Hala Ali, MD

I saw Dr. Ali when her partner, who is my usual PCP, was out of the clinic. I called with an urgent need and I was so thrilled Dr. Ali agreed to work me into her busy schedule; that alone saved me a trip to the ER. When I arrived, I was fairly anxious/​uncomfortable, and she immediately made me feel at ease and confident that she could treat my problem. I really appreciated her gentle and caring bedside demeanor, and how she was so accommodating with me. She also prescribed meds that had me feeling significantly better within 24 hours. It’s so nice to know that if my PCP isn’t available, her partner Dr. Ali is fantastic too!

Dr. Ali, is the best doctor I ave ever had, she really pays attention in detail and explains any concerns about my health not like other doctors that they are not even listening and give you 10 minutes. she is very thorough an makes me feel that she cares.

As someone new to SF I had been recommended to Dr Ali through my Chiro in the same practice. After quite some time I thought I should make an apt & have a general checkup…& I’m glad I did as I really like Dr Ali. She was caring, sympathetic & I felt I could ask her opinion on a range of topics and receive a caring & informative answer. She also was happy to look up medication etc that she wasnt sure about and got back to me quickly with the information. I like that she is of similar age (30-​something) and feels like she is up-​to-​date with new research and information rather than someone who just practices medicine for a living. I’m really glad I met Dr Ali & would confidently recommend her to any of my friends or family.

After having lost Dr. Newcomer and Dr. Williams, I wasn’t expecting much when I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Ali. But when I met her today, I was very impressed! She was on time, very thorough, compassionate, organized, and totally client centered. She addressed all my issues, gave me some great recommendations, and was calm and not at all in a hurry. I had been planning to go somewhere else for my primary doctor since Dr. Williams left, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Actually, because she is an internist, her approach is slightly different from Dr. Williams who had more of an Eastern orientation. And, at this point, I really like that. She has my vote and my business!

I’ve been seeing Dr. Ali as my primary care doctor for a few years now. She’s thorough and has seen me through quite a few mysterious bouts of illness. She’s friendly and well informed, taking preventative care very seriously.
My favorite mystery that she solved was that I was very dizzy for more than 24 hours. I really got scared because I felt I was constantly on shaky ground. I couldn’t stand upright for long without swaying.
After ruling out all the usual suspect causes (blood pressure drops) and potentially life-​threatening ones, she told me to rest and get back to her the next day. Her final comment was: «you may just be getting a head cold. I’ve seen this happen before. «Guess what? Next morning, I awoke to a terrible sore throat and stuffy nose! Dr. Ali was correct in her suggestion.

Dr. Ali is great. From reading some of these reviews, I think some folks have unusual expectations from their PRIMARY CARE doctor, in particular if this is their first visit!!! I am rather picky and fussy and found Dr. Ali to be very attentive. She asked loads of questions and took the time to try to understand my medical background and then explain issues and further refer me to an appropriate follow up. She was not rushed as most doctors are in large practices. I did not have to wait and my appointment was on time. I felt that she spent MORE than the allocated time with me because she wanted to cover all the issues. I would recommend her to friends and family!

Dr. Ali is not only knowledgeable, but also a very compassionate person. She has always given sound medical advice and I have found this office to run on time and also easy to get a last minute visit if needed.

I found Dr. Ali to be both professional and knowledgeable. She took her time with my office visit and outlined a clear course of action.
I can recommend her and her clinic’s friendly staff in good conscience.

I’m no longer going to Dr. Ali because I think there are probably much better offices out there. (As a side note, I’ve also seen the other female doc there and she was kind of a spaz, slamming drawers looking for stuff like she didn’t know where she was, flustered about everything.)
The doc herself is pretty nice, although she is a little abrupt. And I never got an answer from her that was more elaborate than anything I could get on the Internets. Which is fine. I’m healthy so not a big deal.
It’s the staff and her part-​time hours at that office that finally did me in. On a recent visit, I arrived 10 minutes late and was told I wouldn’t be able to go through all the needed procedures. Fine. My bad. Irritating, but nobody to blame but myself, right?
OK, so at my rescheduled appointment they made me wait 40 minutes. I find this extremely hypocritical. If you’re going to be a stickler for time, then respect mine, too. When I finally got inside — surprise! — there wasn’t enough time to answer all my questions and also go through a physical. $ 40 on co-​pays after two visits and I still didn’t get everything done that I had hoped.
Fine. Again, I’m healthy, so I’ll deal.
But when I had a severe reaction to a medicine, I called the office. They forwarded me to the answering machine that promised a call back within 24 hours. It took FIVE DAYS. No kidding. I was in so much pain that I called another doctor.
Judging from the other patients I saw, I think Dr. Ali’s assessment of their clientele is right: young, largely healthy professionals. So they don’t seem in much of a hurry or concern about anything.
Too bad because the office was near my house.

I would not recommend this doctor to my friends and family.

I went to Chiro Medical for the first time a few months back because ppl recommended Dr. Newcomer. Of course, she had a long waitlist so I opted to see Dr. Ali instead.
I went in for an annual physical — 100% covered by my insurance, all i got was a slew of questions about my medical history and I was out of there in 15 minutes. I figured, maybe she thought i was young and healthy so I shrugged off visit.
Weeks later, I got a billing summary for my insurance. $ 900 charged to my account!!! Not much was out of my pocket, mostly billed to insurance, but STILL!!! Why does she get to charge $ 900 to ask 15 minutes of question. THAT“S JUST WRONG.
I called the office and demanded an explanation. They gave me a bunch of crap. Basically, i told her i have morning allergies and she billed to allergy treatment. I told her my family has a history of XX cancer and she billed to XX treatment. What the heck? Since when did I have to pay a doctor to answer questions. Long story short, she won’t reverse the charges and never called me back. I keep talking to her staff and billing coordinator who keeps asking me to pay.
Forget it… I’m filing an insurance claim. It’s not about the money. It’s about malpractice. I’m not paying for work she didn’t do and my insurance shouldn’t either.
It’s doctors like her that causes healthcare cost to sky rocket.

I have used Chiro-​medical group for 3 years and started with Dr. Newcomer who was wonderful.
However, I have had an absolutely horrible experience with Chiro-​Medical group ever since she left.
Specifically, in seeing Dr. Hala Ali I found her to be remarkably insensitive, don’t get me wrong, she was actually quite nice in person. However, she left me a voicemail telling me that I may have cancer and would have to go to another doctor to get a test. I called her back panicked and asked for further advice — of course, my call went to voicemail so I left a message. AND SHE NEVER CALLED ME BACK. I think it is irresponsible and just plan awful to as a doctor tell someone they might have cancer then not have the dignity to even return that person’s call.
Second problem with Chiro Medical Group — even if you decided to see these doctors, you can’t get in to get an appointment. I was ragingly sick and called on a Wednesday to see if I could come in, I had held off on calling but felt so terrible that I needed to see someone. The receptionist was rude, told me that I could see a doctor in a week (the following Thursday). I told her I really wasn’t feeling well, was there any chance I could see someone earlier? She told me very aggressively, «well, you should have made an appointment earlier.» To which I thought, gee, you are right, if last week I could have predicted that I would get sick, I would have definitely made an appointment…
Save yourself the angst this practice has caused me and find another Doctor.

I first went to Dr. Ali for a follow up after a near death food poisoning experience that hospitalized me in India. I am so glad that I found her right away in such a critical time when I needed exceptional health care advice and expertise. She is such a competent and thorough doctor who really listens to your symptoms, asks all appropriate and crucial questions, and acts accordingly. She is very thorough and smart in her practice and diagnosis. I am sure that I’m somewhat of an unusual case with all of the strange symptoms I’ve come to her with following my India episode, but she’s been spot on in her prognosis and monitoring of my health.

I needed a new Primary Care doctor who accepted my insurance, was in my neighborhood, which led me to Chiro Medical Group, and Dr. Ali. During my first visit, Dr. Ali initiated a very thorough conversation with me about my overall health, before conducting my physical. We discussed a lot of things on a lot of topics regarding my overall health and history. What amazes me most about Dr. Ali is how every time i visit her (which has been about 4 times now b/​c she is assisting me in managing my high cholesterol), she recalls the specific details of my health history and is certain to inquire as to whether there have been any issues or anything new going on with my health. All in all, she makes it easy to discuss my overall health, and most importantly she takes her time, shows a great deal of empathy, and is in tune with me and my health. If you are looking for a doctor who is easy to communicate with, shows care and concern for you and only you during your time together, and has a elephant-​like memory of your previous discussions and visits, then Dr. Ali is the doctor for you!

I wanted to find a physician in my neighborhood so left my doctor in Oakland (Pill Hill) and found Dr. Ali. I went to her for my annual physical and woman’s exam. She was extremely thorough and knowledgeable. She is a kind and sensitive doctor that really takes the time to get to know you and talk to you about what’s going on in your life. It was a great experience and I highly recommend her.

I’m a native to San Francisco and I wanted to find a physician close to my residence in SOMA. I scheduled a routine physical as a new patient but needed to see her prior to my appointment. I called the office at 8:00am and she was able to fit me into her schedule that morning. She was very thorough with her questioning, friendly, and accommodating to my needs. I returned for my physical exam and she was again, very knowledgeable and accommodating.

Qualities I seek in a primary care physician:
1. Holistic care — a doctor who asks about all aspects of my health and takes the time to process the information as a whole so that I can improve my overall health.
2. Sensitivity — a doctor who asks about my health & wellness philosophy and attempts to work with me to honor my wishes, someone who does not make assumptions, and does not make biased remarks regarding health or lifestyle.
After meeting with Dr. Ali, I can only recommend her on the basis of her friendliness (and that of all other office staff.) Friendliness aside, she doesn’t seem to have the crucial qualities that I’m looking for in a doctor. There are quite a number of reasons I wouldn’t return to Dr. Ali, but to name a few:
Though I explained that this was my first visit to a doctor in a long time and I mostly wanted to talk about my health, Dr. Ali seemed unprepared to have an in-​depth conversation. Instead of initiating a conversation about various elements of my health, she immediately asked me about my list of health questions/​complaints and rushed me through them. Several of my questions related to diet, blood sugar, weight gain/​loss and I felt that they warranted a longer conversation and recommendations beyond various blood testing.
Dr. Ali failed my queer-​friendly sensitivity test, asking me about oral contraception during a conversation about acne, and immediately launched into statistics about condom failure before I could edge in, «Um, I’m a lesbian.» (And we were talking about my SKIN.) Dr. Ali replied «Well, that would have been my next question.» All doctors, but especially doctors in the Bay area, should have a conversation with their patients about who they sleep with (and various risky practices they might engage in) before talking about birth control and STD prevention. Because sometimes it’s not relevant to talk about contraception to someone who isn’t sleeping with men, or is perhaps looking to get pregnant. Which brings me to the last hurrah:
Later, when talking about potential ovary issues I might be at risk for, Dr. Ali remarked, «Well, I guess it won’t matter since you won’t be trying for children.» !!
Perhaps Dr. Ali is aware of a new law that prohibits gay women from conceiving children? Why would anyone assume that I won’t be making use of my ovaries just because I happen to shack up with a lady? Just plain ignorance.
So, I’m still on a search for a whole-​body-​minded practitioner who is hip to the ways of baby-​less but maybe someday baby-​wanting lesbians. Please send suggestions my way; I won’t be back to Dr. Ali.

I saw Dr. Ali this week for a general physical, based on the positive Unilocal review. I thought she was fantastic. She was prompt, very professional and knew her medical evidence extremely well. I would highly recommend her if you are in search of a competent primary care physician with good bedside manner.

Ok,
So I’m not from SF, but have been here living in SOMA for a few months for a work project.
I got sick, used Unilocal,and found Dr. Ali
I was able to get an appointment to see her the very same day, and easily located the office.
Now, Dr Ali’s office is located INSIDE and part of a Chiropractic office. So I was a little uneasy and concerned at first that maybe I’d made a mistake and had made an appointment for some chiropractic doctor or something.
As soon as Dr. Ali entered the office, I quickly asked «Do you have anything to do with chiropractice?». She laughed and said «Nope, I’m just a regular doctor»
Dr. Ali was very nice, very knowledgable, and EXTREMELY thorough and accessible. I even got to speak with her on the phone quite a few times, which amazes me!
Dr. Ali was a pleasure to have as a doctor, and I almost wish I could take her back with me to Phoenix :)

Very impressed with Dr. Ali. Five Stars. Interested not only in the reason for my visit but my overall health. Highly recommended.