Marilyn M Robertson, MD

I was referred to this doctor a few weeks back because I need to do an MRI for my neck. I had three bone fusion around 8 years ago and it’s still bothering me. I had to see this doctor because she is the only available at the time. I waited for awhile before she sees me but I figured all doctors visits are the same.
There were many phone calls that day and the receptionist was battling with people on the phone and I thought to myself «how disorganized» this office is and whether I should just leave.
After the long wait, I finally get to see the doctor. She was alright. Not much I could comment on her expertise. I was in a lot of pain that I cried when she was doing the check up. She told me I definitely need an MRI and will have her receptionist send in the paper work to get the insurance authorized.
Two weeks past and nothing. I called three times and the receptionist was very rude and told me she already sent in the paper work and is waiting to hear back. Two weeks? Really? I told her I’m in lots of pain. Then finally on Friday she said it’s approved and right now she is waiting for the hospital to call and set up a MRI appointment.
Nothing happened again… I waited since Friday but no one called. So I called today (Monday) and asked for the phone number so I could follow up myself.
I called Radnet, the facility that I need to do my MRI and they told me they only received my paper work late Friday of last week.
OMG!!! WTF??? I am so upset. I’ve been in pain for two weeks taking all sort of medication and waiting just to find out they only fax the paper work over last Friday?
So I called her office and spoke to the receptionist. I told her she is a liar! She said «Oh, I mixed up your paper with another patient». How? She asked me for my full name and my birthday every time I call in. I told her I was in lots of pain and that’s not acceptable. So she responded «Mam, everyone here is in lots of pain and we have to wait according to the pain level». What? So to fax paper work into insurance company required a wait list of the pain levels? That is so f*** ridiculous.
I will take this further. I will file a complain and talk to my lawyer about this. Unacceptable.
Dr. Robertson, if you read this. You need to fire your receptionist. She gives you a very bad name. Read all the Unilocal review for yourself.
The «receptionist lady», if you read this: Please go find another job. This job is not right for you. You are a liar and have no sympathy for people who are in pain. I could not sleep for many nights due to my pain and I waited and waited due to your lies. How do you even work for this place???

Excellent neurologist. She has been my doctor for over fifteen years. Has taken very good care of me. I have a serious disease with an uncertain future. Dr. Robertson has made sure that I got the care that I needed.

horrible doctor and quick to diagnoss to ruin people’s life.
make’s judgements too fast and labels people. reports people to health department to cover herself and does not care about the well being of the patient. It’s time for her to retire as it’s clear she is just going through the motions. Look for other docotors that actually care!

I began to see Dr. Robertson in 2002 after I developed Cervical Dystonia. She was kind and a very careful listener – in addition to being one of the top neurologists in the state. I was unaware of how to treat my degenerative condition. Dr. Robertson prescribed physical therapy, treated me with Botox, and prescribed medication which stemmed the spasms and pain in my neck and surrounding muscles. I am grateful to Dr. Robertson for her care and brilliant mind. She also takes a holistic approach, paying close attention to you as an individual. I have been very fortunate to be treated by Dr. Robertson. My health and overall quality of life have been much better because of her care. I highly, highly recommend her.

A good doctor but horrible office staff that is disconnected from their 3^rd party billing.

i like this lady a lot. i haven’t had bad migraines since i was in my teens, but finally i just picked this lady at random (much like gentle dental community) based on what my insurance provided. she is NOT overly friendly or cushy at all, but she isn’t «mean» or rude. i mean, i’d call her «shy» or something before any of these things. she’s quite soft spoken. PLEASE keep in mind that she’s very professional and reserved, basically what you think of when you think of a neurologist who is NOT oliver sacks. she prescribed me a great triptan drug which i seem to tolerate really well, and has set up a whole long term plan on how we would attack the chronic migraines i’ve suddenly started having. she was really great at explaining everything, and really listened/​wrote down more than spoke as i was explaining my symptoms.
re: scheduling/​billing/​general promptness
i’ve taken one star off because she seems awfully busy, and it’s a little difficult to get an appointment sometimes. this can be worrisome since i worry that i’ll have the worst headache of my life EVER and have a hard time seeing someone… the lady at the front desk at her castro office is the sweetest lady ever, but a little disorganized. however, she’s disorganized in an adorable way. dr. robertson did have to take a quick call on her phone while i was seeing her, but was very apologetic and returned promptly. i didn’t wait long in her office, either. about 10 minutes, i guess.

I am not one to spread bad news around the internet but enough is enough! I had a horrible experience with this highly disorganized and inefficient office and continue to be harassed by her billing company for a payment that I made over 2 months ago. Interesting that she is treating patients for neurological disorders that are aggravated by stress and yet being a patient of this office is incredible stressful. Needless to say I have found a new neurologist.
Agreed with Jessica R in the zero or negative stars category.

Dr. Robertson has been treating me for an incurable neurological condition for the past three years and I have found her care to be excellent. She is very knowledgable, listens well and always has time to answer my questions. I can’t recommend Dr. Robertson highly enough.
I have experienced minor admin problems but would sooner have a top notch doctor with a couple office glitches than a highly efficient office and only a mediocre doctor.

If I could give no stars or negative stars I would.
I have been a patient of this practice for 3 years and was treated with such disrespect and lack of care recently that I am appalled.
I have been suffering from migraines for the past 7 days and can not get them to stop when I called the office I was told the first available appointment would be a month from now. When I said it was an emergency I had to wait 5 hours for the staff to call me back to tell me that the doctor refused to see me before the date I was quoted.
When I asked to have my records to see a new doctor I was told that there was a fee for obtaining my records.
If you are looking for decent care from a doctor that cares I would stay clear of this office.

I have been seeing Doctor Robertson for the treatment of my chronic migraines for about two years. I can honestly say that I have had great experiences with her. She was a little distant and clinical with me at first (but what neurologist isn’t), but once I chatted her up, things softened up and we’ve had a great Doctor/​Patient relationship ever since. She has tried out different preventative meds, done Botox on me, and has stressed the importance of diet (eating regular healthy meals and keeping the blood sugar on an even keel), sufficient sleep, and exercise. I’ve managed to cut my meds in half since I’ve been seeing her, and I finally feel like my migraines are manageable.
Now her administrative staff is a whole ‘nother issue… I have been double-​billed repeatedly (paid the co-​pay at the office then received a bill for the same appointment a few weeks later), they almost never answer the phone, and Nurse Cathy, who deals with prescription issues, is not at the office often enough when you’re in a bind and need meds sooner rather than later. She is fantastic once you get her, but that’s a challenge. If her staff were as competent as she, I would have no complaints at all.

Nice, but somewhat disorganized staff. Have received bills with errors on them. Dr. Robertson herself is okay but it didn’t work out for me. Also, the waiting room has a consistently flickering fluorescent light, so if that triggers migraines (or seizures) for you, you’ll need to ask to wait in an exam room. I usually waited at least 45 minutes after my appointment time. Seems odd that a neurologist would have a common trigger in the waiting room to me.

The first time I saw Dr. Robertson, four years ago, I was very sick. I was alone and overwhelmed by the choices of treatment and implications of an incurable disease. Previous to seeing her, I had been bounced around from doctor to doctor and had a lot of tests done. I was exhausted from the process. Dr. Robertson was the only one who listened carefully and reviewed the information to diagnose me. I have seen her at least once a month, at times once a week, for several years now. She explains treatment options with a thoughtfulness toward circumstances and side effects. I have been on 3 different medication treatments (some which didn’t work, so we’ve switched) under her care. She is mindful of the whole person and will ask you a lot of questions to make sure she is prescribing medication (s) that work with your situation.
My experiences with the front desk have been positive. MRI orders, prescriptions and insurance information has all been filed quickly and accurately. If I have any questions or concerns, I call. I have always had access to my doctor when I’ve been really sick. She has taken my call when I was at a hospital out of state My messages are always delivered, and if I don’t hear back, I just call again:) I am pro-​active about my own care, and I don’t expect others to take full responsibility for getting things done. I count on the front office to process my paperwork, set up my appointments and send authorizations. They’re reliable and friendly. If you’ve ever called an insurance or pharmaceutical company, you know it’s a lot of being on hold, and mundane paperwork. It takes a super-​human amount of patience. I could never do their job.
I would encourage anyone who wants a reliable, caring and concerned doctor to see Dr. Robertson. She is one of the brightest minds of neurology in San Francisco. And she will treat you better than family.

I’m not sure what happened with everyone else, but I had a good experience with Dr. Robertson.
The staff answered the phones quickly and were able to find me an appointment quickly, unlike the other neurologists I contacted.
Dr. Robertson took a lot of time with me and asked a lot of questions to make sure she understood exactly what was happening. She was kind and easy to talk to and seemed concerned about my health.

She/​her office lives up to the bad reviews. Rushed, did not take any time to explain, and they never call you back. It’s EXACTLY what the other Unilocalers said. The docs in this city… whew!

My husband has had 2 appointments with Dr. Robertson. Although she seems like a good dr. the front desk staff and billing «department» have made the whole experience extremeley unpleasant. We were charged a large amount of money in the 5 minutes it took me to fax our insurance card and we have yet to get it refunded. They are not very nice and often don’t answer the phone. Very disappointing for someone who is suppose to be an excellent neurologist.

Seriously, I don’t even KNOW what neurologists really do.
I just know the BF has MS and needs to see one. I go, because as the concerned girlfriend, I believe that it never hurts to have a second set of ears.
She was nice, informative and didn’t make me feel like an outsider, or third wheel. She also answered all my questions, showed me stuff on the MRI reports, that she thought I would want to know and see and was good at following up on her notes from previous visits.
We didn’t see her at the Webster Street office, but at the Spine Center office she has on Bush and Hyde Street.
She also was super informative about medication for MS, the various options, pros and cons about each options, and was up to date on studies for each medication. I really thought she knew her stuff. She also told us about new treatments to put it out there but did disclose up front the fact that they weren’t around long enough to know the side effects on, and that some people had died on them already.
I still don’t know what neurologists do but in terms of her ability to manage and treat MS, I’m a believer.