Adam Bellamy

Uninformed hack.

My boyfriend, a smoker, went to see Dr. Bellamy last week for persistent cough, lasting 6 weeks, that had followed a cold and a recently developed intense pressure in one ear. Dr. Bellamy spent the entire visit lecturing him about smoking. I understand that it is his job to tell people not to smoke and to explain its implications on ones current condition and health in general. It makes sense to me to say these things and then move on. However, it takes an incredible arrogance and irresponsibility to ignore the issue at hand and not investigate any other causes or courses of action. The visit was a waste of time and provided no new information. One thing is for sure; if you are a smoker, don’t go here. Unless of course you enjoy being lectured.

Right off the bat, Dr. Adam Bellamy has this social awkwardness about him. Kinda like that vibe you get when you watch those doctors on those horror-​comedy cartoons like «Courage the Cowardly Dog»
Anyways, I’ve gone to this doctor a couple times now. The best part is being able to get same day appts or next day appts
Even through theres that awkward factor, he’s pretty friendly and takes his time to explain everything to you. He reminded me to take a physical soon.
From other reviews I’ve read and my experience, I do agree that it seems he’s not the preventative type. He doesn’t really dive in and really figure out what’s going on. He has never prescribed me medicine or tests, he told me because I’m young and it’s most likely to be cured with over the counter medicine and time, and if it gets worse, to call him (to then refer me to another doctor to run tests).
Fortunately for me, everything he’s recommended has worked.

Dr. Adam Bellamy is by far the most attentive, knowledgeable, and caring doctor in the Bay Area. It is difficult to come across a doctor who spends more than 15 minutes with a patient, these days: Dr. Bellamy will spend as much time as needed to get to the bottom of the problem. His approach to medicine is holistic and thorough. This is a truly remarkable doctor! I highly recommend him!

Nice guy but. No thanks. Prevention is really not his cup of tea. I can’t help you if you’re not really sick. Just drink some water. You’ve been in a car accident and you’r neck and your back hurt? No big deal. It will go away with time. No pain killer and no PT for you. just put some ice and deal with the pain.
No wonder why I switched just after one year. This guy is a joke.

The review by Dan. E hit the mark, IMO. Like many clinics, including hmo’s like kaiser, there can often be a disconnect before seeing the doctor. At Parkside, Dr. Adam Bellamy’s venue, the front desk is that disconnect. (One person especially seems in dire need of customer relations training). The BP triage nurse, Laima, is teriffic, and her attitude makes that necessary break with the rudeness of the front desk. As for Doctor Adam B, himself, he seems up to date, some knowledge of nutrition (rare for the profession), and will actually get around to reading and understanding your chart. He doesn’t talk down, and is not patronising. But that Magoo quality, mentioned in another review, probably keeps him unaware of the problems at the front desk. You can come in with a physical ailment, but by the time you leave, that desk may have compounded it with stress. Not always, but sometimes it’s just incredible. Occasionally they even answer the phone.!!

I just got back from my appointment at Dr. Bellamy’s office, and to say I’m peeved is an understatement. I went in for my physical, after making sure that if I brought my prescription in that it would be filled. The doctor then told me that this office does not prescribe what I needed. He then tried to give me a referral for testing and the prescription, even after I told him my insurance didn’t cover it, and all of the testing had already been done. He said that the receptionist didn’t have the information to make these promises. He seemed not to care, and then tried to tell me that many people have gotten off this medication.
I am not a person to get prescribed something and not know what its effects are, but he was treating me like I had no idea that my prescription can have side effects. I am healthy, younger person, and he was making it like these side effects were really common, which they aren’t.
Listen, I understand that you might not prescribe everything, but I wasted my one checkup a year on my insurance here, and now I don’t have my meds. Better train your staff, and these problems wouldn’t occur. The saving grace was the nurse they had help and draw blood. She was very friendly, and sympathetic to my problems. Also shes made me feel at home. Just wish that the doctors bedside manner was better. He just wanted to get his point of view across, not caring about my predicament. If you just need a physical, this is the place for you. If you need anything else, find another doctor.

I’ve gone in to see this Dr. a number of times over the years when I had a health problem that had me worried. Each time, I had to deal with hasty front desk clerks and assistants who barely speak English. And a Dr. who seemed ambivalent. Their curent office is an improvement from the run down dusty place with stained furniture on Taraval Street. Not the best experiences, and I feel fortunate that I haven’t been seriously ill. A plus is that it’s easy to get an appointment right away.

I was a patient of Dr. Adam Bellamy’s for over two years before I left.
Adam Bellamy is a nice guy who spends lots of time with his patients. But there’s this Magoo-​quality about him that suggests that if there’s an indicator of something strange, there’s a good chance he’ll miss it. And such things will kill you as you get older, so this quality of attentiveness matters. So I left him.
I did not experience the rudeness issues with the staff receptionist. I didn’t like the waiver I was asked to sign.
Longer story:
I went to Dr. Adam because I had moved to SF and needed a new physician. I’m a research oriented person, so when I went in for my first physical in my early forties, I brought information about the tests I was interested in and the mortality of men in their early forties.
To his credit, Adam and I had a fairly lengthy discussion (typical of all my visits) about the health topics on my mind. We talked about which tests made sense and which didn’t, and proceeded accordingly.
The problem came in followup. That year and the next year, I would get this one weird test result. It wasn’t life threatening but it also suggested a larger problem somewhere down the road in my future. Adam said «try diet and exercise». I did. I went out and lost 15 pounds. I went back the next year and the test was abnormal again. WTF?
Again, Adam said «try diet and exercise». He’s a nice guy, but I didn’t get the impression that he was engaged sufficiently. Even though he was hold my chart at my second physical, he didn’t remember (or he didn’t bring up) that the abnormal test was the same the second year, or that the weight loss (which I pointed out to him) was a result of his directions, and shouldn’t that make a difference?
As I began to examine all of my interactions I started to pinpoint this feeling that he was very cordial, but that he wasn’t that engaged. I want a doctor a bit more attentive than that.
My mother died from a cancer tumor that was missed in a screening by her doctor. The mistake was later acknowledged with an apology. «Being attentive» matters a great deal when you’re a doctor.
Finally a year later I switched to UCSF for my next physical and a new GP. The doctor ran the same test that had been coming back abnormal and said it was perfectly normal, and he didn’t understand how I could have had those results. Nothing else had changed and I hadn’t lost anymore weight.

I am preparing to visit a developing country for a volunteer project. As such, I need several vaccines, and I definitely need it in a timely fashion. Dr. Adam explained to me that they do not carry exotic vaccines, and that I should visit a travel clinic for that. He was, however, more than happy to stick me with a few that they DID have. I then learned at the travel clinic that not only did Dr. Adam over-​vaccinate me, but he did not give me information sheets about the vaccines and their possible side effects– which is apparently required by law.
I then learn that my insurance covers the increasingly expensive rabies vaccine, all I need is a referral from Dr. Adam for someone else who could give it to me (Parkside Family Medical doesn’t carry it). Even though Dr. Adam ends all appointments with «If you have any questions, just call me,» his receptionist insisted on relaying the message, instead of letting me speak with the doctor directly. She kept asking me «Rabies vaccine? Who’s cat is this for? Is this for your cat ma’am?» Lady, I don’t need to teach you what a rabies vaccine is, I just need to talk to the doctor. She finally calls me back after speaking with him with a phone number to give me for the public health department. What for, I have no idea. All I need is a damn referral. I tried calling back the next day and she assured me he would have the same response for me. All I need is a damn referral! I insisted that she wasn’t understanding my question and I needed to speak with the doctor.
He calls me back the next day at 8:20am. I was sleeping, so I missed the call, but called back literally within seconds. No answer, so I left a message. I called again about 4 days later and the receptionist returned from putting me on hold to say, «He already called you back 4 days ago.» I explained what happened, and then she gets the doctor… as if letting me know that he left me a message has anything to do with my need to speak with him. When he finally gets on the phone, he was extremely cold, condescending, and kept brushing off my frustration. I finally got my referral, and when I expressed how frustrated I was at the difficulty of speaking with him, he says «Ok, thank you, bye!» and hangs up. Never in my life has a doctor hung up on me. Quite the professional!

Dr. Adam Bellamy is a wonderful doctor. He is very thorough and knowledgeable. Unlike most doctors these days, he spends as long as it takes with a patient answering all the questions. I have been going to him for two years, and although I moved across town, seeing him is worth the commute back. He is also very punctual and takes every patient seriously. I definitely recommend him !

OK, so I see that Sarah S. had a bad experience and wants to vent. maybe it was a bad day for the both of you. Or maybe it was the tone that was set upon meeting the receptionist. And believe me, I’ve had experiences very similar to what Sarah S. described. But for some reason I chose to hang on… maybe I’m just lazy and they’re right around the corner from my house. Anyway, it dawned on me recently why I was having such a bad experience. Then it hit me – their main receptionist was an extremely sour personality. My wife had similar experiences and finally spoke to Dr. Bellamy. Result? The receptionist is no longer there. When I go into the office now it’s clear how much that individual had set the tone for patients coming in the door. Now about Dr. Bellamy — although he can be a little sterile, he’s a pretty good doctor with professional bed side manners. Listen, I don’t need warm and fuzzy, I just need good solid, competent advice. And I definitely get that from him.

Yeah so I went here knowing I have bronchitis and went here to get some antibiotics and he wouldn’t give me any. This place is bullshit. Don’t waste your time.

You want a doctor who admits he goes to the doctor.
Dr. Bellamy’s office requires that all patients sign a binding arbitration agreement prior to seeing the doctor. I’d never seen this before and asked if I could talk to the doctor about this before I signed it. I was told by the very rude support staff that he would not see me at all if I didn’t sign it, and so I did, just to be able to discuss it with him. He walked in and said, «My boss requires this document before I can treat you.» I said, «I’ve never seen this before at any other doctor’s office,» to which he replied, «Well, I’ve never been to any other doctor.» (I’m 40 and he’s at least as old as I am) and walked out on me.
He was completely uninterested in what my source of concern may be, or even open to knowing what my questions about the document were. There is no way I would ever recommend any one being treated by a doctor who takes such little personal responsibility and blithely lies for convenience.
Appalling.
Oh yes, and his support staff was rude over the phone, which I was very willing to forgive because staff is just staff, but apparently at this practice the doctor is only staff too. Ask yourself, is the «Practice Administrator» going to develop a personal relationship with you and make sure you’re healthy and well?