Raskin Stephen, MD

I feel extremely grateful that Alameda has a cardiologist like Dr. Raskin. He has been treating my husband for over 10 years. He is very knowledgeable and takes the time to thoroughly explain everything. He also has been very good at getting my husband referred to top notch surgeons for his heart problems. I might also add that Kate, his nurse, really helped in a big way (more than once) in finding out who to contact to expedite getting a particular drug that, under our insurance, can only be obtained via mail order. Her help relieved a lot of stress in this already stressed out wife whose husband was soon going to have heart surgery. I would recommend Dr. Raskin to anyone needing a very good & caring cardiologist. I cannot say enough good things about him & his staff.

OK, I’m updating /​upgrading my review of Dr Raskin after my second appointment. The pre-​appointment process with his office manager Kate prior to my first appointment was really unfriendly and difficult. She seemed pretty tech challenged. But … Dr. Raskin left a very good first impression at my appointment. I’ve since been back to see Dr Raskin a second time, and it was a better experience. Kate was more cordial and professional, and Dr Raskin impressed me as a very knowledgeable cardiologist with good communication and inter-​personal skills. I’m starting to feel grateful to have such a good cardiologist locally in Alameda.

I had my first visit this past week with Dr Raskin and I found him upbeat, informative and very easy to talk to. I will say he does talk fast and seems to expect quick and exact answers, but it didn’t bother me. I prepped for the meeting and brought notes, which really helped, because there was a lot I was hoping to cover. All in all: I’d definitely recommend him (so far… keep in mind we’ve only met once) and I look forward to working with him.

Dr. Raskin IS an excellent cardiologist. He may not have the best «bedside manner», but I’ll tell you what… he knows his stuff! He is honest with his patients and the few times I’ve taken my Mother to her appointments, we have never had to wait more than a couple of minutes which is relatively unheard of in a doctors office these days. I feel very secure knowing that my Mom is being taken care of by Dr. Raskin!

Arrogant, disrespectful, and rude.
This guy is supposed to be an excellent cardiologist for pre-​emptive consultations if you are high risk.
He spent the first five minutes lecturing me on all the generic things I needed to do take care of my heart (which television manages to do in 15 second public service announcements) and then preceded to lay out a treatment plan on ordering tests.
This is all BEFORE asking for my family history or why I even came in to his office.
Any time I tried to talk, he talked over me. Apparently he got everything he needed to know about me from the first three words of every sentence I tried to speak.
Even when he asked me a question (not often), he interrupted my response.
I went in looking for some guidance. Explain possible causes of my heart palpitations. Extra measures I should take given my family history. Target numbers for cholesterol or other indicators. Maybe a list of high cholesterol foods and foods that counter cholesterol build-​up. Or even just a referral to a nutritionist.
I got to listen to a man who likes to hear himself talk. And when I got so frustrated with him treating me like I was invisible, unintelligent, or just had no ability to make my own health care choices, I lost it and started crying. He has so much empathy that he just averted his eyes and talked to my husband instead. WTF!!!
I don’t care if he is the best damn cardiologist in the country. No one should ever treat a total stranger with such disrespect let alone a doctor treat a patient with such dismissive ambivalence.
Oh. And he said I should hire a nutritionist (not covered my insurance and very expensive). Though he could say that the woman who worked «just down the way» was very good, he did not know her name and could not provide me with any contact information saying his staff would get back to me. They didn’t.
Needless to say, thanks but no thanks. I’d rather trust the expertise of a double bacon cheeseburger on heart health than subject myself to this guy again.

I made an appointment a month ago to see Dr. Raskin. The first five minutes was spent on him lecturing me about insurance companies and how he will have to be paid and he doesnt provide his services for free. REALLY? I was so disgusted I left the premises. What an asinine, pompous, freak of a doctor… if he even IS a dr. He had the gall to check with his staff to make sure I was legit with my insurance. A complete waste of my time. I was so revolted with his behavior that I reported him to UnitedHealthcare. I have no idea on what they are going to do, but I warn anyone who wants to see a cardiologist… DO NOT SEE DR RASKIN IN ALAMEDA. HE IS A MONEY HUNGRY FILTHY BASTARD.