West Dermatology

I went here years ago when Sean Dunn was there. I am always okay seeing a PA etc. if the Dr’s aren’t available because they seem to have more time. I LOVED Sean Dunn as my Dermatologist. I previously had gone to a horrible little old man in Pismo. I walked in to my first appointment and he asked what was going on. 3 minutes later he had identified what I had. He literally showed me images online as well and went from there. I remember I had an allergy to something we couldn’t pin point and he listed options and we went from there. I’m sad he’s no longer there. I have also experienced long wait times over the phone but they are busy so it doesn’t really surprise me and yes they are booked and an appointment can be about a month out.

This was our first visit to West Dermotology and were very happy with all aspects of the visit. We got in promptly and our nurse Karen was very kind and explained all the procedures clearly to us as we went through the surgery procedure. Dr Shields and Dr Siebenlist were as good as they come. We would highly recommend them both and feel very fortunate to find this office. Thank you to all the staff for making a potentially very difficult day as easy as possible for my husband. We are very grateful.

Thank you to this office for seeing my daughter today. The front office staff was so nice and compassionate and the nurse practitioner we saw was so thorough. The doctor even stopped in to check on my daughter. This is a very professional, busy (translates to good care), and caring practice. We felt so much better when we left — confidence in medical care does that. Thank you everyone at West.

If I could give a negative star I would. First off it took me a month if not longer to get an appointment. Then when I got there I heard disgruntled patients but tried to keep a positive outlook. This office NEVER answers their phones and if you ever need anything they will just pawn you off on to the next person or have you leave a voicemail that no one will ever respond to. Do your self a favor a go else where.

As usual, Elizabeth spears, PA was excellent. She is very personable and friendly. The visit was very pleasant. The medical assistant as well as the front desk were polite and friendly. They made the experience easy and comfortable. I was in and out in 15 minutes. Easy parking. Would definitely recommend.

West Dermatology totally impressed me! From the friendly new patient call with Tiffany to the exam room with Elizabeth Spears and Kristy everything went really quick and smooth. I hadn’t been to a dermatologist in quite some time so I was fairly nervous and everyone went out of their way to make me feel extremely comfortable. I ended up having to get a biopsy and I didn’t even feel it. I was in and out within an hour and didn’t have to spend any time waiting. I will highly recommend this practice to all of my friends and family!

Most of the doctors in this office are great… the big problem is getting past the AWFUL office staff. You are always put on hold when you call in, if you can get someone to pick up. I thought this was normal till I sat in the waiting room and watched the office staff put patients on hold to sit an chat with each other. Even worse… was the office staff talking trash about patients that had been in the office earlier that day. I was so shocked. Super unprofessional. Be careful Laurie Weymann. She was so busy rushing me out the door as her last patient of the day her and her nurse decided it wasn’t pertinent information enough to read through the medications I am already taking. She prescribed me medication that can’t be taken with another type of medication I was on and I had a pretty bad reaction.

Dr. Siebenlist and his crew are the best in the business. Their new office is beautiful, and working with the nurse practitioner was great. I felt they took my concerns seriously, and that they were addressed in a manner that was honest rather than trying to get the most money possible.
It takes a while to get an appointment, because they are so good, but once you get in, you have first priority on new appointments.

After two months or more my appointment time finally came and I saw the greatest PA Elizabeth. But right now, it’s Friday t 4pm and I can’t seem to get through to any one to make another appointment. I’ve gotten the answering machine since 345. Will update. Update: drove over there. They were closed. No note. Super lame but I still like them and will be going back.

Medical care was fine, but I had to stop going to this office because the billing was such a nightmare and the office was so chaotic. If those things don’t bother you, great… you will get good care. Not my bag.

I was a new patient recently and had a great experience. The Front office receptionist was warm, welcoming and seemed on top of it. While waiting to be roomed for my appointment I overheard her on the phone apologizing with what seemed like a very disgruntled patient. She was sincere, kind and very pleasant apologizing graciously. Coming from an medical office myself, I was VERY impressed. I was in the waiting room maybe 5 minutes before the M.A. came to take me back. She was also very thorough and friendly. I was only in the procedure room for about 5 minutes before the NP, Antoinette came in and introduced herself. She was attentive, kind and made me feel very comfortable during the fun naked inspection. She answered all my questions directly and gave me several options of treatment. My whole appointment time was about 10 minutes… Great! When I did leave the room there is a check out area which did have 5 other people ahead of me. It appears they might be a little short handed in this area, however turn around in medical offices happens all the time. They were doing the best they could and all in all, I would recommend this office hands down. Keep up the great work!

Dr. Siebenlist and staff are great. But the office routinely doesn’t transfer the phones back from the answering service so you get an annoying recording and a transfer to the on call service. The service will not take messages, either! So there is literally no way to get ahold of anyone.

front office staff is poor and has no customer service. They get a customer and a phone call and they are OVERLOADED and can’t handle the situation. The medical MD and PAs are fine.

I used to work in the front office of a dermatology practice, so I am well aware of how crazy it can get. (There’s a reason we had an extra-​large coffee pot in the back). But any office that has the kind of problems these people do just answering phones needs some serious review. Others’ reports of never being able to get a hold of anyone is absolutely correct. What’s worse, somebody made the bright executive decision to have the phone transfer right to their emergency service instead of some kind of voicemail if they don’t pick up (which they don’t, ever). So essentially you can’t talk to anyone or even leave a message no matter what you do. I wouldn’t care if they used a 1980’s craptastic answering machine if there was at least a way to leave a message of some kind – but no. Who on EARTH made this decision? I remember patients being annoyed if I didn’t pick up the phone right at 9am sharp, so I can only imagine the ire they have gotten over not being able to reach anyone at all. People at West Dermatology, HELLO, WAKE UP. Do you not understand how bad this is? Again, look, I get it – I was front office for years. I understand getting a mole removed and sclerotherapy are hardly emergencies, no one is going to die that day if you don’t deal with them. But the vibe you’re giving off to the whole community is really bad. Maybe you need an extra hand up front to handle the phones. I really, truly doubt your whole office will go out of business under the weight of another paycheck so you don’t have your emergency line people getting flamed every day. If this is some kind of corporate decision, then I suggest you print out all these reviews and hand it to corporate. (And remind them they’re all public, and this is a small community). Also? The reviews about straight-​up rude office staff – I guess either they suck or are overworked or both – yeah, those were not particularly reassuring either.
So to wrap up, this office will not be taking care of my skin because they can’t buy a $ 20 answering machine.

I’ve had almost the same experience as everyone else. They NEVER answer the phone. The only way to get through is to stay on the line to the emergency/​cancellation desk and leave them a message.
Similarly, I have had negative experiences with the front desk staff. They hardly acknowledge you, won’t look you in the eye, and simply don’t want to be bothered to either check you in or check you out.
Unfortunately I can’t say that the Drs. make up for it. They push prescription meds and will only book you with a Dr. after seeing a P.A. My experience with the P.A. was not effective.
Bottom line, if there were more dermatologists in the area that were taking patients, I would gladly try one of them.
Hey West Dermatology, read your reviews and take some constructive criticism! There’s a common theme here and it’s that your front desk staff needs extensive training in customer service and, welcome to the twenty-​first century, get an answering service so you stop missing all your patients’ calls.

Dr Siebenlist and Laurie Weymann are GREAT!
Can’t say the same for the office staff. Exactly what others say about the front staff… Rude, and talking smack about other patients/​callers right in front of waiting patients.
The intake nurse is also very rude. She snapped something about not knowing why I was there because she was not on the phone with me when I called. After the appointment, I waited in there with her for a few minutes while she finished the notes. She then walked right past me and out of the exam room without saying a word… ok…I guess we’re done…
West Dermatology needs to clean house. Fortunately I only have to go once a year, otherwise I am not sure I would put up with the staff.

They keep trying to bill me for things they didn’t do. Every time I call, they transfer me to a voicemail. I have left three messages over the course of two months and they have never called me back. I can’t tell if they are scamming people or if they are simply that pathetic.

I have been a patient for years along with my family and many of my co-​workers (whom I have referred).
Dr. Siebenlist and the nurse Laurie are both amazing at what they do… the front desk staff nearly makes that not worthwhile.
They are so unprofessional. I have literally walked into the office and had to wait for two girls to finish their conversation about what they were ordering for lunch before they acknowledged that a PAYING PATIENT was standing in front of them.
Also, they have horrible phone etiquette. I can hardly get through to a person when I call, and when I do it goes something like this «There’s one patient ahead of you, can you hold?» «Sure»…twenty minutes go by and I hang up and call back…“There’s one patient ahead of you, can you hold?” «Yes, I was just holding for 20 minutes, is that a normal wait time with one person ahead of me?» «Well, I don’t know what to tell you, we are really busy, do you want to hold or not?» So rude, I used to work at a hotel in my college years and a wait of more than 2 minutes was unacceptable, we were trained in how to speak to customers in a professional and courteous manner on a weekly basis. what is going on here?
If the Dr. could care less about how his front desk staff treats his patients, I could care less about returning.

This was my second experience with West Dermatology. The first time I met Elizabeth Spears and the second time I met Dr Siebenlist. Both are friendly and informative, made me feel at ease and comfortable while in the office. I like that the «whys» are explained to me; the rationale for treatment, answered my questions.
The office staff were friendly and accommodating, helping me to find a timely appointment to fit my needs.
The only real downside to this office is that so many people come here! The wait times to actually GET an appointment can take some time unless it is an urgent thing. Some days the waiting room is PACKED, although the days I have gone in, the waiting room had coffee and cookies to keep people happy. I will definitely be a returning patient.

Wow. Elizabeth Spears, PA, is AMAZING. I went in today for an ongoing and very problematic issue that FOUR other M.D.‘s specializing in Dermatology (allegedly) failed to diagnose. I don’t have some crazy rare disease — but for some reason it’s been misdiagnosed multiple times. Why? Because most doctors don’t take the time and aren’t patient enough to ask the RIGHT questions, LISTEN for the answers, and ASK follow-​up questions. They hear itchy rash and they throw a tube of some kind of cortisone-​based cream your way and then leave you to gather your things.
Ms. Spears was so kind, thorough and helpful that I actually started crying just because I knew she was giving me an accurate diagnosis and actual treatment plan (which she explained thoroughly and even helped me understand all the various options with my limited insurance plan). It all makes sense now that she explained my probable diagnosis (even to the point about when it all started — which was after I stopped breastfeeding. My immune system was super good while I was breastfeeding which is probably why I never had this). Since it’s an immune problem that shows up as a skin disease, it’s not exactly like the best diagnosis I could have received, but I’m so damn relieved that I HAVE a diagnosis that makes sense and a treatment plan to hopefully make me better (since there is no cure), I feel immensely relieved.
Her nurse was also very helpful and kind, by the way, and I don’t want to leave her without a virtual hug and thank you either.
I do have to say, when leaving, I saw an old woman who was arriving for her appointment 15 min late and she was rescheduled for the next day. So whoever posted a review admonishing this place for doing that, they were correct in that it seems to be their policy. However, having worked for a doctor’s office where one late patient can throw off the very delicately balanced schedule into complete chaos, I for one appreciate this. I find that anyone expecting a doctor to fit you in when you are late is equivalent to holding up a line of cars because you want to turn left but you’re in the right turn lane. Why should dozens of other people have to suffer for your mistake? It’s just not cool and it’s quite self-​centered, actually. So I quite appreciate that they don’t take any sh*t from selfish people. :)
And, yes, if you drive on the road with me, you’ll know I don’t take that kind of sh*t either.