Sally Ward, MD, MPH

I like Dr Ward as a person, and I think Dr Ward is the best doctor I have seen at One Medical. I really want to like One Medical more, but so far I haven’t been very impressed.

Dr Ward is the greatest MD around. Always listens and gives thoughtful answers not off the cuff. She is upbeat and knows her stuff and thats not always the case with MDs. So this nurse gives her a top rating!

I really liked Dr. Ward until she told me that the reason I had gained A Lot of weight was because I was over 40 and that’s what happens. Not the case. I kept saying there were signs of fatigue and weight. She kept saying I was fine. I went to my annual ob/​gyn and told her the same thing. She checked my thyroid, found a lump referred me back to Dr. Ward for a follow up and low and behold, Dr. Ward called me on Christmas Eve to tell me I had thyroid cancer. She referred me to a surgeon who was on vacation and busy until after the holidays. After my surgery, one would think Dr. Ward would care enough to at least follow up. No such doctor here.
She is probably a really nice person, but needs more medical experience and to be honest, I am not sure what she was thinking if she was at all returning my email with a call on Christmas Eve to tell me I had cancer.

I love Dr. Ward. Best doc I’ve had in the last 20 years. She’s smart, thoughtful and NOT judgmental (which is key). Super thorough and patient and makes you feel welcome and like everything will work out. Love OneMedical as well. They have always accommodated any same day requests, you don’t feel like you’re in a ‘mill’ when you go in and the whole experience makes going to the doc less crappy!

I don’t think the previous review actually allows you to ascertain the skill or quality of this doctor, as it was strictly based on the circumstances of the group to which Dr. Ward belongs. [Which, by the way, is headquartered in NY/​SF, so please save your «Marin entitlement» complaint for more richly deserved areas (of which there are many in Marin, no doubt).]
Personally, after 15+ years of overall crappy customer experience with HMOs and «regular» practice PPOs (huge waits, no return phone calls, etc), I was willing to try this out for a year.
Dr. Ward, first and foremost, is a caring physician who will go the extra mile for you.
About half-​way into my 1^st year «trial» with this medical group, I called after hours with what I thought was food poisoning. The advice nurse gave me the usual advice, but said she’d let the doctor know. Dr. Ward called me back about an hour later, from the East Coast (where I believe she was on VACATION) at about 11:30pm her time, and checked in, offered to call in a prescription for my nausea, and said she would follow-​up when she got back to the Bay Area.
And she did. Three days later, she called to check on me. I was astounded at that level of care and follow-​up. Not to get into it about the sad state of our society that something this simple should be so amazing, but needless to say, I decided to stay with the practice after the initial trial year.
Subsequent visits have been thorough (an hour appointment for an annual physical, which included going over any health issues/​medical background, etc).
Making appointments is easy and fast (usually can get in within 1 – 2 days).
Lab results (for blood cholesterol, etc) are actually emailed to me with a thorough explanation (Had never seen the actual lab results with previous doctors) and follow-​up questions are quickly answered by the doctor.
All in all, probably the best doctor experience I’ve had in the last 10 years (at least).

Best medical office I’ve been to. Reminds me of the days when I was growing up and insurance paid for you to go to any doctor you chose and you got excellent and immediate care. And this is on an HMO!!! Have a question or concern? You can email Dr Ward directly and get a response. Need prescription refills? They keep all your information in their computer for easy, effifcient, immediate service. In a medical crisis? I’ve been given Dr. Ward’s cell phone number in time of a potential emergency over the weekend. Phenomenally helpful, knowledgeable and available staff. I found out that I might be able to get retro-​approval for a $ 6,000 service insurance did not pay for. They’ve graciously and patiently gone through every step to assist the retro-​approval request, including sending me email updates without my asking. The $ 120 or so boutique fee? If you have it, worth every single penny for the service and care. AND there is a naturopath doctor on staff, so if you care to use western and holistic approaches, it’s all right there.

Sally is an outstanding doctor. During the holidays both my wife and I incurred medical emergencies. We could on both counts get appointments on the same day with Sally. She also arranged for all the related lab work and test to be set up so we did not have to come back to her office. She followed up with us by email almost on a daily basis. She promptly let us know of the test results within 24 hours in one case and within 3 working days in the other. She is very caring. She is an outstanding listener. She is very knowledgeable. Well I could go on and on. She is a near goddess of modern medicine in a way I did not think it was practiced in the US. Just as a note, I am not a personal friend of Dr. Sally Ward. I am not affiliated in any way or form with her medical group. This is a real review.