Ervin Epstein Jr, MD

Dr Epstein was referred to me by at least 6 different people. I finally called his office in Oakland to make a first time appointment and the young woman who answered the phone could not have been more delightful, professional, and efficient. It appears that there have been some positive changes since the earlier Unilocal reviews!

I saw Dr. Ervin Epstein a few weeks ago in his Lafayette office for a small lump on my back near my armpit, which I was afraid that it might be cancerous. My whole experience was extremely positive, and I’ve thought that all the bad reviews on Unilocal were a little too unfair to him. So, I’ve felt the need to share some of my observations and thoughts:
1) Dr. Ervin Eptein Jr is one of the top dermatologists you can find especially for skin cancer related concerns. You can read more about him on Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute’s website:
2) Based on what I’ve found on the internet, it looks like Dr. Epstein comes from a family of notable dermatologist: His father Dr. Ervin H. Epstein, Sr., his uncle Dr. Norman N. Epstein, his cousins Dr. John H. Epstein and Dr. William L. Epstein have been prominent dermatologists and educators in SF Bay Area. (There must be some accumulated wisdom and knowledge here! :))
3) Unlike many good dermatologists, he accepts most of the insurance plans. (I know that for a fact as my current insurance from HealthNet is not a good one yet he is in my network.) By accepting a wide variety of insurance plans he tries to reach out to as many patients in need as possible. This, though, sometimes cause his private practices to get too busy. Consequently, the majority of the bad Unilocal reviews are due to the long wait times. (Come on people, have some decency! Personally, I totally appreciated the mere fact that I was going to be able to see him with the insurance I had. When I called, the first availability was in 5 week. I said OK and waited. And on the day of the appointment, I didn’t have to wait at all. It wasn’t busy that day in the office.)
4) As for my experience at appointment scheduling and with the front desk staff, I have to say that both of the young ladies I talked (Lia and Amy) to were good at their job super nice. They communicated the information clearly, and they put me at ease.
5) While I had no doubt about Dr. Epstein’s skills as a doctor, I have to admit that I was nervous about his bedside manners, again due to some bad reviews I read on Unilocal.How glad I am that he proved me wrong. Dr. Epstein was empathetic, compassionate, friendly and humorous.
6) After the examination, he took his time to go over with me the top four things we can do for sun protection to skin cancer protection:
a. Roof: Don’t go out during peak hours
b. Sunscreen: Apply thick layers of sunscreen multiple times a day
c. Hat: Do wear a hat, don’t just bring it everywhere with you to leave it in the car :)
d. UV clothing: Wear sun protective clothing. (Ideally one that is completely opaque to UV transmission.) Some places to shop: REI, Sports Authority

7) Finally, the Unilocal address for LAFAYETTE office is wrong. The correct address is: 970 Dewing Ave Ste 301. (It is also the office of Dr. Kelly Hood.) Dr. Epstein works only on Thursdays in his Lafayette office.

This review is strictly about Dr Epstein’s office personal. It is not only his Oak office staff that are impossible to deal with, his Lafayette office is also suffering from the very bad case of not willing to assist. She is Very unprofessional, Rude, Unwilling to assist callers, Pushy, Unpleasant. It seems she doesn’t like her job what so ever and I have to say if you don’t like helping patients please, just leave. Dr Epstein please do something about your staff who answer the phone. Thank you

Really smart, relatively friendly, very well respected doctor, but holy cannoli is his Oakland office bad — long waits, rude staff, shabby environs. I had a mole removed and swore I’d never go back because of the office, but my primary care doc says he’s the absolute best dermatologist around for anything that’s out of the ordinary. I’ve heard his Lafayette office is better than his Oakland one, by the way. If you have to go to Oakland, bring a good, long book — you’ll need it for the waiting room.