I saw Dr. Demott at a health clinic in Berkeley. She was an hour late (after I had already waited an hour and a half just to get into the waiting room), she didn't apologize for the wait or introduce herself at all to me. She didn't state her credentials. She talked over me several times when I was answering her questions, she was incredibly slow, she did not ask for permission or give a warning before touching my body physically, and she did not do anything professional at the very end. She asked the same question multiple times to me. I do not recommend. If I see her again, I am leaving the room. read more

I agree with Chloe B. that the effeciency and responsiveness of Dr. DeMott's office could use a "bit" of improvement. Frustrating yes, but I wouldn't call them incompetent or dishonest however. I have had no problems with billing through at least 3 insurance coverages since I have been with Dr. DeMott. I enjoy my time with Dr. Demott when I come in for my annual check-up. And her referrals have worked out very well for me. So....4 Stars for the Deborah and 2 stars for the Office. read more

First Impression: The first time I met Dr. DeMott at Internal Medicine of Berkeley, I was thrilled. She took her time getting to know me, and communicated clearly. I have no problem with how she treated me. Perhaps this bad review should be more for this doctor's office than the doctor herself. Scoring: To be fair, I would have given Dr. Demott 4 stars based upon my initial visit. The office only deserves 1 if any. Overall, I give 2 stars. A great initial visit does not make up for the horrible follow-up care, and bad billing practices that I'll now explain. Inadequate Medical Attention: Since my first visit I've had several problems with this doctor's office. I came back from Mexico very sick in July. My mother was diagnosed with giardia after eating the same food as me. Not wanting to jump the gun on diagnosis, the doctor had me take several diagnostic tests. After taking the tests, I never heard back from her office. I called repeatedly, almost daily, for several weeks and no one returned my calls ever. After about a month, and continued stomach problems, I switched doctors. My new doctor did not run more tests, but he did treat me for giardia, just to be safe. Billing Practices: Now I would like never to deal with this doctors office again, but I am being erroneously billed by Internal Medicine of Berkeley. I contacted my insurance company, and they told me they already paid for the items I am being billed for. They sent me a copy of a letter they sent my doctor in November informing them that they should not be billing me. Nevertheless, they sent me another bill in December. Conclusion: I now think this doctors office is severely incompetent, or dishonest -- I'm not sure which. Maybe both. Based on my experience, I highly recommend staying away from this clinic. read more

It can be kind of a pain to change primary care physicians when you have an HMO, but after being Dr. Demott's patient for less than a year, every minute I sat on hold with Blue Shield to change my primary doctor to someone else was worth it. I have seen a good number of doctors in my time, and Dr. Demott's office is by far the most disorganized, under-staffed, and actually pretty unprofessional medical staff I've ever encountered. If there was just one or two isolated incidents in which Dr. Demott's staff made a referral mistake or I had to sit in the waiting room for over an hour to see the doctor for a previously scheduled appointment, I could write it off as "these things happen." The unfortunate thing is, I have encountered some kind of issue with literally every appointment I've made, or tried to make with this office. Here are issues that I have had with this office that you should absolutely never have to put up with as a paying and/or insured patient: 1. Waiting an hour and a half in the waiting room for a scheduled appointment. 2. Being told every time you need an ASAP appointment that the doctor is too booked to see you for a week. If the doctor is too booked to see her patients, she needs to stop accepting new patients. 3. Calling more than twice to make sure that your doctor has sent the referral for a specialist that you requested several weeks ago, because of course, it has yet to be sent. 4. Getting billed for co-pays you've already paid (and have the receipts and credit card statements to prove it). 5. Calling during business hours and hearing "The office is now closed" on more than one occasion, even when it's 9:30 and the office opens at 9 am. 6. Regularly having to leave a voicemail during business hours because nobody is available to take your call at the front desk. A good portion of these issues might be solved by doing two things: 1. switching from paper to computers (Sutter East Bay has been on this track for awhile now), and 2. hiring another person for the office. The final one would have to be that Dr. Demott needs to stop accepting new patients if she can't really accommodate them. I am not paying for health insurance to not be seen by a doctor and wait in her office all day. My insurance isn't paying her for my appointments so that I can get rebilled for co-pays, either. read more

Like other reviewers I also got billed incorrect by Berkeley internal medicine. Like other reviewers I think the office staff is horrible. I was mischeduled several times, and ignored. Received no follow up on things like physicals. Demott seems very busy, like she is triaging hundreds of patients in a war zone, instead of operating a private practice in Berkeley CA! read more

As someone in their 20's, it was a little off-putting when I stepped into Dr. Demott's office for the first time and realized, whoa, everyone here is at least double if not triple my age. However, Dr. Demott is very genial and has never rushed me whenever I visited, and was also never condescending, as I'm sure none of my health problems are as pressing as the other patrons here. One time, she had me try out a prescription, and actually personally called me later on that week to ask me how it was working out for me! Super nice! There is definitely a wait time, even with an appointment, but I think this is true of most doctors' offices. As someone who doesn't visit the doctor very often, I don't see myself switching anytime soon. read more

Is there a zero star option? I tried to sign up as a new patient and got a ton of attitude from the receptionist. Dr. Deborah wasn't accepting new patients but Dr. Ross in her office was. The receptionist asked me to double check that Dr. Ross is in the network. I told her that yes he is because I got his name from the Blueshield PPO website. She wanted me to call Blueshield and verify before making an appointment. She said that information is not always correct. After I protested that blueshield will probably refer me to their website, she immediately said uh uh, we don't want you because I am not following her direction. WHAT?! I am flabbergasted! Go ahead, be a patient at this medical "care" facility and let them play with your life and your financial future. read more

Dr. Demott has been my primary care physician for at least 15 years, (possibly longer but I'm terrible about dates) and I have nothing but praise for her as a doctor. She actually listens carefully to her patients, explains things thoroughly, offers choices, etc. Unlike some male doctors I've had in my life, she doesn't treat me like a hysterical female when I know something is wrong with me. All in all, I find her to be compassionate, caring and thoroughly competent. I have HeathNet and it's always been easy for me to get the referrals I need when I needed someone other than a general doctor. My only minor complaint is that it's sometimes hard to get appointments that aren't a month away; but other that that I'm very pleased with her as my doctor. read more

I was sorry to read the other reviews about Dr. Demott. I have been her patient for the past two years and have received nothing but the best care and support from her. She always has time for me and answers all of my questions and reassures me during my hypochondriac moments. I have seen several specialist and have never been refused a referral. I feel fortunate to have found such a tolerant and gracious doctor, especially when I can't even get my GYN to show up to my appointments or return my calls. The women at the front desk are always pleasant and up for friendly banter. I have never had any insurance issues arise from her office. In her absence, I have seen her partner Dr. Andrew Ross and he was fine too. read more

I wish I'd read Yelp reviews before selecting Dr. Demott. I mostly selected this dr. based on proximity -- and I needed a new primary care physician quickly. My insurance had changed, and I have been getting treatment for a broken hand (which is still in a cast). The way my HMO (healthnet) works, I need a referral from my primary care physician in order to see the orthopedist who is treating my hand. I phoned Dr. Demott on a Thursday, needing a referral for my orthopedist appointment the following Wednesday. My new insurance had just gone into effect (although I had selected Dr. DeMott from their list several weeks earlier), and I already had the appt. scheduled. I left a detailed message on her voicemail, explaining the situation. I got no call back, and called again on Friday morning, again leaving a detailed message (in both cases explaining that she was my primary care physician and I needed a referral from her prior to my Wednesday appt.) Again, no call back. On Tuesday (Monday was a holiday) I called again, this time trying to speak to anyone in the office. The receptionist told me that Dr. Demott was not taking new patients, even though she had been assigned to me through my insurance company. I totally understand that such snafus can happen, but I really thought it was egregious of the dr. to not return my call to let me know, given that she knew my hand was broken and I needed a referral. She also knew that as far as I or my insurance company knew, she was my primary care physician. Given the fact that this had happened, I asked if she might be willing to give me the referral as my assigned doctor, and I would go ahead and find another doctor. I was told there was absolutely no way she would do that. I understand some doctors have a policy of not giving referrals without seeing you (although, honestly, I think for a broken hand most doctors would give a referral without having you come in -- my previous doctor did, and my physician husband would, and the doctor I wound up finding did). But even if a doctor had this policy, I would think a she might be willing to bend this policy when it was her own fault that I was scrambling at the last minute. She could have easily returned my call immediately, said she was not taking new patients, apologized for the confusion, and sent me on my way. However, she chose to take absolutely no responsibility or action, even though she was my assigned doctor. I thought long and hard about writing this review, because I have obviously not been treated by Dr. DeMott. But I do think her treatment of me speaks volumes about how she thinks about patients in general. Even though she was my assigned primary care physician, knew I had a broken hand, and knew I needed to see an orthopedist she didn't return my phone calls. Unfortunately, in this time of HMOs, complicated insurance policies, etc. the way a doctor and her office interfaces with these services matters almost as much as the treatment they give you in the exam room. Dr. DeMott prevented me from receiving timely care and took absolutely no responsibility for her actions. I honestly don't understand why she didn't call me back, because it would have been a very simple and professionally appropriate thing for her to do. Her receptionist did give me the name of another doctor in another office who might be seeing knew patients. His office was incredibly helpful and professional, and got me the referral immediately (without needing to have me come in). I guess that's how Dr. Demott's office earned their star. read more

Called for an appointment and was told that Dr. Demott does not take patients without insurance, even though i had the cash. They said they would think about about it and call me back, they never did. When i called back 2 days later they had no good reason why she would refuse a cash patient. I've never encountered a doctor who didn't take cash patients. To me this indicates greed and no real care for people in pain, but i can't know for sure as I don't know the industry. Definitely sounds like some evilness in my book though, glad I avoided this place. read more

Dr. Demott is currently my primary care physician and I am physically worse off because of it. I was trying to come up with descriptions of Dr. Demott and I immediately thought of uncaring and hurtful. I suffer from a chronic medical condition and recently I have had difficulties. I have requested Dr. Demott's help multiple times, but she has made no attempt to aid me. Her lack of empathy has caused my condition to worsen and my whole experience with her has been very upsetting. If I had the ability to find another primary care physician, I would do so immediately. This is the worst experience I have ever had with a doctor. Save yourself and do not go to her! If you are looking for a doctor who isn't helpful, who is unapproachable, and who is uncaring, then Dr. Demott would be a great doctor for you. read more

She's not the warm cuddly type, but she seems to really read the journals and keep current with primary care. She never hesitates to request screening tests, and always refers me to needed specialists. She listens carefully to my concerns and comments, and is nonintrusive in terms of her medical interventions! read more

Dr. Demott is a low-key, thorough doctor who pays close attention to her patients--to both their words and their bodies. She is not chatty, but is very present. Having had to change doctors three times in the last 8 years, I've been going to her since 2007, and she has really grown on me. I feel quite fortunate to have found her. read more

I actually just put Dr. DeMott's name into google to get the office phone number and saw all these bad reviews, so I thought I'd weigh in. I'm really surprised the reviews are bad. I agree, the office doesn't run as smoothly as it should, but I've seen worse (much, much worse). Also, this entry is supposed to be for her, not her practice, so I don't really think it's fair to rate her badly because her office is bad. Unfortunately, insurance doesn't really pay enough to have 5-star offices anymore. I really like Dr. DeMott, she generally spends the right amount of time with me, I never feel rushed, and she's not the least bit condescending. I've seen a lot of different primary care doctors over the past 18 years (more than 20), and only two of them I can say would earn 5 stars from me, most would earn 1 or 2 stars, so she's well above average in my experience. In fact, I go well out of my way to go to her since I moved because I don't want to switch. I would say the only thing I'd change is her enthusiasm for the newest, most expensive drugs, but I probably wouldn't care about that as much if my insurance actually covered them... read more

I have to say that I love this office, both Drs. Demott and Ross. They see a lot of patients in a day, which his the name of the game in internal medicine. They run late, which can be annoying. Until you realize that they're going to spend extra time with you you're annoyed. But then when they do spend extra time listening to your stuff? You are a-OK about checking in a little late. read more

Dr. DeMott has been my physician for many years and helped me through several severe illnesses. I cannot take the office anymore and therefore I have joined Kaiser Permanente read more

Dr.DeMott is a wonderful doctor. She's been my physician for years, and her wisdom and sound judgment are a godsend. Early on, she correctly diagnosed problems that other doctors missed. She's thorough, intelligent and supportive. She listens carefully. She's always there when you need her. Her referrals have been great. With some new staff, her office is pleasant and efficient. There's also a convenient parking lot. She has provided excellent care over the years. Dr. DeMott is simply the best doctor I've ever had. read more

Dr. Demott is a kind person, but I found her lack of interest in root causes of my condition alarming. Month after month, I had a prescription for Ambien filled (although every time, I had to call the office at least twice to have them send it to the pharmacy after it had not been filled). This went on for two years, and never once did she recommend stress reduction courses, CBT, or other treatments to help my insomnia. When I started with Kaiser, the first thing they did was make moves to get me off Ambien, which I had taken every day for 4 years. I wish she treated the cause, and not just the symptom. read more

I'd rather have a good doctor and a mediocre office staff. Dr DeMott is thorough and catches things others have not. Really helpful.

The billing department and the doctor are awful. I have been accused of not paying my bill when I had insurance. I was studying in England for a year and came back to find myself with a bill from a collection agency. I have been accused of leaving bogus phone numbers when I was merely out of the country and never received bills (I left forwarding address but they kept sending it to the old address), even the present when I asked to see the bill. My credit has been excellent and now its definitely soiled. Demott herself, not warm, another day at work. read more

I am totally uninmpressed with this office. I only visited the office once for a Dr. visit a while back and was given about 5 minutes of Dr. Demott's attention and was sent on my way. I figured since I don't generally go to the dr. (i prefer Naturopathic care) I wouldn't worry about it... that is until last weekend when I had symptoms consistent with a heart attack while running in a race. Even though I probably wasn't having a heart attack, the symptoms were uncomfortable enough and worrisome enough to warrant a dr. visit. I called the office several times and never once recieved a live person--always a voice messaging service. I left a message and never heard back. A day or two later I left an explicit message decribing my "heart attack" symptoms and urgently asked for someone to call me back. I got nothing! In the meantime I switched doctors right away and had already been seen by someone else by the time they finally called me back. That is totally unacceptable in my book. I do not recommend this doctor or office. read more

Deborah Demott has been my primary physician for over twenty years and I have been thoroughly satisfied with her care. In yearly check ups, she takes her time to discuss every issue I bring up. She is a great diagnostician and generous with referrals. She immediately diagnosed my stomach pain as gall bladder related. She got me an immediate referral for an ultra sound and referred me to an excellent surgeon. She's been around a long time and knows the best people in the field. Her office calls me in a timely way to report test results. I never have to wait long to schedule an appointment. I am insured by Health Net, but she has been successful in getting me out-of-system referrals when needed. For example, i have recently been authorized to see a specialist at UCSF for jaw pain. I feel I am so lucky to have Dr. Demott as my primary care physician. read more

I have been going to Dr. Demott for years. I am very satisfied with the medical care I have received from her. I have never had a problem with the office staff. I don't understand the negative reviews. read more

Please Read This Review. If there was an option for 0 stars then I would leave that. In April of 2018 I began to have Left Breast Pain. I called Dr.Demott's office and asked to be seen for the breast pain. The office clerk told me that the soonest they could get me in was on May 15th. When I repeated that I needed to be seen for breast pain, she said May was the earliest they could see me. I agreed because I thought I would be ok. I asked her to make sure that Dr. Demott would do a breast exam at that visit. She told me that "you can ask her but she usually only does it during a physical". I then told her to schedule me for a physical as well, which she did for May 23rd. I expressly told her that I want to keep both appointments so not to cancel the 15th. By the time the 15th came along my pain had increased so I was glad the appointment was coming up. I took my 1 year old daughter for an 8:30 appointment. When I got there, the office clerk told me that my appointment had been canceled because I told her I only wanted the appointment for the physical. I told her, that was not true because I had asked her to keep both appointments. I asked her to please ask Dr. Demott to see me and she replied that Dr. Demott was not there yet even though it was already 8:30 and her 8:15 patient was already there as well. After about 15-20 minutes Demott showed up and told her staff she could not see me. When I asked to see her and told her and her staff that I was in a lot of pain, her office manager said that I should have gone to the ER. I was standing in the office with my 1 year old crying and begging for a script for a mammogram. Dr. Demott refused to give me one, even though she knew me for the past 10 years. She looked straight at me said NO and stuck her hand in the air, rolled her eyes at me and walked away. I left the office and changed doctors that day. My husband left her practice as well. I started my care at another place. I need surgery now on my Left Breast and I am scheduled to have it soon. The whole incident and wasted time has taken a toll on my family. read more

I do take exception to Chloe B's conclusions. I am sorry she has had several bad experiences with billing problems. I have been a patient of Dr. DeMott for almost 15 years now. After experiences with other physicians, I count myself lucky and fortunate to be one of her patients. I have certainly had issues with my reluctant insurance company. There has been only one severe hassle with billing. This has nothing to do with Dr. DeMott. It was the lab she (and others) used for lab work. Their billing system got caught in a loop and kept billing me over and over again for something that had either been paid or which my insurance co. had done . When I took my complaint to the lab, they referred me to the physicians staff person. Who made repeated unfulfilled promises to 'straighten it out'. At that time Dr. DeMott shared staff and office with a fairly large group of other physicians. I do not think she played any part in choosing or supervising them and they were a real dinging bunch. More recently, that large group broke up (maybe undermined from within from their attention-deficient office people) and at that time dr demott moved her practice to another location which she shared with one other physician. This included a brand new office. No one really wants to burden a very hard-working and competent MD with complaints about her office staff. Dr. DeMott is pretty mild-mannered and probably reluctant to undertake such issues. A certain amount of turnover has taken place in that office anyway. The main problem is that at any one time, there are likely to be new trainees at the start of their learning curve. I think the gardia testing she sent for (at a lab other than the idiotic one I encountered, by the way) is more a reflection of her care and conscientiousness than a case of mindless redundancy. Most "offices" are not often a group of happy competent people. That is the way things are, these days. Her referrals, except for that one lab, have all been excellent. She is also an excellent equanamous listener. I will never go elsewhere, and am willing to put up with a staff far worse than the one in place now. read more

I am somewhat of a new patient and have been seeing Dr. Demott for about two years. She's a very caring and considerate, good doctor and I'm very grateful for that. But problems having a prescription renewed have been a true nightmare. Lord help you if you need to. It's like dealing with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! Three times now, when I've needed a refill, a whole routine repeats itself: The pharmacy will fax her office, once, then again, then a third time. There will be zero response... the pharmacy suggests I try to call her office myself. So I call the office.... They tell me that the pharmacy has never faxed over the request, which is just not true as the pharmacy keeps clear, computerized records of it's faxes with time and date!!! Are they lying or are they too disorganized to read their faxes? I suspect the former because then, they insist that I must come in to see her if I want a refill, even though I've seen her not long ago because of this routine! In the mean time, I'm totally out of my medication. I tell the office that I'm happy to go in (though I don't know why!) but I'm completely out of the med. so would they send in a prescription to my pharmacy to tide me over before I see her. They literally have responded 'No way, she does not do that.' Well then, why did they lie about the 3 fax requests and why didn't they contact me that the doctor wanted to see me?? The pharmacy staff where I go just shakes their heads when they have to deal with this office. When I go in, she will look confused, and ask why I am coming in to see her! I just can't believe it! I have told her what happened but the routine just happens again. I am going to find another doctor as I am a busy working person and I don't have the time to play these games! read more