Lawrence Kagan, MD, FAAP

Can’t say enough good things about this practice. Dr. Kagan is absolutely wonderful. He helped us through our first year of parenthood and we don’t know what we would have done w/​o him! He is not only a fantastic doctor but a friend in need. After moving to New York and not being able to get in touch with my new pediatrician after my baby had her first fall, Dr. Kagan was there for me. He is a gift to new parents. Simply the best.

My husband and I just can’t stop raving about Dr. Kagan. Our daughter’s stubborn eczema on her cheeks went away after we started the regimen he recommended. He’s not only very knowledgeable, he’s also a genuinely caring doctor who knows how to empathize with other parents b/​c he has children of his own. I deeply appreciate how he called to check in on how her skin was responding to the regimen he prescribed. We can’t recommend him enough!!!

We went in based on a recommendation from our OBGYN, and the prenatal consultation was great. The office is so pretty with the aquarium and the little nic-​nacs you can keep up. Dr. Kagan told us he’s expanding to build another section for sick patients, which we loved as our little ones can now crawl safely and touch everything in the well section. He was very thorough in terms of what services he can provide vs. not. Despite being out of network, we love the fact that he wants to be part of the family and be an influencer in our child’s life. One of the things he said is that because I do not have to see a certain number of patients every day, I have time to follow-​up with you and your kids to ensure they are not overmedicated and that they are getting the attention/​guidance that they need. Also the front desk service was great, no waiting time and there’s parking right outside of the office that’s semi validated… incredibly convenient for working parents on the go.

Dr Kagan is amazing and is everything you want in a doctor! He is very smart, caring, and genuinely loves children. He takes pride in providing his patients with the most attentive care possible. He will spend as much time as you need answering questions during an exam, he follows up with phone calls to see how your child is doing, he responds to questions via text, and he always calls us back right away when we have an emergency or urgent matter after business hours. His office is also amazingly beautiful providing a calm comfortable place for kids.
We have to pay out of pocket to see Dr Kagan but it is worth every penny knowing that the health and well being of our kids are in his hands. We only started seeing Dr Kagan when our first son was 3. He immediately diagnosed a diaper rash as a bacterial infection and our poor son had been suffering from this for years as none of his other doctors could correctly identify the problem (and we tried various other remedies with no results). It cleared up in less than a week and our son was so much happier. That experience alone solidified our belief that our kids would go to Dr Kagan no matter what.
When our second son was born he had a fairly bad case of jaundice. The nurses at the hospital wanted me to keep him in a machine under lights away from me all day and night. Thanks to Dr Kagan’s expertise, follow up, and persistence, I was able to nurse my baby and hold him with me for more than 20 hours each day. Having him beside me in that time was invaluable!
Another thing that makes Dr Kagan amazing is that he doesn’t preach or condemn one ideology or parenting style. He sees his job as keeping your child safe and as healthy as possible. He will work with you and what you feel is best for your baby and your family. He believes in a healthy mix of natural remedies and western medicine. He advocates strongly for vaccines but will offer an alternative schedule. He is willing to take a wait and see approach if you don’t want to use antibiotics but he will also recommend them when he feels they are definitely necessary.
I can’t say enough good things about Dr Kagan… he is just simply the best pediatrician that I know!

Dr. Kagan does THE Best Wee job for the little nugget! Kind, thoughtful and gentle! Wouldn’t trade him for another Doctor! Clean, sanitary, bright and cheerful office. Lovely staff as well!

When our son was 4.5 months old, we decided to switch pediatricians. We really liked our first ped, however, she went on maternity leave and was the only doctor available in her practice. It became difficult to get in to see her and being a new mom, I know how tough it is to focus on a new child AND work so I decided to find someone else. Thank goodness I found Dr. Kagan! He is awesome. We are so fortunate to have him as our son’s doctor. He is incredibly informed, gentle, reassuring, and you can tell he just adores being around kids. He never makes us feel rushed even when we have a zillion questions. Being a nervous and anxious first time mother, I frequently email Dr. Kagan concerns and questions and he always responds in the nicest most thorough manner. I must drive him crazy but he sure doesn’t show it :-)
I am also a fan of his approach to medicine. At our first appointment, he told me he walks the middle line and likes to blend Western and Eastern medicine. He doesn’t believe in writing a prescription unless it is absolutely necessary for your child’s health. He encourages the use of homeopathy and acupuncture and chinese herbs. His vaccine schedule is also great. He gives only one shot per visit so it doesn’t become too uncomfortable for the baby.
Clearly, Dr. Kagan knows his stuff. You can never be too careful when it comes to your child’s health. Even though his practice is out of network, if you can afford it don’t think twice about coming here. He is worth it. We are in good hands, and feeling so blessed to be his patients.

I agree with all other reviews. This is the best doctor i have been for my two boys.
He would take all his time for you and answer all questions you have even by texts.

We have brought our daughter to Dr. Kagen since birth. He is the most caring, intelligent, kind, personable, and conscientious doctor we could have ever asked for. One of my favorite things about Dr. Kagen is that he is so much more than someone to call when your kid is sick; he is really a partner in the parenting experience. I never imagined looking forward to doctor’s appointments! Every check-​up he basically primes the parents for what to expect in the coming months. He has helped us encourage healthy eating, sleep, and behavioral habits, and helps us understand developmental phases. I never expected this, and feel that his advice has truly made parenting a much easier and enjoyable process.
He and his staff have always accommodated our emergency appointments immediately — and have even saved us from stressful emergency room trips.
I would wholeheartedly recommend his practice to any parent looking for a pediatrician!

The best doctor I’ve ever met. The other reviews are all entirely accurate. The kids love him, the parents love him, he’s insanely knowledgeable, he spends as much time as you want with you, he only recommends the safest and highest quality methods/​vaccines/​ointments/​medicines/​etc., and he is a very cool guy.
But, just as importantly, his staff is great. They take care of you, are never rude, always handle our schedule adjustments with ease, are personable, and keep his office running smoothly. The office is set up very intelligently (separate healthy and sick entrances). Everything is top notch.
My biggest complaint is that he only takes kids. Why can’t he be the general practitioner for my wife and I as well?! (Although he has given me advice previously when I’ve felt sick!)
My wife and I decided as soon as we started with him that we would use him for as long as our kids needed him, no matter where we lived. If we moved out of state, I think we would probably fly in to see him. He’s that good.

If you are willing to pay for out of network service, he and this practice is affordable and worth every penny. He will take the time to answer all your neurotic little questions as a parent. You will not be rushed. He is flexible in administering care and will help with advice to support, not undermine your parenting style and goals. He is a believer that parents are there to give children the tools to live in the real world, not to give the child a false sense that the world will cater to every whim of the child. There is no «annual membership fee.» Vaccines are spaced out so your little one will not get poked three times in one visit. I love the fact his bathroom has a tiny flushing toilet for the toddlers to use! Parking in a back lot. Sick and well petient waiting areas. No icky «where has that been» toys that you will need to pry out of your child’s hands. Also, his aquarium houses Nemo and Dory’s stunt doubles.

Dr. Kagan has been our sons pediatrician since he was about 3 days old. When we brought him home from the hospital, even though I told Dr. Kagan that we had decided to go with a different pediatrician, he insisted that we bring him in just so he could look him over. This was the BEST decision we ever did. Dr. Kagan caught a potentially dangerous level of jaundice in our son that doctors at the hospital had missed. He even came into his office that weekend on a Saturday to see us and make sure that the jaundice was subsiding. Truly amazing.
Our son is now almost one and we have another baby on the way, who will also be a patient of Dr. Kagans. He has been a true partner and support in addressing all of our concerns, answering questions and taking care of our sweet boy!
The staff is amazing and always friendly and warm. They do not take insurance but the out of pocket cost is right in line with the fees most doctors in the areas charge and they happily submit everything to your insurance company so you’re reimbursed in a timely manner.
I highly recommend Dr. Kagan to anyone looking for a new Pediatrician.

As a first-​time mom who is over-​the-​moon about our little baby, I was determined to find the best physician for our daughter. Dr. Kagan is THE BEST PEDIATRICIAN in all of Los Angeles, and probably in all of California… here’s why:
1) Thoughtful practice. By this, I mean that his clinic has separate entrances for sick children and well children visits so that there’s no worry about contagion; he has the newest, most up-​to-​date equipment; his office carries the best vaccines (vaccines with the least amount of preservatives, adjuvents, mercury, etc.) and he has a graduated approach to vaccinations that takes the baby’s emotional and cognitive responses into consideration.
2) Proactive! Dr. Kagan is all about being proactive instead of reactive so that your child will be well-​cared for without having to go through unnecessary medical procedures or drugs. For example, at our 2-​month visit, Dr. Kagan very keenly noticed that our baby has a slight tilt to her head and that one side of her head was starting to flatten out. He diagnosed early torticolis (tightening of the sternocleidomastoid muscle in the neck) and we were able to start correcting this problem with physical therapy early on, instead of waiting till she got bigger and her neck getting worse to the the point that our baby would have to start wearing the baby helmet that you’ve seen on other babies to correct flat head syndrome.
3) Dr. Kagan is a perfectionist. When we had a certain immunological concern for our newborn, not only did Dr. Kagan look up the latest information on the issue, but he consulted with specialists at UCLA, who gave their 99% opinion on the course of action we should take. Dr. Kagan was not satisfied with a 99% opinion and took it upon himself to contact the head person at the CDC to get the recommended course of action. Dr. Kagan said, «I can come up with what should be done 99% of the time, but we need to make sure that we know with 100% certainty what should be done.» Wow. We were so blown away by his response!
4) Awesome bedside manner. Dr. Kagan will spend sometimes an hour with us, listening, providing easy-​to-​understand explanations to medical terms in a way that teaches us things about the growth and development of our daughter, and he’s warm and caring. He’ll ask questions about her sleep and give awesome suggestions (our baby is now 4 months old and sleeps 10+ hours through the night… all we did was follow Dr. Kagan’s advice).
5) Passion. When we interviewed Dr. Kagan and toured his beautiful clinic during the meet & greet, what we were really excited about was his passion for what he does and why he decided to become a pediatrician. It is so apparent how that passion overflows into his practice and results in our baby getting the best care we could imagine. We’ve never had to wait longer than a day to get a response to any of our emailed questions about our newborn, and Dr. Kagan always makes himself available.
We highly, HIGHLY recommend Dr. Kagan and his awesome practice to any parent! You will be so glad to have him on your side, helping to take care of your little one.

The previous reviews tell the story of Dr. Kagan. Not only is he a good pediatrician, he may be the best doctor in general I’ve ever been too. I seriously wish he handled adults as well.
I’ve never had a doctor sit down and take the time to listen to all my questions patiently EVERY time we have visited.
An excellent choice if you are looking for a pediatrician.

Quality here is truly as good as it gets. Dr. Kagan is a godsend. He’s knowledgeable, up to date on research, friendly and takes his time with you. He is also really flexible and accommodating with parenting styles and gives you plenty of options for treatment.
Our son is 15 months old and we’ve been to several pediatricians. I’m often disappointed in the knowledge level and staff friendliness, but this is definitely not the case with Dr. Kagan and his office. The staff are always very helpful and patient. It’s also pretty easy to get same-​day appointments AND the wait is minimal. One more plus — the office is clean and feels nice. It doesn’t feel too clinic-​y.
The only downside is that it can be pricey if your insurance does not reimburse. They’re out of network, and my insurance doesn’t reimburse until I hit my super high deductible. As much as I adore Dr. Kagan, I’m not sure that I can afford to continue going there. I just wish there were more offices and doctors like this that were covered by insurance.

The first time I visited him with my son I was a little bit hesitant. But as soon as I walked in to the office I felt straight away that this was the place to take my son from now on. They have a separate entrance for people that come in with a contagious decease. With in 5 minutes we were in a room and Dr. Kagan was right behind us. He really took his time to go over my sons history. I have since then been back and have gotten the same treatment every time!

I found Dr. Kagan’s positive reviews on Unilocal while researching pediatricians on the Westside just before our baby girl was born. While considering our options, I happened to overhear some women speaking about their pediatrician experiences at a children’s store in Brentwood — one of them was raving about Dr. Kagan and his practice.
Our little girl is now 4 months old, and we couldn’t be happier with our experience at Westside Pediatrics. Dr. Kagan always goes the extra mile and truly seems to put our child’s welfare and happiness first. Highly recommend.

Dr. Kagan is the BEST pediatrician ever. I am an obstetrician and my son’s father is a pediatric surgeon. Therefore, Dr. Kagan had his work cut out in terms of proving that he was worth us switching from our previous pediatric group. Well, it was night and day! Dr. Kagan’s care for our son Jaden is above and beyond any expectation we had. I have told ALL my patients that they should transfer their care over for their children to Dr. Kagan. He stands out and I know ALL the pediatricians in town. ALL OF THEM! Dr. Kagan spends time listening to our needs, and explains to us and to our child what the issues are. He discussed medical issues, nutrition, discipline, child raising, supplements and anything that was of concern to us with knowledge and expertise that superceded any website or textbook. Our son loves him. When he was recently sick with high fevers Dr. Kagan was with us everyday checking in on us and making sure we did not start antibiotics unnecessarily. He would show my son his ears on the big screen TV so Jaden could actually see his own anatomy and understand where his infection was beginning. I never have to wait. His office is top of the line, state of the art with a wonderful staff. I am seen the same day and am always accomodated. switch now

I know Dr. Kagan and his family personally and was thrilled when I switched out of my HMO so that he could be my twins’ pediatrician. He has already gone above and beyond any other pediatrician I have ever known in my life and we haven’t even turned in our paperwork yet. He is thorough, loving, paternal and has just enough goofiness to keep my kids at total ease.
I only wish I had a Dr. Kagan-​like pediatrician when I was a kid! My kids are so lucky that he can be their doctor for the rest of their pre-​pubescent life.