Reviews for Dermatology: Mountain View Center: Palo Alto Medical Foundation
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Monday: 8AM - 5:30PM
Tuesday: 8AM - 5:30PM
Wednesday: 8AM - 5:30PM
Thursday: 8AM - 5:30PM
Friday: 8AM - 5:30PM
Saturday: ClosedSunday: Closed
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accepts credit cards free wi-fi accepts insurance
Ratings
Google: 2.8/5Dermatology: Mountain View Center: Palo Alto Medical Foundation
701 E El Camino Real, Mountain View
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PCP messaging challenges, exorbitant fees for video visits with Nurse Practitioners I've been a customer of Sutter (formerly PAMF) for ~15 years, primarily because of a wonderful PCP who sadly retired last year. Sutter's monopolistic pricing has really taken off these past few years. See the 575M lawsuit settlement reached with the California AG in 2021 for price gouging. I had my second bout with COVID last year, and I setup what turned out to be a less than 10 minute video visit with a Nurse Practitioner. This was required just to obtain Paxlovid, which I'd already taken previously. I was billed $247 for this visit, which was classified as "high complexity"! In the past couple of years, messaging your PCP through MyHealth no longer goes to the PCP, but to any random physician, PA or NP who happens to read the question. This despite specific directions that I wanted my PCP to answer the question! (My PCP advised adding a strongly worded request to reach her, but it didn't work). I now use an online telemedicine service with fixed pricing for well defined issues. Otherwise, I'm looking for alternatives in this monopoly filled landscape. The only positive: some of their physicians truly do care, and are frank about their own battles with their system.
PAMF/Sutter in general, and specifically Palo Alto. Appalling, frustrating, and generally incompetent with a system of referrals that is so frustrating to drive you to madness. if you have anything that requires attention urgently - forget it. Urgent care with physicians who neither perform a physical exam, make correct diagnoses or recommend appropriate referral/treatment (not across the board, but generally), generally incompetent. Impossible to get an appointment with a new PCP who is trained and competent. Navigating the system for referrals is mind-boggling difficult. The system is terrible. Essentially - no followup and no-body cares. Avoid it if you can. I am sure this is provider specific, but after 6 weeks of total frustration and pain, I could not recommend this place to anyone. Everything today asks for a survey - but no-one oversees the competence of the medical providers.
I visited PAMF Urgent Care (Palo Alto) on the evening of 3/28/24, for extremely inflamed, bloodshot eyes coupled with white stringy mucus discharge in both eyes. The on-call physician informed me, verbatim, 'You have red eyes' and suggested I purchase an over-the-counter product named 'Refresh' for dry eyes. I questioned him, as I did not have dry eyes; I clearly had pink eye in both eyes. The very next morning, 3/29/24, I saw another physician, NOT at PAMF, and was informed I had bacterial conjunctivitis, highly contagious, and was prescribed Tobramycin Ophthalmic Solution. Weeks later, I received a bill from PAMF Urgent Care for $850.00. I filed a grievance with PAMF Urgent Care for misdiagnosis and for not treating the symptoms presented. I also included the notes taken by the second physician along with the prescription. Unfortunately, my request was denied, as was a request to negotiate reducing the exorbitant bill. Patients visiting PAMF Urgent Care, beware!