I actually come here often because I have such a weak immune system. The parking garage is…read moreridiculous to go in and out because it's very tight on the turns to go up to the next level and you have to use mirrors to see if there's oncoming traffic. When you go in the room is pretty big and there's signs to direct you to which counter to go to for your scheduled person. The receptionists are nice and after you checked in and paid your co-pay or whatever, you sit and wait for your name to be called by the nurse that checks your weight, vitals, and writes down information prepping for the NP, PA, or Dr to see further what is going on. My primary doctor I was assigned to is Dr. Kesling, and I've only met him once because he is always really busy but he is such a sweet and nice old man. I've always seen nurse practitioner Paula Leibham or the physicians assistant Amy Wray. I always go to those two because they actually listen to me about my problems, how I'm feeling that day or how long my symptoms are going for. After that they sometimes ask about background history of the family if it's for serious symptoms they're looking for and since I often see them they remember my past illnesses or problems and check up to see how I am doing. After listening they give their recommendations and write prescriptions for what I have and to go fill it. Sometimes they have assistants that even call in to the pharmacy you go to, to have the prescriptions filled for you if you are unable to go. I like the fact that they call you sometimes to check on you if you have an ongoing problem. They make me feel better whenever I go to the doctors and I am a person that HATES to go. Remember to validate your parking before you leave! The only sucky thing about this place is that you have to call in and make an appointment and there is no walk-ins, but for serious problems you can go downstairs into the ER at the Sharp Hospital. But maaaaybe if you're lucky and somebody cancelled, then you can go in the same day? but fat chance that happening. So there's one of the NP's that I think does not work there anymore but if that person was, I'll edit my review... they were very unpleasant and did not listen to me about how I was feeling and my symptoms that I had and kept attacking me with "are you sure?" "i don't believe you." "oh really." yada yada. man did she ever make me so scared to even come and get cured for anything even a cold, maybe because she was having a horrible day? who knows. I later scheduled for a different person and it was Amy and it turns out to be something serious rather than something to not be looked at. Just go to Amy or Paula, soooo nice and smiley and looks like they actually love their job and helping you. I wanna give this place 4.5 stars for this place, only because of the parking, but if that one scary person still works there... definitely a 4.

Wes from security is always one of my favorite morning people! He treats everyone one with so much…read morerespect, from young to old. Thank you Wes you are an inspiration

I'm a retired nurse and Dr Saifi has been my primary care doctor since he joined the Santee…read morepractice. I'm 80 years old and have multiple health conditions that require careful monitoring. At every visit he goes over my chart throughly and address each and every issue. He uses up to date, evidence based practice to direct his care. He takes the time to answer questions and explain his advice. I am very happy with the care I have received and the caring he has consistently shown to me. I Highly recommend him.

Dr. Saife is the the rudest doctor I have ever seen. I have heard him many times be rude to other…read morewomen and kind to men. On my last visit he actually told me there was" nothing wrong with me" This is after I have been having a GI problem for the last 5 years that is getting worst. I also saw a bad GI..Dr,Reddy. Both of these should of helped me. I think Saife just likes men...Women stay away. Reddy is to busy.

I've never met a doctor in my life that took as much time and care with us as Dr Hanten did…read more Our first visit was today, and we were floored. The office was so cosy and staff combined made the environment the most kid and family friendly place we've ever been to. Everyone seemed to be like family and are children were treated as such! Our son was allowed to wander the halls and one of the nurses helped him find a book to read instead of watching a show on our phone. Dr. Hanten is big on kids being kids and doesn't treat them like mini adults that need to keep quite. We had our son on our phone so she could treat our daughter, but she said that he didn't need to be on that thing, and that if kids aren't making noise and poking around, they aren't being kids! She must have taken over an hour giving us advise and parenting tips that would help us in the long run. I've never had that much support from a Dr! I felt like I've gained a friend, a family of doctors I can take my kids to throughout childhood, and a parent coach as well! We'll be seeing her again! We have to drive an hour to get to the clinic, but its totally worth it.

I began taking my son to see Dr. Hanten at three months old after being terribly disappointed by…read morehis first pediatrician. I can not say how releived we were to find such a wonderful doctor. On our first visit, she personally spent over an hour with us basically addressing all the concerns our son's previous pediatrician had ignored. She spent more time with us on this initial visit than his previous pediatrician had spent in at least eight visits combined. Dr. Hanten always take the time to listen and address all your questions in addition to giving you additional advice including behavior management, which is helpful for first time parents. We live in La Mesa, and drive to Alpine to see her. If you are looking for an excellent pediatrician, she's definately worth the drive.

Dr.J as I knew him was one outstanding doctor. I have Behcet's (and Neuro-Behcet's), sero-negative…read moreLupus, and what turned out to be all forms of dystonia, TOS, neuropathy everywhere. After using oral prednisone in high doses without success he went to trigger injections and started me on hydroxychloroquine which treats both rheumatological conditions. That was in 1995 before it was a drug in wide use in rheumatology. He was kind, considerate and got me to Dr. Stuart, an awesome pain management specialist. Best of all, he did not treat me like a disease first and a person second. I have had doctors treat me like that and it is dehumanizing.

I was a patient seen by Dr. Malinak from approximately 2011-2015 (I'm sort of guessing). At that…read moretime I received wonderful care and he also managed my pain reasonably and without any prescribing issues. I was also always well-advised when it came to using steroid injections for management of my RA . He followed protocol and they were performed perfectly. His super star moment was when he correctly diagnosed me with primary lower extremity lymphedema which words cannot express how wonderful it was to actually know why my legs were so swollen. I had to leave Dr. Malinak due to my insurance changing but I did so on a very happy note as one might say. So here we are in 2023 and my insurance has once again changed and I was able to select Dr. Malinak as my doctor again! I also live much closer to his office which is a plus after driving to La Jolla on numerous occasions from La Mesa. I cannot see him until after the new year but I hope that all of these changes mentioned really are not true because I never encountered any rudeness from front desk staff, etc. I'll update in 2024 after my first/returning visit.

I have been seeing Dr Spiering for probably 10 years or so. He is friendly, easy going and great at…read morelistening. My husband now sees him as well and we feel the new staff has improved .

I would strongly discourage anyone from choosing Dr. Robin Spearing based on my mother's experience…read moreunder his care. Her experience was one of the most frustrating and disappointing interactions with a physician that our family has ever encountered. Dr. Spearing's bedside manner was consistently poor. He often seemed dismissive of concerns, unwilling to listen, and lacking in basic follow-through. One of the most unbelievable and recurring issues was his habit of leaving the exam room, saying he would return, and then never coming back. This happened so frequently that my mother eventually addressed it directly during an appointment. As he was preparing to leave the room, she told him that he had a habit of saying he would come back and then never returning. His response was, "I promise, promise I'll be right back." He then walked out and never came back. My mother was absolutely stunned. To have that happen immediately after it was brought to his attention was both shocking and incredibly unprofessional. Another incident that raised serious concerns involved blood work. My mother specifically asked about her blood sugar results and was told everything was fine. She later discovered that her blood sugar had not even been tested. Learning that he had provided reassurance about something that apparently had not been checked completely eroded our confidence in the care being provided. There also seemed to be constant turnover among the nursing staff. Nearly every appointment involved a different nurse, making it difficult to establish any consistency or continuity of care. Patients deserve a physician who listens, communicates clearly, follows through on commitments, and treats people with respect. Unfortunately, that was not my mother's experience. She frequently left appointments feeling dismissed, frustrated, and unheard. Based on what our family experienced, I would not recommend Dr. Spearing to anyone seeking attentive, patient-centered medical care.

My husband and I have been patients of Dr. Politoske for years and we would never go elsewhere…read more When my husband had some scary news about his health a while back, we turned to Dr. Politoske, on referral from a good friend. I'm so glad we did. We were relieved to find out that we weren't facing cancer as a previous physician had indicated. He received tests and the good news and we couldn't have been any more pleased with Dr. Politoske. We have both had procedures with Dr. Politoske that went extremely well. When my husband needed surgery later on, he walked us through the process that was very scary for us both. Trust Dr. Politoske. He's one of the top rated gastroenterologists in the country.

STAY AWAY!…read more This was the worst experience I've had in my life! I was referred to San Diego Digestive Disease by my primary care doctor. I arrived in time and paid my co-pay. I was sent a bill later claiming that my Co- pay had been raised and i owed another $10. Let me say that my initial visit went well and i would be happy to make my bill right even though this was not my error. Now comes the time to get my results. I call the day before and I'm told that i must schedule another appointment too get any results. I figured it must be bad news if they couldn't just give me the results of my CT over the phone. I complied and returned only to be told that there is nothing wrong in less than 10 minutes. Again they are the professionals so i just go on about my day. A month later i get a bill for the follow up appointment. I immediately call to get clarification and reach an extremely rude billing representative named "ovi" and he tells me that i have to pay or I'm going to collections. When i attempt to get clarification he cuts me off and keeps repeating that I'm going to collections. I asked to speak to a supervisor and he said NO before hanging up. I called back and got another representative. I immediately asked for the supervisor in order to avoid an argument. The lady puts me on hold and comes back with ovi. At this point ovi raises his Voice once again before hanging up. I repeatedly called back in attempt to speak to the manager only to be given excuse after excuse. Forward 1 business day and i receive a letter explaining that the doctor will not see me any longer. Obviously this is ok since i would never put my life in these people's hands. However, i have never been treated like this especially after surviving one of the scariest life saving surgeries of my life. Do yourself a favor and avoid Dr. Politoske like your life depends on it, because it does!

Very efficient and courteous service, I was having issues with insurance information and they were…read morevery patient and helpful. The wait time was null and the PA was knowledgeable and friendly.

We drove my daughter to this location because she needed to see a dermatologist right away. The…read moredoctor we saw said he could not help my daughter and she needed to see a specialist in Carmel Valley. It has been three days since our appointment and I have called three times asking for the referral, I even spoke to a supervisor and have never gotten a call back. My daughter is fifteen years old, is in pain, and cannot use her right foot. This office should be ashamed of themselves, my poor daughter! Do not go to this office ever for medical care you will not receive the help you need.

"I saw Lauren Schwettmann, PA-C today for a check-up and was thoroughly impressed. She took the…read moretime to listen to all my concerns without making me feel rushed and explained my treatment plan clearly. Very knowledgeable, caring, and professional. I felt confident in their care and will definitely be returning!" It hasn't been 24 hours and I already have my referral set up! Great care!

Great primary care physician…read more When my previous physician left her practice, I was extremely disappointed. Not anymore. After finding Dr. Steele, I know I can be comfortable with her caring, kind, expert care. She is very thorough and asks all important health questions. She is, by far, the best physician I've had in my 80-plus years. (It's also great that there is no parking garage involved. There is free on-site parking without a long walk and parking validation).