Waited 2 weeks for an appointment. When I arrived I found out that a one time fee of $125 which was required to see the doctor. The fee is for keeping records and other clerical reasons. I never had to pay this as long as I've been seeing doctors. I walked out after that. I refuse to pay the fee. I already pay over a $1000 a month. read more

I have gone to Dr. Walter Thomas for 21 years. Mostly good experiences. Some very bad experiences. You see, I was diagnosed with Bipolar 1 in 2004. I went to go see Dr. Walter Thomas on the advice of several friends in my circle. He managed my care from then on, occasionally, changing up my medicine to meet my needs. The reason I'm doing a review is because in the past week, when I called to make an appointment so I could get my usual refill of Quetiapine. This medication is crucial to my wellbeing. The so called 'receptionist ' answered the phone, unprofessional and pissed off at something. I say, I want to make an appointment....and, right there she cuts me off and says 'I can't do anything for you until you pay upfront $120 for the office visit and another $125 for a new fee they just implemented for people who don't have the insurance Dr. Thomas does'. After that exchange, the little twit hung up on me. I called, called, called trying to get Dr. Thomas to fill my medication and she said NO. I asked politely to please at least give me a few so I would be covered until I could somehow get to see Dr. Thomas. She said NO, because giving patients a couple of meds to clients who are struggling is another new policy. We'll, guess what the fuck happened? 2 TRIPS TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM IN A BIPOLAR EPISODE. What she did to me , by withholding my medicine is ILLEGAL! ( LOOK IT UP) I have a new doctor who cares and the receptionist is wonderful. I pray she gets fired. I wonder if this immature little girl would do the same to her MOTHER? Good luck getting another job, loser. read more

Dr. Thomas has been my primary doctor for over 25 years. He is very friendly and listens to my concerns and makes appropriate recommendations. I think his current nurse has been with him for the full 25 years. read more

Dr. Thomas is truly the best doctor I have seen! For over 5 years he listens to me. He actually cares!

More than 20 minutes late to my virtual appointment, no apology or even acknowledging his being late. I called the office just to check in and maybe let them know. The receptionist was rude as always. Even when I went in person last time, same lady was annoyed and probably hates her job and takes it out on every patient who goes here... I'm gonna find a new doctor's office. read more

the doctor himself is sweet for the five minutes or so that you actually see him. but beware of his staff, who will defeaud your insurance, double and triple charge you, and then commit patient abandonment. they'll discharge suboxone clients without even a prescription, so beware because the bottom line trumps all at this fraud mill. read more

I saw Dr Thomas today for the first time. His office is warm and generous. I waited a bit but to me this is a good sign that shows a doctor who will listen and he did. He seems genuine and intelligent and kind. read more

Came in for the flu. Had an appointment for 3pm, I got seen at 3:30p. I explained I had a meeting to get to at 4p. After I got into my appointment room, the doctor came in and said we needed to do a flu test. The nurse came in and did the flu test and the doctor did disappeared again. After waiting an additional 30 mins I walked outside to see the doctor sitting at his desk and I asked him what we were waiting for. He said for the nurse to run my flu test. I told him she did that 30 mins ago. He then told me I could go. I missed my meeting... read more

Dr. Walter Thomas is a good doctor. He seems to have a lot of patients and that's why he is so busy rushing to go to the next one. We live in the time of Pandemic and I have respect and understanding for every doctor and medical professional who do all the best they can to help with sick people. I would definitely recommend Dr. Thomas to other people. read more

Never even went in, called to ask a question and was answered so disrespectfully. The receptionist sounded like a really annoyed call center representative. I'm sure the doctor is great but PLEASE GET A NICE RECEPTIONIST :( they're the first person you talk to and they should make you feel at ease. Anyway, sad I won't be going here because of her! read more

I have been with Dr Thomas for almost 15 years now. I first was brought by my parents to his office in hopes of me stop using. I did not listen to him I thought he was wrong. I came back several times of going in and out of sobriety. I finally made the decision to listen to him and left my ego at the door. That is when things started changing for me. I have been sober now almost 9 years. Thanks to Dr Thomas and his advice and care. I really do owe him my life and I am so thankful for his practice and recommendations. He got me into a great rehab. He cares about my progress. He wants me to succeed. I am thankful for his practice and would recommend you give it an honest shot. read more

Wow! This is your guy. He is the best at giving advice and results! I have finally found my long term doctor in Simi Valley.I planning returning here for a long time . Thank you Dr. read more

I received excellent care from Dr. Thomas 5 years ago, but for some reason (who remembers) I began using my Primary Care doc to handle my anti-depressant/anti-anxiety meds. The meds were changed because of adverse side effects and the result was a disaster. Two other docs tried to help, but failed. After 3 months, I went back to Dr. Tomas & am thrilled to report that in three weeks I am back to ME. I am very grateful for his knowledge and write this review to tell all of you there is hope and help. read more

If you have a loved one with a terrible addiction, Dr. Thomas can help them stay alive! I went to Dr. Thomas after I had a bi-polar incendent. I was really a mess, I suffered from extreme anxiety, lack of rest, & I believed my neighbors were peeping on me & my teenage daughters while in the privacy of my home. My perception of reality had gone koo-koo! Dr.Thomas is very wise, he had me on a few medications, but my anxiety & restlessness would not subside. Although he was unable to cure my condition... while visiting his office I noticed that he was a drug addiction specialist. My first born, adult daughter is a heroin addict. This has caused me so much stress, & is a primary cause of my anxiety. I inquired to see if he would help her. He told me to bring her in to see him. After a couple of attempts to get her into see him, I got my chance to bring her in. We went on a tour of Costa House, Wowie! It is a mother's dream come true... My daughter wasn't ready to commit to entering his program, but she did go to see Dr. Lucille Thomas, immediately after our tour. I was very impressed, & thankful to be able to get help for my first born (baby) daughter. Although my daughter did not follow the medication protocol, the Dr was quick to recommended an inpatient intensive detox ASAP. We were able to get her into a treatment facility that day... that was yesterday. Today I am the most grateful mother in the world. It has helped relieve my main stress in my life. Last night my daughter was safe, & in a treatment center. Thank you Dr.Thomas, you helped our family survive the most difficult year for us. Please don't retire any time soon! P.S. The office staff are the best, very kind & professional, call Liz if you need, & you will be in good hands :) read more

Love Dr Thomas and his staff. I've been seeing him for several months and he literally saved my life. Yes he's busy but he always takes his time with me and answers any questions I have.. just don't miss an appointment or you'll be charged. I really don't understand the negative reviews. I HIGHLY recommend him especially if you have issues with addiction. Thanks to Dr Thomas I've been sober now for 50 days read more

Went to this guy to get help for my sister who has a substance abuse problem.. He is a cold and disinterested doctor. She has a myriad medical issues from a recent fall. We had to insist on getting him to do a medication review and even then he blew us off. He might be a good doc and work for some, but my sis is so damaged from her accident that a kind word would have been appropriate. Harsh words from someone you just met don't help to build the necessary trust between a patent and a dr. read more

Dr. Thomas has it all. Comfortable setting, excellent people skills and communication, and a thorough investigative attitude. Highly recommended! read more

I did not have an addiction issues, but rather was put on multiple medications many years ago that were making me very ill and unable to function. I came off of them on my own and sought out this doctors help. He disregarded most of what I said and ended up putting me on 4 new medications that just complicated things further. When I advised him that the medications were making me feel extremely depressed he shrugged it off and said that he never heard of such a side effect. A few years later that same drug received a black box warning for suicidal ideation. This doctor continues the cycle of other doctors and only helps to keep them on various medications. I'm so glad I left his care and sough out a Naturopath who realized my issues were related to hormones and thyroid. This doctor and his daughter are only concerned with monetary incentives....no helping people. read more

I started seeing Dr Thomas about 4 years ago when I moved to LA from the Midwest. I'd been on a successful medication assistance treatment for a number of years, treating a very long opioid addiction. Part of the protocol of the treatment is the necessity to see the dr once a month, so I knew how important my relationship with the dr and his office staff would be and did my homework. I've really enjoyed my appointments and look forward to seeing Monique, Melinda and Dr Thomas. I've never waited more than 10 min to get in and the ladies are friendly and always handle appointments and any insurance questions promptly. Dr Thomas is easy to talk to, really caring and very knowledgeable about addiction and also any other ailments I've seen him for. They're usually busy so It's a good idea to write questions down but I've never felt rushed at all. They've also made the necessary adjustments for safety with COVID-19. read more

Do not become a patient of Dr. Thomas. The doctor specializes in the treatment of Drug and alcohol dependency. Although this is a noble cause, He approaches new patients with a cold and condescending manner. He will not sit down for more than a minute to listen to his patients. In order to get refills on medications, you will need to make an appointment with the doctor so that he can collect his co-pay. Only upon the insurance threatening to not pay for a medication unless Dr. Thomas includes refills, will he allow you to get refills without an office visit. He is an extremely arrogant man and has already reached a diagnosis before speaking to the patient. He will prescribe you a list of drugs without going over what they actually do and what "side effects" to anticipate. This job he feels is beneath him. He will demand that ask your pharmacist. Upon follow up visits, if you inform you that the medication is not working, he will tell you that it is "in your head" and that you need to "suck it up" or that you have "mentally checked out". If you ask him for a referral, he look at you with indignation, tell you that it's something his staff does and then walk out of the room. You will often sit in the room not knowing if the doctor is coming back or if you should go to the front desk. His staff will usually come in five minutes later to tell you that the doctor is in with another patient & that the request will be mailed out. A few times that I was in tremendous pain, I had to go directly to the hospital. I did not want to have to go through the overwhelming obstacles that occur from visiting Dr. Thomas. After receiving opinions from other doctors, I was able to see a specialist and have urgent surgery. The surgeon wrote a procedure report and a description of the ongoing medication that my primary physician needs to provide me as well as monitor my progress. I requested the recommended medication from Dr. Thomas' office, first, upon visiting his office and being seen by Dr. Lucile Thomas. She would not have any doctor tell her what to do and refused to administer any medication. I contacted the surgeon and asked him to send over the notes with the specific medication. I was having difficulty walking after the surgery so I asked his office for the medication over the phone. Dr. Thomas would not prescribe the medication until a few weeks after the surgery when I was able to walk to his office in person. Upon the visit, Dr. Thomas would not look at the area where I had surgery. He only seemed interested in chastising me for using too much pain medication. He told me that I have a very "low tolerance for pain" and that I need to "act like a man" and "suck it up". Due to the extremely long wait for the medication, I am beginning to see signs of the disease returning and I now need to go back to the specialist for treatment. Dr. Thomas has done nothing to help me. I had to have surgery due to his complete incompetence as a medical practitioner. He won't listen to his patient's needs or concerns. He will scan over your lab tests without reading them because he feels he already knows the answer. He won't listen to specialist because he feels that he is smarter than them & that surgery was probably unnecessary since he wasn't he person that discovered the disease. My life is too important to place my health in the hands of this deficient health care provider. read more

Dr. Thomas is one of those rare physicians who really listens, spends the time and provides great professional care. He doesn't rush into expensive tests or surgeries. He is thoughtful and caring. His office staff is welcoming and helpful. Dr. Thomas and his staff really helped us through our son's injury. read more

What is the point of making an appointment if the doctor is not going to be on time himself? I had appointments set (two different times) and both times he made me wait over 40 minutes to see him!! I was shocked that a respected doctor in this community conducts his office visits in this manner. Very unprofessional. I want to thank the front-office girl for giving me a refund for the office visit, she was very understanding and apologetic.. read more

I've only waited more than 10 minutes once. I was worried about seeing him after reading reviews but he couldn't have been more kind.

I can't fathom the other reviews. I'm giving only 4 stars from caution as my experience is relatively brief, fewer than 5 visits. I've seen a careful, compassionate and knowledgable addiction expert. The office runs smoothly and I was seen without delay, less than with my primary care doc. Office staff has been well informed and efficient. I plan to follow up this review when I have a few more visits. read more