Dr. Shimazu's been my primary care physician since I was a child. In short, he is a very busy doctor but a wonderful, trustworthy diagnostician. I occasionally go elsewhere for quicker service or minor issues, but he remains my most trusted health care provider.
Pros:
1. Excellent diagnostician. I have not had a doctor who is this accurate 100% of the time. It always surprises me.
2. Fast and accurate. This goes with #1. He asks all the right questions, presses the right spots, and comes up with the right diagnosis. Fast.
3. Extremely knowledgeable and great at explaining conditions.
4. Urgent appointments are accommodated the following day - sometimes the same day.
Cons:
1. Many patients means a busy doctor and a busy office. It's tough to get a non-urgent appointment. Physicals with the doc can take six months.
2. Fast. Fast. Fast. Sometimes you feel like you're being rushed out of the exam room. He knows all the questions to ask and knows he has to get to the next patient, so he gets to the diagnosis and gets out.
In the past, I've gotten a tad annoyed about not being able to see my PCP whenever I wanted. But now I know the value of a truly great doctor. AND I know how to work with the resources the office offers the patient (not just the resources the doctor offers).
Examples:
1. You can leave a message at the desk or on the machine for him and he'll reliably call you back when he has a few minutes between patients.
2. You can make appointments with Nurse Practitioners for non-urgent things like physicals or vaccines to reduce your wait time.
3. After building trust, you can call with an urgent situation to the Medical Assistants, have them convey the message to the doctor, and get a prescription called-in to your local pharmacy within hours.
My most recent experiences inspired me to write this review. I had to get several vaccines and a physical within a few weeks time prior to entering the Peace Corps. They squeezed me in with an NP and popped me in quickly for extra vaccines when I stopped by for paperwork (didn't get an exam room but it literally took 10 minutes. No complaints here!).
More recently, I came down with swine flue, bronchitis, and a sinus infection. A Saturday minute clinic helped me over the weekend but wouldn't refill a prescription over the phone. I called in to Shimazu's office, got the necessary cough syrup that evening, saw him in the morning and got additional prescriptions (antibiotics, etc.). He returned two calls with questions personally - spoke to me on the phone once and left a 5 minute message in another. His explanations for my progress were both clear and helpful.
In short, he is VERY BUSY but he does make time when you need it and ask for it. That's why he gets 5 stars and why I will keep him as my PCP as long as I am close enough to visit his office. read more