One Medical Group

When you do a Google search for One Medical Group, the hyper link «World-​Class Doctors» appears in the search results for their domain. Given the personal experience from my father in-​law with this business, the term «world class» is far from the truth. He had gone to Seton Medical Center first in Daly City complaining about severe pain in his abdomen. The response to his symptoms was that he was simply suffering from indigestion.
The bill after his insurance company applied their usual coverage limits was just under $ 1000.00, He decided to try out One Medical Group given their numerous locations, and met with a physician from Kenya. He got the same level of minimal service from the One Medical Group doctor as he did at Seton Medical Center. There was really no diagnosis at all that lead to a resolution. Just a general medical observation of what might be wrong and bill.
The pain was becoming overwhelming at this point. Finally he decided to head to UCSF in the hope that he could finally pinpoint the issue. It turns out he was on the verge of having his gallbladder rupture due to an excess amount of bile. If left untreated, a rupture could cause an infection in the blood stream, and potentially lead to death.
Fortunately the competence of the staff at UCSF resolved the issue, and avoided anything serious. In hindsight he wishes he would have gone to UCSF first. Visiting Seton Medical Center and One Medical Group were wastes of time and money. I think they may want to change the description «World-​Class Doctors» to something else.
It ceases to amaze me that places like this can misdiagnose patients, and still make money off them. There should be a refund clause with any misdiagnosis in my opinion! Fortunately we have online review sites to share poor experiences with other potential customers. I’m definitely not going to waste my time going to what seems like a low quality business franchise of medical professionals, or should I say nonprofessionals?

I am new to One Medical, was very excited about their concept on Medical Care. Part of what I found exciting was that I could communicate via email with my doctor and possibly avoid taking time from work to go to the doctor. I was wrong. I’ve seen a lot of posts that people had problems getting a Primary. I did get one, in my network my first appointment. That was about as good as it gets. After my first visit I was sent to Physical Therapy. I sent the doctor an email asking a question, no response. I called One Medical, asked if I am allowed to email or if I needed to get approval or something. The Receptionist said the Dr’s are busy and will get back to you when they can. I got a response 4 weeks later.
After a few months of Physical Therapy, the therapist told me to go back to the Primary as there is an issue she cannot resolve and wants me to see another specialist. I went to see the Primary, she sent me in for blood work. Got the results via email, Primary was copied. Sent 5 messages asking what my next steps should be. come back to the office, more test etc. That was 3 months ago, no response. I sent an inquiry to the general mailbox for One Medical, no response.
I also thought it strange that the Primary spent the whole appointment sitting behind a computer. I got a lot of «oh, that sounds terrible»; «wow, you must be uncomfortable» … I do not want soothing words, I want medical assistance!
The worst news is I was going to go back to my previous doctor (even though I do not like him, at least he follows-​up) and I just got a voicemail from his office telling me he joined One Medical — UGH!!!
I am posting here because in my desperation to find a solution I found these reviews. While I am pleased that I am not the only one struggling with One Medical, I am equally as disturbed that so many people have had similar issues. I noticed «Cookie L. of One Medical Group «responds to most posts, maybe I’ll finally get some help from One Medical. Probably not.

I have been a member of One Medical since October 2015. I had a great experience with them until I scheduled a visit with Dr. Andrea Powlen and had to deal with One Medical’s billing department. I was billed $ 419 for a less than 1 minute visit with Dr. Powlen that wasn’t even necessary in the first place. She asked me to come once every 3 or 4 days for follow up visits and I am so glad I never went back. At $ 419 per visit, it would have been thousands of dollars without having the slightest clue that I was being billed for the unnecessary visits.
I have read many reviews on Unilocal and it seems like I am not the only one to have faced this problem.
On a side note, I have a very good insurance plan.

The doctor I met with was energetically cold, condescending, and defensive.
When I expressed my discontentment with our interaction she laughed. She also took the time to ask if I had paid the membership fee. Which is very judge-​e and wildly inappropriate.
She facilitated the worst doctor visit I have ever had.
Unlike the doctor I seen, the front desk staff was lovely.

I’ve been a patient for about 18 months and have seen a steady decline in care with a steady increase in costs. It is a shame because the premise is good, but the practice is terrible. All my favorite MDs have left for greener pastures in private care, as One Medical has promised so much to them, yet failed to deliver.
{The company has great branding but fails to live up to its brand promises…}
While the 45 minute appointments can be great as I do feel «heard», the productivity that comes from these meetings have been limited to «prescribing» supplements or very expensive compounded products — neither of which are covered by my insurance. Too much time is spent documenting my symptoms (CYA?), so much so that my MD apologizes every time I see her.
Such is the current state of our medical system who fails to recognize that MDs need time to SEE their patients instead of staring into a computer screen.
Anyway, most of my successes have come from consulting with a L. Ac outside of their system (and not covered by my insurance), then getting blood tests to verify the diagnosis and follow up tests to determine progress. (Oh, and One Medical just started charging a fee for blood draws, the nickle and diming is getting to be a bit much.)
I’m currently looking for a new East Bay PCP and won’t be renewing my «membership» with One Medical. Sad to say, as I tried so hard to like them.

Very disappointed with my last experience at One Medical in Noe Valley location. I went in with an eye irritation complaint. 30 seconds later the Dr told me, Oh, you have a stye. I was a bit surprised, but said, ok.
Two days later I had to make an urgent appointment with ophthalmologist that extracted metal particle from my cornea. WTF, why trying to diagnose something if you are not qualified???
People rely on doctors. Confused, sad, mad!

I had a 15 minute appointment with Dr Elizabeth Maier from ONE MEDICAL.
I arrived and she told me «I only have 15 minutes, I hope you know that».
I had an order from my cardiologist for an ultrasound (liver, upper abdomen) I wanted her advice on where I should have it done.
She told me that she couldn’t give me an order for an ultrasound. I told her that I had one, gave it to her. She looked at it. She said she couldn’t give me an order. I said I didn’t want one, I just needed to know where to go. She asked me why my Doc didn’t tell me where to go, I said I didn’t know. She asked me what I wanted from her. I said advice on where to go, that I thought ONE MEDICAL was a concierge service to help me. She said she could look up a place (we are 5 mins into the 15 min meeting at this point). She pulls up Health Diagnostics and I call them (from her office), she tells me after 2 mins «can you do that outside, I am busy.» Now, I still had 8 mins left by my count. I left.
She was a completely unprofessional from the time I walked in to the time I left. I was concerned with the fact my Doc asked for a liver ultrasound, she showed no care/​patient concern at all — concerned with her issues, her situation.

Just had my first appointment with One Medical.
Before my visit with One Medical, my idea of a doctor’s visit was this: 1) arrive 10 minutes before appointment 2) sit in the waiting room for 35 – 40 minutes 3) go to the patient room 4) sit for another 10 minutes 5) nurse comes in and takes vitals 6) sit for another 15 – 20 minutes 7) finally doctor comes in and spends maybe 5 minutes with me.
At One Medical, this is what I experienced this morning: 1) arrive 10 minutes before appointment 2) doctor picks me up from the waiting room, exactly at the appointment time 3) spend 15 minutes with the doctor 4) I’m out
Also, I was able to get a next-​day appointment booked easily thru the website (could have been same day if I went to a different branch).
It’s a game changer.
Also it’s pretty nice that the office is well furnished with some soothing (and choice) music piping through the Sonos speakers. A little bit of a spa-​like experience.
Also, Dr. Burns is great. Patient but really efficient, with a very calming demeanor.

This place is amazing! This is the first time I’ve been to the doctor in the state of California and the people in here were so welcoming! They just happened to be one of the few places that accepted my insurance which was a life saver! Everyone there from the receptionists to my doctor, Bethany, were amazing, kind and receptive! They were so nice and awesome that it makes me want to come back even if I’m not sick LOL!
I’ve also never used an app before with the doctor’s office so that was pretty cool! I made an appointment so quickly and easily, it blew my mind honestly! Once I got there, the wait was about 5 minutes and then the rest is history!
I totally recommend this place, you won’t regret coming here!!! :-)

They ignored a recommendation from a referral that ultimately resulted in a 6-​months-​delayed cancer diagnosis.
Be careful with this place.

Overall, I had a pretty mixed experience with One Medical. Some good, some bad. In the end, I decided I’d be fine without the service.
Pro’s
*Online booking
*Positive experiences with the doctors I interacted with
Con’s
*Buggy/​confusing software
*Difficult to get a primary care doctor (spent over a year on a waitlist and never got one)
*No refunds if you decide to cancel
The No Refunds policy is in particular strange since when I called to cancel, I was told they don’t offer refunds, which is completely opposite of their advertised One Medical Promise policy.

These people are thieves. I went for 1 checkup when I had just quit smoking. They sent me a bill for $ 487. Totally disproportionate because I was in there for 15 minutes, no tests were taken and I was told all the complaints I had were normal side effects. The lady listened to my lungs and that was the end of it.
Don’t fall into this trap.

Healthcare is scary and most providers tend to be bureaucratic. It’s one thing to have a Kafkaesque experience with your cable company, but quite another to have one with your health care provider. Your primary refers you to specialist A, who never got your info, or who bills you in some confusing way, and then you know you’re going to wait for 20 minutes in a depressing office under flickering fluorescent lights while some sunken-​eyed admin hands you another 12 page form to fill out, containing the same information that you already filled out. Then you are lucky to get 20 minutes with your doctor who talks very fast while you try to remember the issues you wanted to bring up.
One Medical is cut from a different mold, and that’s what makes it special.
* It generally seems to be a well run operation staffed by intelligent, kind people.
* Same day appointments.
* No waiting — your appointments start on time.
* Modern website with useful information, SMS reminders, email reminders, apps. Everything that I’ve experienced is computerized, paperless, and well-​connected.
* Very knowledgeable doctors and nurses that spend time with you — I’m very happy with Dr. Elizabeth Maier as well as the other providers that I’ve interacted with here.
* Pleasant offices in convenient locations that are open late on weekdays and on Saturdays.
You get smart, modern, patient-​focused healthcare for a $ 150 annual membership fee, which to me is a great value.

I would avoid this place unless you like paying extra money for subpar service.
I signed up over the phone and they failed to mention that the primary care provider they were assigning to me was not a doctor, but a PA. Contrary to all the promises, my first appointment did not start on time and I waited around in the waiting room wondering why I was paying a premium for «timely» appointments.
I still haven’t received the test results for the tests that my PA conducted 1.5 months ago, which I was reminded of when I just received the bill. ALSO, the bill seems pretty high for routine labwork considering that I have great health insurance.
Totally unimpressed. I’m cancelling my membership.

I love One Medical’s app as well as the ability to schedule same-​day appointments. I also like that they have many convenient locations. However, my most recent experience with One Medical was a very expensive one– and I’ve since cancelled my membership.
Though One Medical «accepts» my insurance, they are not in network. That I knew. What is worse, However, in making referrals to outside specialists they did not even try to find an in network specialists. What should have been a very routine colonoscopy turned out cost several thousand dollars out of pocket – even after my insurance paid their share.
Buyer beware. One can argue that this is solely the patient’s responsibility, however, if they are going to refer a patient to a single clinic for a procedure their billing and insurance department should due some due diligence.

USELESS
Unfortunate and completely horrible story: We were attacked by a deranged homeless transsexual male while walking down the street in the Finacial District. (Yes, really.) She actually scratched our faces, necks & bit through my boyfriends shirt badly. (Think bloody dog bite.) We had no idea where to go to get treatment. It was clearly a «tetanus shot» or ‘worse’ kind of immediate situation. We googled & found this place 5blocks say so we rushed over. I had used them before in Beverly Hills and thought it would be great. I was SOOO WRONG. Even though I was ‘in their system’ they did NOTHING. Did not set an urgent appointment to see us, open the door to see a nurse. Actually they stared at us & would not even touch us. They told us we should, «go to a facility that could help,» set alcohol wipes on the desk with a piece of gauze. To their credit they did: try to cover their ‘corporate arse’ by conveniently offering to ‘get us a ride & apologizing profusely.
God help you, if you actually needed medical care and totally don’t die in their office, you’ll clearly never be revived!
DISGUSTING and USELESS EXCUSE FOR MEDICAL CARE. I will be cancelling my ‘membership’.

This review is about the One Medical business, which came highly recommended. I called in ahead of my first appointment with questions about my insurance and billing. When I showed up for an appointment to get a repeat prescription I was told that I could go through insurance and pay $ 300 (!) or pay a reduced $ 175 up front. Under pressure I chose the $ 175 option.
I then called my insurance, and got the full story. Insurance companies have contracted rates for different visits. It doesn’t matter if the doctor bills $ 300 or $ 10,000 as the contracted rate is what’s paid by insurance and then relayed to the patient.
Feeling ripped off under pressure is not a nice feeling from an industry that one must rely on in very uncertain times of bad health.

Abysmal experience! If you have a medical provider that works, don’t switch. I’ve had all sorts of issues with OneMedical over the last year and even getting managers involved doesn’t smooth them out.
My wife on the other hand has had a 5 Star experience, but I’ll let her write her own review. I’ve joined her for some of her appointments and it’s a night and day difference.

I followed my amazing primary physician when she moved to this practice, despite the fact that the location is inconvenient for me. I was prepared to love One Medical Group and didn’t balk at the membership fee as they extolled the virtues of all the services I would receive. I was excited at the prospect of receiving VIP treatment as promised… Not so much.
My first encounter with the office was also my first problem. I was traveling when experienced a family crisis and had to extend my stay. Getting prescription refills was complicated, took many phone calls on my part and in the end was not accomplished.
The second problem was that a specialist I was seeing was moving out of the area. I visited my primary At One Medical who kindly agreed to write the routine medicines I was receiving from that physician. I called Medical One 3 days in advance to make sure the prescriptions had been called in. I was told they were. An email was sent to confirm.
My pharmacy never heard from One Medical and I ran out of the medicine; a medicine that should not be stopped abruptly. After a frustrating morning of calls and emails, I only managed to get a one week supply by calling my specialist at home!
Again, let me say that my doctor is a wonderful physician. However, the office staff has been inefficient and downright rude when I have had any sort of problem, which unfortunately, is every time I have asked them a question.

I don’t think I have ever changed my mind about my 1 star reviews. Cookie has been very helpful in address my concerns. She handled my anger with finesse and I will credit that in my desire to give this place another chance soon. My opinion of Scott stays. Period. I will update my second experience soon.