Douglas Hulstedt Md

While Dr Hulstedt is a good doctor, his front office is an absolute nightmare. I was told by the receptionist
that Tricare wouldn’t cover my son’s 2 month vaccines because they were given a couple days before he was actually 2 months old. Absolutely inaccurate! She also said that Tricare hadn’t paid their claims. I called Tricare, no claims were submitted! As for getting in touch with the office, I’ve never been able to get someone on the phone. I’ve had to leave a message every time and then wait 3 – 4 days for my call to be returned. Doesn’t give me much confidence if I need an appointment immediately.

We used to go to Dr. Hulstedt for alternative medicine and treatments. Dr. Hulstedt is definitely knowledgeable and always keeps up on all the the new studies. He is informative and knows what he is talking about if you are into Alternative Medicine/​Hollistic Medicine. He is also very knowledgeable in the field of Autism. He is sometimes so into telling you what your child needs and why that he trails off in different directions and its sometimes confusing and hard to follow him. He is a doctor who will make you busy doing tests and trying supplements for your child.
The reason we do not go to him anymore was I could not take the disorganization of the office anymore. From waiting for him to arrive to work late, to randomly being closed during office hours, to waiting over and hour after our scheduled appt time in the waiting room, to them loosing our file, to not getting billed over a year later because the forgot to bill our insurance and then wanted me to pay the full bill, and to have to find statements showing I already paid co-​pays because they forgot to enter it in the system are the reasons we don’t go to him anymore. Also as mentioned from others, it seems they bill you for the length of time you are in with him, which is usually him talking, verses what you are there for. Its a shame that its the office staff and disorganization that makes it hard for parents to go to him. His wife Gloria is the main office person and I feel that maybe they should hire and outside person instead.
The water store he owns, and daughter runs, does have most of the supplements he refers but not all of them. You can find many of the same products on-​line or at other stores for a lot less.

recommended by my gyno and his entire nursing staff said he was also their pediatrician. yes, he gives you a laundry list of supplements at your first meeting, initial response is, is this guy for real?! Over time I did my own research and now continue about 2/​/​3 of the list, do what’s right for you… He’s got a great personality, takes time to explain things and answers my questions. And I truly value his opinion.
A lot of the bad reviews seem to be about his staff… though I have never had an issue with them, it really comes down to the care of the doctor, not the staff.

This Doc is a 100% class act who never stops listening, researching and reading — stays on top of the latest research and works with families to ensure a plan that works bet for them. An absolute treasure for our community.

My suggestion to people considering choosing Dr. Hulstedt as their child’s pediatrician is to use your common sense. If you’re not comfortable with a more alternative caregiver, then don’t go to him.
With that being said, I’ve really enjoyed having him as my son’s doctor. I’ve never had a problem with him or his office staff. All of our appointments have run smoothly with reasonable waits. Dr. Hulstedt is friendly and professional. He was neutral yet helpful when I brought up my wanting to delay our son’s vaccines. He’s never been pushy in any way, and always has time for my questions and concerns.
I honestly have no complaints.

I love dr hulstedt and give him five stars without considering his office staff, his diaper
and wipes supplies or how good his business capabilities are.
Hes a caring individual with a wealth of alternative experince which I love. He gives
me the option to choose which route I would like to take and without going into too
much detail has helped change my sons life which is my main goal in choosing a
paediatician. Other paediaticians have 5 stars and I read about how attentive they
are and how great they are at emailing back and how great their staff are, but they
did almost zero for my boy.
On top of everything Dr H has given me his cell number and I have called him at all
different hours with no problems.

while I DO agree with the mom about the diapers/​wipes and the others about the office staff, I love Dr. Hulstedt. After Doctors on Duty prescribed antibiotics for brochitis for me and my daughter, Dr. H. prescribed one that actually WORKED. Ten weeks of coughing finally ended. He also prescribed natural remedies for coughing.
He is a font of knowledge on alternative medicines and has a posting on his wall to remind folks to take probiotics every time they take antibiotics, which most mainstream doctors don’t do. I also appreciate the list of don’ts regarding plastics, microsaves, etc. He has a great bedside manner and is gentle and patient with children.
And, to be honest, I’ve almost never come across a front-​office staff that is as good at what they do as the doctors — sorry to say — but I almost always have problems with front office everywhere, so that would never deter me. I’ve had doctors who have performed miracles while having bad front office staff; and had I let that deter me, I would never have received their excellent care. Not an excuse and should be fixed, but trust me: this is a great doctor.

Dr. Hulstedt is my daughter’s and son’s pediatrician and I really like his recommendations and suggestions for alternative medicines. He does not push buying them at any certain store as other reviewers have mentioned.
I also really appreciate the lists of vitamins and supplements he recommends… I feel they have been very beneficial for both my children. He leans towards prevention and maintaining good health which I like. He does not hesitate to prescribe mainstream prescriptions when needed though, as in the case of pink eye, etc. when natural meds just won’t do the trick.
My only issue is with the unorganized office staff. So many times we have come in for a specific check-​up, a one-​year appointment for example, and they always ask why we are there when we go back to the room– shouldn’t they have a note of this?
Also, when we are there for just a shot with the nurse, they start weighing and measuring and then ask -«oh, you’re just here for a shot?» Again, I shouldn’t have to tell them this, it should be notated.
All in all, a good experience, but as others have mentioned, if you are not into alternative medicines and treatments, he may not be for you.

Dr Hulstedt is great. He was an option on our list of providers when we first moved here. I originally chose a different doctor, but when I had to make appointments, there was never any availability for several weeks. The other provider also wouldn’t let me schedule more than one child in the same day (I have 4 children– 4 different trips? No thank you!) So I switched to Dr Hulstedt. His receptionist is very friendly and scheduled everyone for that same day! The Dr is very personable and provides good work.
But here’s what seals the deal for me: When my 6 month baby had to get immunizations, the physicians assistant is so skilled that my baby didn’t even cry when she gave her 2 shots. She just kept smiling! Priceless.

I just wanted to back up everyone else on here whose reviews are filtered to say: yep, one of the worst experiences with a physician to date. I could go into it all, but everyone else has covered much of it, and you get the idea.

Dr. Hulstedt has been my both of my daughter’s pediatrician since they were babies. (they are now 10 & 12) I LOVE him and so do my kids. One of their favorite things is the little stuffed animal he always has on his stethoscope. I know it seems silly but they love it, even now at this age. He is very easy going and a fountain of knowledge. I never feel hurried when I’m in the exam room with my children and him. I am by no means one of those «all organic, all healthy» parents yet I still find a lot of his information to be helpful and it feels «right». If I can give my child a couple of multivitamins (just an example) instead of some manmade chemical and get the same results, why wouldn’t I? I NEVER feel pressured to do anything he has suggested, I have never been made to feel like I am a bad parent if I DON’T do something that has been suggested. I only mention this because I don’t want someone who is like me, not quite mainstream and not quite all-​natural, to be turned off. His humor, his bedside manner, and his constant up to date researches are perfect for our family.

I enjoy Doctor H’s sense of humor and the way he talks to my children. Unlike other reviewers, I agree with most of the advice given and my eyes have been opened by some of his advice I previously would not have considered.
This doctor is not for all though. If you are strictly mainstream, then you will probably be happier somewhere else but whenever I have friends ask me where to go to get good care and advice from a doctor that won’t over medicate their kids, I highly recommend Dr. H.
I remove one star because since his move to his new office, they’ve had some issues with their staff which has made billing an issue at times. But even with that issue, I’m willing to be patient, because I would not want to take my kids to their previous pediatrician who would routinely prescribe antibiotics and other interventions for every little thing.
In regards to other reviewers — I have never been encouraged to buy products from any particular store. He has mentioned certain products that are available at Whole Foods, but I’m quite certain he does not own Whole Foods. I actually did research on my own multi-​vitamins and took in some information on what I looked into and he approved.
He could definitely be the right doctor for you if you are natural and open minded.

Please reconsider before making an appointment at this office! While Dr. Hulstedt was nice enough, we were charged $ 260.00 for a regular office visit. No insurance accepted. If this wasn’t bad enough, after we were told by Dr. Hulstegt to leave, because the receptionist was gone for the day, and they would send us a statement; his nurse Gloria, ran out into the parking lot as we were leaving, banged on our car window, and demanded we go back in and pay. When we explained that the Dr. had said a statement would be mailed, she replied, «well he doesn’t handle that… we do!» Very unprofessional to say the least.

We will never go back there!
He was my son’s pediatrician since birth, and we were quite happy when he was the pediatric group. We took all his suggestions with a grain of salt (sure multivitamin, and some supplements, but a b12 shot on a regular basis because he had a speech delay?)
We were less satisfied when he moved to his own practice, but just assumed things would get better after he was more settled there. We made an appointment because my son had an ear infection, and they were accommodating. We sat in the waiting room for 10 minutes with another sick kid, and then were shown back to the room. We waited for just under an hour with no word from anyone about what was going on. My husband kept going out to see if anyone was there, but the receptionist had left, and he couldn’t even find the nurse. We were fed up, so we left, and called the next day to complain. The receptionist was not apologetic, and complained to me that there were 2 highly contagious kids that had had to be quarantined. Hey, was that the kid we were sitting right next to in the waiting room?! yep it was. We were shocked they could be so unprofessional. And just last week i received a $ 150 bill for that visit, it said it was 90 days past due, but that was the first bill i received.

Let’s just say that this is no longer my child’s pediatrician. We moved to Monterey a few months ago and we chose him from a list of our approved providers. Big mistake… I should know to always do my homework. Here are my *primary* complaints:
* The doctor does not have an answering service for after hours. He gives you his cell phone number… so on a Saturday around 2 pm, my daughter was running a 103 fever. We called and left a voicemail. Within 30 minutes, it was up to 104… and creeping higher. After an hour, we just went to the hospital where they clocked her at 104.5. He didn’t call back until after 11 pm at night. I don’t call often after hours but in an emergency, I need some support.
* My daughter was sick for about 8 weeks straight. Only in the last 2 weeks did I convince him to give an antibiotic. He’s really into natural stuff and pushes you to buy stuff from his family store. He gives you a list of all the supplements that you should be using as well as recommendations (no plastic, no microwave, etc.). I can understand maybe promoting all natural and organic products but to specificially tell patients to buy it at his store? I find that to be a conflict of interest.
* The final straw may seem silly to others but I know other moms will understand. My daughter had pinkeye so I took her straight from daycare to his office so she could get a prescription. No diaperbag in tow because I was coming straight from work. Of course, she has a whopper of a dirty diaper while we’re there. Now, I had an extra diaper in the car but no wipes. The office had NO BABY WIPES. NOTHING. This is a PEDIATRICIAN for god’s sake. The nurse gave me some little squares of gauze? What the hell am I going to do with that? Seriously. I left that afternoon and changed doctors.
This was about 4 weeks ago and I’m still in disbelief. A pediatrician with nothing to help a diaper disaster but 2 inch gauze squares. No thank you.