My 300th review is a meaningful one, & I felt that Dr. Thomas Tasaki, as my nephrologist (kidney…read moredoctor), warrants a review of his passion & desire in helping his patients w/ chronic kidney disease. What is important about this review is that because of Dr. Tasaki, I am currently on active status for a kidney transplant at Queen's Medical Center since 7/8/20 w/ an approximate 3-year wait from that date for a deceased donor kidney or sooner if there is a living donor. Dr. Tasaki graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School in 1978 & did his residency at UCLA Medical School. He is well renown as a kidney specialist, respected by his peers, & is a consultant to many local hospitals. When I had researched years ago in vetting various nephrologists to be my choice doctor, I was impressed by his credentials at that time, & thus, was my choice; I have had no regrets, as he has undoubtedly lived up to it! He is a most compassionate doctor & always giving freely of his time to his patients, as he welcomes phone calls from them any time of the day of the week. During appointments, he is very thorough in explaining line by line in detail of your lab report & answers your questions fully until you understand, without any time limitation. Likewise, he'll explain in laymen's terms your kidney issue & options available. With my slowly declining kidney function several years ago, Dr. Tasaki suggested that I look into kidney transplantation, as I would be a good candidate. I foolishly poo-pooed that suggestion until he brought it up again in 2020. He wanted me to attend a free informational kidney class, which I graciously obliged. This 6-week class (each class was 3 hours), called Aloha Kidney, was taught by a retired nephrologist, Dr. Ramona Wong. It was the best thing I did, as I learned so much about the importance of our kidneys, how they function, what the lab tests meant, diet choices, & options available. This class is highly recommended for those with chronic kidney disease or anyone who has an interest in it, whether you are at-risk, caring for one who has kidney disease, or just wants to learn more. After the class ended, the ball started rolling. My eagerness resulted in long & many discussions with Dr. Tasaki. My options would be: 1) long-term dialysis, which only treats the problem & involves lifestyle changes to diet & time restrictions; 2) not do anything, which would ultimately result in death due to organ failure; & 3) getting a kidney transplant, which would allow my life to revert back to normal. My choice was kidney transplantation, so I completed the detailed application & gave it to Dr. Tasaki to include his comments, who then referred it to the Queen's Transplant Center (QTC). During the next three months, the QTC instructed me to take a variety of medical tests to determine whether I was a viable candidate: dental; chest x-ray; pap smear; mammogram; heart tests; colon cancer screening; TB test; blood tests; & evaluations by a transplant surgeon, transplant nephrologist, & multi-disciplinary team (social worker, pharmacist, dietician, financial coordinator). Having passed these tests, I was then approved to be on the waitlist. Based on my blood type, I was told I had a 3-year wait for a deceased kidney & would be actively monitored to ensure that I would be able to withstand the surgery. What followed afterwards was my ongoing research of the transplant process, as I had so many questions that needed answers, & in fact, am still learning. While my kidneys are functioning at 9% (under 15% qualifies you to be on the waitlist), I am fortunate that I am not yet on dialysis (5% will require dialysis). A living kidney donor is preferable over a deceased kidney, as it lasts longer; & the donor need not be the same blood type match, as it is considered a "paired exchange," where the donor's kidney may go to another recipient, & I would move up the waitlist to receive an available kidney from another donor. A living donor would continue to have a long, normal, & healthy life w/ one kidney; & all donor costs are covered by the recipient's insurance or the QTC. Yes, there is so much more info that most people don't know about. Dialysis would restrict my present lifestyle; whereas, a new kidney will give me a longer lease of my active lifestyle. There are so many things that I want to do: spend time with our kids/grandkids in Maui & Toronto, traveling to appreciate differing cultures, & simply enjoy the blessings that our Lord gives us daily in experiencing joy in whatever we do. I would love to teach others who are in a similar situation as I am. I thank Dr. Tasaki for his genuine caring for all his patients! I look forward to my kidney transplant & am grateful for his persistence in continuing to teach me about my kidney condition & not having it stop me from doing what I want to do in life. If you are in need of a nephrologist, I would undoubtedly recommend Dr. Tasaki!

If you want to meet the BEST, most THOROUGH and KINDEST Dr you will EVER meet, then see Dr. Tasaki…read more As he likes to be called Tom by ALL his patients. I went to see Tom 3 wks. ago as a new patient and he requested to allow at least 2 hours for the appt. I thought this sounds like a serious exam. I was wrong as he wanted this amount time to not only explain my condition and give me a mini anatomy of my kidneys but, to also just to get to know me. He slso included some background about himself. He even had all my bloodwork reports from like 6 years back. I have found another HERO Dr. that gives me new HOPE.

Medical care in Honolulu, Hawaii…read more.. My mom's Primary Care Physician (PCP) referred her to Dr. Cheng. Dr. Cheng is part of the Kidney Clinic of Hawaii. The office is located on the second floor of the Joseph Paiko, Jr. Medical Office Building on the grounds of St. Francis Medical Center on Liliha Street. Luckily, my mom knew which way to go and how to get to the parking lot and building entrance. It was rather complex, and the parking stalls were on the narrow side. The receptionists didn't wear masks even though the sign on the office door said that masks are required. However, the doctor and the medical student who followed him wore masks. Dr. Cheng was efficient and thorough. He asked if we had any questions when he made some medication changes. He went over blood test results after he re-measured mom's blood pressure. Good move. We will return in a month. Note: parking will be validated for 30 minutes!

Bad experience. Staff always screwed up my appointments. My kidneys were getting worse never…read morementioned transplant, or pd dialysis. I was just left in the dark. I soon found a new doctor and man what a difference. I instantly got in the transplant list which I never even knew existed. Now I'm on pd and having a waaay easier time then if I were doing hemo. Thank god i switched when I did.

I got a really bad allergic reaction to a hydrocolloid adhesive pad I bought from Longs. My leg was…read moreok but progressively got worse. I didn't have a PCP so I went to Straub Clinic in Waikiki and Queen's Emergency. The doctors kept throwing more prescriptions at me that kept making things worse. So, I stopped taking it for a few days and started to improve. Around this time, I was referred to Dr. Monsicha Dinh. Unlike other doctors who probably would've kept saying TAKE ALL THE PILLS, she listened to what happened after the first antibiotic pill (allergic reaction), second antibiotic prescription (allergic reaction) and then listened to my suggestion of getting off all pills. She agreed and said to come back so she can check my progress. Turns out, I didn't need any pills. I just needed to ride it out but having Dr. Dinh actually listen to me and be there to make sure my progress was good was so helpful. I'm glad I found her. They have a website where you can download new patient forms and get the number to schedule your appointment! http://www.alohamedicalgroup.com/default.html

I've been seeing Dr. Dinh for over 2 years now and I've been very happy with her care. She listens…read moreto my concerns and is patient with me (I have had a number of critical medical issues and hospitalizations, so some of my issues have been complex). As a primary care physician, she has done a great job.

Kidney specialist. I Love, Dr. Tan. She is kind and explains everything in layman's terms so I can…read moreunderstand lol I've never had a problem coming to this office always friendly, cheerful staff and the doctors, friendly and cheerful what more could a patient ask for! Thank you, Dr. Tan and her friendly, competent office staff .

Long wait. They said the wait is 45 minutes. They made my father wait for more than 2 hours. My dad…read morewas just discharged from the hospital and this wait for a weak person is not acceptable! We left without being serviced. Poor customer service!!

I don't understand how this dr can have 5 star when there's 4 of #1 and only 1 of #5. Main…read morecomplaint is he is also the Chief of Emer Svc and you have to see other dr in his ofc because Ireland is out. Don't see same dr's and they have conflicting diagnosis. I was wondering about that also as Dr Ireland is always in the news for other Svcs. Review is on Health grades where he is a 3.5. I am so sorry but I don't really want to see different doctors when I make appt for Dr Ireland. Thats why I'm not with Kaiser.

I've been seeing Dr Ireland for 12 years for my kidney care. I literally owe him my life and he has…read moretaken care of it well. Easy to get appointments , great cheerful staff, plenty of FREE parking. What more could you ask for. For what it's worth, I like to take a very proactive part in my health care and unlike some of the physicians I have seen in the past, he welcomes my questions and answers them fully and understandably. The Best

I was in for a GI emergency. I was seen promptly and made comfortable in triage, where tests were…read moreperformed and explained clearly. It was an extremely busy night for the ER, but I feel I was treated well and as quickly as possible. Everything was professional with caring and concern evident. I recommend.

After seeing three different PCPs at this clinic, I can no longer view my experience as an isolated…read moreincident. The physician care has been consistently disappointing. The doctors I saw came across as dismissive, rushed, and condescending. Instead of feeling heard, I often felt like my concerns were being minimized or brushed aside. Questions were not fully answered, and discussions about my health frequently lacked the detail and explanation that patients deserve. I sought care because I had legitimate health concerns and abnormal findings that warranted follow-up and discussion. Rather than receiving thoughtful guidance, I often left appointments feeling more confused than when I arrived. In some cases, information documented in visit notes did not reflect the depth of discussion that actually took place during the appointment. What makes this especially frustrating is that the nurse practitioners and APRNs have been excellent. They took time to listen, explain why testing or follow-up was needed, and treated me with respect. My experience with the emergency department was also positive, professional, and compassionate. This review is not directed at the nursing staff, APRNs, or emergency department. They have consistently provided better communication and patient-centered care than any of the physicians I encountered. After three different PCPs and the same experience each time, I have lost confidence in the physician care provided by this clinic. Patients should not have to feel talked down to in order to receive answers about their own health.

Once again, Dr. Kobayashi and his staff bend over backwards for me! They always find a way to fit…read moreme into the schedule regardless how busy they are! Dr. Kobayashi usually runs behind schedule because he is always willing to fit his patients into his schedule. That's totally fine with me because when I need to be fitted in, I always am! I don't mind waiting to see him at all because in my eyes, he is the best doctor around! Thank you Dr. Kobayashi, Terry and Shawn!!!! (Sorry if I misspelled you names!)

If I could put no stars I would but yelp is too nice. If you want a doctor who doesn't want to help…read moreyou or doesn't want to do his job as a doctor than this is your doctor! Went in for help came out with the front desk lady terry giving me attitude and doctor telling me they didn't want to help me and he didn't have time! What kind of practice are you running here! They are lazy, unorganized and horrible. I thought I was doing something wrong but come to find out they haven't been doing their part as a physician office and they've been going around telling the insurance people and others that I don't know what I'm doing and making false accusations. Yes I don't know what I'm doing cause I'm young trying to figure out how insurance and disability works for my father, but what makes me so mad is they know what my father needs and what not but they won't help me to help him, so instead I look stupid in front of everyone when really it's them that hasn't been doing their job in filling papers out that have been due for how long. These papers that my father needed and they wanted to refuse to do are for his work and it's by law that their office do it. It's been so stressful and irritating running around. I knew they weren't a great doctors office from front desk to doctor but I didn't think it was this bad. I've heard other stories similar to mines and it's crazy to see them still running! I don't recommend them especially if you have a serious condition that needs check-ups every month or so. Or if you have something that could be boarder line and needs a little looking into. I'm just so shocked how horrible they've treated me and how inattentive they are.

I had L4-L5 spinal fusion surgery with Dr. Awaya. The day after surgery, I raised concerns about…read morepain and wanting to stay an extra day. He became confrontational and told me the surgery wouldn't work and that we shouldn't have done it in the first place. I went on to develop foot drop and pelvic problems. When I brought this up, he insisted it was unrelated and implied it was psychological. At my last visit, when I pressed him about the ongoing pain, he told me: "It could be the screw I put in, but we can't do anything about it now." I got a second opinion from another doctor and requested a copy of my surgical report. It showed that intraoperative nerve monitoring detected activity in the tibialis anterior and peroneus longus muscles during the surgery -- a sign of nerve irritation. The surgical notes confirm Dr. Awaya was aware of this at the time. He never disclosed it to me afterward. I still can't walk without a limp, and I've lost the ability to do many activities I used to enjoy. If you're considering spinal surgery, get a second opinion before you let this man operate on you.

1. Clearly communicated treatment goals and expectations before and after surgery…read more 2. Explored non-surgical treatments before deciding on surgery, physical therapy 3. Gave clear instructions post surgical at 2 week follow-up 4. Showed me an x-ray of my spine after surgery. Everything looked the way it was supposed to

Dr Ganapathy was my primary physician for at least 8 years before moving to CA. While under her…read morecare she was extremely diligent in her diagnosis and referred me to the best specialists who helped me through some difficult times. She stayed involved and she became a great support during my own care. She took on my elderly parents who had come to her with many ailments (diabetes, heart failure, dialysis, etc). She caught my mothers early stage breast cancer through her ongoing care. My father she helped turn around his out of control diabetes, nailed it on the best referrals on specialists for vascular surgeons, cardiologists, nephrologist and probably more because of how ill he was. She became my daughters physician as well. Being the primary caregiver for all of them (parents and daughters), I was able to trust and work with her getting through many tough moments. I'm writing this review after moving to CA 2 years ago, sitting here frustrated because I just cannot find someone as caring and "on it" in an Internal Medicine doctor. You would think living in Marin County there would be high end physicians, there just isn't. She may come across as rushed and busy, but she does care and very accurate in her diagnosis and specialist referrals.

The staff are really nice, friendly and on it! My fisrt time meeting Dr. Ganapathy, she was…read morethorough as far as reading up on my records from my previous M.D. who has retired. She examined me, and asked questions, easy to talk to and seems very patient.