I was pretty nervous going here because of all the terrible reviews, but frankly the group in Oakland also had awful reviews and this place was closer to my house. Happy for me, I had a great first experience with Dr. Omar Alshuwaykh! Unlike most of the feedback here, my front office experience was smooth. I called for an appointment, got one with less than 1 week wait. When I went in, I filled out paperwork for maybe 10 minutes and then the doctor saw me right away. We scheduled a follow-up procedure and I was out of there in less than 30 minutes total. Dr. Omar Alshuwaykh was kind and cordial and seemed like a pro (obviously it's hard to really assess medical skill from vibes, but I had positive vibes). read more

My experience with Dr. Higa was extremely disappointing and negligent. During a period when I rapidly lost weight and couldn't eat for months, and she dismissed me. I repeatedly asked for an MRI, SIBO breath test, any help in finding answers. She delayed treatment, and instead prescribed multiple mostly over the counter medications (very high doses of prilosec, miralax, gasx...) that made my condition worse. I continued to decline until I went to the ER twice, had severe tachycardia, lost income from work, and another doctor finally diagnosed me with severe SIBO and a hernia. Throughout this time, I received almost no communication--no responses to multiple messages or calls--and her staff would only offer appointments six months out based on her approval, which never came. As a long-time patient, it felt like she had checked out of caring for my health. I later learned from a second opinion that the colonoscopies she recommended for me weren't medically necessary every other year. Every TEN years was sufficient! My primary care doctor, who knows her personally, even told me she was nearing retirement and seemed "checked out," and that other patients had gone through similar experiences. From my perspective, it often felt like financial priorities were put ahead of my actual care. Based on what I went through, I believe her management of my case was deeply irresponsible. If I had the resources, I would strongly consider pursuing a formal complaint. I won't return and deeply regret recommending her to others. A terrible excuse for a so called doctor, and an embarrassment to the human race. read more

*My experience is simply horrible.* When they performed tests on a colon polyp their pathologists made a conclusion that I had a very aggressive lympnhoma. I went through hell preparing for a very serious, debilitating R-CHOP chemo. I realized that at my age I would never fully recover from the terrible side effects of it. I already started on one prechemo pill and bought a battery of medications for the treatment. ONE day before the chemo I had an appointment with Stanford lymphoma center. They called my doctor and asked to immediately stop the chemo next day. After making the same tests on the same polyp, the came to the conclusion that I DID NOT have cancer. Never-ever use this lab. They are not reputable in my opinion. read more

I had bad experience with that clinic, Dr Hassani was horrible. He forgot your appointment and went elsewhere made me wait hours and didn't show up. He gave wrong advice and wrong determination on health issues causing big problems. I would never go back there. read more

Wish I'd read the reviews before waiting a month to hear back for an appointment. Referred by my doctor. Called, got through (which is apparently a feat in and of itself). Was told I had to fill out paperwork online before they'd even make a consult appointment. Was also told once papers submitted, I'd get a call back within a couple business days. Haha. I immediately filled out and submitted the papers. It's been almost a month, and no word from them. Tried calling, got put in the phone maze. Tried many extensions, nobody answers any of them. I don't think I want these people putting something up my butt. Not only would I not trust them to do it correctly, I don't see how I'd ever hear back on the results. Places like this need to go out of business. read more

Still ZERO stars, regardless of office's retort. This is probably the worst medical "professional" experience I've ever had. Hosseini was worse than useless because I wasted 5+ weeks for a brief zoom session, the only option I was given, which resulted in absolutely no help. He seemed only interested in doing an endoscopy ($$$) after immediately jumping to the unsubstantiated conclusion that my upper abdominal pain was referred pain from my stomach. (It's not - it's muscular). In my opinion, seemed uninformed or just lazy about any gut bacteria information. Just said that's natureopathic care that he doesn't provide. (GI "doctor" doesn't know about dysbiosis or gut bacteria??? Gut bacteria is the foundation of digestion!!) I'd gone out of my way to hand deliver various previous test results including ab ultrasounds to the Walnut Creek office days before so he could refer to them during the zoom session but he didn't have them which wasted even more time. read more

I give up on this place. Called them three times to schedule a colonoscopy. "We will call you back". Never called me back. Went on for weeks. Can't vouch for the doctors, but the frontend of this business is incompetent. read more

I had a really bad experience with the initial call to collect basic information and schedule an appointment. The name of the service rep is Sonya. She was extremely condescending, impatient, and very unhelpful. The wait time for getting hold of anybody is also very long. If the customer service folks are very unfriendly, I'm not sure what the rest of the office and doctors will be like. I don't want to find out. I've asked my primary care physician for another specialist. Don't waste your time. Go somewhere else. read more

Horrific! I called them after a positive Cologuard test. They wouldn't schedule a colonoscopy till after I did a zoom with Dr Hosseini. I waited 3 weeks for that. It was going to be 3+ months before the actual procedure. In the zoom, he was so condescending and disrespectful, to the point of ridiculing me for my concerns, that I realized midway through I couldn't go ahead with this. I asked the receptionist about one of the other doctors. She said that doctor would call me the same day. I think it was about 3 weeks later that she did call... and she had no idea I called to cancel everything with them. In the meantime, I got a referral to a fantastic doctor in the city. They immediately scheduled the colonoscopy for about 2-3 weeks out, as well as an in-person consult with the doctor the following week. read more

My mother had a colonoscopy with Dr Hosseini MD, which at the time, seemed to go smoothly. Covid precautions and communication were good. However, after the colonoscopy, there was NO communication. I have emailed Mandy D several times asking her to call me, she refused. A month goes by, my mother asks me several times if Dr Hosseini has called with the results, I told her the truth, there was no contact. She assumed this was a good and positive sign, no call means good news. I randomly found a letter in my mother's patient portal that indicated abnormal findings. Heart breaking. Instead of the doctor, I now have to try to read and interpret the patient findings and explain this to her. After I found the letter, I scheduled a telehealth appointment with someone who quickly hung up before I could say thank you.' Initially, I wanted to thank Dr Hosseini. Now, I'm pretty disappointed and worried about how his patients are being cared for. Don't go here, please. read more

Dr Wadhwa was nice on the Zoom call. The problem is her assistant. Terrible manners, and covering the microphone while talking pretending it's my end. Also leaving me a voicemail threatening that I would be responsible for the cost of the procedure if I did not finish their forms...on a procedure not scheduled yet!! I tried calling to cancel, but nobody answers the phone. I cancelled through email and printed everything. I don't trust the awful communication with this assistant. You were good, Dr Wadhwa, but you lost a patient thanks to your assistant. Stay Away! read more

I scheduled an appointment with this group. It took three months for the appointment only for office staff to call me and leave a voice message two weeks before my scheduled appointment stating the appointment has been cancelled. I called back to reschedule another appointment and it was going to be another three months out. When I asked the scheduler on the phone what happens if they cancel this appointment? The scheduler stated I can't control that ma'am. My advise run far and run fast from this organization. read more

I initially had a very good experience. For 6 years they were relatively accessible. Now you can't get past their voice mail system. Can you believe they think you are going to wait on line for them to give you the extensions for 34 docs? After 4 minutes listening to extensions quotes without giving you a way to go into voicemail I had to hang up. I guess they really don't care about their patients. I thought This sort of idiocy had disappeared. The front office is totally clueless. If you try to call them you'll see what I mean. read more

After all the negative reviews of this clinic I was expecting a monster. Dr. Hosseini was pleasant, made lots of eye contact, asked questions and gave answers I could understand, and offered good reasons for the line of treatment he prescribed. The office staff were polite and efficient. The office itself is nice, if sterile. So maybe past Yelp complaints were taken to heart and have had an effect. Phone call wait times can be frustrating, with wait times longer than five minutes. It was really hard to get through to the specific people i was hoping to talk to, but the person who handled my call did take care of my questions. Overall, I've found that medical specialists don't have the people skills of primary care physicians, who get to know us better. But of the specialists I've visited over the decades, Dr. Hosseini is among the top by every criterion I can think of applying to a doctor. read more

Similar to another review, the communication by this office is deplorable. The MD himself may be fine, I can't deal with office/desk staff or the lack of modern day communications with staff. They clearly don't give a darn if you are walking around with cancer. I guess they figure there's always another client to put to sleep and disappear afterwards. read more

Dr. Narayan didn't care that it was my first time entertaining the idea of an invasive procedure. He just asked me a couple questions and cold answered all my questions. He asked the staff outside to see if they were booked with appointments for the whole day - it seemed like he cared only about seeing the max patients possible instead of talking to new/current ones. I dont recommend him AT ALL. I thought talking to his staff might help me understand how the doctor sees patients. They were even more ridiculous. His staff (the woman nurse with blond hair) thought that 20cm insertion for the sigmoidoscopy was just a fingernails length inside your rectum. Get real. Its more than 7 inches. Also, the same nurse called me to reconfirm an appointment asking me if I had gotten my MRI yet. An MRI for what?! She was stubborn enough to backfire at me until she realized that she had misread that I was coming in for a regular appointment. Dr. Narayan is ridiculous. Go elsewhere, stay away. I wouldn't be surprised if his medical license was revoked. read more

I went to the office because of stomach pain several times. I saw Dr. Hosseini each time. He rushed through the appointment, didn't want to answer any questions I had, and finished EXACTLY 15 minutes later. The next visit was similar, except he hadn't read my chart so he asked me to remind him why I was there, and then finished EXACTLY 15 minutes later. When I asked him whether he was going to run out tests, he dismissed the question, and laughed. "We'll never run out of tests." as if I was joking? Anyway, it seems like a well-oiled office built for making money, not so good at answering questions or bedside manner. read more

If I could leave a no star rating I would. This office is extremely unprofessional. The office staff are the most uncaring, poorly trained, incompetent, unaccommodating, and just down right RUDE group of people I have ever encountered in a doctor's office. Two examples, I called to make an appointment and was 5th in line on hold so I was given the option of leaving my number to have a return call, which I did, only NEVER TO RECEIVE A CALL BACK. Note, I also left a message with my doctor's personal assistant to be sure that I would get a call back, and it wasn't until I called to inform the office that I found another doctor at another practice and would be requesting my records be forwarded to the new doctor's office, that I received a phone call back from my doctor's PA explaining to me that she has been covering another doctor's patients as well. The other example is being inundated with at least a dozen email reminders with instructions to follow prior to my colonoscopy, like I am a 3rd grader who doesn't know how to follow instructions. And then at the actual colonoscopy, not only being asked again my the doctor prior to my procedure whether I followed the procedure, but was berated by him when I told him I threw up the last 1/4 of the horrible prep solution in the morning because I just couldn't get any more of it down on a completely empty stomach. Note, my appointment was at 12:30 pm and I wasn't seen until after that. How would it have been humanly possible for me to even have anything but stomach bile acid build up in my guts at that point. But, this is not an 'office' so much as it is a 'business' and this is exactly the way this office is run. They are more in the 'business' of making money off of their patients than they are assuring that they receive appropriate and timely medical attention. The staff of doctors in the Berkeley office are so overbooked because they try and book in as many patients that they can spend 5-10 minutes, pounding out 'notes' into their computer screens, and thus getting in as many billings to insurance companies as possible. You may have a better chance of getting an appointment in the Walnut Creek office as every time I call to make an appointment with my doctor, Dr. Subhendu Narayan, he is either at the Walnut Creek office or on vacation. Why even practice in Berkeley if you are never going to be available? Which takes me to the doctor, Dr. Subhendu Narayan, what a piece of work. He is probably one of the most arrogant doctors I have ever encountered in my 55 years. His office 'bedside manner' is atrocious, he has no idea how to make eye contact with his patients and prefers to look into his computer screen tapping away at the keys. He is dismissive, uncaring, requests numerous, unnecessary office visits just to have you come in to learn that he needs to have lab work performed before he can do anything, even when you have an established health record of 6 years with him. Then at my last colonoscopy it was noted that 'the colonoscopy was somewhat difficult due to significant looping and a tortuous colon'. OK, this was NOT my first colonoscopy, if fact I have had numerous colonoscopies so why wasn't the 'significant looping and tortuous colon' ever an issue in the past or EVEN MENTIONED as being an issue? This doctor just loves to push prescription Prilosec as if it were candy from a Pez dispenser. This along with one of the most expensive probiotics that I have ever encountered...he obviously has stock in both the drug and the company selling the probiotics. When it was found that I am fructose intolerant he prescribed a referral to see a nutritionalist that is the ONLY NUTRITIONALIST who accepts my insurance and, just like Dr. Narayan, IS NEVER AVAILABLE. I could go on and on, but why bother...I hope you get the point. Find another doctor like I have. Rather than having to wait for July 17th for an appointment, I will be able to see my new doctor on Monday, July 1st. read more

Simply awful. The communication at this company is the WORST I've ever experienced, in health care, or anything else. Everything takes four or five times longer (or as many phone calls) that it should. They screw up referrals, then blame the referred entity. They don't send lab reports to relevant doctors, like GPs. Mind you, these are the doctors who referred you to this horror show in the first place (remind me to talk to my GP about that, yeah). They might send the referral to the lab after you ask them repeatedly, but they don't send the insurance authorization. Then, after you go through their 15-minute voicemail wait, or if you're lucky enough to get a same-day callback, you tell them to send the authorization -- and maybe, if you're lucky, they finally do -- but then they don't send the required blood-test results. Then, after you have the expensive test done -- and you make sure the lab sends the results to you, and your GP, and GATE -- guess which entity of the three claims they never got the results from the lab? After you and the GP have received said results, 3 days after the test? You guessed it - GATE claims the lab never sent them the results. And then it takes another 20 days to get a call back from the doctor at GATE to tell you they never got the lab results, let alone analyze the results of the expensive test they insisted you get? Because you didn't realize that health care with GATE is really a matter of the level of your willingness to engage in a time-wasting game of Twenty Questions with whomever's checking (or not checking) voicemail. Remember, each followup call from the patient means another 15-minute wait after wading through their dismal voicemail menus. And maybe, if you're lucky, getting a call back within 24 or 36 hours or so. Hey, it's just your time. And your health care. Not that big a deal, right? read more

When you try to register, you go through a phone queue maze where you leave your email address. They THEN send you a link to a form which you must fill out. However, if you are not ALREADY a patient, and even if you are a 3 time return customer, as I am You WILL BE REJECTED with a message saying WE ARE UNABLE TO VALIDATE YOUR PATIENT RECORD Screenshot of the message https://www.screencast.com/t/BQ3hHRQQVRvH Since there is no way to get ahold of a human being, you must go there in person to be treated rudely while being told to repeat the steps, because you are not smart enough to know the secret phone code to break through to a human being. read more

Very bad experience here with Dr Subhendu Narayan. This doctor has a huge ego and no compassion for his patient. His office is very poorly run and the phone tree is impossible to negotiate. read more

I have never been as poorly treated by a business as I was by the Berkeley office of Gastroenterology Associates. I scheduled a colonoscopy with them, and they sent me preparation instructions that were not clear. For example, the instructions prohibit eating "vegetables with seeds" within 72 hours of the procedure. No mention of fruit. I ate raspberries within 72 hours of the procedure, and was told by Natalie in the Berkeley office that I had violated the instructions because raspberries are not a fruit but a vegetable. I am not making this up--I was told that raspberries are a vegetable rather than a fruit. This is just one example. Because I had not followed their instructions, my appointment was cancelled, and I was charged a $400 cancellation fee. (After I complained on their website, the $400 cancellation fee was rescinded.) To be fair, Natalie was polite when I spoke with her in person. But the instructions were poorly written and confusing. And Natalie was willing to engage in sophistry and lying in order to deny any shortcoming on the part of Gastroenterology Associates. It was--beyond comparison--the worst experience of customer service I have ever had. read more

Wait, am I the only positive reviewer here? LOL! For those of you referred by your physicians to this place, I personally had a very positive experience, and I would not hesitate to give them a ring. Dr. Narayan met with me, even though I was 15 minutes late to my appointment (apparently, there is a parking lot where they validate--I did not know this). It's not like he's a cuddly teddy bear personality, but I like efficient people with a dry sense of humor. I loved his team at the Endoscopy Center in Walnut Creek. Could not have asked for a more empathetic nurse, genius anesthesiologist, and many other supporting staff with warmth and love. They abated my fear, and what more, the procedure itself was over in 30 min! You do have to get there an hour in advance to run the IV and such, so calculate total of 2 hours. Yes, they charge $200 if you need to cancel your colonoscopy without 2-week notice, but looking at the team they need to gather, I think that's totally reasonable. read more

In June of 2016 I went to the Dominican Republic for a week and became ill shortly after my return with digestive issues I've never experienced in my life. When I came to Dr. Berjis in November I had seen two primary care doctors, did blood tests, stool tests, and still gotten no results and I was certain that it was either a parasite or a bacteria. My first impression was "Wow, ego much?" but maybe that's how all fancy specialists' offices look. It was full of flatscreen TVs displaying information about IBS, Crohn's, etc. The receptionists and nurses joked loudly across the waiting room. The water bottles all had custom labels with the GATE logo. I work for a nonprofit with no benefits and buy my own health insurance, so handing over my $45 copay knowing it would go to some of that crap was a little demoralizing. When I got to see Dr. Berjis I came with all of the homeopaths and herbs I'd been taking, a printout where I'd tracked my symptoms, Dr.'s appointments notes, prescriptions, and lab results (which said in bold that parasite tests are not conclusive because if there were no eggs in that particular sample then your results are negative.) He didn't want to see any of it, did absolutely no examination, didn't ask about my diet or fitness. He just looked at me and said "All of my overweight patients have IBS, that is definitely what you have." Actually a quick search on the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons website says NO, my symptoms were not at all consistent with IBS. He told me to eliminate dairy (I've been allergic to milk all my life, so not a factor), fastfood (I don't eat it), start to exercise (I'm a national competitor with US Rowing, practice yoga, and do spinning for conditioning), and lose some weight. I did interrupt him there and tell him that I had lost 70lbs on my own 6 years ago, kept it off, and even before that I'd never had IBS or any GI issues. I started to show him what I'd been taking, but he was busy telling me about this "incentive" program where for every 5lbs I lose I could have an appointment with him to check in and get "motivation" for another $45 a visit?? No thank you. He wanted to do a colonoscopy and I asked what he expected to find, he said nothing but it's standard. He gave a list of foods to avoid, a pack of IBGard, and sent me to see an assistant who would schedule my procedure. I was in such unbelievable shock. I sat there like a zombie while this woman explained the procedure to me. As soon as I got back to my car I cried, and totally fell apart. What a huge letdown for someone who had been sick now for 4 months and just wanted to feel normal. In the end YES I did have a pathogen from my trip and after two months of treatment I started getting back to normal. I'm healthy again now and wanted to write about this because what he did was completely wrong and unfair. I'm not fat, I live a healthy lifestyle, and diagnosing patients just by looking at them is NOT medicine. If he had read my medical history, or the form I just completed in their office he would have seen I don't eat dairy and exercise 5-6 days a week. What he did to me was malpractice and I hope that it doesn't happen to anyone else. If you can find a doctor who is more thorough and thoughtful in their practice. I would not recommend Dr Berjis or this practice to anyone. read more

I don't like to trash people/businesses through negative reviews, but Dr. Hosseini was so harmful to me that I feel like if I can save someone's life by writing this, it's important to do so. Dr. Hosseini is a dangerous blend of arrogance and incompetence. I came to Dr. Hosseini with unexplained pain and bloating in my abdomen for years, but all he ever did was what he always does: order tests and then offer Dicyclomine, Pentasa, and Humira as drug treatment options -- always without listening or taking an interest in my situation. When I showed him the places in my abdomen that were tight, swollen, abnormal, he felt and said, "I just feel your organs." I couldn't believe it, considering that I, far from a doctor, could feel these abnormalities clear as day. Even after I told him that Dicyclomine and Pentasa had done nothing, when I explained that only one regimen had helped me -- a formula called "Emptiness" that helped create movement in my GI tract where nothing else had -- he sneered at the product and didn't want to know anything about what it was. No matter that it had helped me greatly where his drugs had failed me. Well it turns out that what I was feeling was the result of a very slow growing lymphoma that, by the time it was diagnosed, was comprised of dozens of tiny masses on both sides that were causing my lymph nodes to swell. That's, of course, what I was feeling (not my organs). Fortunately, my prognosis is very good but thanks to all the time wasted with Dr. Hosseini (until I finally got a CT scan through my PCP because I KNEW something was seriously wrong) I was not able to catch the lymphoma before it spread to my bone marrow. Note that I rejected the offer to try Humira because while I didn't know what my problem was, I knew that Humira came with a truckload of serious side effects. It turns out one of the side effects is that it can cause lymphoma. Please do yourself a kindness and stay as far away from Dr. Hosseini, and Gastroenterology Associates, as you can. You will be healthier for it. read more

The office staff are extremely incompetent and unprofessional. They held unto my ID and insurance card, through the entire appointment, saying they would return it after scanning it. As a result, I left without it and had to return after I received a call several hours later. Yes, it took them hours to notice my ID was sitting on their scanner. I was given very little apology or explanation, except for the receptionist shifting blame to the doctor's assistant. Is this how they will handle my medical paperwork? They also failed to give me hipaa documentation, after I requested it. I won't return. read more

I had Dr. Cheng and thought she was top notch. I got an endoscopy and was promptly diagnosed. I will say that it is hard to get a hold of her assistant to book appointments. They should maybe implement a better system with more people. I must have played phone tag for weeks to book the procedure. BUT - after that - all good. I am very happy. read more

This practice represents many of the problems with our Healthcare system today. I called to make an appointment for a somewhat routine procedure and during the telephone triage I was told that I needed to see the doctor before they could schedule the procedure due to an (unrelated) illness I has 30 years ago. After scheduling a half day out of work I arrive at my appointment to learn the doctor is running 20 minutes late. 30 minutes later I'm finally in front of the doctor, who has to ask me why I am there to see him. When I explain, he tells me that I did not need to have come in. In the middle of our conversation, his cell phone rings and he leaves the room for 10 minutes. I'm always amazed how physicians can have so little regard and respect for patient's time and attention. This would never happen in any other line of business if you wanted to retain customers and stay in business. Later that afternoon I get a call from Walgreens that prescription is ready. It's the prep kit for the procedure, that I had not yet scheduled, due to timing considerations, as well as my uncertainty about this practice. I'm sorry I had not read the yelp reviews prior to calling them. Apparently the staff and management have not read them either, or perhaps the just disregard them as the do customer service. read more

This review is for Dr Narayan: When I saw Dr. Narayan over 5 years ago, he was an excellent doctor. He took time, asked intelligent questions and provided thoughtful answers. When I saw him more recently, it was an awful experience. Basically, he is part of a procedure mill now, and no longer functions as a physician. During my endoscopy, his back was turned to me the entire time (until the procedure). He listened poorly suggesting a colonoscopy when his own notes indicated I was not due for one. During my checkup, he was inconsistent in what he said, and was unable to provide any decent medical advice. Terrible experience. Also, the office won't let you switch physicians. I can see why. Everyone would want to see Lisa Higa instead of arrogant Dr. Narayan read more

Totally rip off!!!! Don't go!! you have to wait for so long and it'll cost you a lot to do a procedure. I keep receiving bills from them. Seriously, I have enough of this! read more

Terrible experience. I had to wait 10 days to get an appointment with one of the 7 doctors although I had bad stomach pain. Then I had to wait 1.5 hrs to see the doctor. He decided I was in need of a gastroscopy, which was scheduled 6 weeks later. 6 weeks of dieting and stomach pain aren't fun. When I tried to reschedule my appointment, it was impossible to get in contact with the scheduling person. Easier to reach the White House I guess. The staff is extremely unfriendly, maybe they're overworked, but that doesn't justify that kind of a behaviour. Will most definitely never go back and cannot recommend this practice. (although the doctor himself was friendly) read more

Terrible 2 appointments with Dr Hosseini. I seriously could have Googled my symptoms and come up with a more thoughtful diagnosis than he did. He arrived late to my first appointment. Second appointment was in Walnut Creek in a room with a desk and bookshelves, with literally nothing but a computer on the desk and NOTHING on the bookshelves...nothing on the walls. It was like going to a Regis temporary office for a Dr appointment. By the end of the appointment he was on his phone trying to "research" my symptoms. Terrible start to finish. Waste of time and money. Wish I had seen these other reviews prior to my appointment. On to UCSF where real doctors actually try to find out what's wrong with you and are prepared upon your appointment. read more

A bit hesitant after reading some of the negative reviews, but had a positive experience. Booking was done over the phone, the online forms people complained about seems to have been scrapped. I had no issues scheduling my appointment. The actual facility is very nice, and my physician was Dr. Narayan. Answered my questions, and booked a colonoscopy right before my vacation to get it out of the way. The colonoscopy itself went very smoothly. People complaining here seem to be some particularly sensitive snowflakes; get over yourselves. If you're a bit nervous like I was, I hope this makes you feel a bit more at ease. I had no issues in my consultation, and the procedure itself could not have gone more smoothly. FYI for colonoscopies, you don't remember a thing; painless! read more

For those of us with complicated names (hyphenated or a period) is it rocket science to enter it any way you like in the computer to facilitate entering patients' info? Patients are forced to use an online system to enter their own data. Some names are Not accepted into this system. This is to ensure 'protocol'. This is a phrase the staff is enamored with. It's our Protocol. Next step is to email/fax a doc that can actually open, fill it out mail it back to make a consultation appointment. Thinking you get a call when signed doc is received - hah! Signed doc sits around until you call office a second and third time. 8 separate emails say 'let's get on calendar' 'need possible dates for consultation'. Think anyone's listening? Hah! Voice on phone says "it's our protocol' WTF! My signed doc still sits on someone's desk; still unscheduled for appointment, and you say 'it's our protocol' ? Clearly the MD's have No Idea how patients are being undermined by paid staff. How nice to have a business where you don't need new patients, or in my case to keep existing ones. In the real world people get fired for losing accounts. My 8th email said that my protocol ended last week. Do you want to go through hoops to schedule an appointment wasting one week in the process? read more

I mistakingly wrote this about the East Bay Endoscopy Center. Apologies as it was intended for this group. I have had a very negative experience with the Gastroenterology Associates of Berkeley in my attempt to schedule a colonoscopy with Dr. Subhendu Narayan as a current patient. Today is October 9. On September 28 I phoned for an appointment explaining that a finding on a brain MRI recommended a colonoscopy to rule out cancer, which may have metastasized to the brain. I answered a series of questions, filled out an on-line registration form and then waited for a call to schedule the appointment. On October 2, I called back and was told that they were still waiting for my chart and when I asked how long that would take, they connected me to medical records, which offered that I could leave a message. I still have not heard from them. On October 3, I called Dr.. Daniel Conlin in San Francisco, and on the initial call I was offered an appointment for the end of the month. I was hoping to have the procedure in the East Bay as I live in Berkeley but will drive to San Francisco. It appears that Dr. Narayan's practice is full and thriving and returning calls or treating patients with consideration is not a priority." read more

Dr. Narayan is the worst doctor I've ever seen. He's rude and nasty. The experience of a colonoscopy is unpleasant enough without having to endure this man! read more

i was not happy with the office staff or the doctor. I wasted an entire morning on something which could been handle over the phone. When complaining about it to the office manager, she made no attempt at customer service. Her answer to my complaint was contact your primary care physician. read more

I've had some problems with their office regarding having access to my test results, so I don't have to wait for such a long time for them to contact me and problems with getting through to them on the phone. It sounds like they took those concerns seriously and addressed them right away. They were very apologetic and I'll give them another chance. I do find it frustrating, though, that I have to be in real pain before I'm taken seriously. I'm not sure if it's an East Bay attitude but I'm used to more discussion with my doctors and more serious questions from them in order to find the cause. It's been almost 4 years and I'm still not getting the level of professionalism I'm used to after living in several other states. read more

Having made an appt. for a colonoscopy with this outfit I twice calling asking for directions on how to prepare for the procedure. They promised to email them to me, but neither time did they respond, so I skipped the appt. Naturally they billed me for $200 anyway. When I offerred to reschedule if they simply emailed the instructions as promised they refused, claiming that they had plenty of documentation proving that they had in fact emailed the information I requested, and that I was wholly at fault for missing the appt. And sent me another bill. So I wrote them, asking them for hard copies of the emails they claimed they twice sent me. Whereupon they merely sent me another bill. Which leads me to believe this office and its staff is simply full of s***--something gastroenterologists know a bit about. read more

I've been seeing Gastroenterologists for over 40 years, and Dr. Narayan is the best. Great diagnostician, and he is proactive in reaching out to his patients. Something you rarely see these days. read more