My experience with Dr. Kagan was just awful. She was dismissive and entirely uninterested in figuring out the cause of my symptoms. I requested to see her instead of my usual gyno because on the Blue Cross directory she's listed as a reproductive endocrinologist, and I was trying to figure out if I have PCOS. The very first question she asked me was, "So why was it so important that you get an appointment with me?" When I explain, she says she's not an endocrinologist and is wholly unconcerned about her online misrepresentation, or the inconvenience it's caused me. She spent most of the visit explaining that "some women just have [insert myriad symptoms here]" and trying to convince me not to pursue diagnosis. While I respect this may be the case, and it's entirely possible I just coincidentally have a variety of symptoms that aren't actually caused by PCOS, her brusque condescension left me on the verge of tears. I can't understand why she was so convinced that my symptoms were meaningless. read more

Dr. Kagan is great! Very professional, but really friendly and likeable. I can't say I *enjoyed* the visit, but I really liked her and feel like I'm in good hands (so to speak). She's a little dismissive at times, so be persistent if you have questions. I've heard really good things about the other doctors in her office, too. read more

Saw her serveral times. I've been made to wait as much as 1-1/2 hours and never less than 45 minutes. When I've asked what the problem was I have been told she is very busy. Another Dr. God. read more

Dr Kagan is smart, caring, and follows through.She is the best doctor I have ever had. She is involved in research for women's health issues. But I don't think she is taking new patients. read more

Dr. Kagan has been by GYN for about 10 years now. She is AMAZING! I have read the negative review and I am appalled and shocked! First of all, waiting a while for a Dr is rarely the Dr's fault. If you are waiting for Dr. Kagan, it is because she is giving someone the kind of time and attention that she always give you! I recently needed a test and she made sure I got in right away! I didn't even have to worry for more than 2 days because she personally made sure it got done! Not only is she super nice, and funny, but she is one of the most sought after GYN in the area. I feel so lucky to have her as my Dr.! read more

I saw Dr Kagan a bit ago as my wonderful Dr Girard had passed on. I told her I had some pain on my left side as I had many years before & then it was a growth on my right ovary. I told her what the treatment was at that time. She laughed & said that was impossible & there was no such treatment. I felt belittled & small. Is this what a doctor should do... laugh at a patient? She examined me & pushed down on my belly & said she could not find a cyst b/c I was overweight. She made an ugly expression on her face. I was appalled & insulted. What happed to ..."Do no harm? She told me not to come back as she was full & gave me referrals to Pinole doctors. I don't live anywhere near Pinole. She knew where I lived. Obviously, I did not care to return, anyway. I told friends & family about my experience, with Dr Kagan. read more

I am a VERY long time patient of Dr. Kagan's and you cannot get much better. As far as the "dismissiveness" mentioned, I can tell you from real knowledge of the behind the scenes as well as my many years as a patient of hers - you can blame your insurance company and the hell they put her through (as well as your other equivalent quality MDs) for the stress she has to endure in order to even attempt to render some sort of half-way decent care of her patients. One day she had a patient scheduled for absolutely vital surgery needed immediately. It was Friday and the patient was scheduled for surgery Monday at 7am. The insurance company called her at 4.30pm on Friday to inform her they had changed their minds about their approval of the surgery. If you don't think she was visibly upset and angry as all hell, think again; and she came into othe exam room and was noticeably off kilter/dismissive/brusque but she told me what had just gone down and she herself told me that if I wanted to help in preventing this kind of crap in the future, I needed to get on the phone/email/et al to legislators and get even a little bit active in addressing the healthcare problems in California so... If you are upset by any degree of dismissiveness or lack of courtesy or brusqueness, take your upset out in a useful way by going immediately to OneCareNow.org and getting involved in passing SB840, California's universal healthcare bill, and signing the petition to get rid of the insurance companies who consistently hamstring excellent MDs such as Kagan and lend your support towards the movement in CA to pass the single payor healthcare bill. Get the real info on this before you yourself dismiss the whole idea based on the misinformation that you will pay more or more in taxes. That is simply fear-based information which is absolutely incorrect. Otherwise, as someone who has worked in the healthcare and medical AND insurance field for years, I can confidently tell you that you just aren't going to be able to get any better in this field than Dr. Kagan. read more

I was very disappointed in Dr Kagan . I had been a long time patient in the practice (having had two children delivered by Dr Kanwit). Because Dr Kanwit is better at OB, when I began to enter menopause, I switched to Dr Kagan because that is her specialty. She was dismissive and ineffective. Between an urogyne and my endocrinologist, I am on a regime which leaves me symptom free. read more

I was referred to Risa Kagan by another doctor. I only saw her once because it was such a bad experience. I was seeking help for a personal and very painful matter. Risa Kagan was absolutely dismissive and actually laughed at one point, accusing me of looking for a "magic bullet" to solve my medical isssue. I patiently explained to her that was not the case; I had already radically altered my diet and would be willing to undergo other changes / treatment if it would help. I left her office perplexed as to why she is considered a specialist in her area of medicine; she had no information for me and her manner was awful. read more

I have been seeing Risa Kagan for over 32 years and she is one of the best. I trust her about my health and has impeccable judgement. She is an excellent doctor, caring, thorough, and competent. I trust her recommendations and referrals and will always follow her advise. She always responsive and calls her patient promptly when there is an issue. She is amazing and I feel fortunate to have such a professional and caring physician. read more

My wife has gone to this wonderful doctor for 31 years. Dr Kagan is knowledgeable and kind. We were very lucky to find such an excellent doctor. read more

I have been seeing Dr Kagan for 8+ years and she is fabulous. She is professional, patient, caring and someone that I trust. I never feel rushed during my appointments and she has provided me with outstanding care over the years. I feel blessed to have such an amazing doctor!!! read more

I am not usually one to write reviews, but Dr. Kagan was probably one of the best doctors I've ever seen - so I thought it would be the right thing to do to let others out there know that if you're looking for an OB/GYN, you'll be well taken care of by her. I am a recent transplant to CA from the east coast, and not knowing anyone to give me a personal referral (which is what I'd prefer), I really went out on a limb - and tried to do my homework before selecting a doctor. Not only was she thorough in explaining things to me in laymans terms...she was caring and kind. Even though I know she had other patients to see that day, she never once made me feel like she was rushing through the appointment (as some doctors have in the past). I know everyone is different, but based on my experience, I think she is a fine doctor with the added quality of being a good person who really taps into the genuine care and concern side of medicine, as well. read more

I was very impressed by my visit with Risa Kagan MD FACOG. I have ongoing gynecological problems caused by my own mismanagement, erroneous advice from previous OBGYNs and Sjogren's, an autoimmune disease predominantly affecting women, millions in America each year. Risa Kagan, MD was very professional, more than patient, friendly, direct and knowledgeable. I was very worried about starting over with a new OBGYN and was relieved to find a doctor that I was comfortable with as well as someone providing clear explanations and individual care. I was stressed and wary when I went in, relieved and more knowledgeable afterwards. I felt like I had someone on my side to help me figure out physical problems that had plagued me for years. read more

Dr Kagan is the creme of the crop. She has been my doctor for 20 years. She is so competent, caring, and goes above and beyond the standard GYN concerns. She has been a major source of support through a number of challenges affecting my emotional, psycho-social, and GYN health. I wish all doctors were like her! One simply could not find better. I dread the day she retires! read more

I'm not a great patient -sensitive, nervous, wary, educated just enough to be unintimidated ...but I've found a really great doctor, and that is Dr. Risa Kagan. I value her truly impressive breadth and depth of knowledge, which she keeps very current, and her thorough, careful and insightful treatment of whatever is going on. She is pleasantly swift in a smooth, calm, and very gentle way. She is 100% present with her patient, sensitive, focused, clear, kind and funny. And sparkling with intelligence. I've been her patient for a while; she and her office have invariably followed up on every detail, kept everything straight, and were very responsive. This is what I hope for when I go to a doctor - someone who really, really knows what they are doing, answers questions clearly and knowledgably, and whose handling of the experience is effective, informed, pleasant, kind, professional and as painless as possible. I have found none better. She has earned my complete trust, not easily given, and respect. I feel very fortunate to be her patient - safe and cared-for. read more

Risa Kagan is a doctor anyone would be lucky to have. She always has your best interests at heart even if you, the patient, might not. The patient might assume that skipping routine exams or following recommendations is discretionary. Dr. Kagan will not allow this to happen and makes sure that you, the patient, will get a high score on her next quiz. She will refer out of her specialty and then follow up. She is so conscientious that you feel like you are a family member. Yes, she is no nonsense, but she always has a twinkle in her eye. Patient care of this caliber is hard to find these days - it really is the gold standard. read more

I was a patient of Dr Kagan for about 8 years. She makes a good first impression, but it went downhill after that. I left her practice frustrated and annoyed. I found Dr. Kagan to be increasingly rude and impatient (often with her staff, too). Her endometrial biopsy technique was the most painful of the many I have had done by 2 other doctors. She was very pushy about wanting to put me on estrogen replacement at menopause and dismissed most of the cautions about using it. I found her to be very pro-drug. For me, the final straw was when I overheard her being very condescending about another patient's concerns about how Premarin is derived from pregnant horses--a horrible, inhumane practice. Even though her medical practice is just "gynecology," I became weary of all of the "baby" and "fertility" material in the general office environment. I found that insensitive to someone like me who had fertility problems and was now going through menopause--something she says she specializes in. It did not make me feel welcome in that office. read more

To sum it up in a few words, Dr. Kagan is the best! I've been her patient for more than 20 years and she has demonstrated that she's an excellent gynecologist, plus she's interested in the whole person. I'm a very critical person, but Dr. Kagan gets no criticisms from me!! read more

I had the privilege of being referred by two great doctors to Risa Kagen, MD. They both wanted to get her opinion on the next steps in my care, and both independently believe she is an outstanding gynecologist...and thankfully they were right! In a word, Dr. Kagen is wonderful...professional and brilliant, as well as warm and genuine. She listened and observed, not jumping to conclusions, but gathered all she needed to make the right decision. She set my mind at ease, I felt so confident in her judgment and her advise is impeccable. She is thorough, deeply knowledgable, impeccably professional, yet has the most down to earth, " I really care about you" attitude. It doesn't get any better! Anyone who has the privilege of being one of Dr. Kagen's patients is truly fortunate and I highly recommend her! This is accidentally posted on my husband Tom W. Yelp, it should have been on mine, Carolyn W...can't figure out how to change it. read more

Dr. Risa Kagan is the best of the best - an excellent gynecologist and a wonderful human being. Dr. Kagan is extremely knowledgeable with impeccable judgment and great analytical skills. Dr. Kagan effectively gathers relevant facts by carefully listening and completely focusing on me. Dr. Kagan's recommendations are insightful and have affected the quality of my life in a meaningful way. In addition to providing superb medical care, Dr. Kagan is a down-to-earth, warm, and genuine human being who inspires trust and confidence that I am in the very best hands. I sincerely hope that Dr. Kagan will practice medicine for many years to come. I want to ensure that Dr. Kagan knows how wonderful it is for a patient to be in the care of such a competent physician who is genuinely interested in providing the best care. You are much appreciated. Thank you very much! read more

One of the finest doctors I have ever had- conscience, smart and caring with a very wholistic approach to health care. They simply don't come any better than this. read more

I have been a patient for a very long time. Dr Kagan is reserved yet warm. She is super busy and the practice is large and demanding so its not like being in a small office where they have time to give. So she feels rushed. But she is very good and matter of fact. If you need more time be sure to tell them you need a consultation for a longer visit. The charge is different but the time is worth it if its complicated. I trust her which is the main thing. Im not looking for a best friend but I do know she cares about me which is good. So if you want someone that emotes......maybe not. If you want good care that is short on time (typical of modern medicine) this is a good choice. If you need more time ask her how you arrange that. read more

Dr. Kagan is a superb gynecologist. I have had the good fortune to have been treated by her for almost two decades. I am not exaggerating when I say that Dr. Kagan has had a huge positive impact in the quality of my life and my physical well-being. She has helped me tremendously through the complications of a "woman's life stages" with her deep medical knowledge, her vast clinical experience, her interest in me as a patient, and her humanity. Dr. Kagan is very involved in clinical research which contributes to her being a leader in her field and a very knowledgeable physician. As well, she is an excellent public speaker and makes the effort, on top of her very busy clinical schedule, to present greatly informative seminars. She truly is "As good as it gets!" read more

Dr Kagan has been my OBGYN since I was 15 (I'm now 31). She is hands down the best of the best. She is not only professional and has amazing knowledge, but she's extremely personable too. I always feel comfortable around her (or as comfortable as you can be at these kind of appointments). Yes, there can be a bit of a wait on occasion, but when is there not at a doctor's office? It's the norm! 5+ stars for Dr. Kagan! read more

I was moved to write this review because when I wrote a yelp review of another East Bay medical service recently (which was my first medical review), the facility got back to me and thanked me. So I know that these yelp reviews do matter. Therefore, on this President's Day weekend, with time to do so and with a recent experience of yet another of Dr Kagan's above-and-beyond health provider services, I again sought out Yelp. I noticed, to my shock, that besides all the expected five-star reviews of Dr Kagan below, there are two reviewers who give her only one star. I cannot believe that anyone - ever- would give Dr Kagan a review that was less than phenomenal. Far be it from me to question the mental health of any yelp reviewer - so I will simply say that these two reviewers must have been suffering other issues. Because the issue could, in my view, NEVER be Dr Kagan's standard of performance. I am being so strident here because I feel so strongly - having moved from Australia some years ago, it was very important for me to find a good doctor, since the system here is so different and confusing compared to Australia's single-payer system. I chose Blue Shield because of Dr Kagan's reputation, and was lucky enough to get in before her books closed. And I have been satisfied on every possible level. Dr Kagan's diagnoses are spot-on; she is very willing to listen; she gets back to me immediately; and she does not allow the labyrinthine system in which she works to get in the way of her top-quality care (even though this sometimes makes her at most 10 minutes late - she is, I presume, at the mercy of her schedulers). Super-smart and super-down to earth. Brava, Dr Kagan. On behalf of all east bay women, I thank you and hope that you continue to thrive and to make us thrive! read more