I was with Dr. Kim for many years and he was a great doctor, as was Nurse Practitioner Cheri - never had any issues. They always took in appointments quickly, were on time, did a great job and I've praised him to many people - even my sister was with him for a few years. Then he decided to dump all his patients...or was it just me? I don't know. He sent a referral to another doctor, who you could not get on the phone - called the guy 20 times, never answered (you can see my review of that guy too). So here we are over three years later and I can't find a reliable doctor. I'm about to get my third doctor since. I absolutely hate it. I spend hours trying to find a reliable doctor - first guy I liked a lot but could not get him on the phone or email. Dropped him - went to the next guy, also great doctor but office has tons of issues. Done with him too. Now I'm looking again. And I trust no doctor and never will again after this. Who dumps all their patients just like that? And then refers to them to the worst doctor ever? I don't see any recent reviews for him so I don't know, all I know is this is not a trustworthy guy - you don't want to put your time in with this guy and then have him dump you out of the blue. read more

My regular primary care physician was out of town and I needed a prescription for typhoid medication as I would be traveling soon. His office told me that Paul Kim was his backup, so I made an appointment. I did not see Dr. Kim, I saw a physician's assistant. She talked to me for less than 5 minutes and wrote a prescription for me. I then received a bill in the mail for $369! I've tried calling several times and so did an advocate from Aetna. I finally reached someone and they said they would look into it and get back to me, but that was over a month ago. They were happy to talk to me and get me to come into the office, but now this and I can't get anywhere. What a scam!! read more

Stay away from this practice. I barely interacted with him once. After that, all interactions are with his nurse who is not very competent. I don't feel like Dr Kim was ever interested in helping me. I'm in the process of trying to find a new doctor. read more

I was referred to Dr. Kim by my holistic doctor Dr. Michael Ruscio to get antibiotics for H. Pylori. Unfortunately I have tried holistic approach but it didn't work so I had to get very strong antibiotics. Dr. Kim was very nice and had knowledge about my issue. He took time to explain everything to me and what the treatment plan will be. He even called me to let me know what I'm going to be taking and how it will effect me. The wait time wasn't bad. Between 5-10min each time. I was a bit surprised when I got his bill for $178 and I thought he is charging way more than regular doctors :-( Or maybe he didn't take my insurance??? I have to call him to find out why was it so high for regular office visit. read more

I have been going to Dr Paul Kim, and Cheri Arbizu Nurse Practitioner, for over 4 years. I started with Dr Kim, and found him to be friendly, and open minded about different approaches- he doesn't think he has all the answers unlike other MDs. Later, I started with NP Cheri Arbizu who I highly recommend. Like Dr. Kim, she is friendly and very open minded, and is very knowledgeable. A Family Nurse Practitioner is not just a "junior doctor", but has rigorous primary care clinical and educational qualifications. There is a lot of orthodoxy in medicine, reinforced by payers; at this office, I have not had that experience. Their billing is through BASS Medical, and I have not any problems. Their office just moved into the BASS Medical complex at 2637 Shadelands in Walnut Creek, phones the same. They are on the MyChart electronic system though John Muir Health. If you are looking for a practice where they will treat the individual person, try Cheri Arbizu NP. read more

Dr Kim has been a great resource. His approach is different than many other doctors and it is refreshing to meet a practitioner willing to find advanced methods for people who are suffering. Thank you Dr Kim read more

My advice, if you want it, is to stay away from this doctor. 1) He doesn't care 2) He doesn't listen 3) He has no empathy or compassion 4) His staff is rude and unprofessional and doesn't return phone calls. I had several serious medical issues. He told me right up front he sells stuff that insurance companies don't pay for. I needed several referrals to specialists. He gave me, I think three. I was prepared for my appointment. I brought copes of hospital reports, ie., operative reports, etc. While I didn't expect his to read all of it, he read none of it! He couldn't be bothered. I then called his office about six times and left messages, etc.to follow up, including his nurse and office manager and no one ever returned any of my calls- not one! I was also on a time frame of getting my care squared away ASAP before I returned to work. He could not have care less. No response, no concern, nothing! My insurance co made me wait a whole month before changing PCP's so unfortunately I was stuck with him for a month. I finally had to file a formal grievance with the medical group and my insurance company against this doctor to get what I needed. Then my phone rang and he told me to come and get the other referrals I needed. The insurance company is his source of money. That shows you what he cared about and it wasn't me, his patient. I truly believe he knew I was not interested in buying his other stuff and he knew that he would not make any extra money off me by referring me to specialists so he could not have cared less about me or my medical care. And, he set my care back by at least three weeks in doing so. My opinion and experience with this doctor is, if you care about your health, your time, your money, stay away from this doctor. There are plenty of good ones to choose from. read more

I wish i had the foresight to check reviews here before embarking on the adventure to seek out the elusive Dr. Kim as my new primary Dr. I can not believe with tomorrows appointment finally arriving to see Dr. Kim they've thrown another road block my way. Just moving to town a few months ago I needed to set up a greeting with a new Dr to continue my prescriptions and begin a new file. On making the appt. around his schedule for when he was going to be at the PLeasantville location it was a couple weeks before we could coordinate schedules and I'd be able to have access to continue my prescriptions, potentially be set up for labs to be drawn and continue a holistic approach as well. A few days prior to the appt date Dr. Kim calls me himself to reschedule but offers the option of seeing his Nurse Practitioner "Dr. Dan" sooner to just establish a file and get my prescriptions (of the non"integrative/holistic medicine" that Dr. Kim specifically does) but just of the Western medicine prescriptions that were running out also. Well, I still needed the appt quickly with Dr. Kim afterward so I could renew my holistic prescription that had been doing very well for me last 4 years but he assured me a few times during our phone call to resolve the cancellation issue he initiated that, after seeing Dr. Dan for my prescription renewal and going out for labs that Dr. Kim would then follow up with me. So I take the appt with Dr. Dan, I drive to Quest for my labs, I wait 10 days for results from Quest and a day before my appt. with Dr. Kim, once again, i get the cancellation from the office based on "you hadn't had a physical with Dr. Dan first." And they want me to set a date with Dr. Dan AGAIN, and then another for Dr. Kim AGAIN. Well who's slight was that?? Did Dr. Kim mention on the phone with me that i need to set up a physical with Dr. Dan before seeing him because i was a new pt.? Did Dr. Dan, knowing i was setting up a new acct with them and that he was "filling in for Dr. Kim" seeing me on the first appt day, mention that theres a missing physical he needs to do? So I ask that we reschedule ONCE MORE to see Dr Kim then but when Dr. Dan is in the office too so i'm not driving to Pleasantville 2 more times to fulfill what they billed my insurance for that still hasnt met my requirements. "Dr. Dan isn't in the office at the same time as Dr. Kim". And thats the best we can do. Thanks for wasting my time first with the receptionist making the first appt that didn't clue me in as to the needs of the service prior to beginning with Dr. Kim, thanks to Dr. Dan for not updating the pt. (while i was there) knowing he was my first practitioner and was required to initiate a physical in order for me to see Dr. Kim (which he was quite aware was the direciton of treatment and that he was filing in for Dr. Kims appt with me that day) and thanks as well to Dr. Kim for directing me to Dr. Dan with the endorsement of "give him copies of your prescriptions and at least we can get that in your file and then i can see you after that -- None of THE THREE instructed me to obtain a physical prior or during my appt. and expect me to make an appt again. Quite the well oiled machine (Review subject to adjustment based on swift resolution) read more

Dr. Kim helped my fiancee lose 20 pounds (I don't even know where it all came from, she looked good but now she looks fantastic!). He was always responsive, and the staff, especially Carima, has been so nice and helpful. Thank you Dr. Kim! read more

Dr Kim has been my Primary care Doctor for over 15 years. He and his Team are wonderful. If he isn't available, he has a couple of alternates in his office that are. Dr Kim has helped me through many injuries over the years and has gotten me back on track as soon as possible. read more

I've been one of Dr. Paul Kim's patients for about 4 years. During that time, I have seen him on 3 occasions, as I primarily prefer to see his Physician's Assistant Dan Heany. I usually see PA Heany or Dr. Kim in the Pleasant Hill Wellness office, but sometimes I go to their Walnut Creek office. Each time that I have seen Dr. Kim my patient experience has been either downright unpleasant or best case scenario with him is I have come away feeling dissatisfied with the content of the information I was given about my health or with his poor manner. Before I go further and say why my experiences with Dr. Kim have been poor, let me first say that the nurses, interns, attendants, and Dan Heany are all quite wonderful! Every time I visit, the nurses and EVEN the INTERN demonstrate professionalism, politeness, prompt service, a caring attitude, and compassion when patients are in distress. Dr. Kim's manner, attitude, and comportment stand in stark contrast -- in a bad way -- to that of the rest of the professionals in his office. 1. Generally speaking, my experience has been that he's come across as a poor listener. In his initial assessments, he seems to latch on to one or two phrases/ideas and run with them, but fails to grasp or pay attention to other critical information that a patient might be giving. It's almost as if he has a short attention span and only pays attention to the info that fits within the first 20-30 secs. This is supposed to be a key component of a doctor's toolkit, in my understanding at least....it speaks to how well they are able to assess your condition. Granted I've seen him only 3 times (on purpose!) but each time I've come away feeling that he probably missed a good 50%-60% of the relevant information I was giving him. Scary. 2. The thing that bothers me even more, however, is that he comes off as lacking compassion. Even my wife, who is very patient and an emotive person, has commented he doesn't come across as really caring about me as a patient. For example, I was recently in to see him twice within a three day span because I was experiencing a very high degree of acute, debilitating lower back and flank pain...having conducted tests, we and Dr. kim think this was likely caused by a kidney stone. And, kidney stones are known to cause pain on par with that of broken bones and yes, childbirth. Anyway, upon seeing me in such pain, he made no expression of compassion or care. In fact, his intern and reception waaaay surpassed him in that area! Not only that, but when asked to call in my pain med prescription to a local pharmacy, his response was that he couldn't have his staff do that because it was after hours/past 5pm. Mind you, the time was about 5:05pm. He said this, even when he had a patient that was in clear, debilitating pain to the point of having trouble walking! With that attitude, why become a doctor -- one who is tasked with giving care to people in need to medical attention-- if you aren't willing to display that you really care about your patients and you aren't 100% committed to giving them the highest standard of care? To me,that's kind of like choosing to become a cook when you don't like cooking or food in general. Other exhibits of poor behavior include: 3. Clearly more interested in getting you out the door than spending more than 5-10 minutes with a patient. Each time I've seen him, he has rushed me in/out as quickly as possible. This after routinely waiting and waiting, sometimes more than 30-45 minutes to see him...this last time, he even talked to me with the door open -- he was opening the door about to rush out as he was talking to me about my condition. I even had to ask him to close the door as he was clearly still talking about my medical info and didn't quite have the proper regard for my privacy. 4. Doesn't brother to explain the medications he recommends, nor why he recommends them, nor what would be the expected positive/side effects. 5. In my follow up visit (the second one in three days), he concerned himself only with the fact my condition seemed to have resolved itself because the pain went away. I even asked if we shouldn't be more concerned given the level of pain, the location, and the fact that I have never experienced anything like this before. His response was to say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and order more tests in 1-2 months. My thoughts? In a word -- Wow. Not good. 6. Another thing that isn't so much about Dr. Kim as it is about the facility is: some of the patient waiting rooms have thin walls! The last time I was there (just a few days ago), I could hear very clearly Dr. Kim's conversation with another patient...including the medical problems that patient was experiencing. Not that I wanted to...but I couldn't avoid overhearing since the walls were so thin. Who wants others to be listening in on their personal health issues? So, needless to say, I'd have a new Dr. if it weren't for the staff and PA. read more

Bad: 1. Make sure you say that you want an appointment with the doctor and not the physician's assistant when you call to make your appointment. 2. The physician's assistant did not evaluate my mother correctly so we had to make more appts with Dr. Kim to correct it all. This resulted in a waste of money on co-pays, medications that she didn't need to begin with and lab tests that were useless. 3. I got a bill that was miscalculated. 4. The person at the Billing Dept did not wait to hear my question before she interrupted and gave me an answer. 5. The person I spoke to in the Billing Dept seemed like she wanted to get me off the phone as quickly as possible. 6. After discussing the miscalculated bill, I was told that there was a new balance so I asked for an updated bill to be sent. It was marked as being 30 days past due!!!! And it was only 14 days after the first one that received. 7. When calling the Billing Dept and no one answers, the phone just keeps on ringing. You can't leave a message. Good: 1. Dr. Kim was pleasant when I called him for the very first time to make the first appt. 2. Dr. Kim returns my calls. Update 12/29/08: I changed my mind; I am subtracting a star. read more

I went to Dr. Kim for some botox and i loved him! he explained to me everything before hand and i felt very comfortable in this office. His nurses are very supportive and adorable :) Thanks Doc! I will be back and sending others read more

Would not recommend Dr.Kim, saw him on his weight loss clinic side & was very disappointed. Way to much money, terrible bed side manner, treated his staff terrible. Not willing to treat nor understand my issues. read more

Dr. Kim is the first doctor I've gone to that wants me to be healthy, instead of just not sick. His staff is fun and caring. He listens to my concerns and answers them. He is open to many ways of healing. read more

I suffered a broken toe over a weekend and tried to call Dr. Kim but he was not available. His answering machine directed me to call another doctor that never answered his phone. So I had to wait until Monday to go see him. I kept trying to call his office early to make an appointment but nada. Finally I decided to show up at 9:00 in the morning and his office was still closed. Then he finally showed up a few minutes later and I tried to talk to him. The first thing that he told me when I mention about my injury was that his office doesn't deal with workers compensation anymore ( I am hispanic, so maybe he thought that I didn't have insurance). Then he went onto question me about what number I called and he took a defensive position when I told him that nobody answered my calls. Then he directed his late employees to referred me somewhere else and walked out of the office. During all the time that I was in his office, not a single moment he showed concern for my injury, nor he seemed to care if I was OK or not. To me his attitude is completely opposite of what I good doctor should be. This guy was my Primary Care Physician and this was my first visit to his office. I had to call my insurance company to get a referral to get treatment. Later on I changed my PCP to a better doctor. read more