Free From Chronic Pain by Suzanna Williams…read more I recently had spine fusion surgery at Kuakini Hospital on August 21,25. The surgery was a complete success without any complications. I believe, wholeheartedly, that my success is due to everyone who played a part of my experience at Kuakini Hospital. You changed my life! Thank you! 1. Dr. Awaya, Orthopedic Surgeon 2. Pre-check in by phone and in person (staff and nurses) 3. Surgery day preparations (staff and nurses) 4. Surgical nurses and assistants that supported Dr.Awaya's efforts and plan for a successful surgery 5. Nurses (post surgery) 6. Physical Therapist (post surgery) 7. Occupational Therapist (post surgery) 8. Social Worker (post surgery) 9. Cafeteria personnel My story is nothing new when I share I had been battling chronic back pain for years. The journey had been a very long and winding road trying this and that to relieve my chronic pain. There were some things that worked along the way but unfortunately my chronic pain persisted that enviably lead me to surgery. I went to my first consultation with Dr.Awaya. This was the day I would get answers to what was causing my pain. First impressions always speaks volumes to me. He entered the room with confidence. He introduced himself and asked me how I was doing. I had my list of concerns ready and I am a very long winded person...I can talk forever and he took the time to listen without any interruptions. He then led into showing me what was causing my chronic pain at L4 and L5. He did this on the computer using my MRI image that had been taken at a recent visit to the emergency room back in March of this year. He went over my condition giving it a name called Spondylolisthesis and explained to me how spinal fusion surgery can correct this condition. He spoke with confidence with no fluff and did not mince his words. He got right to the point. I appreciated that. We met once more before the surgery where he then gave me his expectations of the surgery: 1. Approximately how long the surgery could take (3-4 hours) 2. Explained the possibility of infection 3. Explained the surgery procedure 4. My length of stay in the hospital (2 days) 5. Recovery at rehabilitation center (2 weeks) 6. Follow-up visit with him in (2 weeks) Everything went according to plan. I had surgery on July 21, 2025 and discharged to recovery on July 23, 2025 without any complications due to the wonderful people working at Kuakini Hospital. The level of care provided to me by the nurses, therapists, staff, and others assigned to my care were instrumental to my surgery success and healing process. 1. Everyone always explained what they were doing and why it was necessary 2. Everyone worked as a unified team member 3. Nurses introduced themselves switching shifts 4. Updated my board accordingly 5. Administered prescribed medications accordingly 6. Monitored my care per doctor's order precisely 7. Always asked about my well-being 8. The physical and occupational therapists were instrumental to my long-term success 9. Kudos to the cafeteria staff in preparing my food. It was the best tasting hospital food I had ever had. I never went hungry! Everyone did exactly what they were assigned to do. The environment was conducive to a successful post-surgery outcome. God bless all of you! Post surgery update. Three weeks after surgery: 1. Discharged from recovery on August 4, 2025 returned home 2. I can walk for 30 minutes around my neighborhood. I have done it three days straight now without any problems 3. I can go to church for 2 hours 4. I can bend my leg to put on my own socks and shoes 5. I am totally free from chronic pain- Praise the Lord! Excellent teamwork! I knew I was in good hands, God's hands, when I was wheeled into the operating room and the music was playing and everyone was pumped up and ready to go.... Mahalo to all!

Seems heavily understaffed. Everyone is rushy. Maybe they…read morereceive lots of weird patient but the attitude is strange for a hospital. Nurse didn't tell us where the buttons to call is as if they rather you not call, no water if you ask for it (first time I got to any ER saying no water). very strange ER I personally would go somewhere else if it is truly life threatening.

Thumbs up... There…read moreare reasons for the lower acceptance of All Access Ortho as you are seen my PA which I had no idea when I first visited them with my broken ankle though situation of urgency does make it the most convenient location to take advantage versus going to the emergency. What I didn't realize is that I'm able to get my Trigger Thumb taken care of here and if I knew I would've done it much sooner as I though that I needed a specialist along with an X-ray which my doctor had said so as well only to see that he sent me here which is located in Hale Pawa'a ground floor and parking is free for the first hour and no they don't validate after but I did find meter parking right outside on Young Street since I don't like parking here as it gets very crowded. After register and waited for just five minutes I was seen by a lovely lady and she did all the questions and at least a dozen finger movements only to have the physical took one second and say awww ya that's a classic one and I said I just want the shot and given it in a second and be on my way. Was told it should be good in about a couple of weeks and though the feeling wasn't immediate in about a week I totally felt the difference and was just delightful to have my motion back. It was a learning experience for both the PA and myself and knowing that they have the option to return if needed is so promising and happy to know. Thank you!

Overall, I had a really good experience here. The provider and the rest of the staff were kind,…read moreprofessional, and made me feel comfortable during both of my visits. The only reason I'm not giving 5 stars is because of the front desk employee who checks patients in at the desk on the left side when you walk in. Both times I've been here, she's come across as cold and unwelcoming. Her tone is very monotone, and it felt like I was bothering her just by checking in. During my follow-up visit, it looked like she was eating lunch, so maybe the timing wasn't ideal, but this was the second time I had the same experience. After my first visit, I figured maybe she was just having a bad day. But after the same interaction happened again, I felt it was worth mentioning. I'm not trying to be mean or get anyone in trouble. I just think the person who greets patients is the first impression of the office, and a simple smile or friendly attitude can make a big difference. Especially in a healthcare setting where people may already be stressed or nervous. Other than that, my experience was great, and I'd definitely come back. I just hope the front desk experience becomes as welcoming as the care provided by everyone else.

Excellent care. Thoroughly explains medical treatments and procedures…read more His office staff is very friendly.

Did you know that heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most…read moreracial and ethnic groups in the United States? Another staggering fact is one person dies every 37 seconds in the United States from cardiovascular disease. But, even more, frightening to me is knowing that heart disease is the leading cause of death in women. Just knowing these facts, I'm glad that Dr. Yamada is on my healthcare team at Queens Medical Center. I regard him as progressive, knowledgeable, compassionate yet straightforward with his explanations to me and I have been under his care for at least the past decade or longer. My scheduled annual office visits may include in-office treadmill stress tests or EKG in addition to getting my basic vital signs. Dr. Yamada has also prescribed other diagnostic tests to help him to decide if he needs to recommend changes in my lifestyle or medication. This time around, during pandemic restrictions, I participated in a telehealth visit. This was my first-time using HMSA's Online Care application. After registering for the application (on Friday, in preparation for my Monday appointment), I found this application easy-to-use and quite intuitive. On Monday morning, about 20 minutes prior to my designated appointment time, I signed in to the app's "Waiting Room". Then, about 3 minutes prior to my appointment time, Dr. Yamada's nurse signed me in to my appointment and Dr. Yamada made his appearance on-time as he usually does for office visits. The telehealth visit was just as good as an in-person visit except that I had taken my own blood pressure and weight at home. Yeah, yeah... unfortunately, I had to report the "Corona pounds" gains. Dr. Yamada had reviewed the results of the blood draws that I had taken a couple of days prior to this appointment. I guess that because of the pandemic concerns, he and his nurse were wearing face masks even for this session. I liked that their office takes this pandemic seriously and takes all possible precautions to not only protect themselves but to protect their patients. I sort of like this telehealth application as it was easy to use and I didn't even have to leave the comfort of my home. Anyway, I've already scheduled my next office visit in 2021 and look forward to the continued maintenance of good heart health through Dr. Yamada's recommendations.

Thank goodness for Straub hospital and doctor Weldon. No doctor on Maui was able to fix my broken…read moreelbow after 1 year. 2 surgeries later here I am. I can't tell you how wonderful all the nurses,doctors and staff are. They made my surgery as stree free as anyone could expect. I love that the hospital is small enough that every room is private. The radiology department is wonderful. They took great care of me. I've been back and forth many times for checks with my doctor and they have all made a very upsetting and stressful time in my life much better.

ER varies so much. Really depends on what doctors are working as to how well you are evaluated…read more Some are good others just basics if that. Female charge nurse can be a challenge.

Queens heart institute physicians office is in suite 601 whereas Queens Heart Institute is in suite…read more610. First visit with new cardiologist Dr Luke Lam. Check in was quick, parking was validated and I was taken back to a room for vital signs within 5 minutes.

The Queen's Medical Center is Honolulu's level 1 trauma care center and the largest hospital group…read morein the state so you would expect their Heart Physician Practice in the Queen's Physicians Office Building III to also be the largest cardiology practice. Besides inpatient services at POB III they also provide services at Queen's-West Oahu, their Healthcare Centers on the Neighbor Islands, and outpatient cardiology. They share a remodeled check in and waiting area with the Geriatric Practice. When you are called a nurse will greet you, go over your current medication list, weigh you, and take vitals. You will then be assigned a room, probably by an APRN who will gather or provide more specific information for your visit. The physicians here work closely with their own dedicated APRNs. There may also be someone undergoing clinical CVD training shadowing the physician. I am very comfortable with how they work together as a team. When you and your physician are done the APRN or RN will walk you to an area where you will make your next appointment and receive a summary of your visit. Someone will direct you to the exit area which is in a different area from the reception waiting area. This is an extremely busy practice and despite the apparent size they have to cram in their staff wherever there is space. I've found the physicians and APRNs are always patient and engaged, and helpful in clearly explaining options and procedures. Count me satisfied and happy.

You know you're an old man when your GP says it's time to get a colonoscopy screening done. She…read morereferred me to Surgicare which is Straub's outpatient surgery clinic. There was a bit of an issue getting the appointment setup once my GP sent over the referral. Instead of it being a seamless process with them calling me to schedule like other referrals, I had to call them and they sort of found my referral and then we got the process started. The nurse gave me clear instructions for the prep. My check in time on those instructions was 1130 for a 1pm procedure. The day before one of the nurses on the surgical team called me and asked me to check in at 1030am. Great. So the morning of, I had questions with the timing because of the prep stuff and called them at 6am just to confirm that I should come in earlier. The front desk folks didn't get that memo and said my scheduled time was 1130. At around 10am, the same nurse called me and said that my surgeon Dr Ikeguchi is fast so I could come in at 1030 and it would be fine. So a bit of confusion there between the surgical team and the front desk folks. No big deal but I was left pretty confused about the timing of everything vis a vis my prep. Anyway, my partner drives me over there. We park in the attached garage. It was free but I don't know if that's normal. There was no place to get a ticket from the machine. On the way out we had to scan a barcode to get the arm to lift up. YMMV on that part. Upon arrival, I checked in and was ushered back fairly promptly. Since this is an outpatient clinic, it was a bit of a cattle call. Lots of people in beds getting ready for surgery. I think there was like 8 beds in the staging area where you undress, ask questions, and they hook you up to ivs or whatever. It was there I met my surgeon Dr. Ikeguchi. She was warm, but also no nonsense. She answered all my questions and was out. Then I met my anesthesiologist Dr. Tal Leyshon who was awesome. Much more friendly and very warm. He made sure I didn't have any more questions and assured me this would be super quick. From there they take you back to the procedure room where your team is waiting. The nurse calls out the patient and procedure info to the team. Dr. Leyshon has the propofol ready to go. As he's injecting it he's like you'll be out in 30 seconds. I was out in 30 seconds. Next thing I knew, I was waking up a little groggy with cottonmouth. They gave me some water. Had me dress once I could stand and I was out. My partner said total time was 90 mins. The actual procedure took less than 10 mins according to my paperwork. Sorry for the long review but I thought it was necessary. My entire surgical team was great. Shout out to all the filipina nurses who made me feel comfortable from the moment I walked in to when I left. And my surgeon and anesthesiologist made me feel safe in their competent hands. I know most of us don't have a choice to where our GPs recommend us but I would 100% get another procedure done at surgicare. Finally, if you're getting older, get your colonoscopy screening done. It's totally not a big deal and could save your life.

I'm so sad to have to write this review. Surgicare was great with my actual care. Everyone was…read moreprofessional, competent, and I felt safe and cared for. However, the failure of their billing management and apathy towards fixing their own mistake is unacceptable. My procedure was preventative and 100% covered under my insurance with no out of pocket expense for myself. I had the procedure in February 2025 and Surgicare's billing coded it incorrectly as diagnostic instead of preventative. I received a $300+ bill and had to call and email Surgicare and their third party biller for almost a year before they fixed it. Surgicare would just tell me to call their biller and did not seem to care at all. I called both Surgicare and their biller at least two or three times a month for 9 months, just getting "we're working on it". I had to call HMSA after every follow up to find out what was really happening and that it just kept being billed incorrectly. This went on for 9 months. I only received help when I guessed the emails of the third party biller's executives. I finally received a confirmation that I no longer had the balance due near the end of November 2025. 9 months is a ridiculous timeframe for a simple correction. Surigcare did waive the residual tax fee for me but I don't think that makes up for their utter disregard for the situation. Surgicare's complete apathy to an error on their side has been extremely unprofessional and infuriating, I felt I had to write this especially for others. For someone else with less time, less experience with advocating for themselves, those that don't speak English well, or are on a fixed budget, this NINE month long experience would be intensely stressful and unacceptable.

Dr. Lawler, Sharon, as we call her -- is one of the most caring doctors I have run across. She…read morehas been my family's doctor for 40 plus years. I wouldn't want any other PCP, except for Dr. Chelsea. I wait to see Dr. Lawler because she is an exceptional person and doctor!

incompetent front of the house money hungry doctors can't even give a reason for denying serviceread more

Follow up…read more.. Physicians do travel and don't stay at the same location and since I'm tied to a specific one for workers comp which he's usually here on the particular day I visited but found out later that he wouldn't be but there is a doctor that would be able to fulfill my appointment was great. This Kahala location is literally located right outside of Kahala Mall though to access their parking lot you need to drive into Kahala Mall back parking lot and there's a driveway that will take you to the back side of the building. Entrance there is just the stairs but the front is wheelchair accessible but either way it's a nice spot that can get crowded. Lovely spot that quite different as the waiting room seems like it's for both patients and folks waiting for them as there seems to be spots you can work on and single stall restroom for convenience the staff there is very nice and friendly and some are based here for all sort of paperwork so I did finally get to meet some of the amazing staff. Inside is very roomy and spacious and the quality care they give is very calming and thoughtful. I got my appointment done and I'm all set for the year love this location and it is my preferred area but I do hope that I don't need a visit any time soon. Thank you!

Dr. Sar was awesome. He was super friendly and caring. The facility was super clean and nice. The…read morenurses were great as well