3 months ago due to a prescription I was prescribed for cholesterol. I call ER and she returned my call as she was on duty. The advice she provided me that evening I followed to the teeth for 3 months and thanks to her my cholesterol went down from 267 to 188, all natural no meds. I am very appreciative and thankful to her candid advice and wish there were more doctors like her around. read more

Dr. Cummings is a special breed of doctors. She is one of those unrecognized hero's of the modern age. I say this because I battled with doctors at Kaiser for almost two years complaining about shoulder pain and sleeplessness and they could not help me. At one point, a doctor at kaiser told me that my sleeplessness 'might all be mental'. At Kaiser, I saw an Internal Medicine doctor, an ENT specialist, an Allergist, and I was even referred to a rhumatologist for the shoulder pain. 2-3 hours of disturbed sleep per night/every night for almost 1.8 years. This affected my job performance, and was partly the reason for me being fired from a new job I had just acquired in my field. I am sometimes surprised that I survived it for so long. Because I lost my job, I had to go on my wife insurance, which means I left kaiser and ended up at good Samaritan. I also elected to go with Dr. Cummings because my wife had been a patient of hers for a very long time. Needless to say, the cycle began to repeat itself. I had an NMR and was sent to a specialist who could not see any issues. Remind you, that at Kaiser, they had already issued a 'sleep respirator' to help me breath at night. After physical signs failed to show up on tests, Dr. Cummings spend about 40min listening and asking me questions. She then took a moment and recommended that I go on antibiotics. She explained the results of the NMR scan of my nasal areas, and told me that there was a chance that was harboring a pathogen for all this time causing a Sinus infection. She also referred me to a Heart specialist for an 'Echo' in reference to my upper shoulder and upper deltoids pains that all the other doctors at kaiser described as 'musculo/skeletal related'. Three weeks after the antibiotics treatment, I began to sleep better. Within six weeks, I was finally sleeping without waking up intermittently. Unfortunately the heart specialist found that I had mild hypertension. I was also sent to 'Physical Therapy' to help strengthen my the muscles in my shoulder area. It only took me a couple of visits compared to almost two years at Kaiser. Overall, thanks to the little lady 'Dr. Cummings', I am still alive. Any issues you have with your insurance or paper work, is more a function of her staff than the doctor. She does spend the time with each patient. As far as the 'Wait Time', plan for it. Take an ipod, music, book or something else to keep you busy. It's worth it. Oh...yeh, she is not going to remember everything about your history. She has too many patients, and she does not need to remember everything about your case history as she walks through the door. Don't feel offended. Just remind her about your issues, and be sure to ask questions. read more

Small note to Nikki C.: Patience is absolutely worth with Dr. Cummings, even for servere pain.I just noticed this thread of discussion now, even the discussion has been long ago, I can't help to make my comment. I had an excruciating pain a couple of years ago. I knew I may have to wait to see Dr. Cummings, so I was suggested to see another doctor in the same building for diagnosis that day, and the result was nothing wrong with me and even I wasn't recommended followup. And the pain outbreaks happened once a month, each last for 3-4 days, then another servere pain came back 6 months later, so I went to an urgent care and wait for over hour in pain for diagnosis, again without any findings. I always trust Dr. Cummings professional abaility, so I went to Dr. Cummings even with 3 weeks waiting appointment. She is magic! After a-xay and CT followup, and many late hour calls by Dr. Cummings to sub-specialists, I got my diagnosis that I have cancer! Although my cancer is at advanced stage (it may not make difference if I were diagnosed 6 months earlier), I am so gratiful to Dr. Cummings - now I can receive appropriate pain management. Becuase of that, the quality of my current life is much better than before I know I have cancer. read more

The last 2 appointments I waited 3 hours. But a month ago she worked until 9:15pm to gather and present 32 pages of medical history from multiple sources for my disability claim. And charged me $20. I did sign up my daughter because I think Dr Cummings is unbelievable, but I'm changing my daughter to a new doctor, because if you only need a brief physical or a pap this is NOT the doctor for you. If you need a thoughtful caring advocate for complicated medical issues and interactions then you should invest the time and go with Dr C. A very caring human being. But I cannot figure why she can't at least give you an estimated time when you check in so you can do the grocery shopping and come back later. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Cummings for approx. 10 years and I can say she has been wonderful. However, she is often running late, so I schedule first thing in the morning, if possible. Also, if I have an emergency and have to get in with somebody else I try to schedule with Dr. Perkins. He's to the right when you get off the elevator. One last thing, Dr. Cummings staff is not as terrific as she is. I'd give them 3 stars. read more

I can't express how lovely Dr. Cummings is. I don't think she's even accepting new patients *right now* that's how popular she is...Yes, I do find truth in the other reviews that it does take a little wait to see her and don't even count on same day appts...usually this would irritate me because I get sick a lot in the winter, but I am just happy to even be her patient! She's the best general practitioner I've ever had! I also think the time problem could be easily be resolved if you schedule your appointments in a relatively timely manner..I know nobody knows when they're going to get sick, but for checkups, yes I would call ahead. Plus she's with SJ medical group (not my favorite med. group but...) and if it was an emergency you could almost definitely see one of their many qualified physicians the same or next day, so that's nice, too. She kindly went out of her way after our last appointment and gave me a bunch of free samples of a medication I take that is pretty expensive...Which I really appreciated a lot. Thanks Dr. Cummings! There needs to be more Dr.s and people like you! read more

I've been with Dr. Cummings for over 15 Years and she is the most concerned and dedicated Dr. I've ever had. She's always remained committed to making sure my health came first. I'd recommend her to anyone who needs a great Dr. read more

I have been a patient of Dr Cummings for twenty something years and i will never ever leave her practice. She is one the most kind hearted caring doctors i have ever been a patient of. One of a kind takes her time gets to bottom of whats wrong and sends you to a excellent specialist with out a hesitation. She is 100 percent worth the wait. I would trade her for anything thanks dr c read more

I used to work at San Jose Medial Group. I was the "Referral Desk" Lady, as most patients referred to me as...lol. Anyway, I was a little intimidated by Dr. Cummings at first. She's very meticulous, very nit picky, and can sometimes be even a little on the snotty side. Also, as the prior 3 reviewers noted, it is AT LEAST an hour wait from your original appointment time to see her. She often times had me on a "wild goose chase" to find doctors, nurses, specialists, etc. who can accommodate her patients according to their special needs. Often times she would have me doing these tasks long after I should have been gone for the day. But, honestly, I gotta tell you after I got the system down, I did not mind at all doing these things for her. This just showed me that Dr. Cummings truly cares about her patients and will do anything in her power to get them the treatment they need. I personally have never been a patient of Dr. Cummings, but almost 100% of her patients that ended up in my office all had the greatest things to say about her and her beside manner (they were even able to look past the LONG wait to see her). I highly recommend Dr. Cummings as a family practice doctor. Just keep in mind that you may need to take the entire morning, afternoon, or even DAY off of work to see her. :-) read more