Dr Arnstein is a fantastic doctor. From the moment he stepped in the room, he was very welcoming, asking all the appropriate questions, he had a good sense of humor, he was very nice, and we covered everything we needed to. The staff at his office were are also very friendly and helped me out right away. I am a Marine Veteran and a Registered Nursing Student, so I am very happy receiving proper care and courtesy. 5++++ Stars read more

The will rip you off for being a new patient with ~$500 as "new patient charges" !!!!! Had visited the office for ear wax removal for my son and got a $800+bill with about $500 for new patient charges .... read more

Here's an updated version of my previous review. I contacted the office at 650-498-3333 to file a complaint, seeking a refund of my deposit. A representative called within 48 hours, agreeing to the refund but mentioning delays due to a bank change. I expressed frustration over the time wasted and the need for a new doctor referral due to incompetent front staff. Instead of a refund, I requested an immediate appointment, which the representative agreed to schedule. However, nine days passed with no callback. I called the office on 6/28/23, asking to speak to the office manager. They said the manager was in a meeting and promised to call back, but no call was received. Today, the front office called, offering an appointment on August 29th, stating they were overbooked. When I mentioned the manager's unreturned call, they claimed the manager wasn't available. After being put on hold, she came back and said the manager was "not on the floor" right now. I responded, "of course they aren't," so she hung up on me! This is unacceptable patient treatment. I have re-filed the complaint, and I will provide further updates to all of you on YELP. read more

He saw my children and performed a few surgeries. Over the years I worked with him I had reservations and issues ongoing. He pushes surgeries easily and from talking with other mothers they have had the same experiences. His clinic is very outdated, as is he; I am surprised he is not retired. His bedside manner is not warm and he is not patient with children. I would highly avoid if taking kids and go to ENT at Stanford Childrens instead who are highly experienced with children. My daugther has medical PTSD from working with him and we have been working through that for the past several years. I also attempted to complain, only to have my concerns unheard and walk by him talking badly about me and my children; very unprofessional. The wait time is always horrendous and you will wait 30-45 in the waiting area even if on time. I do not recommend this provider at all. read more

Well, Dr Arnstein seems like he knows what he's doing. Operative word, "seems". I went to him with trouble breathing at night. He diagnosed me with enlarged turbinates and a deviated septum and recommended some very very invasive radiosurgery and nasal steroid injections. About 50% of my visits ended with me holding up a napkin to some bleeding part of my nose. It was a lot of very constant visits, which did pose a problem to my schedule at the time, but I endured it with patience, hoping it would pay off. I can only imagine money had a lot to do with having me come back as frequently as possible for lots of invasive procedures. In his defense, Dr. Arnstein has excellent bedside manner, and I mean excellent. He's witty, knowledgeable and sympathetic, or at least that's the impression I got. He can definitely put me at ease and made me feel secure in my decision to go with lots of brutal steroid injections that I now regret. Well, all this treatment culminated in a surgery that I now know was a mistake. Later ENTs I went to would acknowledge that the deviated septum he tried to fix was still deviated. My recovery from surgery was pure agony for four weeks and ultimately the surgery solved little for my problem because my turbinates popped back like daisies. Good job, Doc. My faith in you did not pay off. In addition, Dr. Arnstein is semi-retired now (incessantly on vacation) and his office is constantly overbooked. I got delays of up to two hours at a time waiting for him and waits of months between routine visits. I understand when one gets on in years, one feels like spending much more time with family, but perhaps let another doctor in your office take over instead of keeping patients waiting. Long story made short: would not recommend. read more

I had surgery on my sinuses with Dr. Arnstein last week. I read all of the reviews and I'm so glad I didn't let any of them deter me from coming to this office. I will say Dr. Arnstein isn't a "hand holding" "sit at your bedside" type of doctor but that is not what I need in a doctor/surgeon. I have my family for that. I need a doctor who can do his job and Dr. Arnstein did an AMAZING job!!!! I just experienced the best night of sleep I've had in years!! His office staff are friendly whenever I go in and haven't had any problems anytime I've called. If you are worried you aren't being heard, then maybe request a CT scan. They have one in house which is super convenient (just be prepared to pay for it or have good insurance). read more

I first saw Dr. Arnstein years ago in high school and thought he was good at the time - we did sinus x-rays and he diagnosed acute sinus issues based on my many years of excess mucous production and related illnesses. He recommended getting my tonsils and adenoids out and I got that procedure done by a different doctor. Based on the x-rays, Dr. Arnstein recommended a sinus surgery, but I declined because I didn't want to miss any swimming or water polo time in high school and the surgery would've caused me to miss much of the sports seasons. Fast-forward to 2013 when I am graduated from college and back in San Jose and still suffering from excess mucous and sinus problems - I saw him in Winter 2013 and didn't expect Dr. Arnstein to remember seeing me years ago, but he didn't listen AT ALL when I told him that I'd been a patient of his 6-7 years ago and been x-rayed and that he recommended sinus surgery. Whatever I said went in one ear and out the other. He asked if I lived with dogs, and at the time I was living with my mom and our two dogs (Bichon Frises, known for causing no allergic problems), and he insisted that my problems must be from the dogs. He then completely disregarded my statement that I didn't live with dogs in college for the 5 years I was there, but still suffered the same sinus problems. He pretty much laughed in my face when I mentioned that he had recommended sinus surgery years ago, and told me to "not get ahead of myself." He ultimately insisted that my problem was allergic no matter what I said, and gave me two samples of Nasonex nasal spray (I told him nasal spray had never worked for me but he didn't listen), and he told me to come back if I still had issues. I have now lived on my own (no dogs have even entered my apartment) for three months and still have the same problems I've always had. Go figure. I'd recommend Dr. Arnstein if you want a wooden, old man devoid of any personality. If you like waiting for 15 minutes to see the Dr. for 10 minutes and leave you with a sample or two and no concrete answers, this is the guy for you! Thanks for wasting my time and making me feel like a complete moron, Dr. Arnstein. I hope you read this! read more

I have to admit that Dr. Arnstein is not a very warm and fuzzy person. He is a very serious and anal (described by other docs too) doctor. He wanted reassurance on something he suspected to be malicious... only one 1% of the Americans have it apparently... and so I went to a specialist for an biopsy. Turned out he was right and I had to go into an emergency surgery. If it wasn't for Dr. Arnstein who is so anal... i don't think I would've been here today. So I really thank him for saving my life. Typically the surgery is only 2-3 hours too but he spent so much time on me. He said my surgery went for 4+ hours because my veins were smaller than usually. So he had to put extra sensors and things to ensure he wasn't damaging anything. He is so detailed and thorough in all his surgical reports that my other docs were impressed as well. He is such a great doctor and I have nothing bad to say about him. If you want a warm + fuzzy person he is not the person to go to. But if you want a great surgeon and a doctor you have found the right person. Btw - I did realize that Dr. Arnstein sometimes do have to cancel your appt last min or is running late.. .I have to admit I was annoyed at first but then I realized its because he is saving lives. He is often late because he wants to stay in the surgery room longer with the patient to ensure everything's fine and better to be safe than sorry. He also comes back to the hospital to visit the patient after the surgery is completed. Very caring doctor just ... sometimes he does make bad jokes :) it doesn't bother me much anymore though. read more

Full disclosure: I never saw Dr Arnstein, this review is strictly based on his scheduling practice. Called to make an appointment and had to schedule two and a half weeks out. The day before my appointment, his staff called to cancel because he had scheduled a procedure and was then going to be on vacation so "getting into him wasn't going to be easy". So in the meantime I could have gone elsewhere but now I have to wait at least another week before I can get an appointment with someone else. Will not attempt to book with this practice again. read more

I saw Dr Arnstein for the first time today, and it was a very good experience. The office staff, from the initial phonecall through today, were friendly, efficient, and welcoming. The office was decent, not fancy but seemed clean and nice. Most importantly, I really like Dr Arnstein. He was thorough and reassuring, took plenty of time with me, and answered all my questions. I appreciated his sense of humor and thought he was very personable and kind. I will definitely return to him when I need another visit with an ENT doctor. read more

Really poor experience with the office staff and insurance billers. Doc is great but won't be back until he hires more competent front and back office support! read more

We did have a bit of a wait but the staff was super pleasant. Dr. Arnstein was very good with my 5 year old. They had fun. We also saw the audiologist (not sure what you call the person who conducts the hearing test) Angelina and she was AMAZING with my son. He's been reticent to go to the appointment because the small audio test he did at the pediatrician was a frustrating experience. This woman did all the different words and all the button pushing and the different sounds and everything, and he had a really good time. He also asked her a lot of questions about what everything meant and what the results were and she very patiently explained everything to him. I was very pleased. Often people, especially when practices are not specifically for pediatrics, brush over the kid's comments and their feelings. That's not the case here! read more

Dr. Arnstein scoped my throat because of my hoarseness. He explained the results of what he had seen , and advised me as to possible remedies to lessen the hoarseness. I found him to be totally professional and he was very gentle during the procedure. I'm so glad I followed my Dr's advice and saw Dr Arnstein. read more

Couldn't tell you if the doctor is any good. But his office staff is anal retentive about how long it takes to do paperwork. Make sure you don't encounter any traffic on the way to your appointment because they'll tell you it takes exactly 20 minutes to fill out their forms and even though you'll probably end up sitting around the waiting room if they're like every other doctor's office on the planet, they'll say they need to reschedule and bring the next person in instead. Doesn't really seem to matter how trivial the reason for your visit might be. The important thing is that everybody knows you can't fill out medical forms in less than 20 minutes for goodness sake! TL;DR the office staff alone is worth a visit to a different doctor. Try these doctors instead: Lionel Nelson -- 408-358-6163 Michael Murray -- 408-227-6300 Philip Ho -- 408-378-8228 Sajjadi -- 408-358-8507 read more

I just left his office for my 6-year old's appointment. I arrived before the appointment and was asked for my paperwork. I never remembered seeing an email from them amidst the unreal amount of spam I receive. Heaven forbid. It was all downhill from there. The staff was cold and stiff that a mother with three children in tow didn't follow the rules. I then proceed to fill out duplicate questions on multiple forms. I was repeatedly asked by the front desk to fill out my marital status. What? I had written "not applicable" since this is truly no one's business. If they need to know how many possible homes full of allergens there are, then ask that question. The wait time was short and reasonable. The hallway was cramped and cluttered with equipment and there was a large hole in the arm of the medical chair where we were politely asked to wait for the doctor. Right before the doctor walked in, my one-year old decided to wake from her nap and scream as loud as possible due to her exhaustion and teething. Everything I did to calm her failed, so as she is screaming full blast in my ear, I try to have a dialogue with the doctor about what is going on. The doctor commented that I interrupted him and that I couldn't possibly be correct in my observations of my son's sleep. I have noticed in every medical office the behavior of the doctor trickles down through the staff. I work with surgeons every day. Surgeons are not the friendliest, but the good ones balance it out by listening and discussing bluntly, not disregarding, and hiring a helpful and friendly staff. read more

David P. Arnstein, M.D. is the BEST surgeon for your ENT issues!!! I had mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and my snoring caused my wife and me to sleep in different rooms. This is horrible for a marriage. Based on professional, peer group and web recommendations, I trusted Dr. Arnstein to remove my 3 year olds adenoids which in turn solved her snoring problem. When I was confronted with my own snoring issues I knew that Dr. Arnstein was the surgeon for whom I could trust. This was the right decision!!!! My ENT evaluation showed that my nose's airway path was broken in 3 different places (from childhood I can only assume) and that the airway in the back of my throat was obstructed due to a larger than normal thickness of my tongue, my larger than normal tonsils, and my elongated uvula. The surgery to solve my problem was said to be horrible. I was given my chances of success by Dr. Arnstein and with the odds in my favor, I decided to go ahead with the surgery. The surgery is called Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, or UPPP for short. I also had my nasal passage straightened out, or "bore out" as I say. The recovery was long and not as painful as some may say... meds help a lot. The end results speak for themselves. My wife said I snored an 11 out of 10 before the surgery and a 1.5 out of 10 after the surgery. My wife and I sleep in the same bed now and I have Dr. Arnstein to thank for this. He not only has made my 3 year olds life better, he has extended my life expectancy as well as improved my marriage. Dr. Arnstein is a valuable asset to our community and I hope he continues to offer his skills for many years to come. If you have OSA, or your spouse says you snore too loud, please give Dr. Arnstein the opportunity to better your life... I am sure you will be glad you did. read more

I made an apt the first week day in January. They said the earliest apt was early February . They called me on the day of my apt and told me that apt was canceled because his surgery from the mourning was taking longer then expected. The next apt was available was a month away. When I came in they didn't have me down for that apt. They had me down for the next week. But the receptionist had clearly told me it was that day, I even put in to my ca lander when we were talking, I also repeated what she had told me and she told me it was correct. I canceled the apt that they had me down for and now am seeing a different Dr in the same office because they don't do surgeries or at least not on Mondays. read more

i greatly appreciate Dr. Arnstein and his entire office. When i came down with an acute condition, even with the day's schedule full, they worked me in. They were very understanding about the nature of my case. The years of experience and expertise Dr. Arnstein brings to every case is superb. I find his beside manner patient, wry and understated; never condescending. He will answer any question/concern as thoroughly as you please. He is the ONLY e.n.t. for me! read more

Laryngomalacia....the word we were told our daughter had. It all started just 2 weeks after she was born when we began hearing heavy snoring like breathing. We went to several Drs from weekly weight checks at the pedestrians, to Gastrointestinal, Heart, and ENT's. When we first went to Dr Arnstein he did a scope down her nose while she sat on my lap. He was very gentle with her. It was a quick 30 seconds or so and he was done. From what he could see by doing this scope (he could only go down so far with her awake) was that she had floppy cartilage which he had suspected. That cartilage was causing her noisy breathing (stridor). He was thorough with explaining it and showing us everything on a big monitor. Dr Arnstein along with our pediatrician told us as long as she continues to thrive and gain weight we will just wait it out and by 24 months, like most kids with Stridor, it should go away on its own. My husband and I both hoped and prayed that this would be the case also. However by the time she turned 3 months she was gaining weight at a very very slow rate and she was working way to hard to breath which was heartbreaking to watch. Her chest was retracting far to much. Our pediatrician said it was time to have her scoped while being sedated to really see what was going on in her throat. When we called to scheduled the appt with Dr Arnstein the lady who does the scheduling was so kind. I believe her name is Diane, she got me an appt immediately and helped settle my nerves by being very sympathetic... at this point I was of course crying just thinking about bringing her in. Sedation is a scary thing. The procedure went just as Dr Arnstein said it would. We were in and out of Good Sam in under an 1.5hrs, although to us it felt like a lifetime. Once Dr was done he came out to the waiting area and told us (along with pictures) that she did infact have severe laryngomalacia. This was not something she would grow out of as we had all hoped. We scheduled the procedure to have the Layrangoscopy. Again we were terrified. The procedure again went as planned. We checked into Good Sam and Dr had her for about 2 hrs performing the surgery. Once she woke up fully from the sedation we were able to see her. She did wonderful. As hard as it was being in the NICU with her for 2nights/3days it was by far the best decision we ever made. Her breathing was instantly better and she was no longer struggling. We have no one to thank more than DR ARNSTEIN! Our daughters life is forever changed thanks to this man who gave her the best treatment possible. read more

Absolutely horrible service. Scheduled an appointment over a month ago. Arrived 30 minutes early for a 2:30 appointment and finally left at 3:35 WITHOUT seeing the doctor!!! ZERO RESPECT and horrible customer service!!! read more

Dr. Arnstein has been following my daughter for over a year now. My pediatrician warned me he could be a little abrupt, but I haven't found it to be the case. He is direct and doesn't sugar coat anything which, quite frankly, is what you want from a doctor. With children however, he is very gentle and has no trouble examining my two year old. He recently replaced her ear tubes and took out her adenoids. The surgery went very well and she recovered quickly. He also recommended we start her on a daily antihistamine medication which has made a huge difference. He is the only doctor to notice she has a heart murmur and insisted we have it checked out before the surgery. It turned out to be an innocent murmur but something that should be monitored so I am very grateful he brought it up, especially since none of her pediatricians ever noticed it. The only reason I am giving the practice four stars instead of five is because they don't usually answer the phone and will call back when you leave a message. read more

Very nice staff and yes, he does have a personality! They were very busy and I did have to wait a bit, but don't you usually wait at a doctor? Nice big waiting room and great service all around. I liked him very much. read more

Dr. Arnstein saved my son's life! My 2 y/o son choked on a raw carrot chunk and had wheezing and rapid breathing, but could talk, was playful and not in distress. Good Samaritan's ER physician informed me that they did not have a pediatric ENT doctor available and that we would be transferred to LPCH soon. In less than 30 minutes, Dr. Arnstein arrived and said he was not on-call, but did come in for us - at 7:30 PM. He did a good job explaining the operative procedure to me and being playful with my son, who typically has stranger anxiety, but did not with Dr. Arnstein and the OR team at Good Sam. In the operating room, Dr. Arnstein found the situation to be much more serious. The carrot chunk was very large, but he and his team did fantastic work. Now 1 week later, my son is back to 100% normal and we are very appreciative of Dr. Arnstein's expertise and TLC! THANK YOU!!! read more

Dr. Arnstein did a procedure on our child. He may or may not be a competent doctor but has no bedside manner whatsoever. We found him extremely arrogant, uncaring, cold, and quick to order more procedures. Dr. Arnstein will make sure you feel worse than you already do after speaking with him. I have never seen him smile. He gives a strong impression you are a great inconvenience to him. In my humble opinion, Dr Arnstein should not interact with the public but instead consider doing research work alone. read more

I just want to update my review and say that Dr. Arnstein did such a great job on my surgery. I had no problem speaking immediately after when I have heard horror stories of people losing or having damaged voice for my kind of surgery. Dr. Arnstein saved my life. read more

The care that Dr. Arnstein has given to my family over the years is truly exceptional. He is very thorough and calming when explaining your condition, and always recommends the best course of action. His experience and professionalism are off the charts, and he puts a great deal of effort into your specific needs. He does have a dry sense of humor, which I find very funny and always lightens the mood. The office is comfortable and accommodating, and the wait time is what you would expect from a doctors office. Like others have said, it is possible you may be rescheduled, but when someone is saving lives on a daily basis, this can only be expected. To sum up, Dr. Arnstein is the best of the best! read more

A great doctor. Has done surgery on my daughter (who was unable to sleep because of chronic allergy issues due to cats and carpeting in our house) and myself. The outcome was that my daughter started seeping better almost immediately and my symptoms were also relieved to a large extent. He discovered that I had Gerd when all other doctors (allergy, personal physician etc.) had failed. read more

I took my 12 year old son to see Dr. Arnstein last week. We waited 45 minutes before seeing the doctor. When the doctor appeared, he seemed nice enough so I was almost past my annoyance at the lengthy wait, until the doctor suggested we put our 'cat in a ziplock bag and put him in the microwave' (to help with allergies that my son may have)....joking or not, TOTALLY inappropriate! Today I found that one of the orthodontic xrays that I had taken to Dr. Arnstein for review was missing. Suprising since the doctor told me he didnt need to look at them as 'they wouldn't really tell him anything more than what he could see with his own eyes'. I called the office and low and behold, they have it in his chart!! read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Arnstein for about 10 years. The treatment that my family and I have received has been beyond compare. When my daughter had cancer a couple of years ago, we immediately went to consult with Dr. A. He was very reassuring and comforting. My daughter felt completely comfortable and trusting with Dr. A. I sweated bullets in the waiting area, I hope the people who complain about their appointment being delayed or moved think about what is happening in someone else' life at the time they are moaning about waiting a few minutes. My daughter had a stellar outcome and a scar that virtually no one can see - not the norm for this type of surgery. If his jokes offend you, his work and commitment to being the Best will not. My daughter is cancer free and now graduating from UCSB - obviously I am as big a fan as they come. Be careful the ease of posting negative reviews on the internet does not make you less sensitive to the difficulty and stress that goes along with the pressure of caring for the lives of patients and their families. Have I been rescheduled, yes, has the receptionist been testy, yes. Has Dr. A been in a rush sometimes, yes. Is there anyone I would recommend more highly than Dr. A for taking first class care of you and your family, NO! No one is perfect, this is a surgeon doing his absolute best for me and you. You can't have it all, but I am so glad I had Dr. A when I really needed him for my daughter. read more

Went to Dr. Arnstein via referral from my family doctor for a sinus problem. Was seen for a 10 minute 'consultation' and charged close to $400. Am I supposed to pay another $400 for an actual diagnosis and recommendation for treatment? His office was very unreasonable with my request to reduce the exorbitant charges and my complaint regarding there lackluster service. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Arnstein for the last 5 or 6 years and have always been happy with his work. He is incredibly meticulous and I have never had cause for a follow up after seeing him. His diagnoses are always accurate and he is very knowledgeable of the most beneficial prescriptions. I have often come home to see Dr. Arnstein after seeing other doctors at my college campus. He listens to you as a patient and is absolutely one of the best doctor's I have ever seen. read more

I saw Dr. Arnstein today. He was both thorough and knowledgeable. I highly recommended.

I would never see any other doctor but Dr. Arnstein! He is the most amazing and thorough doctor I have ever seen. He took my tonsils out (as an adult), and I had a very easy recovery because of his careful and meticulous surgical skills. He is incredibly knowledgeable about different kinds of antibiotics and really listens when you are in with him. He also took all off my other health concerns into consideration when making medication/surgical recommendations. I would highly recommend him. read more

First of all lets start with Dr. Arnstein, he did surgery on my daughter 4 yrs ago, and I have been going to that office for many years. I have nothing but great things to say about this fantastic doctor. My daughters surgery was long and scary and he did a great job. We had no problems before during or after. Dr. Arnstein is so warm and compassionate, he does have a dry sense of humor which I love, but some people just don't get it (too bad) maybe you need to just lighten up alittle! The office is very busy, and the doctors there are very highly regarded in this community. THEY ARE SURGEONS and so yes you may from time to time get a call to reschedule, but that is beyond their control, you have to expect this from a specialist. I NEVER waited for a month for an appt. even when I was new. Also if I ever had a call to reschedule they always tried to get me in asap. NEVER a month. I feel sorry for people that feel they have to slam such wonderful doctors. They are here to help us and this is the thanks they get??? read more