Champagne Lynne M, MD

Dr. Champagne is the most thoughtful Doctor I’ve ever know. I have been going to her for 12 years. She listens and is helpful plus gives great advice and care. Her nurse Gabby is a jewel. After leaving I always think to myself how lucky I am to have found her.
Linda Calder

I love Dr. Champagne and her assistant Gabby. They always listen to my concerns and my questions and Dr. C. pays attention to every detail, sometimes even looking back to a note she made 10 years ago and asking about it. She is very kind, considerate, and thorough. Even though I have moved two hours away, I still go to her for my annual physical examinations.

Rude, condescending front office staff, distracted MD. How is one to get adequate medical care when the very thought of calling the office makes one sick?

In 2009, while 7 months pregnant, I slammed my finger in my car door in the parkinglot on my way to my 2 year olds pediatric appointment. Luckily (or so I thought) my own doctor, Dr Champagne’s office was in the same building as my son’s pediatrician. Bleeding, crying and in severe pain, I sought refuge at her office in hopes they would help me or at least advise me on where to go or what to do. The office staff said they would see me at the next available opening. 2 hours of agonizing pain later, they gave me orders to head downstairs for X-​rays, 1.5 hours more they made me wait quietly sobbing in the waiting room. Luckily my mom had been with me and was occupying my toddler in the halls while I waited, often rushing to his pediatrician for ice and bandaids since Dr Champagne’s office never offered. Meanwhile, patients were begging them to see me, even offering their appointment so that the poor, crying, bleeding pregnant woman could be helped, but they replied that I didn’t have an appointment so I’d have to wait. When the office closed for lunch they finally took me in to see the doctor where they commented that they «weren’t a triage unit» and «what did I expect?» After looking at the X-​rays, they concluded that I shattered the bones in the top half of my finger and sent me directly to a hand specialist (who rushed me in immediately.) 4 years later, I swallowed my pride and called for an appointment (9÷19÷2013) after experiencing some abdominal pain and was told that since it had been so long since my last appointment, I would have to go back into the system as a new patient and conveniently they were not accepting new patients! When I asked if they would mind referring me to another doctor, they refused. Wow! Fool me once, shame on them, fool me twice shame on me! What a fool I was to go back to this doctor after being treated so poorly the first time! Never again, never EVER again!

If you want a nice, soft-​spoken, and gentle female doctor, she’s your gal. She’s sweet and listens to you and explains things thoroughly to you.
BUT…in my case of urgency, when I needed forms completed and faxed for a time sensitive matter, I begin to find flaws at the doctor’s office.
1^st — The DMV medical report I needed for my Class B license was incomplete in two sections. They didn’t even have the last page on file!
2^nd — When urgently requested to please have the fourth page completed, it took a follow-​up call a week and a half later to have it completed within 10 minutes — she said it’s been sitting on the doctor’s desk. (It took 1 and a half weeks to complete a job that takes 10 minutes? What part of urgent didn’t they get?)
3^rd — I requested my DMV medical report to be faxed to me, the wrong report was faxed. Upon calling again to request for the correct report, it was as if I had burdened her yet again to dig through all my 8 sheets of paper to fax the right copy for this urgent matter. Sad.
So now I probably won’t be able to renew my license on time… I work in the transportation field for god’s sake! =(
This most likely won’t apply to many people, but I am just so unimpressed with my experience with her office; just too much stress. Thankfully I no longer live in San Diego and have returned to my trusty doctor at home, phew!