If I could give her a zero I would. She is this doctor that acts friendly. Spends no more than a couple minutes with you. Promises to stand by your side. Offers you her personal number. Dragged you into her drama. Then when you're in the hospital recovering from a surgery and you're telling her you're bleeding from your throat she keeps you on the phone talking about her dentist friend Jenn, who lost her children. And when you point out, the judge looks at crying is a point of weakness as well as emotional Distress. She suddenly does damage to your care. This woman has known for four months about my disability hearing. I have gone into our office and talked about the letter that was necessary. I've gone to my appointment with her and talked about the letter that was necessary. She told me about the letter, she was gonna write. And she's such a terrible doctor that she doesn't care about her patience. She was notified about the violence I was going through and as a mandated reporter she failed. Her license should be revoked and she should be suspended for further notice. All she had to do was her job. Write the letter seven conversations with her employees, and I had to get my walker go in there when I was having a down day for the exact thing she treats me for... She doesn't bother treating you. She doesn't do anything she's a failure. All she does is charge and charge again. Her office needs to be shut down. She's a terrible person. It's all about her. But then suddenly she's a victim. She failed on follow through. And then her office goes. Oh, but she's so busy and people that aren't nurses are being talked about to people in her office staff when she's the one who failed her patient. Don't go here. She's a drama queen. She is a terrible doctor. She will compromise your health without any concern. And she doesn't follow through. As I lie here and level 15 pain because of her fail care. This is a woman that shouldn't be a doctor. When I first started going to her, she was just as terrible, but she acted like she cared. But then there was that day after I had life or death surgery and was bleeding out of my lungs and out of my esophagus because they had to go in through there. She knew I just got out from my surgery. And a Doctor Who is being told that I was bleeding out of my throat And needed to get off the phone just kept talking. You should see the text messages about her personal life. Inappropriate for a doctor a patient should express their personal life to a doctor. And then when I spoke up for how honestly I need to be, what did she do? She nearly destroyed my case for Disability. Intentionally. This Dr deserves her license to be removed. She has known for four months about my date. She knows the level of pain I'm in. She knows how bad it is. But what does she do when you don't agree with her friend she will damage you. On purpose. She neglected to write the letter. Her staff had to go in and save her. And defend her if she's not capable of handling her clientele it's further proof don't go to this doctor. Who does that to their patient. This is a dangerous woman who shouldn't be around children or patient because if she decides she doesn't like you, she will destroy even though you're in level 15 pain. She's a terrible doctor cause she puts her own personal drama ahead of her patience. Thank God, I have a copy of it. read more

Kotha J Akther, MD - Sharp Community Medical Group - You're rambling on about her friend after I had life or death surgery. She put me in danger for her drama. And then my care suffered. - Rheumatologists Near Me - La Mesa, California

If I could give 0 stars I would. I will be filing a grievance through not only my insurance but also through department of health. Just like everyone else I waited months to get here. Months of agony, months of misery. Finally I get in was listened to for less than 5 minutes. Testing was ordered. I completed it all & had to wait another 2 months to see the nurse again. Mind you I was denied to see any doctor without a diagnosis & they left a nurse to diagnose such complex diseases/diagnoses. I've had consistent ANA positive labs, speckled pattern, my titer was low 1:40 but I had been placed on high dose of prednisone which I was on the time of my labs. Based off my research this can affect the value of the titer. With arthritis in both sides of my body at 28 years old, constantly feeling like I'm going to collapse, face rash, joint pain, etc. Bc my titer was low she told me she couldn't diagnose me with anything but arthritis which "presidone isn't used to treat" I've taken nursing classes and I'm not doctor but my own research showed me this can affect your labs and a reduction of 40-50% in your titer because it reduces disease activity which any licensed individual at a rheumatologist office should know! Not only that but it is used for arthritis either way even though I know it's autoimmune they won't dive deep it's still IS used for arthritis & again a licensed and educated nurse should know it is and it does affect your labs. As I was questioning her plan to say she cannot diagnose me based off a low titer that it's negative even though they were positive and been positive for over a year even on steroids. She told me she had to move onto the next patient which was less than 5 minutes she spent with me. Everytime I tried to advocate for myself she spoke over me which I couldn't understand which such thick of accent. I told her, if she was going to let me speak and listen to me because that is her job. She then escorted me out. I then asked to speak to who was in charge. The lady came stomping out in the front office. Was extremely rude. Everybody was very dismissive and not empathetic at all. She told me to find somewhere else. I told her all these people in this office are in misery and deserve some empathy and sympathy. You say this office is busy you know how long people have waited it's easy for you to say to go find another place and have to wait for approval this could take another 4-6 months of me being in misery and they DO NOT CARE. They roll their eyes. They do not care about their patients they will refuse to refill meds you've been on and which are DANGEROUS to just stop. They will not listen to your symptoms they will not take anything into consideration and you will not see a doctor unless the nurse decides you have a disease which are VERY complex to get a formal diagnosis for. Many rheumatologist have to go based off of symptoms and what the patient is telling them cuz simple labs are not enough evidence for a diagnosis. Any place that holds a license should know this. DO NOT COME HERE AND WASTE MONTHS OF WAITING TO GET NEGLECTED, DISMISSED, MISTREATED, WHEN YOU ARE SUFFERING. If you are given a referral here please ask them to send you elsewhere unless you want to leave in tears and be put out more months asking for another doctor/office. Please don't give them your money. I hope they shut this place down!!!!!!!!!! People with autoimmune , arthritis & inflammation deserve to be treated with an open ear, kindness, understanding & empathy. read more

IMPOSSIBLE to reach the front desk line. I've had to call numerous times and leave multiple messages and they never get back to me. I have to keep calling them back and hope I get lucky enough to reach someone. Dr. Kotha has a bad attitude too. She's not friendly at all. I hope we get more rheumatologists in San Diego that open their own office so we can have better options. read more

No words, except DO NOT GO THERE! Front staff reception is slowwwww[it's like watching the sloth from zootopia]. Doctor was very nice, however, staff is not very organized. Saw them on 12/4/20. Needed referrals to radiology....guess what it's 2 days before Christmas and I have yet to get the referrals. After calling last week and talked to the most rude receptionist ever. Front office girl threw the doc under the bus and said the referral coordinator never got the request from the doc I stood there while the doctor told her to schedule my referrals before I left the office!!The level of incompetence was amazing. Almost surreal it was so bad. But ok, that was Gods way of telling me to go elsewhere and that I shall. No one has time for this.....I'd rather have sit in the ER for two days then go back there. Run!! read more

I waited 3 months to get in to see this dr. When I finally was seen it was for about 10 minutes and she spent all the time dictating to her medical assistant. It was as if I wasn't in the room. I've been diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis and RA for 13 years now. But she argued with me and said oh no you don't have that. Who told you you have that? She had me do 1000.00 worth of labs and said see you in 4 weeks. I came back and this appointment was even worse. She asked me my name 3-4 times and showed no interest in anything I had to say. She said here are some pills. Take these one per day. And I will see you in 6 weeks. No information about the meds. It's a black box listed medication! It's a biologic! One of the side effects is death!!! Don't you think you should give your patient a heads up on what to do and not do. What to watch for? I asked about pain management and she said what I do not prescribe narcotics! I wasn't asking nor did I say one word about narcotics!! I was asking what I could take besides 800 mg of Advil 5 times a day!! It's hard on my stomach and I wondered if there was a better anti inflammatory that I could take that would help! Very frustrating being sick and not being able to get good care! I wouldn't refer my worst enemy to this doctor! Very unprofessional! She has the bedside manner of a goat! read more

This doctor is horrible and her staff is even worse! Rude and ignorant! Absolutely no compassion at all. I always get the run around with my medication prescriptions. Dr. Said she needed me to come in sooner I told her I tried to make an appointment and her front desk told me I needed a new referral i knew that wasn't right but the woman on the phone frustrated me till i ended up hanging up. The dr does nothing for you except judge you and give you a shot of something. When I asked what it was she told me what it was supposed to do not what it was. I asked again and she kept talking as she walked out the door. Unfortunately this is the only dr i can see with my insurance. read more

Girls at desk are rude over the phone and worse in person. It seems they've even gotten swapped out and these ones are worse. 0 respect and attitude like you're bothering them. No eye contact. Lack of basic human interaction skills. Dr. Kotha is Amazing though. Not sure I wanna deal with front desk anymore though whatsoever. read more

I've been to the Centre Street office twice now and 'm surprised Dr Kotha's practice even has 2 stars. They're horrible all the way around. The Front Office ladies have terrible attitudes and act like they're massively inconvenienced by patients. You can tell they're sick of answering the same questions from patients so they put snide signs up at the front desk. Getting someone to answer the phone when you call the office is virtually impossible. The waiting rooms are used for random storage and look dirty and unkept. They require you to come in person for blood test results. I went in and paid my $40 copay to spend a whopping 45 seconds with the Nurse Practitioner. Complete waste of my time and money for something I could have been told over the phone. I'm pretty sure they just want to bill my insurance for an in person visit. Such a scam. Don't waste your time and energy here. Find another Rheumatologist. read more

Kotha J Akther, MD - Sharp Community Medical Group - Random boxes stored under the exam table. - Rheumatologists Near Me - La Mesa, California

I personally have had a great experience. I've never had an issue with staff, they have always been kind. Dr. Kotha is very nice and compassionate. When I got diagnosed from her and she told me what my treatment would be, I immediately started crying. She put her hand on my shoulder in a very caring way and asked what my worry was. She then told me to try it and if the side effects I was afraid of happened we would try another treatment. I agreed and walked out to make my follow up appt still in tears one of her staff talked to me and told me it would be ok that so many people are on the same treatment with good results. Now here I am and it is working great!!! I recently had a horrible flare up due to having Covid and having to stop treatment. Worse flare up for over a month. I realized how much those medications give me life. I called Dr Kotha and she told me to go to the ER. I received meds at the hospital that kicked in the same day. I'm sorry there are bad reviews on here but I can honestly say I have zero complaints about her and the staff. Her bedside manner may be slightly different than what some people might want but I also think it's a cultural thing. I think they're all great. read more

I have been attempting to get an appointment with Dr. Kotha for almost six months. As the only doctor contracted with Molina who accepts new patients, this doctor was my only hope to finding more about how I can get my better and what my true diagnoses might be. At first I was told by a very unsympathetic office staff member that the doctor does not accept patients with diagnoses of Fibromyalgia. Because Fibromyalgia is a somewhat of a throwaway diagnosis that means widespread chronic pain and is often misdiagnosed when another similar disease is present i made another appointment with my PCP and had her RESEND the referral with chronic pain as a diagnosis and complete the blood work that I was told Dr. Kotha would need. Each time I have called Dr. Kotha's office, they have made an excuse as to why they cannot schedule me. First they said that they did not accept Fibro patients to which I responded that they need to look at the new referral because it says chronic pain then they said again that I must have the blood work done to which I had responded that it had been done. They said they would get copies and call me to schedule. I told them I had copies. They never called. When I called again just now they told me that my referral was from 2017 even though I was at my PCP's office two days ago and told that I have an active referral with dr. Kotha. I told them to call my PCP because scheduling with them was becoming a part time job for me and I am not a health care worker and can not determine why they are having such a problem scheduling my appointment. They said they will call me back. I will be filing a complaint about this medical practice with the Department of Health FOR REFUSING CARE, with the BBB, with the owner of this medical practice, and with my insurance carrier. This doctor is clearly not capable of helping anyone and is engaged in very questionable practices. Other reviews seem to agree. read more

Getting this in late as I was referred in '14. From what I can remember, this was a fantastic appointment. Maybe because she agreed with what i was telling her over what my primary was guessing at with no supporting evidence. I'd see her again. Sorry I can't be more detailed but my experience was no problem at all...that's rare for me to say as well. read more

The worst staff ever , they are slow, rude , bad attitude and not respectful at all .

This may be a little lengthy because I have a lot to say. First, I want to start off by please, please do your research in looking for a Rheumatologist. They are hard to get appointments with and can end up being a waste of time like what happened with me- It took two months to get an appointment here and when I finally did, I was disappointed that I was only able to see the NP and not the actual doctor. Turned out I really liked the NP, Kim. She's young and at first was very thorough with me and seemed like she cared. It took months of blood work, different medications and imaging to rule out conditions and I was finally diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis at 29 years old. The NP put me out of work for a bit because the medications made me extremely sick. While I was glad to have a diagnosis, I wasn't getting anywhere physically. I am in extreme pain constantly and she refused to address it. I kept being told that the medication I'm on will help in about 5-6 months and there's no other options but to basically suffer. I was even told to not go to physical therapy so they know it's the medication working and not the therapy. Each appointment seemed to get shorter. I was being basically brushed off in a 5 minute appointment. None of my concerns were addressed. I could hardly get any words out without her trying to end the visit. I was the one who had to push for more imaging. I even mentioned how exhausted I had been and she told me "we think you have fibromyalgia," and walked out the door with no other explanation. The last straw came when I had an appointment with the NP, I asked if she could extend my work note for a couple more weeks due to having migraines almost daily from the medications and still being in pain and she told me she cannot do that and compared me to her 29 year old patient who has deformities that is still working and shouldn't be. What that had to do with me I have no idea but I was baffled and completely offended. I then told her that never mind the work note but that I feel like we aren't getting anywhere and that my concerns aren't be addressed, she told me maybe she isn't the one for me. Long story short, I fired her and have an appointment with a new doctor at the end of this month. PLEASE be aware. I guess I'm too young to be taken seriously even though there's proof and that to me is negligent. Don't waste your time and your health. (PS- The girls up front have major, major attitudes. They have absolutely zero compassion. If you get an attitude back with them they tend to shape up. Sad but true.) read more

I was referred by my Primary Care Physician. After a 2 week run around, they refused to even make an appointment to see me. "The Dr. is not sure what she can do for you" I was told by staff. Maybe start by seeing me as requested by another Dr.? read more

I can't believe that Dr. Kotha is still practicing! Someone from the medical field should be reading these and following up. Investigate her! She's a horrible doctor. I never went back after my first appointment, when I left crying because of the way she treated me and the lack of knowledge. read more

Horrible Dr. I have lupus. First time I waited 2 he's to be seen. She prescribed me plaquenil (which cause eye issues) I don't have severe joint pain so I decided to not take it. Second appointment waited 1 hr in the room. When she walked in I informed her that I was now pregnant and she shook her head and said why would you do that you know your not suppose to. FIRST I don't know I wasn't "suppose" to. SECOND it just happened. She began to look upset and felt so judged. I almost cried. I told her I had discontinued a medication that my renal Dr had prescribed because it wasn't safe and it caused me to have chest pain. But I was only taking my prednisone and that controlled my pain. Her response "I can't help you go back to your renal Dr." I said I'm only here because my primary said I need a rheumatologist for my lupus. And she said yes but I can't do anything for you because your pregnant. I was never asking for anything this was suppose to be a checkup I never asked her for any meds and I feel good why would she make me feel like something bad is gonna happen with my pregnancy. I even told her I've only seen you once and literally you know nothing about me. I just walked out she didn't even say bye. By the way she schedules like 6 people with the same appointment time. read more

This is by far the worst experience I have ever had with a doctor's office. I was referred to Dr. Kotha, to get a second opinion. When I saw her, she seemed extremely distracted, hurried and not very interested in what I had to say. She even answered her cell phone while I was getting examined!!! And she barely said she was sorry. I truly felt like I was imposing on her time. To be fair, I will say that she sounded knowledgeable and I did like her approach to the next step. My 1st doctor's approach was to immediately put me on some very heavy-duty drugs that had the same effects as chemotherapy. Her approach was to get an MRI first, to make sure that I actually have ankylosing spondylitis. So she told me she was going to send me a referral for a lower back MRI. At this point I told her that since the pain had shifted to my upper back and neck, that I needed and MRI for my entire back. She said that was fine, took some more notes and sent me on my way. I got my referral, went to have the MRI and found out while I was there that the order was only for my lower back. Since it's a $100 co-pay, I decided not to have the MRI until we could get the order fixed. So I called her office the next day and left a message for the person that handles referrals. She didn't call me back, so 3 days later, I left another message, which she also did not return. I called a 3rd time and was able to talk to her. She said she would look into it and call me back. She didn't. I called again a few days later and the receptionist I spoke with was very nice and seemed genuinely concerned. She said she would follow up. So I did get a call from Dr. Kotha 2 days later, but unfortunately we were not able to resolve the issue. She called me from a cell phone, I was on a cell phone (so the reception wasn't great), she has a very heavy accent (and I'm not being racist here - English is my 2nd language too, but it is a fact that she has a heavy accent) and I have a bit of a hearing problem, so I could not understand what she was saying. I told her that and she said something along the lines of taking care of this later. So I assumed that meant that she was going to call me again, maybe from a landline, but I never heard back from her again. That was about 10 days ago. So I called again 2 days ago and again, had to leave a message. Once again, I haven't heard back from anyone. I have had severe back pain for 2 1/2 years now. There are nights that I can't sleep from the severity of the pain, but this doctor and the MRI referral person could care less. I have never in my life had such a bad experience in a doctor's office. At this point, I'm done with these people. I have given them numerous chances over a 3+ week period and they have blown it every time. read more

It is unfortunate that my company's insurance is not the greatest. In turn, we are quite limited on who we get as doctors, let alone specialists. I needed to see a Rheumatologist, and although I hadn't heard or read the most positive reviews, apparently Dr. Kotha was the only choice in the area. I decided to stay optimistic and went ahead and made an appt after weeks of waiting for my insurance's approval. I requested for the next first morning's appt, so that I could get to work as soon as possible. When I arrived to the building on the day of the appointment, I noticed a fire truck parked in front and no parking spots. There was quite a bit of traffic surrounding the area, which I assumed was from the fire truck and I had no idea was going on. I tried calling the office to get an update, but the call kept going straight to voice mail. So, I just went ahead and parked two blocks away and walked over. Upon reaching the building, I saw that the fire truck had left, but could hear a fire alarm going off. I walked upstairs to the second floor, where the office is located and where the root of the noise was coming from. The noise was excruciatingly loud and I couldn't believe there was so many patients sitting in the waiting room, most of which had their hands covering their ears. When I went to sign in at the front office, I noticed that there were roughly 10 patients in front of me. I politely asked for an estimate of how long it would take to be seen, and received a rude and unprofessional, "I don't know." Here I was told that I had the first appointment of the day, yet there were 10 patients in front me and this cacophonous loud noise penetrating my ears. I sat down for a good 5 minutes with my hands over my hears and realized that I wasn't even given new patient paperwork to sign, and just couldn't take it anymore. I realized that I wasn't going to get back to work for a good two hours and let the front office know that I couldn't wait more than an hour, only receiving an 'Ok..' as a response. Who knows, I might have been rudely unprofessional too if I started my day with that fire alarm going off. Regardless, let your patients know what is going on rather than keeping them in the dark with their hands protecting their ears. Also, do not tell a new patient that they have the first appointment of the day, when they are realistically going to have to wait two hours because of the way you stagger appointments. Meanwhile, I am working with my insurance to locate a different doctor, despite the potential distance or drive. read more

If I could give 0 stars I would. Trying to make an appointment was incredibly difficult as they kept saying they never received any labs from my primary. After calling them out telling them I watched my primary practice fax everything my labs magically appeared. I was asked to arrive 20 minutes before my appointment to fill out paperwork (totally normal) but wasn't seen by the Dr.Kotha until an hour and a half after my appointment time. She then proceeded to spend about 5 minutes in the room getting history and exam and came to a diagnosis and prescribed medications. She wouldn't answer any questions I had as she continued to walk out of the room as I was talking to her. Don't even bother asking for a note of any kind as you will receive an illegible note written on a prescription pad. Do not waste your time seeing this physician. read more

I had a followup with Dr. Kotha to review test results. Though I would have liked to understand the tests better, she took my medical issues seriously, and showed genuine compassion when I told her that I was finding it difficult to get treatment for a chronic, poorly understood illness. That view is so refreshing after so many years of psychiatric referrals for a flu-like illness that has now taken a serious toll on me. I have been begging doctors for pain relief for years. I was really surprised when it was the doctor telling me I had pain, and not the other way around. I've had no luck getting a referral for pain management until today. I saw Dr. Kotha's compassion this time. Before, my inability to get a written prescription for Motrin was frustrating. I am in a nursing home where they will not accept a phoned in prescription. In the ensuing weeks, I called the office twice,and got nowhere. It seemed a small request. Today, Dr. Kotha was receptive and kind. She put the prescription in writing. She did an in-house test to follow up on her previous tests. I feel like this time I was taken seriously. She gave me a written referral to a pain management doctor. My pain level at this moment is beyond distracting. So, she gave me hope and I felt like some of my medical issues stand a chance of being addressed. read more

Dr. Kotha is a kind , compassionate physician. She takes the time to explain the treatment options and makes suggestions to guide you to the best for you. She can be tough when needed, however this is a good thing when you aren't following the treatment plan. She cares about her patients and wants to see them successfully controlling their disease. read more

My PC Doctor sent in a referral early in January. I called to make an appointment to be told the person checking referrals works from 3-5 p.m. I left a message and she never called me. After 4 days I called again and finally talked with Wendy. She said she would put my information on priority and Dr. or office would call me to set an appointment. Well 12 days later still nothing from anyone. I wouldn't want to be seen in this office, if it's this difficult for them to schedule an appointment. Now I'm looking for a different specialist. read more

The most arrogant and rude doctor I've ever met; she does not meet the professional ethical standards of a qualified physician. First, she needs to review the Hippocratic Oath from time to time. Second, she should update her knowledge of rheumatology. Third and the most importance thing for her is to treat patients like human being instead of animals. read more

I agree with the others on here, she doesn't even deserve 1 star. Please stay away from this doctor! She is horrible! She is so unprofessional, ignorant and extremely rude. My mom was seeing Dr. Kotha and complained to much about her that I began going to her visits with her. I was astonished! Not only is her staff terrible, but she treated my mom with disrespect. When my mom would ask a question, Dr. Kotha would talk down to my mom, as if she was stupid. I urged my mom to change doctors and she did, now we can't get Dr. Kotha's office to send my mom's files to the new doctor after 5 attempts already!!! I absolutely discourage seeing this doctor. read more

Dr. Kotha is wonderful. She is kind, compassionate, and very gentle. I have Sjogren's Syndrome and I receive trigger point injections regularly. (Injections into the nodes just below your ears.) She has always held my hand through this terribly painful procedure and pats my back to comfort me. I do not whelp or yell or scream, I close my eyes, grit my teeth, sit as still as possible, while going through the process. She understands, really truly understands how miserable the disease is and how dreadful the treatments can be. I highly recommend Dr. Kotha and I am grateful to have found such a good doctor to treat me. I have been fortunate, I have never experienced a long wait. I have waited maybe 10 minutes in the waiting room and maybe 10 minutes in the exam room. Not unreasonable at all. The staff has always been polite and have tried to accommodate my random schedule. The nurses have always been gentle with me and do everything in their power to not exacerbate my pain while I'm at the office. I have even received telephone calls in the evening after the treatments to check and see if I am doing okay. Who does that anymore? A+ across the board. read more

In my first review I wrote of the horrendous experience I had with Dr. Kotha. I have since been diagnosed by a valid, reputable and compassionate physician and now know what I am dealing with. I spent a long time in pain and very sick because of this doctors ego. Do yourself a favor and find a good MD, I don't want anyone to have to endure what I did. read more

Great experience! Dr. Kotha was thorough and had a great bedside manner. Her office staff was friendly and efficient.

I have been seeing Dr. Kotha for 9 years. I was referred to her by my primary care Dr. after being diagnosed with Lupus. Dr. Kotha is very gentle and thorough. I feel very lucky to have her. read more

This office deserves 0 stars! I was referred by my Primary Care Physician. After my Dr sent the referral I tried to make an appt. Every time I called they said to have the Dr send the referral again. After my Dr sent the referral 3 times they said they had it but I had to wait 3 to 5 business days to make an appointment. Then I called again telling them I really need to be seen since I am having pain, only to be told they will print out the request and put it on the Dr's desk again saying they will call me in another 3 to 5 days. After a 2 1/2 weeks of run around, they refused to make me an appointment. The new patient coordinator said "The Dr. is not sure what she can do for you since your labs came back normal". I thought she was a specialist in my condition so it makes no sense why she would say she didn't know what she could do for me. Every person I know with this condition sees a Rheumatologist so this statement doesn't even make sense. After reading a ton of negative online reviews regarding this Dr and their staff, perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. Steer clear and find another Dr! read more

I tried for over 6 weeks to get an appointment. Each time, staff would tell me they didn't get the faxed lab and dr.'s notes and to call my GP. I called the GP, they faxed information again, I called Kotha's office, was told it takes 5 to 7 days to receive the faxes b/c "of how our fax machine works." WHAT?!?!?! I waited, called back was told they didn't get the faxes, called my GP, called Kotha's office, was told it takes 3 to 5 days to get the fax....and so on and so on. I finally called my GP to request a referral to someone else. I have never gotten such a runaround. If you decide to see this doctor, HAND DELIVER the doctor's notes and lab results, and request a signature from the office staff, otherwise you will never get an appointment. The office staff is extremely dismissive and could care less how much of an obstacle course they place in your path to get healthcare. Add to that the fact that someone is in chronic pain and needs help (oops, sorry, wrong doctor, we don't give a crap about you), you're in for a rough ride from this place. read more

Where do I begin? Firstly, I wouldn't even give her one star. I've been seen by this doctor twice as I was referred by my PCP. My first experience with the front desk left little to be desired; they sounded incompetent and said my referral approval hadn't been faxed over by my PCP even though they'd done so twice. Next, I was finally scheduled and received a confirmation phone call. I asked the young gentleman what the address was so I could jot it down. He said, "Uh, I don't know." Once I was finally seen, the appointment went smoothly. The front desk staff moved like robots, but that's not unheard of in the medical industry. Dr. Kotha said she wanted to run more blood tests and see me again in two weeks. I got my blood work done in a timely manner and went back to see her at my second appointment. She said, "You have [such and such] disease. Fill this prescription. I'll see you again in five weeks." Just like that, I received life-changing news about my health and she was completely apathetic during the entire appointment. She never once mentioned anything about altering my diet, counseling, exercise, acupuncture, etc. I had to figure it out on my own and with the help of a wonderful friend who has the same diagnosis. Where I really grew tired of her office's incompetence is when I asked to have paperwork filled out to enroll in a special program offered by the military (husband is military). I dropped it off on 8/26. No one was at the front desk, but Dr. Kotha was at the back of the office filling out files. I stood at the front desk for at least five minutes when she finally acknowledged me. She said: "Well, I don't know when I'll get to it." I called later that week and she still hadn't finished it. I called 8/28, 9/3, 9/5....nothing. I was on hold on average 10+ minutes every time I called, and even had to call back once because I thought they'd forgotten about me. Finally yesterday, I got a hold of the person who was in the middle of filling out my paperwork, which was news to me because I was under the impression Dr. Kotha would fill it out. The girl said she'd just received it on Wednesday and that it "wasn't my fault" she hadn't been given the work earlier. She was very defensive, told me it wouldn't be ready until next Wednesday, and hung up on me. I called back to complain to the office manager who said this was the first she'd heard of anything regarding my paperwork. She called back and said the girl who hung up on me couldn't hear me and that it was a bad connection. (Later, I could hear in the background someone saying she couldn't hear a person on the phone, which leads me to believe they have an issue with their phone system.) I asked the office manager when I could expect my paperwork to be finished. She said Dr. Kotha was not going to sign off on my paperwork because she'd only seen me twice, and that I didn't actually have the disease she diagnosed me with on 8/12. She told me THREE TIMES on that visit I had said disease and even prescribed medication for this particular disease. Dr. Akther Kotha compromised her integrity by giving me a diagnosis then telling me I didn't actually have said disease. I've since been referred to a new doctor. The bottom-line here is Dr. Kotha and her office are incredibly incompetent. When you're dealing with a chronic disease the last thing you want to worry about is whether or not your doctor's office is running efficiently. read more

Horrible. This woman is professionally irresponsible and incompetent. Based on one blood test, she recommended dangerous immune supressing drugs, and then refused to explain any of the side effects or contraindications, instead only telling me "one is stronger, one is weaker." When I asked her to explain the blood test results, she just kept saying in an annoying voice, "look at the numbers!" "Look at the numbers!" Like doesn't she know what the numbers mean, or is she just too lazy to be bothered. Come to find out after the fact, the drugs she was suggesting require ongoing liver monitoring and can cause other serious side effects like having chronic infections, respiratory illness etc (Glen Frey just died from complications arising from years of use of these immune suppressing drugs). She never bothered to discuss any other treatment options. When I later requested a copy of her diagnosis report, the report came in the mail stating I had "chronic diabetes Type II, chronic hypertension, chronic rotator cuff tendonitis, and chronic rheumatoid arthritis. What?!. The first three had absolutely no basis in fact, and it was apparent the preparation of the report was left to an assistant, who put every single thing she could think of on the report, even though completely inaccurate, not to mention I didn't even have rheumatoid arthritis. Akther Kotha is 70 years old, and is just going through the motions of seeing patients so she can fraudulently bill Medi-Cal for specialist services she is not providing. Steer clear. Ask for someone else. The problem with Medi-Cal is the choices for doctors are limited, and it appears that all of the rheumatologists in the San Diego area went to medical school in India, so there's that. They definitely are not at the top of their field, and are all probably milkng the medi-cal system if the truth were known. It's a scam. read more