Although Dr. chao is relatively good doctor, his office staff are incompetent. They don't understand medical terminology, Do not have bedside manners or empathy for patients. Staff is impatient and rude. They think I, being a 3rd generation, do not understand Chinese when I went with my family, so they openly yell and put him and some other elderly patients down in front of me. read more

Very Disappointing Experience with Dr. Lawrence L. Chao's Office I read great reviews about Dr. Lawrence L. Chao, M.D. and was planning to schedule a visit. However, my experience with the front office today was extremely disappointing. Here's what happened: First call (11:03 AM): I was asked for my insurance information and told someone would call me back. No one did. Second call (2:00 PM): I followed up and was told the person who helped me earlier was on lunch, and they'd get back to me. Third call (2:30 PM): I was abruptly told, "We don't take PPO. Bye." I double-checked with UHC Plus, and they confirmed that Dr. Chao is in-network. Fourth call (2:45 PM): I called again, and this time was told, "We're not taking new patients." Four calls. Four different answers. It was confusing, unprofessional, and honestly very disappointing, especially for a doctor with such good reviews. I hope this feedback reaches the right person because patient experience starts with the front desk -- and today, it failed completely. read more

I haven't visited him for over 2 years because I've switched to a much better doctor. His office kept spam calling me to make an appointment with him so I ignored those calls. Suddenly, I got a bill from him for what? This doctor is a fraud. read more

having issue,s with his front office staff.my pcp is retired as of aug,2025 and recomended dr chao but when i want some of my questions answered so in can make a decision,his front staff wasn,t helpful and seems a language barrier existed. their english was broken and often spoke in a soft tone i had to repeat to hear but closed phone on me.know i and mom are stuck trying to find a new pcp as well as maybe new medicare supplement ins. read more

Well, it look's like Alexandra S. took the words right out of my mouth. Her review is from 9 years ago, but word for word, she matched my 1st visit with Dr. Chao to a tee just last month. Willa and the staff were all great as well. read more

Dr. Chao diagnosed my father with severe liver cirrhosis and said he only has a couple of years to live, and to retire to enjoy his remaining time. My father switched to Kaiser who performed scans and blood tests, confirmed that his liver is normal. How can this guy make such a huge mistake and tell someone they'll die soon?! read more

Amazing doctor and staff. My mom came to the states to visit us and during her stay, she got some thyroiditis and we visited Dr Lawrence and we had a very nice experience. All of them speak both English and Chinese which made our experience good. They helped us to diagnose the issue very fast and they also explained very clearly about the insurance, how to use and what's the procedure. I can fully trust them and i hope in future we won't meet again. But if we have any health issue, we would love to see them again. Comparing to the other outpatient office, they are professional and awesome. Give it a try if you need an outpatient visit. read more

This used to be a very nice and quiet office. It was very easy to get an appt. to be seen on the same day. I left them due to insurance changed and recently switched back. It was a mistake! Now, they have tons of patients and hard to get an appt. Doctor seems to be overwhelmed by this craziness and I feel like I was not getting any care under him. I had to request for specific lab test done instead being told to. Very disappointed! read more

I've been an extremely happy patient of Dr. Chao's for several years and I continue to appreciate his great expertise: Dr. Chao is a very professional and responsive physician. He and his staff, including but not limited to Willa, truly go the extra mile to ensure their patients' needs are met. They bend over backwards to schedule and re-schedule appointments, they make referrals within minutes, answer calls immediately, and there is a genuine caring from the office that is special. read more

This doctors should stick to his care for patients rather than also solicit health insurance.

It is my opinion that the office was dirty, cramped, and generally run down. It is my opinion that there was a significant language barrier with many of the staff, many of whom appeared to not have a very good grasp on the English language, and one of whom asked if I was menstruating. (I am male, by the way.) It is my opinion that Dr. Chao himself seemed very nice and friendly and is probably an excellent doctor, but I would not return to this medical provider unless requested to do so by my insurance company. read more

i have gone to dr. chao now for a few yeard as my primary care doctor really just for my annual physical. this past year after a swimming accident in mexico when i injured my nee and a major fall resulting in a tramatic brian injury here on june 15th and the need for shoulder surguery, the doctor, his assistant willa, the staff n.p and the balance of the team has been outstanding in providing medical care across many care areas. i have had to see many doctors and the chao staff has been key in all of this. i strongly endorse them. so much, due to my surgery three days ago, i am writing this one handed... ed reidy san francisco read more

Terrible Staff!! Charge you Unreasonable Charges!! They don't even deserve one star rating.

I saw Dr. Chao today for a few headaches I've been getting. I waited for 20minutes in the waiting room and got a chance to speak w/ Dr. Chao for 20minutes. He explained everything that was going on and I had a great experience. I highly recommend Dr. Chao. thanks! read more

Amazing doctor & staff!!! Dr Chao is always patient and never in a hurry. He takes the time to explain things in terms I can understand. He never rushes me and let's NE ask plenty if questions. I love the fact that he turns away from the computer and file to talk to me face to face. He isn't someone who just writes a script to get rid of you, he is always looking out for my best interest. Willa is a real angel. She is patient beyond words and is always pleasant and helpful. I always leave my appointments feeling completely satisfied. Everyone is the office is top notch!! read more

Dr. Chao is always a trusted doctor for myself and my family for years. He's very experienced and he's attentive to his patience's concerns. He works with his patience to make sure both their physical and mental health are taken care of. I know i am in good hands when I have Dr Chao diagnosing and treating my problems. So why not a 5 stars? Well, one of his receptionists is pretty terrible to deal with. First, she always gives people a mean and impatient look. And in fact, for 3 times, she told me the wrong date/time or she had the wrong one written down in their record and she won't admit it. Frankly, I am really shocked to see someone with such impatient and hostile attitude be working in the medical industry. I can't blame Dr. Chao for this but it definitely docks points off for my overall experience with the clinic. read more

Dr Chao is a very good doctor. He answered all my questions, location ia easy to find and there is plenty of parking space. appointment is easy to make as well. read more

Please DO NOT waste your time to see this doctor. He doesn't even deserve A STAR. He is a Very irresponsible and unprofessional doctor. When I consult with my specific health issue. He said: that's not important now. Then switched to different topic/issue. He gave me a very strong medication which not necessarily to take to treat my liver, without any consultation or discussion about this life time medication. I had to google it myself to search information. I had a CT scan in 2017 already found a 3cm tumor, he did not follow up with my tumor during 2018. Now it's 2019 my tumor already grown almost 5cm. The strong medication he gave me which caused my face a big reaction. I am glad that I caught it early by changing different doctor. If I didn't change doctor and listen to him to continue taking the strong medication. It will end up worse and not knowing something is still growing. Btw, I got two- three doctor's second opinions. I was told NOT necessarily to take the strong medication. But I have to go through a big surgery now. Thanks to Dr. Lawrence Chao. read more

I normally don't write reviews and didn't have a Yelp account either. I just signed up for a Yelp account a couple minutes ago b/c I wanted to share my experience with this doc. I'm a very healthy guy who had not been to the doc for 10+ years prior to Jan 2009. I scheduled a regular body checkup and wanted him to take a look at my recent hair loss issue. Jan 2009 -- He sat from his seat, several feet away, took a quick look at me and after saying "look at me, I've lost quite some hair too." (very funny), he wrote me a prescription for propecia w/o further examination. "Come back in 3 months." Apr 2009 -- I asked the lady who took my blood pressure why I had to come back. (My number of visits to doctors' offices and medical-related experience is very limited.) She told me since I had a blood test last time and a tetanus shot, the doc had to follow-up with me. After waiting a long time, the doc finally came in and said "How are you? Another year huh?" I naturally replied, "Yea, yea." Then I thought for a moment and asked him, "What do you mean another year?" He said "Oh, when was the last time I saw you?" He mentioned nothing about the last visit but gave me a prescription for my allergies instead. I asked him about the wart on my thumb and was told that a lot of ppl have it. It's no big deal he said. "Come back in a month." I asked, "What about my wart?" He said, "We need to order something for that." May 2009 -- After waiting over 40 minutes in the room, the doc came in. I reminded him about the wart. He dug out a can of liquid nitrogen from the cabinet, which certainly didn't look new to me! Had to order it? He sprayed it on my thumb. "Come back in 3 months" That was my 3rd visit and I'm really healthy. I asked him, "Again??" He then said, "Come back in 6 months then?" I had enough. "I've been here 3 times this year already. Isn't it supposed to be once a year?" "Call me again in a year then." That's it. I'm switching doctor. read more

Dr. Lawrence Chao is my parents family doctor. He is incredibly nice and professional. My family has been seeing him for over ten years now, and we think he is terrific. He has a great attitude, patience, and always has a smile on his face. He also takes his job seriously and responsibly. He has a vast amount of experience, and I trust him completely. We appreciate him so much. There are not that many great doctors like him. I highly recommend him. Helen read more

He's my primary care physician, but I think I'm going to change doctors. He's not very thorough with his disagnose of the patients and doesn't really explain much. However, on the plus side, he'll give you the meds if you ask and also he'll check with your insurance for coverage before he begins. I don't know what happened to his receiptionist Cathleen because she was really the only reason that kept me coming back, even though some of Dr. Chao's practice was a little questionable. He gives me what I want and a nice staff meant me coming back, but he isn't very knowledged and now his good staff manager is gone. That just means it's time for me to move on. read more

One star yelp rating is a "compliment" for this quack. I saw him once and never went back - one of the best decisions I have made in my life!!! This quack is not even US educated. He graduated from some med school in Guangdong, China in the 1980s. No one in his office, including him, seems to care about any of the patients. They keep you waiting forever, yet they will spend only couple of seconds with you. "Everything seems fine, give me your $20 copay, see ya!" read more

I haven't written many reviews on Yelp, but this is one that I feel compelled to write. I was assigned Dr. Chao by my insurance company when the medical group that my doctor belonged to was dropped. Wow, what a horrid point in my medical history that was. Dr. Chao is nice enough, but I never got the feeling that I was being listened to. The staff consists entirely of English learners, and I often had to repeat myself or ask them to repeat themselves to get points across. Their behavior was cold if professional, and I never got the feeling that I was anything beyond something to "process". The nail in the coffin came this weekend, when I realized that I would have to reschedule a Monday morning appointment. Their "answering service" would not pick up the phone after the greeting message, until this morning at about 8:15AM. I explained that I would not be able to make the appointment, and that I'd have to reschedule. He said (in a thick Chinese accent), "I don't know what you want me to do." I said, "I want to leave a message that I won't be in for this morning's appointment. That's what an answering service does, right?" He then went off on a tirade, saying that he was going to ignore my call, and that I, "should complain to the office." Well, I'm not going to complain. I'm going to drop this quackery like a hot potato and find a doctor with a real practice. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! read more

it's better you change facility and doctor, the place always smell like food and not sanitized ,it;s overbooked some time there are 7 to 8 people waiting in the reception. I asked the doctor to prescribe me a test he told me to ask another doctor I had to wait 3 week later and ask my allergologist and they find me a disease thank you doctor lawrence to make me wait ,so my health got worst. never see me again , one time even went to the office to obtain a copy of a blood test and they told me the doctor need to see you and charge for the visit ,you only think about money not caring for the sick people that came to your office. over all I just need a copy of the test . read more

I was referred to this office by my medical insurance and I can say that I was skeptical at first but was honestly surprised by the quality of the check up. The staff worked efficiently and helped me set up an appointment at the time and date that best fit my schedule. The wait time wasn't too bad; I guess I went at a non-busy hour of a weekday. The doctor was very friendly and I felt comfortable talking about my health issues. I haven't yet been to the other office in Burlingame but I may start going there since it's closer and has less parking problems than SF area. read more

Terrible office staff, they treat you really bad when you called and ask them to do things for other offices. If you ever call here expect to be treat it unrespectful. No customer service manner. Good luck with who you speak they are all the same read more

I tend to like most doctors but this one is dangerous and a fraud. First, I showed up 10 mins early and the office wasn't even open. Then, I waited over an hour to be seen bc he was late to get to the office and he saw another patient first bc she had to be somewhere, even though her appt was after mine and she showed up late to hers. Never mind me with my two small kids and a running meter. I told him my concerning symptoms of a new and worsening headache that woke me at night and my family history of brain cancer. He told me it was only stress and to keep doing what I had already been doing, even though it wasn't working and symptoms were getting worse. He didn't even do a neuro exam on me! I read his note and in his note he had written that he did a complete job exam, including a neuro exam and pelvic exam. I never even undressed, he never even touched me, and he would've noted the blood from my period at least, but I never removed my menstrual cup, so he definitely didn't see my cervix or feel adnexa, as his note implied. He billed a very high level new patient visit for never even touching me, not getting a family or social history, and spending no more than 10 minutes with me. A total fraud. I should've reported him to my insurance company for fraud. read more

Do not come here. Super irresponsible doctor who clearly does not care about the wellbeing of his patients. What kind of doctor doesn't follow up on abnormal lab tests that normally warrant additional tests?? And the office refused to send lab results after calling their office purely out of laziness (they used to send it a month after the lab). Save yourself the trouble and go to a doctor that actually has some pride in his/her profession. read more

I went in to Dr. Chao's office for a hand injury and was seen in 15 minutes. I was shocked that they could take me on the spot. I also like Dr. Chao's approach and I find it easy to talk to him about any medical issue I really like his practice. read more

Dr. Chao has a wealth of experience and a very personable approach to health care. He is very cautious and comprehensive with his approach to caring for your entire body. He does not appear to be hesitant about referring you to a specialist when necessary yet he is competent enough to handle anything that falls within the realm of general practitioner. His staff is awesome with great customer service and multi-lingual. They are the best at scheduling an appointment that I have ever seen. Lab work is arranged conveniently close by. The office is quaintly nestled in the Stonestown-Ocean-19th Avenue area with street parking usually within one block. read more

I just had a visit to Dr. Chao's office at the new location (still at the same building/address but different office location at the same floor). The new sitting area was bright and clean; the staffs were friendly. Dr. Chao was nice and patient. At the time when I was there, there were quite a number of patients waiting for the visits. read more

Doctor Chao have been my primary doctor for 15+ years! Even I have moved to the East Bay for years, I'm still seeing doctor Chao because he is patient and always can provide medical solutions! He is the doctor that I trust! Thank you, doctor, Chao! read more

I just moved to SF from Berkeley about 6 mons ago. Dr. Chao is my family doctor in SF. His office is super nice and clean. Dr. Chao is also very professional. I was so lucky to meet him as my family doctor. read more