We started going to Noe Valley Pediatrics few months ago, with our newborn. The staff has been very friendly and we have not had any trouble scheduling appointments, as others had mentioned here. Yes the building is not remodeled and they use paper files, but all we want is good care and an attentive pediatrician. That is exactly what you get here. We are mainly with Dr. Elizabeth, and she takes her time to stay with us the full 30 minutes. Does not rush us out of there and is extremely attentive and friendly. We also had visits with Dr. Anne and Dr. Tan, both of which were great and we wouldn't mind working with any of them. The front desk team have been always welcoming and the response times of phone/email have been reasonable. read more

We adore this practice and consider ourselves so lucky to be a part of it. The vibe is perhaps unique today but immediately recognizable to children of the 80s... paper charts and no screens in the exam rooms means the caring and experienced physicians get to really spend tons of time talking to and actually looking at their patients. The staff is responsive via email and by phone, and there are 24/7 escalatory paths for advice and emergencies with the littles. read more

Our pediatrician retired so we reached out to noe valley to get established as a new patient. When we came in, they ran tests like hearing, eyesight, etc and I asked if it was needed since our kid was up to date on all of his exams (and he wasn't due for his annual) and they told us it was a "well check" and -required to be established as a new patient. What we didn't expect was how they'd bill as for this; and it counted as our -annual exam- with our insurance (again our annual exam wasn't due, and our child wasn't ill- just being seen to get established and to be able to fill a non emergency med ). We'd also had all of our child's health records sent over so they could see he was up to date. The offices were cramped; so much so that I kept getting hit by a door when our kid got examined in what seemed to be a supply closet. The doctor that saw us had us waiting 45 minutes in our exam room after we'd been seen. He also kept taking calls during our visit. I didn't see anyone else in the waiting room when we were there and after waiting 45 minutes with a bored child, I peeked into the hallway and the doctpore was sitting with 2 nurses... it seemed like we'd been forgotten. They were also supposed to call in a script and they didn't; so I had to call back about it later. Oh and There's no parking. The lot by the practice is for employees only. After the less than amazing experience, we decided to look elsewhere. Since we didn't know we were getting billed for an annual exam, fast forward to us getting our kid's exam at the usual time after their birthday at another practice, and we ended up getting a $400 bill we were on the hook for because of noe valley's billing. We called Noe Valley about the billing, but they said that there was nothing to be done for it, since it had been processed by our insurance and their billing couldn't reprocess thier bill. I hope Noe Valley is more transparent with future new clients- letting them know upfront that to get established, that they're billing for an annual exam, or better yet, they don't bill for an annual exam just to take you on as a new patient. read more

Before being seen at Noe we were at UCSF. We weren't happy with the after hour phone care at UCSF and told Noe this. They assured us they were more prompt and responsive. Well it ends up that was a big lie because when we called after hours for our sick baby we were forwarded to UCSF... That's not all. When we saw the doctor our baby received vaccines typical for a 1 year old. We asked what to expect tonight in terms of side effects and they assured us there would be none. Not even fussiness? we questioned. No they said. Well that night he threw up twice (huge throw up) and was screaming when we put him to bed (never happened before). Then he had diarrhea. And wouldn't stop screaming. So we talked to the UCSF nurse and he said all of these side effects are actually quite common and Noe was wrong. Will never return. read more

Very thorough care for your little one. I never felt rushed with the doctor. The nurse team is responsive by email and we were able to get same day appointments for unexpected concerns. read more

This review is dedicated to the front office. Nurse Judy, Drs. Kaplan & Hurd are absolutely incredible. But to all parents, I wish the best of luck with attempting to manage appointments (emergency or scheduled), getting medical records, or managing any due diligence for your child's healthcare with the staff. As a parent, I've dealt with the most incredibly rude human beings at the front desk for the past 10+ years. I've dealt with them only because the pediatricians are so kind and so very good. But that entire staff is absolutely disrespectful, lacking in any bedside manner or semblance of helpfulness -- I am at the point where I am looking at other practices as I can no longer tolerate being treated like garbage, simply for being a parent. One instance, the pediatrician requested I bring in my child for a scheduled appointment for a specific follow-up. Because this time was requested during flu season when appointments are not typically scheduled, the front desk was abhorrent in not allowing us to setup time with the pediatrician as they had personally requested. They refused to work with us and simply said we would have to schedule a same-day, drop-in visit as if they were sick. Not only was this is horrific inconvenience, but was impossible to achieve in a way that was not disruptive to my child's school schedule or my work schedule. A different time, the office emailed and confirmed one of my child's medical appointments. Upon arrival, they called with an incredibly rude phone call accusing us of missing my other child's appointment which per our records, was not setup for the same day. These appointments were not set up on the same day by design of our schedule, and their confirmations only spoke to my son's appointments. The accusatory tone was unprofessional and uncalled-for, and they simply demanded the $50 no-show fee, even though none of their own confirmations or our own in-home schedule had the second appointment. They were unwilling to have a conversation, let alone 'reschedule' this missing appointment. The front desk 'manager' was condescending, rude and a horrible example of the exemplary care that takes place at the office. I'm at a loss as to how to continue, as my children deserve the best care and we all deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. I have a deep love for our pediatricians, but feel ALL PARENTS deserve better than unprofessional, condescending administrators who do not carry the same standards of excellence, compassion or kindness at the center of their own practice. read more

Six years in, 2 kids and many years to come on the horizon...we know this practice from birth. The Staff: I don't know what I'd do without nurse Judy's very practical advice, the doctors' willingness to get us a same-day or "before the weekend" appointments done and then really listening to us. Josie and the entire nursing staff KNOW my kids; from getting shots to exams to just being super friendly, all interactions with my family are professional, kind and loads of TLC. Dr Kaplan: From birth till now she is our kids' pediatrician: she rocks! I couldn't ask for more and she has always given us good advice, loads of encouragement and tons of kindness. My kids: What's your favorite part of NVP? L: "Dr Kaplan and the lollipops." O: "uhhh getting shots and lollipops." read more

Noe Valley Pediatrics - L and O: my life's work. - Pediatricians Near Me - San Francisco, California

I love Dr. Anne at Noe Valley Pediatrics! She always takes her time with our appointments, eases any concerns I may have, and makes sure to answer all the questions I come with. Nurse Judy is also an amazing resource. She answers all my email questions almost immediately and I find her blog very useful. The reason I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is because the office needs a serious upgrade. All the record keeping is on paper and the building and everything in it shows very clear signs of aging (toys broken, paint peeling etc.) read more

We had a great experience with Dr Hannah Tan. We were first time parents and she was friendly, practical, and loved seeing our baby. The whole practice feels like a time machine back into the days when doctors had family practices. We had to leave Noe Valley Peds after a move - sorry to go! Ben read more

We've had the most amazing experience at Noe Valley Pediatrics. We took our first daughter there as a newborn. We were scared first parents and Dr. Elizabeth guided and comforted us. We were so impressed by her tips & care. We have also really appreciated the ability to video conference during COVID and email/call a nurse who is constantly on call. Great service & a caring knowledgeable team! read more

I should share our experience since many expectant parents scramble to get into this popular practice. IT'S NOT WORTH IT. This review is not about the exclusivity of the practice or the office etiquette. This is about our actual experience with our baby's pediatrician. Our newborn daughter was having many seizures a day, which Dr. Schwanke did not diagnose. Our midwife recommended we seek a second opinion from GetzWell pediatrician Dr. Getzelman, who was very concerned and referred her to a specialist. Our baby was in the hospital for a week for tests and medication. While she was at the hospital, Dr. Schwanke surprisingly showed up at our room. He asked permission to listen in on the pediatric neurologist's discussion about our daughter's health, and we said yes because even though we no longer wanted our daughter to be his patient, we thought he should at least become educated on the subject of seizures. He acknowledged that he had been wrong, but he never apologized to us for his error. In addition to his dropping the ball as a doctor, we just received a bill for that "visit" where he gave us absolutely no medical advice and just sat in the room and tried to explain why he got it wrong. OBNOXIOUS. read more

0 stars if I could. First, front office reception SUCKS. Just answers the phone Hello - I had no idea if I even dialed the right number. After I confirmed that I called the right place, I told her that I am seeking a pediatrician and would like to schedule an interview with the doctor. Puts me on hold for 5 minutes. Gave me one day and one time that doesn't work. I ask if there's availability with another doctor in the practice. Puts me on hold for 5 minutes. Gave me another day and time. Great, I'll take it. I ask if there's anyone that I can speak with today that can give me a brief overview of the practice. Puts me on hold for ANOTHER 5 minutes. And then someone rude and self-proclaimed more "senior" at booking appointments, comes on the line and notes that there are NO appointments. Huh? I was just give two options and booked one. I ask, "You mean that I just took the appointment that was offered but if didn't ask to speak to anyone further today, and I simply showed up at the date and time you told me to, that I would be turned away because I supposedly now don't have an appointment?" The answer? "Yep". Apparently there are 2 docs and they each only do 1 pregnancy interview each per week. I called 1.5 months before my due date. The docs come highly recommended . OK, the docs could be great, but if the front office sucks so badly -- and apparently the docs don't care about that -- that doesn't say to me that the docs care much about the patient experience holistically (it IS a business after all) OR that its a practice that I can trust communicating with without creating misinformation when it REALLY counts. This isn't a bucolic country town with one stop sign, one post office, and one pediatrician. There are LOTS of recommendations for good pediatricians in San Francisco. I don't give my support, $, and referrals to restaurants and other services that treat me like sh*t, so why is a doctors office any different when choices abound? Healthcare practioners need to realize that WE pay THEM for SERVICE and will walk -- and tell our friends that we've walked -- when we don't get it. read more

Our daughter has been coming here for 10 months now. We go to Dr. Anne. Here's my assessment of this place. Appt availability - We needed to bring our daughter in for a few last minute checkups. The office was able to see us the next day. Pediatrician care - Dr. Anne is wonderful. She doesn't rush us, she's gives us great advice. Overall she's a caring and capable doctor. Parking - They have a lot for about 6 cars in the back. If it's full there's parking within a block of the office. Front desk - No horror stories to speak of. They're fine. But let me tell you who the real star of the show is..Nurse Judy. Holy hell I do not know what I would do without this woman. I have called urgent care after hours, spoke to multiple nurses about a situation with our daughter and been given bad advice. I talk to Nurse Judy the next day, explain the symptoms and BAM..she's identified the problem, has a detailed resolution and has a blog post addressing the issue on Noe Valley's website. Oh yes, did I mention she also writes blog posts and hold classes for new parents? I read a lot of articles (what new parent doesn't?) but the information I receive from Nurse Judy is gold. She is the main reason I love this office. She has 20 years of experience at Noe Valley and it shows. The support she's provided is priceless. She's absolutely amazing. read more

Called to try and register our newborn with them. Would have to say the front desk was not very helpful and wouldn't exactly make me want to go back there. I was told there were no available dates for the meet-and-greet this month and thought it was logical to ask about next month. I was informed that there was no date available yet, so asked if I could leave my contact details to get in touch when they had a date. The receptionist advised me that I was probably better off going somewhere else. I don't know if something got lost in translation, but all I wanted to do is be informed when the next meet-and-greet date was. The reception is the first port of call, so first impressions really count. read more

Extraordinarily rude front desk. Care starts on the phone, not after you have secured an appointment with one of the Doctors. My experience is very similar to the one of others who have also reviewed the place. 3 months waiting for a pre-birth appointment. When I asked if it was possible to see the Dr. after the birth when appointments would be available, the assistant made me wait for 5 minutes and then came back on the line to tell me the Dr. does not accept new patients and then hung-up (without any further word). I am assuming this meant no new patient without a pre-birth appointment but what a rude service. Anyhow, if you are trying to conceive right now, have your cell phone handy and book an appointment right after your cigarette. read more

The dr's response to my review is ridiculous!!! If he was in with us 30mins he must have a magic clock!!! Also there is no excuse to not check my daughter on the first visit! He did not want to LISTEN to anything other than the sound of his own voice! Had not read any of the medical records to me was a huge mistake and I should have been informed not to waste my time during that visit if he wasn't going to check my daughter or read he medical records! He also acknowledged knowing NOTHING about adopted children and this would be a 'learning' for him! Since my visit I have spoken to numerous other parents who have relayed how bad a doctor he is there, but many of the other doctors are much better! I'm certainly having a far better experience with our new doctor who has an interest in my child and her well being whilst this clown is only in it to see how much money he can make from 'fake' visits!!! read more

Tl;dr: I've been coming here for 5 years with my 3 kids and I'm so shocked by the lack of care from the front desk I'm willing to change doctors. Dr. Anne is a saint and a fantastic doctor. I also love the nurses (even though they can never get our names right... after 5 years...). That said, the front desk made me so upset today that I have to give the practice 2 stars. It's pretty much making me want to switch doctors. I called to say I would be 5 minutes late for my appointment (giving my name and my kid's) and the front desk said "no problem. See you soon." I stressed about being late and scrambled with my caregiver to make it work. Got in and the receptionist tells me my appointment is July 29. Not June 29. I would say "my bad" but it simply wasn't. She told me the wrong month when I booked. I double checked the dates and times. Plus, she could have told me it wasn't today when I called to say I was running late! So I'm standing there, sweating with a sick kid, and I get no apology. Adding insult to injury, I get no help assembling my car seat that happened to break on the way in. Just some blank stares. We spend so much money at this place to get 0 customer service from the front desk. That's unacceptable. read more

We've been extremely pleased with the practice as a whole and with our pediatrician, Jessica Kaplan, who figured out that our baby's supposedly drastic weight loss was due to CPMC's mis-converting from grams to pounds and ounces. Phone calls get answered by a human being (although I'm sometimes asked to hold briefly), and emails and calls to the on-duty nurses, Judy and Charity (who is also a lactation consultant) get answered promptly. I have been able to get same- or next-day appointments when needed. They are willing to give vaccines to adults (although they do not bill the adult's insurance). I can't think of anything more I could want from a pediatrician's office. They even have parking. (I guess there is one problem: There's no decent coffee in a two-block radius.) Note that the negative reviews are from people who were unable to get into the practice. I can understand that would be disappointing. We were lucky that Dr. Kaplan was increasing her hours when our daughter was born. I think that what a previous reviewer said about their only accepting newborns is not the case now, if it ever was. read more

Been coming here for 9 years with both my kids since they were newborns. All the doctors are great. Dr. Jessica Kaplan has been both my kids' doctor - she is fantastic! Seen Dr. Shwanke (he owns the clinic) a few times and he is great too. Can't beat the location on 24th street in Noe. Parking is generally available on the street. They take most insurance. They've been around for years. Highly recommend. read more

Our two year old daughter has been at NVP since birth. We see Dr. Schwanke. Our experience for the last two years has been excellent. Never did we once had a negative experience like some of the other reviewers expressed. --- the nurses are always polite, professional, and helpful --- Nurse Judy! she writes a blog and hosts classes on solids, safety, parenting. She is the STAR of this clinic. --- lactation GODDESS Charity! she was immensely helpful in the beginning months when I had doubts about my nursing skills. She also does home visits. I later recommended her to a friend (who does not go to NVP) for a home visit and she solved my friend's latching problem immediately! --- the clinic is very quick with emails. Whenever I have concern about a mild illness, I email them and they almost always respond within hours; sometimes even on weekends! For urgent situations (ex: fever in kid under a year), they almost always accommodate you for a same-day appointment. --- Dr. Schwanke is great! I can't comment on other doctors even though I've seen them a bit on urgent visits. He's very patient and will spend a lot of time answering your questions. He does run late like some others have said, you sometimes may have to expect to wait 15-20 min for regular visits, but then he will spend 40 min talking to you and not rush. Overall, I'm very happy with our experience. Also, now that we are already in the system, our second child (coming soon) will automatically be seeing the same pediatrician, and we do not have to go through the lottery again! read more

Our son has been seeing Dr Hurd for a year now, and we could not be more pleased! First of all, I have never had to wait more than five minutes for a wellness visit, which is amazing to me. They are courteous and kind both when we come for our visits, and when we call for advice. Our son has had quite a few unexpected illnesses in his first year (chronic UTIs , abscesses, and the like) and Dr Hurd has just been wonderful. I can not express how much we adore her and her bedside manner. We've also been impressed with the CPMC system as a whole, especially in comparison to UCSF. Thank you Dr Hurd and all of the wonderful nurses there! You made a very difficult year so much more manageable. read more

Both of my sons (3 years and 3 months) see Dr. Anne, and we have had nothing but positive experiences. Counter to a few of the other reviews here, I have been impressed at the ease of getting an appointment, given how busy the practice is. If my child is sick, I rarely have to wait more than a few hours from the time I call. I also never have to wait when I come in to see the doctor. I wish I could find a doctor this dependable for myself! I also like the fact that the office isn't in a gigantic office complex. It feels very much part of the neighborhood. And finally, the nurses give great advice and are prompt with callbacks--which is so important when I'm calling (pretty much weekly, it seems) for advice. read more

We've been taking my 17-month-old son here since birth. The doctors are all great (we have Dr. Kaplan and we've also seen Dr. Hurd) and like them both very much. The nurses are the gem of the practice. I've made several panicked phone calls to the nurses while on holiday - why do children always get sick on holiday?! You can always get someone knowledgeable and kind on the phone who will give you a plan of action. We also found Nurse Judy's baby bootcamp very useful as first-time parents - and she has an excellent blog. As a Brit I've struggled to navigate the American healthcare system, but this is one bit of it I've been very impressed with. read more

I must say that I've been in the doc's office more than I'd like this winter season. Despite that, I always know that my daughter will get good care at NVP. And, let me say that Nurse Judy goes above and beyond to respond to emails and calls and gives sound, reassuring advice. (And all the staff are really nice and helpful). We've been seeing Dr. Kaplan since my daughter was born. I'm very happy with her care and she actually makes appointments fun! Also, at the beginning of the year my daughter was hospitalized out of state. We needed an NVP doc to get in touch with the physicians at the hospital. Dr. Hurd was very proactive and made sure to find out about our daughter's medical status and what we needed to get before we were discharged. We very much appreciated that. Thank you Noe Valley Peds! This is my Valentine to you! read more

Dr. Anne is my 10-month old daughter's pediatrician, and we have also seen Dr. Schwanke. I can't say enough good things about these doctors and the nurses that work there. They are incredibly responsive and thorough (this judgement means a lot coming from a first-time nervous parent). Yes, this is a difficult practice to get into. We made an appointment for an interview about 5 months before my daughter was born. And I'm so glad we did. read more

We've seen Dr. Schwanke now 3 times, and each time, he is as personable and helpful as the last, from breastfeeding, to pumping, to sleep training. I am sorry that there are folks who cannot get into this practice due to the "interview" process. As one of the lucky ones, we were referred into NVP and went to interview a month before my due date. Nurse Judy was so helpful and we chose Dr. Schwanke based on the info she gave us. Since then, we have attended one of Nurse Judy's classes, and plan to take many more. She has classes for: new parents, illness, safety, and more! I cannot imagine a better resource for new parents with an admittedly average-to-low-maintenance newborn baby (no special needs). And so far, we've always been seen on time for appointments. 5 stars each for Nurse Judy, Dr. Schwanke, Nurse Judy's excellent classes, and her blog/newsletter. I love that my son's pediatrician / practice is a developmental resource as well for the parents. read more

Let's get one thing straight, I love this place, and you don't often hear that about a doctor's office. Dr. Schwanke was my pediatrician ever since I was born, and I sure did get a lot of mileage out of this office. I constantly had ear infections and asthma, and allergies and just about everything a kid could get. I kept coming here even when they started dropping hints that I was getting a little too old for a pediatrician. "ohhh, so you're turning 20 next month..." The Nurses are great, really really great. I don't know how many times my mom weaseled favors out of them to get us (my younger brother and I) flu vaccinations, or our physicals in on time. Mary Beth was my favorite, she had a daughter my age and would talk to my mother a lot. I think she was very comforted by the expertise of the doctors and nurses here and their attention to detail, she still calls to ask them questions occasionally because she doesn't like any of the new doctors I have gone to see. It really does make a difference when you have a good doctor patient relationship. Also, the nurses are really good about giving shots. I never feared them growing up, and you never heard screams of kids running away from them while sitting in the waiting room. I have on many occasions been seen by the other doctors in this practice, Dr. Anne I remember in particular was very good once when I had phnemonia, but Schwanke is by far my favorite, he was there when I was born and has been there with every sickness I had. read more

I have been very happy with the service at Noe Valley Pediatrics. I even travel from the coast, so that my son can continue seeing his Doc Schwanke. He takes extra time to explain things, he uses alternative health care and doesn't just push western medicine. Doc Schwanke has been my son's doc for almost 17 teen years now. In fact, he was both my son's siblings doc., they are now 25 & 27. read more

Dr Hurd is wonderful, they're nurses are very on top of it and always reply to emails promptly.

We had heard a lot of good things about Noe Valley Pediatrics and decided to take our newborn there to save from the cross-town drive to Laurel Heights we did with our first child. Unfortunately, our experience visiting Dr. Schwanke was pretty negative. He didn't wash his hands when he came in the room, opting instead for some purell, and his exam included sticking his finger in our baby's mouth (no gloves either). We were lectured about not having our records (the hospital didn't send them over), treated as if we didn't know anything (we do), and given random parenting advice about our older child. Dr Schwanke also thought it would be appropriate to cap it off with a vaccination horror story about a baby that died (and we're supporters of vaccinating). Finally, this practice is super old school and entirely paper based and the office hasn't been updated in decades. We don't need a concierge service, just a clean office with a professional and trustworthy doctor. Unfortunately, we didn't find it here. The one bright spot was Nurse Judy! She is great. read more

If I could give them zero stars I would. I called to set up an apt for my not yet even born child. The 2 separate receptionists said that if I didn't set up an apt BEFORE she was born, she could not come into the practice AND based on my month away plus due date there were no open pregnancy consultations. So if there are no open apts before your baby's due date, no noe valley pediatrician for you. Uhm...isn't SF pretty transient? What if I was moving here from somewhere else and our child was born already? I'd get the cold shoulder because I wasn't from here? Ridiculous. I think that interactions from anyone from a dr's office (be it a nurse/receptionist, etc.) is indicative of the service and care you'd get from the doctor him/herself so this experience alone tells me that neither Dr. Anne or Dr. Schwanke appears to be the kind of doctor I'd want for my child. read more

Dr. Kaplan - I did not call you to thank you for taking good care of my daughter. I called to let you know that your diagnosis was incorrect. I'm not sure how you could have mistaken my phone call for thanking you! That couldn't be further from the truth. All that you wanted to talk about was how upset my daughter was. Yes, she was. The bone between her sinus and her eye had actually broken, causing the sinus infection to go into her eye. I'm sure that was incredibly painful for her, and I'm sure you don't know how painful that was as I'm betting that you've never experienced it. You were very dismissive of me when I called you, and seemed to think that because my daughter was upset, that she didn't have the right to good medical care. That is very, very disturbing to me. Every child is important. Every child deserves good care. Again, I didn't call you to thank you. I called to let you know that your diagnosis was dead wrong. You diagnosed her with bleeding of the eye. Totally incorrect. She had sinusitis that turned into orbital cellulitis. There was no bleeding of the eye, at any time for her. I wish you the best, but please, please, please pay attention to your patients next time - especially the ones who are suffering and need your help. -ED read more

is it wrong to be OBSESSED with your kid's pediatrician? because, it's happened to me! Dr. Kaplan is awesome. for two new parents (just writing that word feels weird) who don't know what we are doing, Dr. Kaplan has been the perfect balance of cheer leader and voice of reason. from the moment we met i knew i liked her because of her crazy curly hair and her laid back attitude - but on top of all of this - the woman is a great doctor. my baby girl had an inflamed belly button (yep...that happens) and Dr. Kaplan was quick to suggest that we get it looked by a pediatric surgeon. while the word surgeon would make any new mom want to throw up, Dr. Kaplan assured us that everything would be absolutely fine either way and that she was just taking extra precaution. not only is the belly button fine but we all feel better after having it checked - and i felt so confident in Dr. Kaplan that I didn't even worry about it while we waited the three weeks before we could get an appointment with the surgeon :). We've had no problem with the front desk whatsoever. In the first few weeks of being a mom I called a number of times the the receptionist always listened and promised the nurse would call back. And Nurse Charity called back right away - most of time within 15 minutes of me leaving a message. One star off because they don't really do the email thing - not so sure why. It's personal preference and like i said, you get a call back right away. but sometimes email is just easier, esp when you think of a question in the middle of the night. read more

Takeaways: * Have to apply in a lottery and be accepted * Their pediatricians do not visit newborns in the hospital * Pediatricians are not afraid to publicly shame you in their waiting room * Paper based records * Outdated office * Rush you from one room to the next Our experience with Noe Valley Pediatrics was less than stellar. The first step was to attend an orientation where we were told that we have been "selected" out of dozens of lottery applicants. During the orientation it was explained to us that they do not send their pediatricians to visit patients in the hospital and that they outsource this process to a different practice. In the hospital we never had the same pediatrician visit our son from the outsourced practice. They never caught-on that his weight was dramatically dropping from 6%, 9%, and finally 13% of his original birth weight. Or if they did recognize this condition, they never told us to do anything about it. We were instructed to set-up an appointment with our primary pediatrician for an assessment the day after we were discharged, which we did. My wife had a cesarean and has been struggling with the recovery. We were both sleep deprived as all new parents are and I wasn't keeping track of my wife's breastfeeding schedule. The last I time I could recall our son was breastfed was at 7:20 A.M., the morning of our appointment. Our appointment was at 10:30 A.M. and at the last minute, my wife couldn't get the energy to make the drive to the doctor's office. She has had a hard recovery from major surgery. I reassured her it would be okay and I can go and take notes for both of us and that she should rest and recover. When I got to the office, I was rushed into a cramped room off the side of the waiting room and was told to take my son's clothes off and place him on the scale. There was not enough room for me to put down the car seat and the diaper bag. When she was finished, she she told me that she was going to move us to the examination room and grabbed the car seat. I was told to put on a diaper and follow her back. I grabbed one diaper and some butt paste and put on the diaper; the nurse took the diaper bag and rushed me into the next room. I have changed maybe 15 diapers in my entire life and I am a little slow at the process. The nurse made me feel rushed and I scrambled to slap on a diaper with my son yelling his head off. I met with Dr. Hurd, who was really spectacular. She was alarmed at our son's weight loss and gave me instructions on supplementing our efforts of breastfeeding with formula. Admittedly, she was surprised their outsourced pediatrician did not suggest we start supplementing our son with formula when he was at a 9% weight loss. She assured me that in a few days that his weight would would not be a problem and he would get back to his birth weight. After the appointment, I put my son in his car seat. Having remembered I was chased out of the weighing room, I wanted to make sure I wasn't in the way of any nurses, patients, or staff trying to shuffle patients in the small office. Once in the car seat, my son was crying and I wasn't sure if it was because he was cranky, or I had him in the seat too tightly. It was only the second time I had used the seat and the first time I used the seat was at the hospital and the discharging nurse gave me a hand. In the waiting room I was told I needed to fill out more paper work and my son was having a nuclear meltdown. I filled-out the same form that my wife and I filled out at orientation all while my son screamed. Then Dr. Kaplan comes from the back office and introduces herself to me told me and that she was going to hold my son while I filled out the paper work. I didn't like her tone, it was a little accusatory, and my intuition was baked-up when she asked aggressively: "Where is his mother?" I was taken back, I couldn't believe this was happening in front of other patients at a doctor's office. As she paraded my son to all the nurses, receptionists, and other patients in the waiting room, she then looked at my son and said, don't worry, "Your father will figure it out." Then she told me, she was going to take him in the back. I was in complete shock and anger. I assume she read my son's medical record and asked me when was the last time my son ate. I didn't know because my wife was handling the breastfeeding and I was asleep when she last fed him. I only knew that the last time he ate while I was awake was at 7:20 A.M. that morning. For the record, he ate right before we left for the appointment at 9:15 A.M.; I was in the shower. I told her that I could call my wife and ask, but instead she told me that he needs to eat NOW and wanted to give him formula. I told her we live a few blocks away and I would like my son to drink breast milk, but instead, she gave him formula right there in the waiting room and insinuated in front of other patients that I was starving my son. read more

NVP Rocks. My husband and I have two busy full-time careers, and three boys. All three came into the world with initial NVP ped visits at CPMC, all had fairly minor jaundice but were taken extremely seriously with lots of follow up. The level of care has been unwavering since then with all of them. As you can imagine, we've had our share of illnesses, bumps, etc over the years - and have had the very personal and attentive service with follow up that many here have mentioned. Just can't say enough good things. It is a bit bizzare that they use a paper calendar system to book appointments, so I'm not surprised by the comments here about being put on hold in order to make/check on appointments. But worth the few minutes of having them flip through pages to find something for you. read more

Yesterday I took my now 2.5 year old son in for a checkup and boy did he let me have it. Never once has he protested. Yesterday, it was an all out arched back, flailing hands and tearful meltdown. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed with trying to soothe him and not die of embarrassment. The Noe Valley staff could not have been more supportive. Two nurses accompanied me for his weight and height check offering toys, and Dr. Kaplan even popped her head in to extend a lollipop to my hysterical toddler. Fast forward into the patient room - Dr. Kaplan's entrance and demeanor from start to finish was what me and the kiddo needed. She was able to gain his trust immediately, which led to him allowing her to check his ears, heart beat, etc. Dr. Kaplan was even able to sing Super Why's Pig version of ABC's.. OMG, the world stopped. Unsure what the tantrum was about, but by the time we left he was asking to come back. Kudos and many, many thanks to the exceptional staff at Noe Valley Pediatrics and the wonderful Dr. Kaplan. read more

We've been seeing Dr. Kaplan at Noe Valley Pediatrics for 6 months and here is my assessment. Medical care - I can't say enough good things about Dr. Kaplan. With each check up, she takes her time examining our daughter. She asks a lot of questions about our daughter, about how we were adjusting as a family, and always takes a general interest in our well-being. She was extremely patient with my first-time mom questions, answering them each thoroughly and at one point even putting the answers into my cell phone for me while my hands were full dressing my daughter after her exam. She has a science-based approach, which was very important to us. I saw Dr. Anne and Dr. Hurd in the hospital after our daughter was born, and my husband and I were impressed with them as well. Appt. availability - They were able to accommodate my daughter same day when she got her first cold. They schedule check ups well in advance. Responsiveness - Anytime I have left a message, I get a call back within an hour or two. Medical and support staff - The team there is amazing. I echo the praise of Nurse Judy and her blog, and the staff in general for the responsiveness and efficiency. I have taken Nurse Judy's solids class, which was excellent, and my husband is registered for her safety class. read more

The practice is excellent. We love Dr Kaplan and nurse Judy. They have been incredible helpful while also incredible nice. I have always thought doctors in the US were too business like, well, not here. They know us by name. They have always followed up on any issues, they have always answered all calls and any concerns (including providing plenty of advice while we called them from overseas). Also, I found incredible that I have never waited more than 5 mins in the waiting room. All the staff is so kind and gracious with the little ones. read more

I never made it past the receptionist so I can't actually review the entire practice, but I wasn't impressed with the "front line" of the practice. I called to ask some screening questions. The receptionist informed me that they are not accepting new patients. I asked for a referral and was given the phone number of a doctor who just retired and is no longer practicing medicine. If you're going to give out a referral, you should at least have a good enough relationship with the doctor to know whether or not they are still practicing medicine. Sorry... no kudos for you. read more

Should have written this review long ago. First red flag ; dr ann called my son by his last name not first ( apparently she couldn't read the file correctly?) after repeatedly putting off my concerns regarding a severe rash - even though I explained that in order to be seen earlier at UCSF the practice needed to call and request an appt for my son - they said they were too busy ( to pick up the phone?!) finally I called and said it was encroaching his eye area and that if he lost his vision they would be responsible. When I switched to dr swanke after that ordeal he criticized me for breast feeding my 8 month old daughter- he said she should be on solid food! Crazy. read more