Cheney Tamara, MD

Dr. Cheney know me better than I know myself. She always takes enough time to let me explain what’s going on with me. I don’t feel rushed as I
have with other doctors. I would recommend her to anyone.

I was Dr Cheney’s patient for over 5 years. During that time I liked her a lot mostly because she had a good bedside manner and it seemed she took the time to communicate issues to me as a patient. All that was fine until I had a serious medical issue and then I discovered what a terrible doctor she really was.
I had been experiencing some discomfort in my neck and shoulders for awhile but one morning I woke up in agony, and I do mean unbelievable agony. The situation only got worse and I was in a living hell of pain and unable to sleep at night. I went to Dr Cheney repeatedly and she continually misdiagnosed my problem and she kept heaping loads of narcotics on me. Eventually she seemed to think it was carpal tunnel but overall she appeared to be genuinely baffled at my situation and started to imply that maybe it was a «mental» issue (as in my imagination) and suggested more drugs (this time Valium to calm my crazy mind). After repeatedly insisting on it she finally relented and ordered an x-​ray (she couldn’t be bothered to order a MRI) but then didn’t follow up on it. What happened was a nurse from the office contacted me and simply said the results were «negative» which certainly didn’t help with resolving my pain issues. I tried to get Cheney to call me back but time passed and passed and I didn’t hear back from her. Then I started to get some workers comp coverage and a new doctor assigned to my case ordered a MRI which revealed that yes, indeed I did have a fairly common condition called cervical radiculopathy.
When Dr Cheney finally bothered to get back to me I informed her that she was fired and I was going to seek the services of a new primary doctor. She tried to give me a terrible guilt trip over this («but you’ve been my patient for so long, doesn’t that mean anything?») but I wasn’t about to have her mismanage my health anymore. I did get a referral to another doctor in the area and he’s wonderful and he also got me to a really good neurosurgeon who has helped me with my pain a great deal. The saddest part of this story (apart from my chronic pain) is I walked into this new doctor’s office and he told me within five minutes what was going on. He didn’t even need to see the MRI (though of course that confirmed it) and he said based on my symptoms etc. that is was quite common and any decent doctor should have known what was going on. I broke down in tears and he asked me what the problem was and I told him «my other doctor couldn’t tell me what this was for over three months and did practically nothing to help me». Finally I had found a doctor who could.
I don’t know what Dr Cheney’s problem was but the bottom line is I suffered horribly for several months because of what I can only say was a combination of incompetence and indifference. Another issue was Cheney was absent from work quite a bit around this later time, but the office also couldn’t be bothered to refer me to another doctor in that same practice. I’m writing this review to warn people about this doctor and practice (who also were pretty nasty about and dragged their feet on transferring my medical records to my new doctor) because I completely blame them for extending my pain much longer than was necessary.
I still experience pain, though it’s properly managed now, and I will likely always have it, but the not knowing and the not feeling like I was being properly cared for was one of the worse experiences of my life. It’s been very difficult to get rid of the bitterness I feel about this experience and also to finally forgive Dr Cheney for her role in this hellish saga, but being able to tell my story is a good start. Doctors unfortunately are often treated like gods who are not be be questioned by us mere mortals, but take my story as a cautionary one and insist on a proper diagnosis, treatment and the attention that you deserve as a patient.

Look, there are three doctors in this practice. Maybe the other ones are terrible (judging from the recent 1-​star reviews) but my experience with Dr. Cheney has been awesome.
I went for a check-​up about three weeks ago. After going over a few stuff, her office had me get my labs done. Fast forward a couple weeks and I’m back for my physical. Dr. Cheney went over my lab results and gave recommendations… don’t worry, everything came back normal. But since I’ve become more health conscience the last few years I asked if there’s anything in particular I can improve on even though everything looks fine. She spent a good amount of time giving me lifestyle suggestions and explained why I should consider each one.
The best part about Dr. Cheney is her personality. She’s SO easy to talk to. I’ve seen her twice and both times we spent a good amount of time chatting and getting to know each other. She has an awesome outlook on things and since she’s originally from Australia, I’m constantly asking her about what it’s like since I plan on visiting some day. She doesn’t make me feel rushed. If anything I feel like I’m hanging out with an old buddy who happens to know what the hell is going on with my health. Another thing I like about Dr. Cheney is how honest, open and straight forward she is. She’s blunt but not in a rude way. Don’t know if that makes sense to people. But at the same time I don’t take things personally so I appreciate when people are very direct with me. She made me feel super comfortable.
Dr. Cheney is awesome. Like SO awesome. She’s very personable, knows exactly what she’s talking about and genuinely cares about her patients. I’ve been pushing my gf to switch to Dr. Cheney. That’s how much I love her!
FYI, her staff is also excellent. Everyone from the front desk to the technicians are really cool people.

I have been seeing Dr. Cheney for over 5 years. She is a good listener and direct which I like. She is personable and down to earth and not at all intimidating. I am glad I found her and would recommend her.

Worst experience of my life! This doctor was rude! I went in with my mother to help interpret since it turns out this doctor doesn’t speak Spanish.(on the blue anthem website it clearly says she speaks spanish) she spent more time advising my mother to choose a bilingual doctor! She looked very frustrated with the fact that she couldn’t communicate directly with my mom. (Side note — I’m a professional interpreter for Kaiser Permanente) under the ADA act the medical office must provide an interpreter and patients should not be treated differently for not speaking English!
It was very sad to see how this doctor was speaking to us. No bedside manners! Very disappointed!

If you are expecting on time or short wait, this is not the place. Ive been with her for 3 years and I only visited her 3 times. But, every time I had to wait over an hour. Finally, I should not be too lazy to find a better one.
Staff are not friendly. I won’t recommend this place.

My husband and I want to try to have a baby so I decided to see a doctor to make sure that I was alright to conceive. I was a new patient and went in half an hour before my appointment time to fill out the necessary paperwork. The nurse quickly shoved me into a room (no personality, she was obviously busy and in a rush and I was a nuisance to her schedule). I waited there for over half an hour. I heard Doctor Cheney’s name be called on the intercom 2 different times and thought that maybe she had gone out for lunch. I’m overhearing this conversation going on outside about dogs and there was a prevalent voice involved in the dialogue with an Australian accent. She finally comes in and it’s HER!
This is the first time in a long time that I’ve seen a doctor. I guess this is why I haven’t gone to one in so long. I had been there an hour and fifteen minutes before I was seen. Apparently conversations about walking dogs is far more important than a new patient. She had explained that «this never happens. I’m never this late. Usually 15 – 20 minutes.» I don’t believe her. Proof’s in the pudding, lady. I was about to walk-​out.
I will be looking for another doctor.

Dr. Cheney has been my primary care doctor on and off since I was about 14, and though I didn’t care for her direct, honest approach when I was a teenager, after dealing with other doctors (and growing up quite a bit) I came to appreciate the fact that she TRULY cares about her patients, actually wants to make a difference in my life and help me raise the QUALITY of my life.
Even when referring me to other doctors, she clearly does her research on them, she checks back with me in regards to how well I feel my issues are being taken care of, and if they’re poor, she goes and advocates for me! I don’t think I could ask for a better, more caring doctor.

Been going to this office for years but finally s** hit the fan. I was going into see the doctor as a followup from the ER. I had been in a motorcycle accident with pretty bad chest, side, knee and elbow damage. I thought I broke ribs but they are badly bruised and I have cartilage damage, Hard to breathe, in pain. I was seeing a different doctor because Dr. C was on vacation. If you know the doctor is over an hour behind –LET THE PATIENT KNOW for goodness sake. I could have rescheduled or come back. Something. Not one of the staff talked to me. I watched everyone else in the waiting room go in except me. It wasn’t always bad, don’t get me wrong. When she had different staff and it was a few years back things weren’t as bad. But I no longer want to wait up to 2 hours to see a doctor. Patient care is #1. I’ve been in the medical field my whole life and I know what I’m talking about. I worked for two doctors and many hospitals.
I don’t hate this office… it was just the last straw. I never did see a doctor and I told them I was leaving. Did someone follow up with a phone call later to me? Of course not. But I did get an email asking how my appointment was! Unbelievable. Have we become so busy, so technologically run that getting great patient care is a thing of the past? I hope not but I think things will get worse.
I am now going to look for a new provider which is a hassle but I’ve received great names from friends that I work with.
I think the staff affected my final decision more than the doctor… the blame really doesn’t lie with just one person. I had some appointments with Dr. C in the past that were fine and some that weren’t. But waiting over an hour without an explanation — never again. I deserve respect.

I am satisfied with Dr. Cheney for over a year now. My daughter and I are patients with her since we are kind of new to the Bay area. I found excellent reviews about her so she was my 1^st choice. From talking to people at the friendly local Walgreens pharmacy one of the ladies mentioned to me that Dr. Cheney is her doctor and she’s been with her for years. She too is happy with her services. Thank you for all that you do Dr. Cheney in giving great attention and care for your patients. We definitely appreciate you!≠)

Dr. Cheney has been my doctor for the past 5 years and she has always been a great doctor to me. She’s always caring and at some points has given me life advice which was actually comforting to hear. She’s always quick and efficient during my appointments and I’m usually out within 30 minutes. She’s a great and caring doctor, definitely recommended!

Dr. Cheney has been my doctor for over 4 years and she’s wonderful. She has a lovely way about her and makes you feel like she is interested in your well being.
Her Medical Assistant Brandie is great too!
Front Desk — Gustavo, always accomodating… thank you.