Very friendly & reliable. Awesome experience! Personable staff & a mindful Dr. Also, they move very quick. read more

I like to praise Dr. Houghton and his staff for over 20 years of preventative healthcare. Because of their due diligence in monitoring my aging body with years of imaging my organs and bones. 3 months ago on my third colonoscopy a mass was found and I was immediately referred to a surgeon to remove and send to the lab for diagnosis in which I am happy to say it was pre cancer. Finally after years of trying to quit smoking I am now 3 months smoke free. read more

0 rating, but I can't post that. Office assigned me to a vascular surgeon no longer in the medical group. No contact on the net, either. Houghton felt I was rude to call him on a Friday night. I had been to emergency Monday, due to blood clots in my right leg. This postponed surgery for hip replacement, that was originally perscribed 3 23 2019. Kaiser was going to do it two years sooner. It was scheduled for 9 21. at Mercy He suggested I wait 3-6 months. The threat of drug addiction, due to EXTREME pain, that only stops with opiates, is horrible. No sympathy from the doctor. Sorry I was nice to him, only because I was told to be, since if you change a PCP in Mercy, you have to start over. Working with Scan. NEVER want to talk to this man again, EVER! His office has a tech who takes blood, for tests, as a compliment, even though it's not the one that does the tests, nor is it the one billed. The tech will try to tell you that you owe payment to her tech group, and it's a LOT, even though it's not true. So my first visit to her, I was told I needed to pay 600 dollars to her group, when in fact, my SCAN groups copay and fees are zero. Only if you question do you get the right fee, and answer. NEVER GO HERE EVER. read more

**Updated** This review is purely for the front office and billing staff. They are morons. I went in for annual preventative blood work and they decided to request a diagnostic code. In turn, my insurance is billing me for this code. I did not approve of this code to be ran because all I wanted was preventative blood work and now they are expecting me to pay for something that I did not approve of. Dr. Houghton himself deserves 5 stars! However, the front office is sometimes a pain to deal with. I called to schedule a physical and left a voicemail. I called a total of 3 times in one day and someone answered on the 3rd try. I successfully scheduled an appt with ease however, over a week later, I got a returned phone call from the doctor's office asking to schedule a physical....they were just getting around to returning phone calls a week later. Either way, I'm glad I called a few times the first day and was able to schedule an appt because Dr. Houghton was great. Understanding, quick, great bedside manner, and while I understand doctors' offices need to upsell, there was none of that and was purely professional. Thanks Dr. Houghton! read more

The doctor, and everyone else here, seemed nice enough, but my experience here was a very bad one, and it had everything to do with transparency. This group is either incompetent or devious and uncaring. In preparation to do some travel abroad, I called to make an appointment to get vaccinated. In setting up the appointment two weeks prior, I asked two critical questions: (1) Do you accept my insurance, and will you bill them? And (2) Can you order the Japanese encephalitis vaccine for me beforehand, to make sure you have it when I visit? The answer to both my questions was an unequivocal, "yes". And they let me down on both scores. Of course, nobody did order my Japanese encephalitis vaccine. At my appointment, they asked if I could come back tomorrow, once they had it. I agreed without complaint. It was too late for me to do anything about it. The next day, I came in for the shot. After giving me the shot, they presented me with the bill, refusing to go through my insurance. "My insurance company covers this," I told them. "I specifically called my insurance company to verify it." They refused. "These vaccines are too expensive. We don't trust the insurance company to pay it. You'll have to fight them to get reimbursed." Of course, again, it was too late for me to go to a different doctor at this point. And nobody is held accountable for the reassurance I was given when I set up the appointment in the first place. Losing $300 would be irritating, but that's not the worst of it. I don't even mind wrestling with my insurance company afterward. But I loathe the fact that I was given what amounts to a bait-and-switch. read more

I've been seeing Dr Houghton for several months and had a pleasant experience. He seems to be compassionate and caring and listens to his patient. His office staff has been friendly and helpful. They did a great job working out a referral to a specialist. read more

I'm a relatively new patient to this practice and I have had nothing but issues that I have previously let slide. The office staff is probably the most incompetent group of individuals I have ever had to deal with. They called me the day of my appointment to reschedule from a Tuesday to a Thursday at same time of the same week, no problem. Then about an hour later I get another call telling me that they need to reschedule my upcoming appointment. I told them that it was already taken care of earlier and that I had a new appointment already rescheduled. They could not confirm my rescheduled appointment as apparently the previous person did not in fact schedule me correctly, and wanted me to push out my appointment for blood work for another week. Aside from constantly canceling appointments, the medical assistant sent a completely different medication to my pharmacy to be filled and it was like an act of congress to get it corrected after multiple attempts to reach the doctor's office. Honestly just stay away from this place. They are unorganized and unprofessional. Time to search for a new PCP! read more

I am a RN and I've seen several doctors in San Diego over the years and Dr. Houghton is one of the best! He is very knowledgeable and also very kind and easy to talk to. There was some issues with front desk staff recently but they seem to be gone and the new staff is great! I haven't had any issues. read more

I've been seeing Doctor Houghton for years. He is a compassionate and careful doctor. I have nothing but positive comments for his patient care and he is great on LGBTQ+ health issues. Recently his office staff have changed and now their customer service is much better than it has been in the past. read more

The service at this place is terrible. I would not recommend anyone to visit this doctors office as you cannot expect to be served in a reasonable period of time and the front office staff appears to have issues getting your billing right. read more

UNPROFESSIONAL BUSINESS. Worst experience with a doctor's office I've ever had. (This is the "condensed" version with the biggest complaints because my ordeal was so long and horrible I'd be writing for hours) First, they rescheduled my appointment from 4:00 to 2:00 at the last minute, so I had to scramble to make sure my sub at work could come in earlier & prepared her for my crazy schedule. I get there before 2:00, and no one is even in reception until 2:30! I hear the staff talking in the back, but no one came out to the waiting room (which has butt prints on its leather seats. Gross. And HIV related stuff everywhere. Yes, we get it, you specialize in HIV medicine). The office staff finally moseys in, still pretty much ignoring me. I was fuming. I opened my mouth to complain and the receptionist cuts me off and in a rude tone asks if I had an appointment. Yes, I told her, for a half hour ago. She doesn't acknowledge this but hands me forms to fill out. A bit later I'm taken back to have my blood pressure & all that taken. I was visibly pissed but am a friendly person so I chatted it up with the staff in the back (which I must point out, the whole time I was there, which was about 3 hours, I was the only patient to my knowledge, and there were a dozen people on staff who looked like they were doing a lot of nothing). The lady taking my blood pressure seemed like she could care less about her job, and took forever to take my pulse, and blamed it on my posture. I tried to lighten the mood but she made a few rude remarks in my opinion. I asked what was the deal with not even being seen until 2:30 and she said, 'The lunch break is over at 2:00." How does that even explain it???? When my lunch break is over at 2:00, it ends at 1:59 and I'm back to work at 2:00. Then she left me to fester in the room for longer. 3:00 rolls around and still no doctor. A whole hour late! I storm out into the hall where I hear people chatting, and say to the group, "Excuse me, my appoinment was an hour ago." A man turns around, mumbles something then goes into the room I was in. Oh, I guess that's my doctor....and I'm supposed to follow him in. He doesn't even introduce himself or look at me, but immediately squints at the computer and mumbles a quick apology and asks why I'm in. I say, 'Hold on, I just want to say that your office called ME to reschedule this for 2:00 and no one was even in reception until 2:30.' He said they aren't supposed to make appointments until 2:30 because that's when lunch is over (not according to the sign in the lobby or to pulse-taking lady). Dr. Houghton himself seemed nice, and I'm not criticizing him personally at all, just my experience at his office. I feel like he was rushing and unprepared. It didn't seem he had a chart on me though I filled forms out, so he kept squinting and typing and asking random questions. I kept trying to tell him my whole complicated story of why i was in there, which requires a bit on time to explain because I had a 3 weeks ordeal of different symptoms & experiences, including wisdom teeth extraction, 3 days of vomiting, 6 hours in the ER, and a plethora of random symptoms. I feel he wasn't listening and I do suggest he gets some glasses to see that computer. For real, man. Anyway, he did try to get me the best medication because it seems the one the ER gave didn't work. He said he'd call it in and it'd be ready right away. I get to the pharmacy an hour later and they tell me it wasn't called in. "Wait 15 minutes and we'll get ahold of your doctor." I go up there 20 minutes later to find out they can't reach him. I wait another 15 minutes, and they said he finally called it in or faxed it. I wait again. It didn't go through. More waiting. Then I get a call from them saying my urine test came back fine, but the thing is I know something is wrong. I tell her as much, she puts me on hold. She comes back, "Yeah, actually you do have a trace of infection." Oh brother. I ask if they could please figure out my prescription because now I've been at the pharmacy almost an hour. She said it should go through now. It didn't. The pharmacist says after about 20 more minutes that it went through this time, but one medication is not covered by my insurance and will cost me $200. No thank you! So she says she will call him again and it should be quick because he is on call. I wait another 15 minutes, then go up and she said she can't get ahold of him and doesn't understand why. I've had enough so I say I'm leaving and for them to call me. At home, the pharmacist calls & she says, "Bad news, even though your doctor is supposed to be on call he is not taking any calls the rest of the night.I've never dealt with a doctor like this & I deal with doctors all day." The next day she tried again & the new meds he gave were still expensive, $115, so I am giving up and never going back. MAJOR TIME WASTER!!! read more

Dr. Houghton is the best. For years I avoided the doctor. Dr Houghton changed that for me. He is kind and listens and is helpful. His staff is great too. read more

This doctor's office is scary. Just plain scary. Do not go here. I went once and promptly changed my provider. BUT they keep billing me for someone else. I've called and told them they were billing me for someone else with the same last name and yet they still billed my insurance. Even after I had I reported them to my health insurance's fraud investigation office, they still sent the bill to me. The incompetence is frightening. read more

Wasn't super impressed with the doc. Sorry to give him a not so stellar review, but I found my experience quite cookie cutter as I felt they were trying to get me in and out. I also felt like the doctor was really pushing the medifast diet, which I had to repeatedly tell him I wasn't interested. Also, I had a billing issue where their billing people said I didn't pay when I had paid. It was a simple misunderstanding, but still annoying. With so many choices of PPO doctors, the Dr. should make more of an effort to give you a personal experience. read more

I arrived 15 minutes prior to my appointment as I suspected paperwork would need to be completed. I was correct. I was questioning many things-first, why did the paperwork request multiple items repeatedly? Also, why was this in a client portal that I could complete prior to my arrival or why couldn't I print out the forms and complete them prior to my arrival. OK, I dealt with it. The nurse saw me 5 minutes after my scheduled appointment time. We chatted a bit and my vitals were collected. Then I waited 35 minutes for the doctor. I walked out. There was no communication that the doctor was running late. I'm very understanding of delays but communicate that to the patients. My time is valuable as well. I was so glad that I found a free parking space on the street as most parking around the building is metered. read more

I am updating the review because of two recent visits that went well. It appears that most of the staff were fired and new staff hired recently. The new front desk manager is friendly, courteous, and professional. The rest of the staff are wonderful as well. In my previous reviews, I had never met Dr. Houghton and was only dealing with his (now fired) staff. I have met Dr. Houghton twice now. I believe that he is an excellent doctor. He is kind and knowledgeable. read more

I went to see this doctor to get a FAA certification. My first impression was very good, the staff and Dr. Houghton himself were very friendly. I was so impressed that we were actually thinking about making Dr. Houghton our primary care doctor. Unfortunately I have changed my opinion since. I dropped off some test results with the staff and I was promised that they would review them with the doctor and that they would give me a call. Since I never heard back, I called the office and I was told that those results were submitted to the FAA and that I would hear from them. Since I never heard from the FAA, I called the doctor;s office again and there the story changed completely. I was told that I had to submit those results but that they would do it for me, since I had waited so long. After one week I called again and I was told that they still had not sent the information to the FAA. It seems that every time I would call, I was given a different story. At the end I just gave up and took matters in my own hands. I am quiet disappointed that a great experience went downhill so fast because of the uncoordinated staff at the office. I won't be using this doctor again in the future. read more

My husband has been a patient of Dr. Houghton's for about four years now and he has received the best care in this office. My husband is not generally someone who goes to the doctor, but he has had recurring stomach issues that no one can pinpoint the cause of, even after dozens of blood tests, an endoscopy, colonscopy, ultrasound and some time with a partridge in a pear tree. Dr. Houghton has been tireless in his efforts to find the cause of what makes my man throw up every morning and is genuinely concerned in following every possible lead. His office is clean and modern, the staff are friendly and professional and having a lab right there is super-convenient when blood draws and shots need to be done. To be honest, Dr. Houghton is sometimes running late on his appointments by 30 or so minutes, but when you are in the room with him, it is apparent that he is running behind on appointments because he cares about his patients and is not going to rush anyone through like a number. I always go in the exam room with my husband because he somehow always forgets what he needs to talk to the doctor about when he gets in the room, and Dr. Houghton is really casual, kind and caring to us both. He knows my husband's health is important to me, and it is clear that it is important to Dr. Houghton as well. While going to the doctor is never a blast, going to this doctor is a good example of what the patient-doctor relationship should be. Not rushed, awkward and faceless -- you are a person with real needs, a real life and worthy of his time and concern. When it comes to the health of the man I married, the best is in order, and Dr. Houghton has been, thus far, the best. read more

I see there have been some not so great reviews for Dr. Houghton and his staff. I'd like to share my experience with his practice. I have never been given the impression that I wasn't a patient with money, but a patient to treat. After arriving to check in for an appointment I'm always welcomed warmly into the office. As my first impression of the doctor, I was asking myself "What is taking the Doctor forever?" After being seen by the doctor I soon realized the reason for wait. Unlike many other practices I have been too. That Dr. Houghton takes his time to understand the patients concerns. He also doesn't have a god complex. He will also allow you to ask other questions when you didn't schedule an appointment for that reason. When before I was asked to make a seperate appointment with the front desk. As for the staff they are all willing to do their best to make sure your visit and health are great. Overall I appreciate everyone for giving their personal experiences with Dr. Houghton's practice. I wish they all have been good like mine have. For those who my be potential patients please note that the Doctor and his staff are genuine about you. As for feeling as if they are pushing to make a sale from on vitamins on you please realize that not everyone has good insurance and the antibiotics are cheaper through them. Their job is to give us the best options so as patients we can make a decision that is best for us. Bottom line I have stopped lookinf for a doctor. Just give yourself extra time o you can receive great service. read more

I am ending my relationship here. I have supposedly been a patient for a year but, have yet to meet Dr. Houghton. I have also had a prescription issue that I have been told should be easy to remedy. It has been 6 days and I am out of medication that I need to take daily. There seems to be no hope of this being solved through this office. So I am taking the risk and going with a different doctor that actually values a relationship with their patients. read more

Find another Aviation Medical Examiner!!! Submitted an irregular EKG instead of holding it until issue could be addressed. Cost me $2500 to rectify the situation!!! read more

A great physician! He is very caring, listens to your needs and actually acts more like a concerned individual than a high above God. Wouldn't recommend Dr. Houghton and his wonderful staff to anyone looking for a physician in San Diego. read more

Do you have a concern or a problem?! Wait, wait.. nope, now you don't :) Dr. Houghton's unbeatable experience and outstanding personal skills will make all of your worries disappear. I have been a patient for years now and will gladly recommend him to my friends. His referral data base consist of highly qualified practitioners and it will take care of your needs...if not, come see me! lol read more

I go to see Dr. Houghton on a regular basis for check ups, and I have never had any issues with him, his staff, my insurance, or scheduling (as some reviews have stated). Dr. Houghton is a very attentive, personable, and knowledgeable doctor, who always takes the time to answer any questions that I have. I have already recommended 2 friends to him. read more

HORRIBLE SERVICE! If you value your time (because they do not) do not even make an appointment. I visited the office three different times. Every single time the wait is over 40 minutes with my last wait time being over an hour for a basic visit. The staff has no idea what's going on and has no care either. This is not a one off. My husband has also never been seen on time or even close to it. Also the doctor doesn't care that you wait and states its pretty normal to wait about an hour. Just an FYI, its not normal. Figure out how to schedule and you wont be loosing patients. read more

Been coming here a couple years, convenient location, friendly help desk and RN's, easily able to get an appointment same day or within the same week. Usually if I have a major cold or flu like symptom I can be seen and get on a fast track to feeling better. I'll definitely keep coming here. Also a lot of my friends come here especially because the blood work labs are onsite here in the same office. read more

As a physician myself, I would highly recommend Dr. Houghton. He is an excellent physician and is kind, caring, and compassionate. One needs to be completely open with their doctor and I feel that Dr. Houghton makes that very easy. The office staff is friendly and efficient. Don't let a few disgruntled people spoil your chance to have him as your primary doctor!! read more

I believe that the office staff of a medical practice is an indication of the quality of service you will receive, especially in medicine. Since, I cannot comment on Dr. Houghton, because of his incompetent and careless office staff, I will comment on his poor medical practice standards. First, I called to get established as a new patient, since my insurance recommended Dr. Houghton. After waiting on hold and for about 10 minutes, Grace at the front desk, asked me for only my name and telephone number and said, "Let me check your insurance and give you a call back in one minute." I knew this sounded fishy because you can look up someone's insurance without more detailed information, such as social security number, birth date, insurance policy number, etc. A few hours passed, I never got a call back. I called back to be put on hold again. Once Grace answered, I told her I never got a call back and she hung up. So, I figured I would call back the next day, giving his practice the benefit of the doubt (maybe she was having a bad day). When I called today, I explained that I had been trying to get established as a new patient and I need to set an appointment. I was told to call back at 2pm. I asked if they could take my name and number down, so they could call me back. The woman on the phone said, "Uhhh...ummm...this is an answering service, just call back at 2." I told her to take my name and number down (thats the job of an answering service). In a very condescending voice, she told me to hold on. She never took me off hold. I hung up after 15 minutes and called back. When she answered, as soon as she realized it was me, she hung up. This practice has no sense of professionalism, business structure, or customer service. If my experience is any indication of the quality of the physician, STAY AWAY. I called another primary care physician that my insurance recommended, they were welcoming and professional. I was set up as a new patient and my insurance was verified in minutes. read more

This office is poorly run. The staff are not adequately trained in anything. I have had my appointments "lost", follow up calls on appointments I didn't make, and I had to wait 45 minutes alone in the exam room without even being seen by Dr. Houghton. In December of 2017 I removed him as my PCP. Since then I have been called on 5 separate occasions to "confirm" an appointment with him. I have told Grace multiple times to remove me from the call list and I have not been a patient since December. The staff and management here needs to be replaced. Period. This is unacceptable for anyone. I HIGHLY discourage anyone from receiving any form of treatment here. In fact, I tell people to actively avoid this office. read more

Well he is fine as a doctor I don't have too many complaints. His office though is what I don't care for. I have arrived 15 minutes early for both appointments so far and both times I've had to wait more than 30 minutes past my appointment time just to be called back. Further, this time a guy came in after me and had the appointment time slot after mine, yet he was called back before me. Lastly, I had to get some blood work done first before I could go on a certain medication. When the blood results came back they called me over the phone to tell me that everything was normal. So instead of being able to prescribe the medication over the phone they made me come back and pay again for an appointment for them to just give me a prescription. read more

Unacceptable level of incompetence. Read below before making an appointment. After an extensive blood test I get a phone call from Dr. Houghton's office telling me all my test results came back fine. As a result I cancelled my follow up appointment because what is there to talk about? About a month later it's discovered that I have a serious medical condition and need immediate treatment. This condition was discovered in my blood test results and should have been addressed immediately. He's sorry for their huge mistake, and that's nice, but there should never have been a mistake. This was a very serious matter concerning my health. Obviously I will never see him again. Pathetic excuse for professionals. read more

I really enjoy my visits to Dr. Houghton's 1855 First Ave office. I simply think they're office is clean and spacious. No, it's not glamourous, but it's nice and clean and gets the job done (it has leather seats in the waiting room). Quite frankly, I wouldn't want a glamourous doctors office - what does it say about the service if they HAVE to impress you with the lobby? Right, anyway, the docs are great and the staff are polite and efficient. I recently switched my provider BACK to Dr. Houghton because I enjoy the service. They have a lab in the back and plenty of rooms so each patient has their own space. I would recommend to anyone... read more

Dr. Houghton himself is a great doctor and is always concerned about my needs. I think sometimes they do over book the appointments and you can sit in the waiting room for up to an hour. The staff has always been very friendly to me. Dr. Houghton does seem to like to "dittle" you a lot. Just very concerned about hernias and your lymphoid I guess. Good thing he is attractive =) read more

Wonderful staff, everyone respects the patient's needs and concerns. Dr. Houghton was friendly and professional, truly a nice person.

I'm shocked at some of the negative reviews here. Dr. Houghton and his staff are wonderful! The woman at the front desk is courteous, the nurses are awesome, and his Nurse Practitioner, Sammy, is great too. And Dr. Houghton is one of the best doctors I've ever been to. He is friendly, knowledgeable, thorough, and most importantly, he's extremely patient! That's towards the top of my priority list because I've seen doctors in the past who are impatient, irritable, and rushed. I've been scoffed at and scolded for asking questions or not remembering something we discussed in the past. Not the case at all with Dr. Houghton. He makes me feel like I'm his only patient for the day. (He's also really funny, but that's just a bonus and isn't important when seeing a doctor). My only minor complaint is that the wait to see him can be a bit long, even with an appointment. But if that's the flip side to not being rushed when I do see him, I will gladly accept it. I usually just bring a book or my iPad so I can work. No problem. I'm glad to have found this doctor and his team! read more

Avoid! Based on a few other reviews here, my experience seems typical and I can't comment on the doctor, but the staff seems incompetent. I called to get established as a new patient. After being on hold for about 15 minutes, Grace told me she'd have to call me back to "put me in the system." Um, OK. Of course I never got a call back. 2 days later I called. I was on hold for 25 minutes. I finally spoke with Grace again and she said the system wasn't "taking" my insurance info. Pretty sure I have valid insurance. She said she'd figured it out and call me back. Needless to say I never received a call back. I gave up and found another doctor - made an appointment in 5 minutes. read more

I have been going to Dr. Houghton for over 3years. My original doctor was out with a knee injury and his practice was going to be closed for 4 months. They recommended Dr . Houghton for their patients in the interim. I remember the first time I had an appointment with Dr. Houghton, He was so kind and caring and very knowledgeable. He took the time to listen to me and asked me follow up questions so he could diagnose me. I was in awe of how much time Dr. Houghton spent with me. I have never had a doctor spend that much time really listening and getting to the bottom of my medical problems. I was so impressed that I called my Husband at work to tell him about this New Doctor I just saw. It is true that you may have to wait 15-20 minutes to see Dr. Houghton but it is because he treats every patient like they are his only patient and his top priority. Other Doctors run in and don't even look at you, let alone listen to you ; and you are lucky if they spend 10 minutes with you. Because of the great service and genuine concern from Dr. Houghton and his staff I decided to stay with him even when my other Doctor returned. If you are looking for Excellent Medical Care and a Personable easy to talk with Doctor than Doctor Houghton is your Man. read more

During my most recent appointment, I noticed that Dr. Houghton earned the "Silver" award for favorite doctor in San Diego. His approach is very warm and personable, and he is an excellent listener. His office is very professional and busy, with a unique laboratory in-house. Even hypochondriacs like me can get tested for everything and feel better without having to see anyone else. He seems to have a LOT of patients, but I feel as though he genuinely cares about me and about keeping me healthy. He is wonderful. read more

This review is aimed at the front office/reception staff. Dr. Houghton was fine...he would get a 3.5-4 if I were rating him. Other reviews here talk about prior staff being replaced by new staff. In my experience, the current staff as of June 2017 provides extremely poor service. The staff IS friendly. No complaints there. The reality is, the friendliness is a mask for incompetence, and a lack of organization in their record-keeping which in my opinion, is CRUCIAL in a doctor's office. Example: EVERY time I call for an update they fumble around with all the other exams I've already done, and then, eventually when they find the relevant exam (after being placed on hold for some time), they just rush you through your current exam in a short, non-reassuring manner. They then tell me a nurse will get in touch with me (which of course doesn't happen because they most likely don't communicate this to them) so you eventually have to call back, and start all over with the Xray you got a month ago when all you want is info on the exam you did last week. Another annoyance is hearing the staff chatting on the phone (using the office line) while your appointment is running 20 minutes late. So if you want a 3.5-4 star doctor and you have a high tolerance for poor service up front, this is the doctor for you. Otherwise, I would recommend you go somewhere else, and I would recommend Dr. Houghton take his staff to do some training on customer service, efficiency, and professionalism. read more

Staff is awesome. Dr. is awesome. Only reason for 4 stars is that parking is an issue. BUT not his fault, just the location. Very good! read more