Just called to schedule an appointment with Dr. Ficks, based on all the great reviews she has…read morereceived. Unfortunately, I was informed that she is now only taking HMO patients, she no longer accepts other insurance like Medicare, PPOs, or cash. Bummed.

I was referred to Dr Ficks by my sister in law who has very high standards, and I can see why she…read morereally liked Dr Ficks. Dr Ficks is very thorough, detailed and explorative for solutions. She explained things in great detail and was easy to talk to openly. I feel very encouraged that she is going to be able to address long ongoing issues. I wish I had found her years ago!

I highly recommend Dr. Rick Buyalos and his team. Compared to other physicians I consulted, he…read moredemonstrated exceptional expertise in interpreting hormonal changes and follicle development, and consistently made thoughtful, individualized decisions based on my lab work. Beyond his clinical skill, Dr. Buyalos showed genuine compassion and integrity. He supported me with patience and honesty, which helped rebuild my confidence despite my age. During financial difficulty, he even worked to reduce fees so I could continue treatment--something I deeply appreciated. Although I did not achieve the outcome I had hoped for, his guidance--especially our conversations about considering donor eggs--has stayed with me. Looking back, I recognize there were times I struggled to accept that reality, but he remained supportive throughout the entire process. I'm grateful for his care and professionalism, and for the way he treated me as a person, not just a patient.

I cannot say enough about this amazing doctor! Prior to going to Dr. Buyalos I was going to another…read moreIVF facility for five years and when I changed to Dr. B the difference in care was immediately 10 times better! This man genuinely cares about his patients! I can tell it's not for the money it's for the happiness other others! Thank you so much Dr. B.

My (adult onset T1 diabetic for eleven years) boyfriend has been a patient of Dr. Thorsell's team…read morefor years, and we have previously been to a number of other endocrinologists in SLO, SF, NYC, and OC. None have been half as competent or caring. Her staff is friendly, helpful, and timely. We've never waited more than 15 minutes to be seen. Refills are faxed promptly to our pharmacy. We are treated with respect, which is unusual in the healthcare realm (what? your patient isn't an absolute moron?!?). They've done more for his diabetes management than any other endo, and on top of that, they can personally relate to type 1 diabetes, which helps immensely. Despite the fact that I love being able to reach them and get stuff dealt with quickly, and I don't want her to become another overbooked SLO doctor's office, I recommend Dr. Thorsell to everyone I meet who needs an endocrinologist.

Dr. Ashley Thorsell is dangerously bad at caring for type 1 diabetics!…read more At my appointment she was condescending and rude! She kept insisting that I do things her way. (Even though I told her multiple times that I had already tried her suggestions and they didn't work for me because they negatively affected my health!) Living with type 1 diabetes for 28 years, I'm not exactly an amateur at managing a diabetic lifestyle and would appreciate not being treated like one. Then to add insult to injury, she kept insisting that I follow her "meal plan". When I told her that I don't have time to do that, even though I made an effort to, she made a comment that she has a 1 year old at home and still has time to eat with that meal plan! (Her "meal plan" causes my blood sugar levels to be low for most of the day which is problematic because I have 2 young kids at home. I don't have time for my blood sugar levels to be constantly low!) Stubborn behavior like that just proves how little she listens to her patients! Because, I told her multiple times that I'm a stay at home mom! I'm "glad" she has the time to eat her "meal plan" during a paid lunch break while she's at work and her child is being cared for by somebody other than their own mother (actually that may be a good thing for the child) but that routine doesn't work for me. Being a doctor she should be a little more open to the possibility that other people live different lifestyles than her own if she wants to succeed. Her office staff isn't any better either! (Maybe there is something in the office water?) For the entire time that I was a patient of Dr. Ashley Thorsell, they showed the upmost incompetence. Never once managing to be capable of a task as simple as handling my diabetes supply order. The diabetes supply company even tried to get them to cooperate multiple times. The inability of the entire office to perform their jobs correctly ultimately led to having to switch endocrinologists. I highly suggest ALL of her type 1 diabetic patients do the same! Word of advise for those considering Dr. Ashley Thorsell as your possible endocrinologist... JUST DON'T!

Endocronologist appointment with Dr Harshit Shah- He truly listens to you and is very thorough…read more He'll send you for labs and ultrasound; he'll work with your primary care and other specialists. He won't stop until he gets to the bottom of things and you are satisfied! #ajoyoustaxresult

Dr. Duggal and NP Kori Williams are great providers. However, their scheduling staff does not…read moreprovide great service. I received a voicemail that Kori Williams is no longer with the group. I called to schedule a new appointment. I left three messages from July 31 till today, August 7. Nobody called back. I tried the prompt for new patients twice and they would hang up when it is my turn. Dr. Duggal needs to do something with her scheduling staff. Their attitude does not reflect a good image for their group.

The schedule department is still beyond horrible! They put u on hold than immediately hang up on u.read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Lai for over 15 years. During that period of time he has moved two or…read morethree times and is now located in Santa Maria, rather than having an office in the five cities area or SLO. His practice has become extremely busy as he sees, mainly people with diabetic issues, overweight, and complications of diabetes. I see him for a thyroid issue and I am on maintenance medication. I had a test recently that indicated that I needed a slender needle biopsy of nodules in my thyroid. The office just told me to go and get it without any referral information or direction on where to go for this procedure or how to set up an appointment. The nurse at my primary care, doctors office understood the importance of this to determine if there was cancer or not in the nodule, and she set up the appointment for me. I would not recommend using Dr. Lai , unless you are a diabetic, overweight, or have other symptoms or issues that fall into that category.

I never met Dr. Lai. I was treated by a nurse and then have been builded repeatedly as out of…read morenetwork hundreds of dollars when my insurance is in network. I have been try to resolved this for 9 months. No picks up the phone. The billing is handled by some remote company and the two talked to one another. I've wasted days (approximately 10 calls each 2 hours long)( on this.

I had a very positive experience with Dr. Goldfarb. She is knowledgeable, attentive, and takes the…read moretime to really listen to your concerns without making you feel rushed. I appreciated how clearly she explained everything to my aunt and made sure she understood her options. The office was well-organized, and the staff was professional and friendly, which made the whole visit smooth from start to finish. It's not always easy to find a doctor who combines expertise with genuine care, but Dr. Goldfarb does exactly that. Overall, I would definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a skilled and compassionate specialist.

I would NOT recommend Dr Goldfarb for parathyroid surgery. She performed parathyroid surgery on my…read morefamily member and first of all blatantly lied after surgery about how many parathyroids she took out. Right after surgery she said they took one "and a little bit", then in the following days tells my family member 3 were taken out. She also failed to send my family member home taking calcium after the surgery (standard procedure at the best in the country Norman Parathryroid center in Tampa, we have a family member who had parathyroid surgery here). She waited for calcium to get low and have symptoms before treating rather than trying to prevent from going low in the first place. Since then we have had nothing but issues and almost a year later now my family member is suffering from hypoparathyroidism and having to take calcium everyday to prevent symptoms of low calcium, which the internet says this is usually a result of damage caused during surgery. I am convinced she is the cause of all of this. The said she had to dig around and go almost to the spine to find one and I think she damaged something causing the patient to now have a life long issue. The endocrinologist are now saying the parathyroid may never come back and my family member may have to be on calcium for the rest of their life (risking kidney stones) or medication which is a shot every day to manage the PTH levels. On top of that, Dr Goldfarb's surgery left a huge noticeable scar on the neck of the patient. We are now questioning whether the surgery was even necessary. Prior to this, there were no symptoms no issues besides slightly high calcium and slightly elevated PTH showing up on bloodwork and now it is a daily struggle to manage and no doctor in town seems to know what is going on. Dr Goldfarb was cocky and over confident and dismissive when questions were asked about difficulties with parathyroid surgeries. She was also not proactive in working with the endocrinologist to help with these issues. I would never send anyone to this surgeon and certainly would NEVER allow her to cut my neck open. People need to be aware that parathyroid surgery isn't as simple as doctors make it out to be. I just wish my family member would have gone to UCLA or even Norman Parathyroid Center in Tampa or maybe didn't really even need the surgery to begin with but...surgeons make money off of surgery, dont they?

Great doctor. Understands health to the biological cellular level. He is a good problem solver on…read moreissues that go over the heads of most physicians. We are so grateful for his knowledge and wisdom. Has taught us a lot.

Dr. Saunders listens attentively, and takes time to assess all possible/probable causes of the…read moresymptoms I have described, and which he has observed. And then he orders thorough testing to get answers! (Why isn't this an obvious protocol with ALL doctors?) For many, many years, I was gaslighted by a number of doctors. It's such a profound relief to know I've been heard and understood, and not dismissed as being quasi-hysterical. Already, my health has improved, and will continue to improve. I will soon meet with Dr. Saunders again to go over the very latest tests, and begin treating the problem. I see in my online chart that there are abnormalities with the most recent test. I am 82 years old, and I expect to feel much younger and stronger going forward. My stress level has dropped significantly since I began my healing journey with Dr. Saunders.