I read some of the one star reviews before my visit with Dr. Spiegel so I was prepared for a less than optimal 'bed side manner'. I was pleasantly surprised. We had absolutely no communication problems. I encountered no rude behavior. We were totally on the same page and he gave me some valuable insight and advice about my medical condition and how to deal with it. (Arthritis). The staff was friendly and helpful also. read more

Awful doctor who was rude, condescending and mean to my daughter when she saw him for a consult.

After reading some of the reviews I was a little worried to come here. But I believe everyone has a different experience. I was able to make an appointment for my medical documents in a quick matter of time. Once I had the appointment, Dr Spiegel made me feel very comfortable. They helped me out with whatever I needed in no time. I was very pleased with the staff and everything. No complaints really. Thank you!! read more

Worst doctor I've ever seen in my whole life. Silly, incompetent, and unashamedly rude and dismissive of his patients. I was referred to this guy, went once, listened to him say inappropriate things, and then waited a MONTH for him to fill a prescription that I desperately needed. Eventually, I called the insurance company and they actually prepared the forms FOR him and sent them along. He never bothered to fill them out anyway. In increasing pain, I called a health advocate and she reviewed the case history and told me to run away and never talk to this guy again. I took her advice. Two days later I had a different doctor, and one day later I got my medication. Stay far, far away from this guy. read more

Dr Spiegel has my respect & appreciation. After more than 2 months of pain (and good efforts by 3 joint specialists, and a PT, he diagnosed PMR. I am nearly pain free after 30 days and have a safe prednisone schedule. He was a little quirky in the first few minutes but gave he me a full hour of his time on my first visit and 45 minutes on my 1 week follow up, and accepts Medicare! read more

I've been seeing Dr. Spiegel for 6 years. He is extremely knowledgable and cares deeply about the well being of his patients. I have never had trouble getting an appointment when needed, and his office is responsive to my calls for blood orders, exams, prescriptions, etc. He makes a point of making sure his patients understand options for treatments and what their lab results mean. I always feel like I can be open and honest about concerns and changes, knowing he will have my best interest in mind and we can adjust over time as things change. I don't need a Dr. who coddles me, I truly value having a Dr. who is a straight shooter. read more

He is just another arrogant, zero sense of customer service. He led my friend into deeper depression. Such a shame he takes patients, when he is the actual patient. read more

My mom was referred to doctor spiegel very rude and unprofessional not helpful at all didn't help my mom with her health problems pretty much a waste of time requested to be moved to a different doctor as soon as possible we won't be going there again !!! read more

BEST DOCTOR! I always knew Doctor Spiegel was a great doctor, but especially since moving away and now going to a terrible Rheumatologist, I appreciate the great service and care I got from Doctor Spiegel. He was the first to diagnose my type of arthritis, and provided me great care. He was always greatly concerned about my health respected my choices about my treatment. What I appreciate most about Doctor Spiegel is that he made sure I knew everything about my condition and treatment options, and made it clear that althoug he had strong recommendations, my treatment was ultimately my choice - and when I chose not to move onto the treatment he recommended for my own personal reasons, he respected that. And his nurse/receptionist Chris is great. I miss this office more than I can say!! read more

Horrible doctor, worst excuse for a human being, he was yelling at other patients for not being able to speak fluent English, they had an accent...literally walked out because I was disgusted never will be coming back here and I would give negative stars if I could!! read more

I've been an active patient of Dr. Spiegel for over 15 years now. He was able to diagnose me after having gone though a litany of doctor's and tests, all of which came up empty. My case has been fairly resistant to numerous treatments including all of the standard ones. He placed me on one medication while it was still brand new, that was the first medication to make a real difference for me. As of today it's an old medication, but it is currently the only method of treatment I'm using. One thing I've been impressed by is that Dr. Spiegel has always managed to stay ahead of the ever growing list of medications, a number of which I've tried (with limited success) over the years. In spite of my excepting things being the way they are, he still makes an active effort to find new treatments just in case it might be the one to improve things for me. He does come off with an attitude at times, but it's not prevented me from getting quality treatment. We've had a couple of fairly heated issues once or twice over the years, but never anything we couldn't get passed. As of today his office is a 2 hour drive from my work, but I've still chosen to remain with him in spite of this. read more

Extremely rude and unprofessional, doesn't care about patients and how they navigate the insurance system at all and is all about money! Also twice as expensive as any other immigration exam around So-Cal. read more

WORST DOCTOR EVER! so so so rude. He would not even let me explain what problems I had. I had a list of things on my phone to tell him so I wont forget and every time I tried to open it he rudely said "put your phone away". I had my blood test reports on my phone too. When he started talking about blood test I told him I have them on my phone and he goes "well! I'm gonna wanna see them". I had taken screen shot of the blood reports. He takes the phone from me and I suppose accidentally swiped backwards on the picture and my picture showed up. He returns the phone and say, "here! you show me, I don't want to see that scary face again!" I still kept up with him. When I tried to open the list and check if there is something else I need to tell him he told me to put my phone away again. So I tried to go through the list in my head and I remembered and told him that I get fevers too then he goes, "You cant just do that. by the way I get fevers. thats important information" Well I won't do it if you just let me tell you why I was there to see you. And at the end he had nothing to suggest me to ease the pain. All he had to say was,"It is going to hurt but you just have to get through it!" I had to ask him myself if it was okay to take a painkiller. I paid him for something anybody can have told me, "its gonna hurt". and I paid for him to be offensive and rude to me. Never ever go to him. Believe me, you'll come back feeling even worse. read more

Worst Dr. I reported him! Rude dismissive. Actually trying to accuse me of intravenous drug use do to blood pressure cuff not working and me having tattoos. He repeated 3 times that people with tattoos are drug users to the nurse that was in the room. He then looked over my inner elbows, top of hands and top of feet for track marks. Rude about my weight. Wouldnt let me answer questions he asked. Then told me it was in all my head after seeing on my chart: bipolar. I was referred by PCP. I didn't choose to see him. Hope this helps... it was a horrible experience to have gone through. read more

I agree with reviewer Carol W. I have the same diagnosis AND I found Dr. Spiegal to be just a rude, unlikeable person. The first thing he said to me was, "what is wrong with you?" What? Dr. Spiegal likes to hear himself talk and kept me in the office for 30 minutes as he expounded on why EDS now has a different name. At one point he told me he would examine my skin, and he told me that this "will be a sensual experience." Uh, gross. I couldn't leave the office soon enough. Avoid. Seriously. read more

If you are diagnosed by Dr. Spiegel as having Ehlers Danlos, go to a different doctor. 3 women on my block long street were diagnosed with this rare disease, and did not have it. It is the "go away" diagnosis. His nurse told me to get on antidepressants. I actually had a fractured pelvis. read more

My mother was referred to Dr. Spiegel because her regular specialist retired and he is the most rude, unprofessional person I have encountered as a Doctor. He probably doesn't even have a fax because my mother's primary Doctor faxed her records and he claimed they didn't and yelled at me saying I should know all the names of the medication she was taking a year ago. Then when he found out my mom doesn't speak English (and i was there to translate) was very upset and asked how long has she lived in the United States and I responded 10 years and he said wow and she can't even speak or understand a word!!! I told him that i was sorry and that she had other mental issues that prevented her from learning and that she is a legal resident of the United states. Well he didn't care and was still very upset and went on to ask how many kids i have i said 2 and he said: No you have 3 and he pointed at my mother, at that point i felt so humiliated and I started crying I couldn't believe that a Doctor could be so mean and unprofessional. A person with that attitude should not be part of the medical field. read more

I was referred to Dr. Spiegel by my primary care physician. I have had psoriatic arthritis for over 30 years and have had the opportunity to see a number of very good rheumatologists. Dr. Spiegel really knows what he is talking about. He has the expertise and experience you will want in a rheumatologist. There are more than 100 rheumatic diseases so getting a doctor with this level of knowledge is very important. I read some of the reviews about his style, so I guess he's not for everyone. Personally, I found him pleasant, energetic and engaging. read more

I was referred to Dr. Spiegel by both my primary Dr. and my Gyn. He was kind, knowledgeable and took the time to clearly explain both my symptoms and a plan. I have struggled with some of my pain for 15 years and finally today I understand why. I am very relieved to have found a Dr. to work with me to feel my best. I am grateful. read more

Horrible bedside manner and very arrogant. Was treated horribly when dealing with alot. He doesn't have a clear understanding of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and misdiagnoses patients often. Be careful if you choose to see him. read more

I went to Dr Spiegel for a some tendon and rash problem. He is extremely knowledgeable and has a great sense of humor. He takes the time to explain things and has a great bedside manner. When I told a friend I was going to see a rheumatologist he said "I hope it's Dr. Spiegel in Santa Barbara, he's the best". He was right. To bad you can't give more than 5 stars! read more

RUN from this physician - he's not the only specialist in the area. I called him regarding my elderly hard of hearing parent who has been his patient for over 15 years and he screamed at me over the phone, called my parent a liar and when I pleaded with him to call in a prescription he told me, "I'm so mad right now I don't want to". I have NEVER in my life been spoken to in such a manner. Atrocious, unprofessional and UNNECESSARY behavior. What a disgrace to his profession. read more

I've been seeing Dr. Spiegel and highly recommend him. He is very informative on my disease Hemachomatosis which most doctors have little knowledge of and understands its relationship to arthritis. I left a doctor that had no feelings on how much pain I was in and gave me no help in finding out what was going on. Thank you Dr. Spiegel for all the knowledge and kindness you have given me over the years. Thelma Maitland read more

I was referred to Dr. Spiegel by my primary care physician. Prior to my appointment, I looked at Yelp reviews and I was very apprehensive about going to him after reading some of the reviews. My primary told me to give him a chance and if it didn't work out, then I could go to somebody else. I am SO happy that I listened to my doctor. Dr. Spiegel is wonderful!!! He's a straight shooter and has such a great personality which makes you feel comfortable right from the beginning. Another reason not to trust everything you read or hear. I couldn't have asked for a better experience! read more

Dr. Spiegel is the best! He always gets me in quickly when I need a cortisone shot in my knee and his shots are the best too!! Always cheerful and explains everything he is going to do. A real gem!! read more

I had a most pleasant visit with Dr Spiegel. I arrived approximately fifteen minutes early for my appointment and was greeted and handed all pertinent paperwork by his smiling receptionist. I immediately felt welcomed and comfortable. Dr Spiegel is a very thorough doctor who educated me and explained things very well. Very intuitive in his work. He has a most pleasant chair/bedside manner . While I was there, I observed his manner with others. A genuinely caring doctor who treats his patients well. I highly recommend him! read more

"Doctor"? Don't doctors usually put patient care first? Not this one. During my consultation, he talked about how doctor's sons are no longer going into medicine because insurance companies are making it harder to "make money" in the field. Really? In addition, he writes orders on paper with no duplication or accessible digitized copies so if you lose your order for bloodwork or other services, his office tells you it's your responsibility. After a little persuasion, they agree to call in your order to the provider, but it takes several follow up calls before it's done. I have chronic pain and asked for a referal for aquatherapy to help me get a little relief in my daily life. I've already met with Dr. Spiegel for an hour. When I called in for the referral, the last person I talked to told me in a pissy tone that the doctor won't do anything for me because it's been two months since I've seen him and he wants a followup appointment first. A followup appointment won't do a thing for my pain. Very frustrating. I have absolutely no respect or faith in his abilities as a doctor and think he needs a course on empathy. read more

I had an appointment scheduled with Dr.Spiegel April 5,2017. My Primary care Provider recommend and made the appointment for me as well as gave them my insurance and other info. When I arrived for my much needed appointment I was told one office staff that they didn't take my insurance (but he was listed in my network) and another office staff said no we do cause it's a PPO while they where trying to figure out if they did or not the Dr came out of a room after finishing up with another appointment and heard his staff trying to figure it out and he said "I don't take that insurance because it's just not worth it to me!"! He said this to me more than once and when myself and one of his staff tried to show him he was on my list of providers he wouldn't even look. So after canceling with a different provider that was going to be a longer wait and being told my health didn't matter because my insurance wasn't worth it to him I am stuck on another waiting list. I drove to Santa Barbara from Ventura to finally get started on what exactly is going on health wise only to be told "I wasn't worth it". I guess Dr. Spiegel skipped or forgot the Hippocratic Oath. I am appalled and saddened that a Doctor would treat a scared patient with new health problems in this manner. Best of luck to anyone that goes to him for healthcare needs. read more

I was referred to Dr. Spiegel by my primary doctor for my painful and arthritic hands and body joints which, coupled with a high rheumatoid lab results, seemed to my primary care doctor to need an expert opinion. I immediately saw that Dr. Spiegel was a character...a nice character who know alot. He looked at my hands and instantly reassured me that I had osteoarthritis as opposed to rheumatoid arthritis. I was elated. He really knows his business! He said good for you bad for me...we had a laugh. I have read some of the negative reviews and feel that these people have placed the importance of the doctor not on his skills and experience but on his personality...which once again I do admit he's a character...a nice character. I also appreciated the time he takes on his patients. Too many doctors these days want to get you in and out of their office uncomfortably fast. If you want highly skilled advice and care I would refer him to anyone needing a very good rheumatologist! read more