Janice Miyakawa, MD

She is the best. She’s been my doctor for over 25 years, and she is excellent. Yes, bring a book, you will wait. If you know that going in, it makes things easier. I also ride my bike to save on parking. But you are never rushed by her, ask a question and it gets a thoughtful answer, she will follow up when needed and if you are her patient and end up in the hospital she visits. She also looks at you as a whole person, not just the ailment. Really the best, worth the wait for me.

Dr. Miyakawa has been my primary care doctor for about 2 years now and I used to see her many more years ago while she was at her old practice. I think Dr. MIyakawa has one of the best bed-​side manners I have ever seen in a doctor. She is caring, shows she is concerned about you, is open-​minded to other options you may be considering. Sometimes the wait can be long (up to an hour or so), but in the past 6 months or so, the wait time has gotten better (maybe 30 minutes or less).

I did have a 20 minute wait before I was seen, but Dr. Miyakawa was attentive, caring, and extremely thorough at my visit today. I didn’t feel rushed at all and she took the time to answer all my questions. She was aware that her patients have had long waits in the past and is trying to speed up without compromising the quality of care she is providing.
I’m always extremely critical of doctors and I honestly can’t fault Dr. Miyakawa.

Doctor Miyakawa is a reasonably decent physician; but the office staff at UCLA Physicians is awful. Wait times are abysmal — on average, 1 – 2 hours AFTER your appointment time. Call the office for any reason, and you will most likely be transferred to the wrong department at least once, then put on hold for 20 minutes and forgotten. You might even get a telephone message claiming the office is closed — in the middle of the business day.
My most recent bill for a routine office visit was nearly twice what it was 6 months prior, and no one could give me an explanation as to why. If you’re experiencing a cold, flu, or other minor ailment, I would suggest visiting any «doc-​in-​the-​box» clinic on your health plan versus this office. You’d get the same level of inadequate customer service at a fraction of the price. Caveat emptor.

Excellent, smart and knowledgeable doctor. She’s awesome. Only 4 stars because you will have to wait, otherwise 5 plus.

Dr. Miyakawa is the best doctor I have ever visited. She is thorough, very clear, holistic in her approach, current, compassionate and even funny. During my first appointment with her, she spent more time with me than any other doctor I have visited. She asks probing questions, but does so politely. She offers constructive advice, but does not preach. She is NOT quick to judge or prescribe; rather, she looks at alternative ways that may address the issue.
All that being said, visits take longer than they should. The staff, albeit in her new office, is not exactly efficient. Bring a book, prepare for a long wait, but know that it will be worth it.

I adore Dr. Miyakawa. I’ve been going to this office for about 6 or 7, maybe 8 years now. Who knows.
As someone said previously, she cares about the whole of you, not just the one problem that you came to see her for. She listens well and gives good advice (even about relationships).
Regarding the wait time: I always expect to wait at a medical office, it’s the nature of the beast. Patients might arrive a little late or their problems may require unanticipated attention. I might spend 10 – 20 minutes in the waiting room and perhaps another 10 – 20 in the exam room. It’s not that bad. I bring a magazine or a good book to pass the time. And once I’m seen, I never feel rushed through the appointment.
I can always book a same day appointment if I’m really feeling awful. But annual exams are booked out about 2, maybe 3 months in advance, (this is the reason for 4 stars instead of 5). I think that shows how great of a doc she is if people are waiting in line to see her. I’ll also add that I now live out of town and still schedule my annual exam with her when i’m visiting. It’s so hard to find a medical professional that you like and trust.
Parking is a little annoying due to the strict residential rules in Santa Monica, but parking is often tough, and often not free, in West LA. I’ve never tried the underground party, there are always plenty of meters along Broadway. DO NOT park on the streets parallel to the office (10^th, 11^th) unless you have a SaMo parking pass, because it’s basically no parking for everyone else during business hours. I learned the hard way once, thinking that I only needed to pay attention to street cleaning days.

Not once has she gotten me in early than an hour and a half after my appointment time. The most recent one left me waiting for 2.5 hours and nobody thought to let me know that it would have been at least another hour.
This happens every time. If you are chronically late then stop being greedy and taking so many patients!!! Duh. And, have some friggin common sense and have your lazy staff let your patients know with a phone call ahead of time if you’re 2.5 hours late. Notice all the reviews with the same complaint? She’s doesn’t give a damn about your time, she really doesn’t.
What’s also awesome is that one time I had bloodwork done for something and the nurse casually asked if I wanted x, y, and z tested too. I’m like, sure, I guess. Um… she didn’t tell me that it was like $ 50 a pop extra. I had almost a $ 300 extra bill!
What also sucks is that there’s no parking… there is a garage but you have to pay by the 15 minutes (if I remember right) and good luck getting outta there without someone hitting your car door, the spaces are so tight. It’s a windy underground lot and there’s a lotta paint on the corner with people trying to make the tight turn.
At the end of the day, she’s nice… but I wouldn’t wait that long if Jesus himself was curing people.

Miyakawa is great. Her staff is not.
Bring a good book when you go, because you’ll be waiting at least an hour in the exam room or the waiting room, possibly an hour in each. Even if you have an appointment.
Once you meet with Miyakawa, she’ll be great. Straight to the point, knowledgeable, willing to answer questions, and taking notes about the appointment on her laptop so that everything is documented clearly. I really like her. She’s funny and smart. Just how I like my doctors to be.
But unfortunately a doctor’s appointment is more than just your interaction with the doctor. When you’ve had numerous issues with billing and less-​than-​pleasant dealings with staff, it takes off a star.

While I understand some of the comments from other reviewers regarding the support staff, I judge my doctor primarily on the doctor and not on the office.
Dr. Miyakawa is one of the best family practitioners I have been too. She is really interested in total health, not just solving the symptom at hand. She really is concerned about the patient and gets to know you on a personal basis. She works with many of the local doctors and I have gotten several specialist referrals from her. Every single one has been great.
In terms of support staff & office — I’ve never had an issue with billing, and I’ve been to her several times and taken many tests. The most frustrating thing about seeing her is often a long wait at the office, but they are aware of the issue and actively working on resolving this — the last time I went a nurse specifically asked me about my wait time.
In the large scheme of things, I take it as a good sign that a doctor has many patients… if the office was empty, I would be somewhat concerned.

I’ve gone to this woman for years since I left college. But as of yesterday, no more. I unfortunately have the all-​too-​common HPV virus which has been and continues to wreak havoc. When I got into a discussion with her about my very serious test result, she made the comment that I might want to be a bit more discerning (in who I choose to sleep with)! Not that it’s anyone’s business, but I’ve been with very few people, one of which was my husband for over seven years. When I told her this, she apologized and said something to the effect of, «Oh you have been exceedingly careful.» It doesn’t matter if someone has slept with three people or 25. That has nothing to do with being careful (one could be careful with 25 but careless with one), being discerning (sometimes things just work out a certain way), or with acquiring that virus (is apparently very common so one would think being discerning wouldn’t necessarily apply). I was offended by her comment, offended by her judgement, and offended by her apology. It was wrong on so many levels. I was flabbergasted and still am.

Dr. Miyakawa is an excellent, incredibly intelligent, and caring doctor. She always takes her time with me; I never feel rushed. She actually talks to me about any issues I may be having, as if we’re having a relaxed conversation. I always feel comfortable asking as many questions as I need to.
I’ve also seen two other doctors at this office, but I wasn’t nearly as impressed with them. Unlike Dr. Miyakawa, I have felt with other doctors there that I’ve been hustled right out of the exam room to save time and money. Despite this, I always get quality care there. Their staff are mostly friendly (and all women, apparently, for whatever weird reason).
I highly recommend Dr. Miyakawa.

Dr. Miyakawa is part of a Family Health group. She’s nice, but totally overworked. I came in Friday for an appointment, and then came back the following Monday accompanying my friend in the exam room — she didn’t recognize me. So, great interviewing manner. However, her support staff is terrible. They have never sent my insurance info when sending labs out, meaning I always get the bill, and then need to call the lab and give them my insurance. Right now, I’m leaving a message because the lab never received from them my «diagnosis for billing.»
The reason I started going to Dr. Miyakawa was because of stomach trouble; I’ve now racked up about $ 1000 in uncovered bills due to tests, with the end result finding nothing. I ultimately self-​diagnosed with something never even suggested by her. Pretty frustrated; won’t go back unless really necessary.

Long wait. Doctor was very amiable when she finally appeared. She checked me out for my concerns then suggested that I get some other preventative exams. She seemed overwhelmed w/​patients so she recommended that I consult with some of her colleagues.