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 prescribing 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

Lisa Higa, MD - Experience with Dr. Higa - Gastroenterologist Near Me - Berkeley, California

Dr. Higa was wonderful. She was kind, professional and informative. I had trouble with the prep for the colonoscopy, despite all efforts, and let her know as soon as I arrived. She thanked me for the transparency, and she did her best. Afterwords, she let me know that even though she didn't see anything concerning, that she wanted me to return, and expressed that she would make sure that the prep kit I use on the follow up will be a different one. I really her, her anesthesiologist and staff. Nothing but good things to say. Thank you Dr. Higa. read more

she was impersonal, rude and did not respect my symptoms. after 10 years, and I still don't have answers from her. she is NOT to be trusted, and is only interested in making money!!! read more

I rarely leave reviews, but my experience with Dr. Lisa Higa was so distressing that I feel obligated to warn others. While Dr. Lisa Higa may be a competent diagnostician, her communication style, disregard for patient input, and the dysfunction of her office staff made me physically and emotionally worse--not better. From the start, Dr. Lisa Higa dominated our conversations, offered generic advice, and didn't allow enough time for a full explanation of my symptoms. The diet she recommended--despite suspecting my diagnosis--was contraindicated and made me severely ill. After my colonoscopy confirmed the suspected diagnosis, I came to the follow-up hoping for a thoughtful discussion of treatment options. Instead: * I was given only two of the many available treatments. * I was told not to take notes--something I consider basic patient advocacy. * The primary option was contraindicated for my co-existing condition, yet Dr. Lisa Higa aggressively pushed it. * When I asked clarifying questions, I was met with irritation and deflection. * She refused to explore other options and rushed to end the appointment. I left the visit in tears, feeling unheard, dismissed, and more confused than before. The office staff was equally unhelpful. Scheduling, insurance coordination, and prescription management were consistently slow and disorganized. It took multiple calls and days to get a simple records release form, and I ultimately had to send my own records to my new provider. Prescriptions were not submitted promptly or correctly--resulting in delays, errors, and dangerous inconsistencies that my primary care provider had to fix. Two quotes summarize the experience: * "Other people are sick too" -- when I asked essential pre-colonoscopy questions. * "That diagnosis is something you just have to live with" -- when I requested a follow-up appointment. These are not things a patient in distress should ever hear. I wouldn't wish this experience on anyone. If you're considering Dr. Lisa Higa, do yourself a favor and find a provider who will actually listen, collaborate, and support you in getting the care you deserve. read more

Dr Higa is an exception doctor. Very knowledgeable, professional, thoughtful, and diligent in providing great care. I trust her medical expertise without question. read more

Dr. Higa has been my doctor for more than 10 years. She is an excellent specialist, very caring and thorough with her treatments. I had many gut problems throughout years and Dr. Higa was able to precisely address the issues and provide necessary treatments every time. I highly recommend Dr. Higa to anyone looking for a great endocrinologist. read more

I Just had my first colonoscopy at the Walnut Creek center with Dr. Higa. It was a great experience, and Dr. Higa is excellent--kind, thorough, empathetic, and explained everything carefully. I recommend her highly. read more

Dr. Lisa Higa is kind, compassionate and listens. Has many good suggestions & has been very helpful to me. I've been a patient since 2018.

I had been in the medical field for 50 years. Dr. Lisa Higa is an excellent doctor. She is professional, polite, respectful, organized, meticulous and detailed with her explanation. Among the gastroenterologist I encountered she is the GOAT. ( greatest of all time) . Pleased to received the documentation, pictures of my GI tract immediately after the procedure. Impressive. Usually, I have to wait days or months to get my record. Immediately she faxed the info to my PCP (primary care physician) . It is sad to read bad experiences of others to the health system but great & excellent service from a professional Md should not ruin her great reputation as great and skillful surgeon. Poor staffing , personality, services from staff , health system should not be addressed here but to the owner . My experience with Walnut Creek Endoscopy Center & Dr. Higa's office is excellent . Shout to the excellent team lead by Dr. Lisa Higa & Dr. Kao anesthesiologist. Shout out to the great team Marisa, Sidney, Shannon, Veronica , Shelbi, Jen, Marcela, Nicole, Marcela, & Tiffany. They are all respectful, polite , caring , compassionate, helpful, efficient & great attitude. Surgical center is neat, clean & organized. I would love to work in that environment. Just moved from southern CA reluctant to change my previous doctor. I give God the glory . Praise & thank God I found them. God bless. . read more

I'm glad I did not read the negative reviews before I was referred to Dr Higa Now, after my procedure, when I went to write a review, and read some of the reviews, I was shocked as my experience with Dr. Higa, Anne, and the Walnut Creek clinic staff, was very, very positive. My mother died of colon cancer in 1975, ( I was 33) and I have had sigmoidoscopy, barium enemas, and colonoscopies with 5 different doctors (Rancho Mirage, CA) and as of today, Dr. Higa is at the top of the list for excellent treatment, and the sincere physical and emotional care before and after my procedure. I was shocked at the reviews and feel Yelp should organize the reviews by date. My review and one other completed in 2021, should be listed first, and wonder why negative reviews from 2017 and 2018 are still the first reviews that you read. In my 40 plus years experience with Proctologists and Gastroenterologists , I highly recommend Dr. Higa and her staff read more

Both I and my wife have been (happy) patients of Dr Higa for over 5 years: when I saw the two strong negative reviews I assumed I had landed on the wrong page! We have seen her multiple times (Walnut Creek only), and both of us have had procedures by her. She was confidently recommended by our family doc. Dr HIga is (in our experience) very friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. She covers many topics, so I make sure to bring a notepad, but everything she says is consistent with published clinical guidelines (for example at MayoClinic org Health Information) and other providers. All our interactions with the front desk have been fine, waiting room is well above average, and appointments on time. Sorry to hear some other reviewers had bad experiences with the desk, but the Dr herself is great: I recommend her without hesitation. Presumably the admin issues have been resolved, but of course each person gets their own opinion based on experience. Disclaimer: I have no other agenda than being a patient. Although I was just Googling for her fax number, I took the time to write this review because those others seemed waaayyyyy different from my experience. Just another data point. read more

I'm sure Dr. Higa is a fine Gastroenterologist, but my wife will never know because she couldn't get past the person (Linda) that is the face/front door/appointment taker at her Walnut Creek clinic. My wife called Dr. Higa's office for an appointment for a procedure based on a referral (for 3 consults) from her Primary Care doctor. My wife explained that she wanted to schedule the consultation and she was greeted with "The doctor isn't going to take her time just to talk to the patient and exchange pleasantries". When my wife responded "but my health insurance approved the referral", the customer service representative curtly stated "that's not how it works". My wife decided that if it is the expectation of this office to not get a patient consult with the doctor then she would go elsewhere for her procedure. I sense 3 things are at work here and none of them good. A) the CSR is correct and the doctor has provided orders not to see the patient in a consult. B) the CSR is newly contracted and uniformed or "free-styling" against the doctor's direction. C) the doctor is fully unaware of this CSRs behavior and the fact that her reputation is being damaged by the "face at the door". Whichever the option, I would hope Dr. Higa investigates this issue (9/9/15, in the morning). read more

Ihighly recommend Dr. Higa. She did a colonoscopy for me at the East Bay Endoscopy Center. She answered all of my questions prior to the procedure. She was very thorough, and explained that she removes all polyps for biopsy, my last MD did not do that and only removed the ones he felt might be problematic. Dr. Higa does not take the risk that her judgment might be incorrect. The procedure went very smoothly and her check-in right after the procedure was reassuring. She also right then provided me with a two page report on my colon, including many pictures, for my later reference. The intake staff and nurses at the Center were efficient, friendly and informative. The anesthesiologist did an excellent job. He gave just enough to put me to sleep during the procedure and yet little enough that I woke up right after the procedure was completed and I was still in the procedure room. I did not feel sleepy for the rest of the day. read more

I wish I would have given credit to these negative reviews before I wasted my time! After waiting on hold for 33 mins to even speak to anyone I was sternly told by Linda that I could not see the Dr before my first time procedure! I told her then Dr Higa is not for me and dialed the next Dr on my referral list. Wow! what a different response I got with that phone call that took less than 5 mins total! Don't even bother calling this Dr office. read more

Holy shit! If the woman answering the phone is any indication this is hell in a doctor's office. It's as if it's her job to make everything as difficult as possible on you. She's a parody of what an unhelpful office worker is on SNL. read more

Dr Higa is a lovely person and a competent doctor. The problem I have is that she is a network doctor through Aetna's network, but the facilities where she does her colonoscopy procedures (both Emeryville and Walnut Creek) are NOT within Aetna's network. No one at her office including Dr Higa mentioned that, so when I got a bill for $2600.00 after the fact, because the facility isn't "in-network," I was angry. When I contacted Nicole Coupe (Dr Higa's procedure/appointment coordinator, since she said I couldn't email Dr Higa directly,) to complain, I got no response. Just be careful to check with your insurance company once you find out where she is scheduling your procedure, to ask them if the facility as well as the doctor is in-network. Otherwise you will feel screwed as well as colonoscopied. read more

Before I was referred to Dr. Lisa Higa for routine screening, I was initially sent to another gastroenterologist. But, before seeing that doctor, I was frightened away when a stranger stopped me at the elevator with a horror story. So, I was a bit apprehensive to see anyone; however, I was reassured on my visit with Dr. Higa. Dr. Higa explained the procedure, instructed me on what I needed to do to ensure getting through the procedure easily, actively listened to my concerns and answered all my questions. She was great and I highly recommend her. read more

Wow. I can't believe the previous negative reviews pertain to Dr. Higa! I have been seeing her for 5 years and have not had anything but a superior experience. She is thorough, personable, and extremely caring. All the interactions I've had with her staff have been quite professional. read more

I called Dr. Higa's Office to make an appointment for a consultation prior to having a colonoscopy. My mother had colon cancer so it is recommended, and authorized by Blue Shield that I have a colonoscopy done every 5 years as preventative health care. I was shocked to hear that the protocol for this office is that in the absence of symptoms the doctor does not have a consultation with the patient before the day of the procedure. And since in this case I don't have any symptoms I would be charged an extra $50.00 above the consultation fee for this visit. Basically there is a monetary penalty for having an initial consultation with Dr. Higa, whom I have never met with, before having this procedure which involves anesthesia. This is not a procedure that I would want to have done with someone that I have never met before. Not to mention the prep that I go through the day prior to the procedure. The receptionist kept repeating that it was the protocol for this office. Is this what medicine and healing are about now? Isn't it supposed to be about care, and well being, and connection between doctor and patient. Why would we be charged a penalty for taking care of ourselves and practicing preventative medicine especially when we seek procedures that the medical establishment encourages. Medical corporations and their protocols are creating an abyss between doctors and patients and have nothing to do with heath care and well being. I feel deeply saddened by this experience and hope to find a Gastroenterologist whose practice is based on individual connection with patients rather than monetary protocol and expediency. read more

I had a very negative experience with Dr. Higa about 4 years ago. I moved here from Texas and got all my records transferred. When I saw her I told her that I had no issues, but since my mother was a colon cancer survivor, I was on a 3-year colonoscopy schedule. Obviously a routine colonoscopy. However, during her extensive interview I did mention upon being asked that I had occasional constipation due to some pain meds I was prescribed, but I dealt with it by adding fiber supplements. My medical insurance paid 100% for routine colonoscopies. But the insurance company called me and said I would have a copay of over $300! It turns out Dr. Higa or her assistant coded this as a non-routine procedure. They claimed once it had been coded in the system it could not be changed, even though the insurance company said that the Dr. or assistant could certainly change the code. Then Dr. Higa claimed that I had complained of constipation and that's why they coded it that way! I canceled the procedure and made an appointment with my husband's GI, who was most excellent and it was 100% covered. Unfortunately he retired after that year. So I think they were just trying to boost their fee. In any case, making up a story to cover their mistake is so not what I want in a GI or any doctor. read more

I have to agree with Jim L. I am a returning patient after 13 years of being with a GI specialist near my place of work. The Call Center person was a appointment only person and had no authority to evaluate the seriousness of my situation. She emailed Nicole whom she said would get back to her with my concerns about setting an appointment 2+ months from now. Given I had some pretty serious symptoms and had seen Dr. Higa in the past, I didn't expect to be treated in such a cold, impersonal manner. I figured out how to email Nicole, but she said not only could Dr. Higa could not see me, if I were to see someone else in her practice, she would no longer be able to have me as a patient. What? I was extremely disappointed and will seek other professional medical attention as well as to inform my Internist who referred Dr. Higa of my experience. Too bad. read more

I have been going to Dr. Higa for about 3 years for routine (OK - I am over 50) check ups and colonoscopies. She is great! No one (that I know of) likes to have these done, but they are crucial to catch early stage disease that is almost always curable when caught early enough. Dr. Higa is easy to talk to, understands fears and concerns, and works with you to help make it quick and as easy as possible. I have been suffering from IBS-type symptoms for most of my life and she worked hard to find the cause. I wish all doctors were as dedicated and caring as she is. read more

Never got past the rude staff to try and schedule a routine colonoscopy in Walnut Creek. Be careful not to disagree with them or tell them you are frustrated by their rudeness or incompetence. I filled out the extensive paperwork they required before they would schedule me. Then, minutes after they called me to tell me they received my filled out paperwork, I was put on hold for 20 minutes only for them to go through all the questions on the paperwork they called and said they received- but they couldn't find. When I expressed my frustration since I had been already on hold for 20 minutes (yes they give you an option to leave your name and # but who wants to keep playing phone tag?)... they told me I was too rude to them and refused to schedule me. The office manager got on the phone and said she would play back the call to the doctor. I hope they did so maybe they can hear how frustrating it is to fill out the paperwork only to have to verbally tell them everything that is on it. Why do they send you paperwork? Waste of time. Incompetent. Rude. No customer service. I give them 0 Stars. 0. STAY FAR AWAY!!! read more