David Senechek, MD

Its so funny Jim M that you did not choke on your tongue! You are a bitter Jaded loser who cant seem to be honest enough to admit that 1993 to 2009 during which the doctor cared for you, he ran 145 kidney related labs including Urine analysis for abnormalities managing your fowl kidneys, 2 cats scan, 2 ultra sounds. Despite the warnings the doctor gave you about eating a pound of olives along with alcohol, you continued. The few times your kidneys elevation occurred, the doctor skillfully got you back on your healthier level. So a year and a half after you left his practice for a more geographically convenient doctor and your tired and overworked kidneys went into failure and your new doctor was stumped and could not do what this brilliant doctor did, why do you think you should hold him responsible for you deterioration at this point? As a matter of fact, would this not have been reasons to sue him for such a horrible fate? Yet you did not!!! You are your own destruction. Dr Senechek maintained your kidneys levels at a normal range for the period. For ALL of Doctor Senechek patients and colleagues who are honest humans would say that this ISNT possible. He could spot a headache before you could even realize you are having one. How dare you put such a negative tone to someone who only helped you for so many years? 16 years to be exact!
Hope in your next life you return as a moss or better yet a little rock to complement your non human self walking around in your own purgatory having to face yourself with this lie and then seeing your own ugly face in the mirror on top of all of that.
Dr Senechek is one of the most brilliant doctors from Harvard Medical. You should have been honored that he looked at you, much more touch you with his hands, even through a gloves.
I cannot image the chaos, hatred and grief you see inside when you close your eyes each day or night having to be with yourself as long you sleep, anxiously waiting to see if you will make it with yourself until daylight when you can at least distract yourself visually with your insignificant day/​life.

Hey y’all. So I know Dr. Senechek closed his practice. Which makes me very sad. I really need my old medical records from his office. Has anyone else run into this? How’d you go about retrieving your records?

Dr. Senechek was my doctor for the better part of 17 years. I was generally satisfjed with our relationship for about ten years. I began to sense that something was amiss as his mood and demeanor changed. He was now very curt in his dealings and rushed through our appointments.
Today i find myself a peritoneal dialysis patient – for the past five years I find it necessary to dialyze four times daily directly due to Dr. Senechek’s negligence. As evidence of his neglect, i refer all readers to the California Medical Board. A few years into dealing with renal failuure, I was contacted by the Board. They had combed through his records and discovered that my medical records showed deteriorating kidney function over a ten year period. Dr. Senechek apparently ignored the steadily rising creatinen numbers and traces of blood in my urine. Having already switched doctors (i was told the renal failure was brought about by high blood pressure. It then occurred to me that Dr. Senechek rarely if ever took my blood pressure), i found myself immediately hospitalized in march 2010 when a routine blood test showed complete and total renal failure. For five years i have been beset by a host of major illnesses, one of which nearly resulted in my death and required eight months of continuous hospitalization.
I write this review five years later as therapy for an egregious wrong which can never be righted. Dr Senechek’s incompetent treatment has changed my life forever. I now confront a near constant stream of pesky illnesses, not to mention a depleted savings account as i can no longer supplement my income.

Dr. Senechek has been my trusted adviser for many many years. He coached me from 12 T-​cells to 1200. Unfortunately, as doctoring has become less about knowledge, skill, and experience in medicine and more about navigating the gauntlet of insurance, regulations, and paperwork, Dr. S was not the best business man. It’s too bad that doctors need more than ever to be both.
I agree that Dr. S made some really bad choices for front office staff, but it’s too bad we all lose his incredible contributions. To all the people who trashed the good doctor, I guess you got what you were after — destruction.
David shutdown his practice in February 2015. Sorry to see you go.

So sorry to writ this but it has been three weeks trying to leave a message… Your be does not work… your website on zoo doc does not exist… I tried everything to make an appointment and I at my wits end… Have to switch to a doctors office that picks up the phone… I reiterate you can’t leave a message. It just loops back to the beginning of a very long and arduous message… Here’s an opportunity to tell me what’s going on… 323−333−5311

David Senechek was my Dr. For over 20 years. He is kind and caring and smart. I’m alive because of him. My best friend was under the care of Kaiser hospital and became very sick. They were going to let him die so I made an appointment and consulted with Dr. Senechek. He gave me information and ammunition to go fight Kaiser. Their response was how did I know about that and that it was a radical procedure. I demanded it be done Andy friend lived for 10 more years. He had 10 more birthdays and. 10 more Christmas holidays which he loved so much. every year at Christmas I am so thankful that Dr. Senechek was in our lives. Kaiser asked me to be on their patients advisory board because oft thinking outside the box and getting Drs. To think a different way. This is why Dr Senechek deserves five stars. If you have to wait or have a billing problem, welcome to the real world. If you ever need a brilliant caring Dr. You’ll be lucky to have David Senechek by your side.

In the earliest days of the AIDS crisis, there were damned few docs who had any expertise. Many patients educated themselves and their docs at the same time. We had to. No other choice. It was that or die. David Senechek kept MANY of us alive when it was almost impossible to do so — according to then current medical thinking. I have known David for over 28 years now. He’s an amazing doc and I will always be thankful for his expertise, patience, and persistence. HIV+ for some 30 years now and counting. Thank you David! Mark I

The person processing the bill is extremely rude and he should be fired. He never follow up on any of the emails/​calls and didn’t take any time on explaining why my bill was so high and just sent it to collection. It’s too bad that such a great doctor has such a poor administrator.

While I still think Dr. Senechek is a good Dr. I had to change my review due to his office practices. Having changed doctors due to an insurance change, I am still fighting to get copies of my medical records for my new provider. I have even filled with HHS a HIPPA privacy complaint since the struggle to get my records has gone on too long.
Ultimately Dr. Senechek has to be held responsible for how his office runs and it is abysmal. Stopped by to get records in person didn’t even work since there is no staff there to help even in regular posted business hours. You never know when they are going to be around.
Messages go unreturned and it is just a shame his practice has disintegrated into the mess it has become. Time for someone to retire and save the little little bit of reputation he has left.

Awful. Please read this full review. It’s long but it shows you how frustrating the last ALMOST YEAR has been. I used Zocdoc but should have looked at Unilocal first to see other reactions.
I, a healthy 27 male, went to get an annual physical with Dr senechek in ²⁄₂₀₁₃. I scheduled an appointment for late in the day so I could work from home for a day before going in, but his office called to move it up, which was inconvenient for me, but I made it work. I got to the office and waited for almost an hour even though his office was the one that rescheduled me.
Finally I see the dr, and I noticed his bedside manner was a little unusual (rarely made eye contact and was very curt — similar experience to others on Unilocal). Our interaction felt awkward, but I looked passed that. Got a blood test and was told to call to get my test results.
Over the next month I called with no responses. I left VMs at his office and cell (which he gives to his patients, but if you’re going to ignore phone calls why even bother? Is it a way to feign a relationship with your patients?). I make another appointment to just get my blood results. Again I schedule a late day appointment so I can have a full day of work from home, but I was called to come in earlier AGAIN. I am pretty much certain that he just wants to head out early regardless of how that impacted his patients’ schedules.
I waited *another* hour in the office, (again, HIS OFFICE rescheduled ME). Finally when he saw me he gave me an A+ for my health, but said I should take some vitamin d supplements and I am on my way (exactly what another reviewer said). I was in his office for less than 5 minutes. Weeks later I get a bill for almost $ 150. I am flabbergasted, because he originally told me to call for my results, but since he didn’t respond to my calls, I made an appointment to simply find out what I was expecting — that I was fine.
Anyhow, his office billed me for CPT code 99 215, which after research, means you need to have 2 out of 3 of the following (source is here —
):
1) Comprehensive medical history
2) Comprehensive medical exam
3) High Complexity Medical Decision-​Making
OR have 40 minutes of face to face time. Our appointment fits NONE of these.
I call his office numerous times but of course no one answers. I leave a voice mail, and am given a call back by 1 of his assistants, Mark Upton, who finally called me. He is incredibly rude and tells me I am questioning a Harvard Medical School grad (exactly what happened to someone else who left a review). CLEARLY this has happened before, even though he says I am the first person to ever complain about this. He then asked me what I want to pay. Again I am baffled, saying I want to pay the appropriate amount of whatever the code should be. Finally he tells me he will pay for the charge, which is ridiculous and a lie. Again I tell him I just want to pay the appropriate amount, and he finally tells me to not call back, they will pretend the appointment never happened, and to find a new doctor (which I was already planning to do).
2 months later, I get another bill. I read the following Unilocal review (
) from another dissatisfied patient, (in summary, she threatens to report Senechek and only then does he bill her properly). I leave a similar VM about reporting him and only then does the dr call me back and leave a VM telling me he has zeroed out the charges. He calls again and I tell him I don’t want him to zero the charges out, I just want him to bill me properly, and he says he’s already zero’d it out and to not report him because he prob wouldn’t be in business anymore in a few months, so it probably wouldn’t be «worth my time». He went into a diatribe about how he makes very little money and «the Kaisers of the world will probably win out». Absolutely ridiculous, but I’m glad that he zero’d out the charges.supposedly.
A few months later I get an OVERDUE notice for my bill. At this point I go to his office and talk to a different admin. She says the dr isn’t available, but I tell her my story, and I leave with a signed note from the Dr (probably forged, but good enough for me), saying my charges are $ 0. I got this note in case I saw anything on my credit report related to this ridiculous charge.
2 months later I get ANOTHER overdue bill. Finally I say eff it, and I pay the charge. I’m not out that much money, but it’s the principle.
Dr Senechek and team, if you’re reading this, I urge you to clean up your act.

Got here at 10 for my appointment. I’ve been sitting in this tiny odd waiting room for 54 minutes and no one has acknowledged that I’m here or have an appointment.

This is an incident where I did not listen to Unilocal reviewers and regretted the most. Thou MUST never go to thsi doctor! The ordeal started quite benignly back in November last year, when we (a young, healthy couple) decided to go to him for our annual check-​up. He (after arriving 30 minutes late) of course told us in great deplth, about his Harvard degrees, his aeronautical degrees, his excellent career and his regular exercises. He asked us to get our blood and urine tests done. If these tests show nothing wrong, the doctor usually just calls the patient and tells he/​she is perfectly healthy. Instead, he called us to his office again to say that we have slight vitamin deficiency, so we should take daily vitamin pills.
And when we thought it was all over, the downhill experience started. We both are covered with our individual insurances, from whom, we got bills exceeding $ 800 the next month! The doctor’s office had submitted (icd-​9) codes for not preventive services, but for treatments. After trying literally 3 times a week, i could not once, get hold of the doctor. The receptionist asked me to get in touch w Mark, who also i could hardly contact. And when i finally did get to talk to him, he told me very rudely that by requesting a review, I was doubting a 20+ years of career of a Harvard-​graduate, and that the office has never ever submitted wrong codes. I involved the insurance-​specialist from my work, who also could hardly talk with Mark. It was only after he (the insurance guy) suggested that we might have to report this experience (of medical malpractice) to the State Board, that Mark finally agreed to submit correct codes (a first in his career, i bet!) to the insurance company. End of story, and we’re in May. End of 6 months of agony and frustration.
I wish there was a way to give negative stars on Unilocal

Dr. Senechek is fantastic!
I actually have a primary doctor but can never get into see her. Only the nurse practioners are available which is extremely frustrating.
Because I could not see a doctor at my own practice, a very good friend and longtime patient recommended I go see Dr. Senechek. I was able to get into see Dr. Senechek almost immediately and I love that I could see his availability and I could book my appointmenet on ZocDoc. The online experience is infinitely better than waiting on hold for 20 – 30 minutes to just try to get a live person at my former doctor’s office practice. And I sincerely appreciated and valued seeing a doctor!
Dr. Senechek asked a lot of great questions, gave helpful advice and listened. Given my upcoming travel schedule, he also proactively prescribed me something in case my stomach bug resurfaces. I asked him about another ailment (tennis elbow) and he listened, walked me through the cause and gave me some solutions — and next steps if the condition does not improve. I really appreciated his thougthful approach.
I highly recommend seeing Dr. Senechek. He is straight forward, very knowledgeable, thoughtful and just a nice person.

Good doctor, terrible staff.
I have been seeing Dr. Senechek for approximately 8 years now. He has always been a good doctor, especially in person. Sure, he may not have the friendliest manner, but he does his job well.
The staff on the other hand are another story. Dr. Senechek used to have great staff until about 2 years ago when he moved offices. The two great staff guys were replaced with a couple of bumbling idiots. I had an accident last summer and had to have follow up surgery. I was unable to do the general practitioner post-​surgical check-​ups because his staff did not return calls. They told me directly they would call me back, and then never did. It has been almost 8 months now since I called them, still waiting for that call back.
When the open enrollment period started I made the decision that it was time to switch to a new doctor. The gatekeepers (his office staff) unfortunately are incompetent and I can’t let the handling of my health needs be handled by such idiots.
Goodbye Dr. Senechek, I appreciated you as my doctor, and wish you’d made some better choices over the past couple of years.

If I could give him 0 stars I would. I had gotten in a car accident and was sent in an ambulance to an emergency room. For follow up they told me to find a new doctor, as I had just moved to the city. I chose Dr. Senechek since he had such great reviews.
I went in, and he did a half hazard check up and sent me to get blood tests. He told me to call if I was still dizzy and vomiting in three days, I was. I called and was blown off by his receptionist. I called again, and still nothing. Weeks went by, never even got a call about my test results. A friend of mine went to a doctor a week after me and got the same tests done and her doctor called a week later with the results.
Now a month and a half later I finally get ahold of the Dr. Senechek after asking the receptionist to have my records sent to me. He then refuses to give me my records, and tell me what my blood tests said. Which I am pretty sure is illegal since I paid a lot of money to have those tests done.
I’ve never been so mistreated by a doctor, especially at a time when I needed one the most.

David Senechek is an incredibly competent primary care physician. That’s why I’ve been going to him for 12 years. I don’t disagree that his manner might be a little gruff in the beginning, but as I’ve gotten to know him over the years, he’s actually very personable. Most importantly, he really knows his stuff — far better than any other doctor that I’ve had. Not only is he good at diagnosing whatever ails me, he understands medicine much better than other doctors I’ve had in my life — like when he explained (in convincing detail) why I should take one statin drug over another. At the end of the day, I know I’m getting solid care.
I know some people are whining about how rude he is, but I think he’s just straightfoward and doesn’t beat around the bush, a quality that I actually value in someone taking care of my health. After all, if I just wanted my feathers stroked when I have a cold, I’d go see my Mom.
I also can relate to the comments about missing the old office, but Dr. Senechek explained that he had to move because of increasing costs. It’s ok with me at the end of the day because he keeps his practice small and makes himself available to his patients. No annoying NP or PA to get through before you can actually talk to a doctor.
As for Carlos … I loooove me some Carlos, but the dirty secret is Carlos was not so good with computers. So Mark is not as much fun as Carlos, but I’m happy to see Senechek’s office come into the 21^st century.

UPDATE: I agree with some of the really nasty reviews here about Dr. S’s sometimes rude, curt behavior, but I have to say, when I was a kid this was just business as usual. Doctors back in the day thought they were God and now, things like that are just not acceptable. I can give you some references to the rudest doctors ever today, and I doubt they are getting this slammed like Dr. S. is here.
Some of the reviews seem personally attacking and to know a lot about the man, and less about the physician. I honestly don’t care whether he’s in a relationship with a staff member or not, but I agree to the following:
1. The new office is dingy and darker, not as nice, but it is still acceptable. I like being able to park on the residential street instead of that b.s. crappy parking lot, so that’s a plus in my book! Add up the fact that the last 12 months I’ve been sicker than I have in 20 years, it’s a small convenience to have for presription pickup, doctor’s visits AND the lab (which is awesome the best Lab I’ve ever been to);
2. The new office staff cannot hold a candle to Carlos who was the bomb! but neither could 99% of any other doctors’ office I’ve ever been to save for one, my endocrinologist who is in LA. Yes, I travel from SF to LA at least once a year for my issues. New staff is new staff, it takes time people;
3. Mark is not Carlos and vice versa. Mark has always worked to help me in the last 6 months, worked out my issues in getting in and/​or insurance in the SAME manner as Carlos did. He even let me bring in my small puppy on a hot day so that the dog wouldn’t die in the car of heat and watched the puppy for me while I was in the doctor’s room. NO Mark doesn’t make me smile and laugh like Carlos, call me ‘girl’ nor get into some ghetto/​tv/​drama discussion about Ru Paul’s Drag U or who did what to whom, etc.…deal with it!
4. The rude & curt behavior. .. well I’ll say it again, I’ve dealt with difficult, I mean really difficult people in the past. I do often feel cut off when speaking or into some argument I didn’t know that I was in with Dr. S. My personal «take» on the issue is that he isn’t feeling well himself. When I’m sick, I’m one cranky, cranky bitch.
Once I found the KEY to explaining things to Dr. S., it worked. For me, I have a tendency to think I know what’s wrong with me instead of explaining the cold hard facts. Instead of «I think I have stomache flu» I now know to say, «I had a 102 fever last night, up all night on the toilet x times and vomited.» That, for some reason, is how to deal with him. Once I act like that, mention that I have a rudimentary understanding of biology from UCLA (ya, I know it’s not Harvard, but it’s not bad), he seems to ease back.
I’d DEFINITELY prefer warm and cozy, but the reality is, I wanted to kill myself over how sick I was for about a year and he fixed it. I went misdiagnosed for six months, took every test over and over again, and Dr. S finally had me try a drug for giardia that saved me. It was contraindicated by the tests, but he was going on patient’s history of masked symptoms and just plain ol’ knowledge. Considering that I went misdiagnosed another time in my life, I am happy and well because Dr. S knew what was probably wrong with me when I DIDN’T. That’s what’s important in a doctor, not his likability.
I’m glad I didn’t have to write my goodbye letters to people, but when you feel like you are dying a little attitude is worth it for me.
~ Ms. Ali

Unfortunately, I and at least 3 friends have all had recent problems with Dr. Senechek and his office and have all left his practice. Even his office manager of many, many years recently severed their relationship and left. While he may have been great several years back, that is not the case now. He is incredibly curt, rude and talks at you. Dr. Senechek is not helpful with even the most basic of prescriptions and needs to see the patient for everything, including filling simple allergy medicines when «seasonal allergies» are currenly a part of a patient’s file. In addition, he moved offices to a smaller, dingier location (perhaps due to a diminishing practice) and his front desk staff is not helpful.
I truly wish him the best and hopes he sees these reviews to change his practice and manner of care-​giving so that his patients can be best-​served. No one needs to treated and spoken to as he often does. I urge all to find another physician until he makes changes.

So Doctor Senecheck got demoted from a Infectious Disease Specialist to a Primary Care Physician. Moved his office and let go of his best staff there. He has someone there by the name of Mark who is the RUDEST person there and claims to be the doctor’s partner. He is rude they don’t return calls like they use to and when they call back they are rudest people ever. I went to the office and its small dirty and smells pretty bad. The patient room was dark dirty and full of equipment that smelled pretty bad.
As much as I appreciate Dr. Senecheck I have to say good by because of his Staff.

It was only a short time ago when Dr. Senechek wasn’t accepting new patients. For over thirteen years, Dr. Senechek has been my primary care physician (PCP) and my only inviolable commitment to my health and well being. Dr. Senechek always knows what to do which is seemingly out of step with other PCPs, nowadays.
Carlos and Patrick, his staff, make-​up the frame on the Renoir. They’ve squeezed me in on merely an hour’s notice on more than occasion, and they’re very, very discreet. I never wait as I’m always whisked into the examination room upon arrival, and they don’t allow sales reps to come to the the office during patient hours.
Dr. Senechek’s matter-​of-​fact, bedside manner complemented by his medical knowledge is what is most reassuring about him. If he poured a cup of Kool Aid, I’d drink it.
Dr. Senechek is so conscientious that he even checks (without ever once having had to be asked) on my out-​of-​pocket prescription costs before writing the prescription, and he foregoes inessential screenings. He’s never once been wrong.
I just hope he never retires. No matter how hard one searches, a more trusting, pragmatic and devoted physician will not be found in Northern California.