Using a throwaway because ain't no way I'm putting anal surgery on my main account :P ...but I felt compelled to write because these reviews really spooked me before seeing him, and I wanted to relay my positive experience here. Dr. Chung was very friendly, professional, quick and pretty funny, and most importantly for me, explained things clearly and with enough scientific depth to answer all my questions. I was pleasantly surprised by his mention of digestion/diet /wheat/alcohol because generally speaking most medical doctors rarely broach this topic outside of vague advice only about "eating more fiber." I appreciated his discussion of risks and benefits of various approaches, and dietary approaches that had greatly helped others. I came in for hemorrhoid removal but was quickly told what I had was a skintag, not a hemorrhoid, and he explained that my preferred method of removal for it (banding) would be too painful and suggested snipping it there. I got very nervous, for obvious reasons - I wasn't prepared for even minor surgery, and didn't have time to research it thoroughly - but through my conversation beforehand I developed professional trust in him, and he and his (very warm) medical assistant made the process as comfortable for me as could be, under the circumstances. He also addressed other questions I had, and gave me more education than I've gotten from most other clinicians. I appreciate his help in this delicate matter. I'll update this if I run into any subsequent issues in the coming days... read more

even worse. after months of recovery, and promises by Dr Chung's main admin staff person to refund my entire surgery costs, Dr Chung has yet to refund a single penny. AND my belly button looks like a TRAIN WRECK bc this man is a BUTCHER. he can't tie a basic suture and i had a dr look at my belly button and tell me that it was the result of a poorly tied suture and "mis gathered skin". I mean isn't that the most basic thing a surgeon does like 100 times a day. i even went to Dr Chung one week after surgery and said there seem too be something hard and twisted extra in my belly button and he said it was lint from my t shirt, then he said oh no it was sutures that would melt away. well, DR CHUNG, once again YOU ARE WRONG, another dr looked at it this time and told me it's dead flesh that needs to be removed now at extra cost to me thanks to your incompetence. ***** DO NOT LET THIS MAN CUT YOUR BODY ***** read more

I am beginning to think that all of the Colorectal Surgeons just do not get it. In Nov. of 2011, I had a hemmorhoidectomy. I dropped the first doctor, Lawrence Yee, when he told me a few days after surgery that ( I was in such pain, I was certain something went wrong) , he simply said "he did not leave a scalpel in me, it was simply the most painful surgery he did!". Dropped him like a hot potato. Went to Dr. Chung when wounds would not heal 2 month later. He went in and re-set the wounds. I have not felt well since. I went back about 5 times describing symptoms of constriction. Not once did he mention Anal Stenosis. Nearly a year out, doing internet searches to find some help, my wife found some forums where we found out that a very common issue is scar tissue causing Anal Stenosis. Dr. Chung only told me it was likely a control issue between my head and my butt. Funny, I never had this issue before surgery. I agree completely with C B. I wish I had a recommendation, but I got more help from my primary physician after returning to him after discovering that my symptoms are clearly this. I have found some techniques to help the Anal Stenosis that good surgeons would have recommended at the first description of constriction. Yes, keep looking for someone who finds a way to help the patient. I felt like more of an annoyance when I kept coming back. He would act like he really cared, but at the same time was thinking, this guy is just making this stuff up. His last recommendation was Bio Feedback treatment. Of course this was not covered by insurance and I did not suspect it would have helped anyhow. Big Note, if you have hemorrhoids, live with them! If they are unbearable, do more research to find a surgeon who can brief you better about possible issues that might happen after the surgery. read more

I went in for an exam and he had a student in the room with him, made me uncomfortable and didn't want a student to watch me get naked and examine me. So the student left as I asked if I could only have 1 person examine me. Then when he did examine me he started counting the amount of things he saw inside, he counted at least 8 things he wanted to remove and said we needed to set up for surgery to remove them. I was so confused so I said ok and then the front desk said they will have someone call me to set up the surgery next week. I decided to get a 2nd opinion somewhere else and they didn't see anything inside me to remove, they were shocked that the doctor told me I needed surgery. Well to top it all off they never even called me to set up surgery so I'm grateful I got a 2nd opinion somewhere else and didn't spend money, time and recovery for something that wasn't needed. read more

I mean, how could there be NO reviews on him yet??? WELL, I AM GLAD TO HAVE THE HONOR TO BE THE FIRST THEN. I was FREAKING out about the fact that this would be my first male doctor and the fact that I couldn't pull up any reviews on him made it even more difficult. To be frank, I was actually considering to just bail out on my appointment and reschedule with someone else. Luckily I didn't because Dr. Chung seriously made all my worries and troubles D I S A P P E A R. He was friendly, considerate, informative and over all very professional. I was in and out before I even knew it. It would have been my biggest regret to choose anyone else. I honestly KKKKNNNOOWW that he sincerely cares for his patients and I cannot emphasize enough how easy he made things for me. He helped me in a difficult situation and I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND him to everyone (both male and female!) !! ! !! ! !! !! !! ! Also, I believe he speaks Korean for those who may need this kind of service. read more

At first I wasn't really happy with this place. The people in the office I initially spoke to were not very helpful and were actually a bit rude. I'm guessing it was an off day because when I actually arrived at my appointment, the front desk ladies were very kind and friendly. I was seen in a timely manner and my issue was resolved (relatively painlessly). They did something to really earn the 4 stars though... The Dr. commented that Walgreens might not accept the electronic scrip. When they didn't, I called after hours and he called me back within a minute to let me know he would fix it. My medicine was ready for pick up very soon after. And then I called the office to ask a question for the doc. He called back within a couple of hours and saved me time and money by answering my question over the phone (for now, cross your fingers!) JUST NOW the receptionist called back (the day after I called her to leave the message) to ask if my question had been answered. Talk about great customer service! read more

An 82 year old male, I chose T. Philip Chung, MD based on his CV and surgical experience to laparoscopically remove my inflamed gall bladder on an abbreviated time schedule. By every measure, the procedure was a huge success. I could not be more pleased with my choice and recommend Dr. Chung without reservation. read more

I had laparoscopic hernia surgery done by Dr. Chung at Presidio Surgery Center what is now 7 months ago. It was my first surgery ever so I was quite apprehensive. Dr. Chung was very reassuring that it was just routine ("already done 7 this week!"). The whole process was pretty smooth -- all the bumps in the road had been thought through (even with the COVID complications) and there wasn't a lot of unnecessary waiting. I was prepared for a hellacious first few days to week post-op but it was actually not very bad at all. The only weird thing that caught me off-guard was that, while I had been told repeatedly that I'd get one hole on each side (plus a third in the navel), I ended up with both on the same side and spent a little while (until I could speak to Dr. Chung) wondering if something had gone amiss. (No, just it seemed easier based on whatever factors specific to me.) Also, it took longer than I expected for the CO2 pumped into me to dissipate. It doesn't go inside your intestinal tract so you don't just blow it out in a single fart, unfortunately. This led to some discomfort but, in the overall scheme of things, that was pretty minor. Anyway, I was able to start exercising some within a week. I had a lot of soreness and tightness in my abs for a while after (like a month or two), and then little bits of lingering tightness for a couple of more months. It took about that long before I could really do the core-setting exercises prescribed by a physical therapist for a previous back problem. But after that I started intensively training for track sprints and now it is honestly like nothing ever happened! I've been doing tons of abs work and my abs are looking better than they have in (literally) decades, with no more of the lingering tightness/soreness from the surgery. You have to look very hard to find the "scars" from the incisions -- they are just little pink spots without any noticeable raised or hard skin. I had been wondering if I would feel the mesh in the hernia spot on an ongoing basis. Nope! Even when I do stretches that totally collapse the hip joint right on top of that area, I can't feel a thing there. Bottom line, everything went much better than what I expected from my online research and I would totally and heartily recommend Dr. Chung for anyone who needs hernia surgery. read more

Made a next day appointment. Saw him at his 2100 Webster office. PCP had diagnosed a perirectal abcess. He corrected the diagnosis to ingrown hair as soon as he saw it. Did a quick procedure to pop it and send me on my way. In and out in less than an hour. -1 star because at first he didn't ask before trying to pop it manually (with his hand) which can be somewhat painful. Otherwise, very quick, efficient and communicative. read more

Dr Chung was great! Put me at ease, addressed my questions, and had a good sense of humor, too.

I had a hernia repaired by laparoscopic surgery done by Dr. Chung. I thought that he was very professional and did an excellent job. I was walking distances the next day and had very little pain. Based on my experience, I would not hesitate to have another surgery done by Dr. Chung. read more

I could not be happier with Dr. Chung!!! I was an emergency patient in CPMC with a ruptured appendix. Dr. Chung visited me in the hospital, answered all my questions and did explain that the best course of action is to take a course of antibiotics before getting the surgery. It was a considerate and brilliant suggestion. He was able to do the surgery 7 weeks later and it was quick and most of all, painless. I did not need any pain killers, was basically back to myself within a day after the surgery. I am very happy and thankful that he was the surgeon on call when I needed help. read more

I agree completely with CB of Alameda and Jeff G. of San Mateo (and must also assume the first review was written by an acquaintance of Dr. Chung) In June of 2012 I went to the emergency room at CPMC - with what was diagnosed as a perforated colon - and that was the beginning of a nightmare experience with Dr. Chung that included THREE surgeries and more than seven weeks (total) in the hospital from August to December of 2012. Initially, I decided to let the experience be just that - an awful experience with Dr. Chung and his resident - and walk away. Today however, I met with a new doctor, for a six-month follow-up of the final "take down" surgery and she immediately diagnosed the "bulge" in my right lower quadrant - to be a hernia - the size of my fist - right at the site of where the stoma had been. If you are referred to Dr. Chung or if he is the surgeon on call in the emergency room - run, don't walk - to find another surgeon. read more

Listen to your gut and don't trust your gut with this guy. He is neglectful and does not know what he is doing. I would bet the other reviewer is his friend or family member. I don't even think Dr. C reads the records that his referring doctors send him, although they are sent ahead of time for review. If there isn't a large mass to cut out he doesn't look deep enough for something he might be missing. At least this is what happened with my family member. He also talks to people like 3rd graders and can't get to the point. He talks too much about his other patients telling stories that have no relevance to your case. I should also mention the front desk management. They didn't even greet us. Instead they sat around gossiping about insurance companies and co payments/reimbursements. I had to say hello when walking in the door. When I did, no one even looked up and responded. Its not like it was busy. I was the only one there and arrived early to wait for my family member. I should have seen the sign of a bad doctor when I saw the empty waiting room. literally, it was just me. 5 minutes later when my family member showed up for his appointment and went to the desk and said hello, the first thing out of the woman's mouth was "do you have an appointment?" seriously? this place is in the business of cutting people open and people are anxious enough walking in to a place like this. Hello is a good start. The confusion that followed the appointment is another chapter in the story. They don't have their patient records straight and the doctor will not call you back even though the front desk says that something showed up that requites another opinion. seriously?!?!?!? It is actually a nightmare over there. Don't trust this place with a scalpel. It's scary that this is what healthcare has become. read more

It's been a few years since my dad's surgery by Dr. Chung remove large polyps. Although I'm grateful he removed the polyps, he didn't properly close the intestines that caused internal bleeding which was discovered by the head nurse. We had to have Dr Chung redo the intestinal surgery again to close out the opening. I feel guilty at times when I reflect about this event in that I wished I could have researched and interviewed more doctors based on a broader consensus of recommendations. read more

I just spoke with Dr. Chung after calling his office earlier today. Dr. Chung performed surgery on me for a small bowel metastasis two years ago and did and excellent job. I had a small complication and was re hospitalized and he was always available to me. All of my questions were answered thoroughly and promptly. I have not seen him since, yet today he called right back after reviewing my recent scans and acknowledged my concerns and offered to research my questions (which will take some time) and get back to me on Monday. He will also confer with my oncologist if there are any issues! I am extremely grateful to Dr. Chung and feel he is thorough, competent and compassionate. read more

Dr. Chung performed an emergency appendectomy on me in 2013 at CPMC. Although I lost my appetite for six months, the surgery was a success. He has good communications skills in follow up visits. read more