My (adult onset T1 diabetic for eleven years) boyfriend has been a patient of Dr. Thorsell's team…read morefor years, and we have previously been to a number of other endocrinologists in SLO, SF, NYC, and OC. None have been half as competent or caring. Her staff is friendly, helpful, and timely. We've never waited more than 15 minutes to be seen. Refills are faxed promptly to our pharmacy. We are treated with respect, which is unusual in the healthcare realm (what? your patient isn't an absolute moron?!?). They've done more for his diabetes management than any other endo, and on top of that, they can personally relate to type 1 diabetes, which helps immensely. Despite the fact that I love being able to reach them and get stuff dealt with quickly, and I don't want her to become another overbooked SLO doctor's office, I recommend Dr. Thorsell to everyone I meet who needs an endocrinologist.

Dr. Ashley Thorsell is dangerously bad at caring for type 1 diabetics!…read more At my appointment she was condescending and rude! She kept insisting that I do things her way. (Even though I told her multiple times that I had already tried her suggestions and they didn't work for me because they negatively affected my health!) Living with type 1 diabetes for 28 years, I'm not exactly an amateur at managing a diabetic lifestyle and would appreciate not being treated like one. Then to add insult to injury, she kept insisting that I follow her "meal plan". When I told her that I don't have time to do that, even though I made an effort to, she made a comment that she has a 1 year old at home and still has time to eat with that meal plan! (Her "meal plan" causes my blood sugar levels to be low for most of the day which is problematic because I have 2 young kids at home. I don't have time for my blood sugar levels to be constantly low!) Stubborn behavior like that just proves how little she listens to her patients! Because, I told her multiple times that I'm a stay at home mom! I'm "glad" she has the time to eat her "meal plan" during a paid lunch break while she's at work and her child is being cared for by somebody other than their own mother (actually that may be a good thing for the child) but that routine doesn't work for me. Being a doctor she should be a little more open to the possibility that other people live different lifestyles than her own if she wants to succeed. Her office staff isn't any better either! (Maybe there is something in the office water?) For the entire time that I was a patient of Dr. Ashley Thorsell, they showed the upmost incompetence. Never once managing to be capable of a task as simple as handling my diabetes supply order. The diabetes supply company even tried to get them to cooperate multiple times. The inability of the entire office to perform their jobs correctly ultimately led to having to switch endocrinologists. I highly suggest ALL of her type 1 diabetic patients do the same! Word of advise for those considering Dr. Ashley Thorsell as your possible endocrinologist... JUST DON'T!

This is entirely based on the non-professional and compassion-lacking staff, as well as the…read morecritical over-referrals. I can't say anything about the doctor, other than that she allows patients to go untreated for 8 months before a 1st appointment. Yes, I know I live in a place where it is difficult to get proper care. That said: I have been waiting OVER 2 months for an urgent referral to even be evaluated to see if she will accept me as a patient on both VA and private insurance referrals. I have been meanwhile hospitalized for the problem. Twice they have been resent the referral, but no one can tell me when/if it will ever be reviewed. And I'm told even if I'm approved as a patient, the earliest appointments are January/Feb 2022. So a minimum 8 months to even get seen the 1st time as a new patient, even on an urgent referral. If you are so short-staffed you cannot adequately care for patients, if you are so booked that it is 2+ months before you even start an urgent referral, *STOP ACCEPTING REFERRALS*. THIS IS BORDERING ON MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE. Since I'm certain I won't get a contact any time soon, I've gone ahead and arranged to drive to LA for treatment at the VA hospital. No one should have to make a choice like this. A 6+ hour round trip for care, simply because a specialist in the community is so horrible at handling referrals. I would say it's a shame they are treating a veteran this way, but from the conversations I have had with them, it seems that they treat EVERYONE this poorly. Do NOT let your doctor refer you to this office if you need care in the next 8 months.

Horrible doctor. Very greedy. I got second opinion and my new doctor is ashamed…read moreOf dr Valdez and her tactics. Saying a patient is fine just bc they don't want to take new clients

I never met Dr. Lai. I was treated by a nurse and then have been builded repeatedly as out of…read morenetwork hundreds of dollars when my insurance is in network. I have been try to resolved this for 9 months. No picks up the phone. The billing is handled by some remote company and the two talked to one another. I've wasted days (approximately 10 calls each 2 hours long)( on this.

I am sure that Dr Lai is a skilled physician, but I will never get the opportunity to meet him due…read moreto his incompetent new patient team. He has likely no idea how broken his office team is and what torture they put a new patient through. After 4 weeks of calls and back and forth trying to get on the appointment schedule for a consult, I was told that the information that had been provided by my primary care office was "incomplete" and I would have to start over. With urgency I pleaded that I needed to be seen for a consult due to a potentially cancerous thyroid nodule. The man I spoke with before had assured me I would be able to get an appointment as long as they had the referral from the primary doctor. Then I was told I had to make sure all my labs, ultrasounds and progress notes were sent over BEFORE they would put me on Dr Lai's schedule. Even if I was able to get them all of this I would not be added as a patient on his schedule until 120 days out. My primary physician expressed that this was urgent- I was told to "go somewhere else" and that is a direct quote from the woman who takes new patient information.

Terrible customer service The office answering machine…read moresystem is a joke. They don't want to help you unless you fit into one of the categories. This doctor's office is actually located in Santa Maria with a satellite office in SLO. I had the NP Set up an entire plan of care based on 11 year-old lab data. I was still charged for the appointment. The medical care on the central coast is rather disheartening.

If I could give it a negative start I would. It's 5 years later from the last review and nothing…read morehas changed. I've been calling for about a month and still haven't received a call back to even make an appointment. I would totally reconsider if there were any other providers close to me that my insurance covered.

Great Doctor great Person been a patient of Doctor Sahas since 2014 at a different place. Doctor…read morehas helped me tremendously I thank him ..

Dr Sahas I a good Dr in general...But one of my…read moreprescriptions ran out if refills, and I needed a refill. Called on the 10th called on the 12th called on Friday told it would be done on Monday. Called today twice, ended up with a very rude nurse who basically told me I neednto buy my own prescription. That Dr sahas was on vacation and I would have to wait... telling me it was my fault that I didn't contact him before his vacation... how am I supposed to know he went on vacation... this prescription actually aids in keeping me alive. A message should have been sent out information his patients that he would be on vacation (everyone deserves a vacation) and if there were any emergency with prescriptions I should contact my primary physician...I would have if I was told I could and that he did read the 6 messages that was supposedly sent to him... I am so disappointed with the way his nurse handled the situation... We as patients deserve better.

Came in for some help on a low salt / no salt diet for my wife. The diet is necessary to maintain…read moreher blood pressure. While the doctor was friendly it became apparent that she had not a clue about a low / no sodium diets. She provided zero suggestions, even making the comment that we knew more about this style diet than she did. Would not recommend.