Parnassus Heights Podiatry Group

My orthotics were made through this office.
The only problem was the orthotics they dispensed to me were not made for me. They bore the name of someone with a name very similar to mine. When I questioned the staff about this, they claimed the orthotics were mine. I wore them for a month and returned them. The orthotics did not fit. I would avoid this office if you want to deal with people who care about what they do.

I was fitted for orthotics here and have had terrific results. My foot and leg pain are rapidly abating! I thought the assessment and follow up were excellent. They spent lots of time with me in order to really understand and get it right!

I have had trouble finding a good podiatrist in SF. I saw one many years ago who used the same, unclean tools from patient to patient. I tried Dr. Jenkins on the referal of my primary care doctor. Not going to list the issues but highly recommend you look elsewhere. I won’t go back. He seemed very likable for the 45 seconds he was in the room but he left me with an assistant of some sort to deal with my issues and procedures. He had no answers and I would have gotten better care at a naik salon.

Dr. William Jenkin is a wonderful podiatrist and surgeon. I have seen him for several years before we finally got to the surgery question. He tried orthodics, exercises and finally when I could no longer really function he carefully told me all about the surgery, I might want to consider. He was quite patient and did not condescend at all while explaining what he would be doing. His surgery required that I be off my feet for nearly six weeks, which is a very long time. It paid off. It took nearly 6 months to really recover and one year before I felt I could do everything. Feet take a long time to heal friends, be patient, and compliant.
The other words about the office are true, great office staff, a bit zaney with podiatry students that don’t really know much about your case but they try. Some are not so great, others you can see will be good Docs. Dr. Jenkin comes in for a brief time to assess the x rays, do some mobility tests and give recommendations, but you never feel rushed. You have to advocate for yourself, as the coordination with medical insurance, and PT etc. is a bit arduous. this is medicine in the 21^st century.

Be very leery dealing with this company. I got charged by them and even though insurance company reimbursed them, they continuously find excuses not to refund the payment. They freely admit they owe me money, but every time «the computer is down» or «the manager is out». The check has been promised multiple times but never arrived. It truly feels like scam.
No other choice but to file complaint with the state medical board, but my advice to others is to steer clear.

Dr. Colin Traynor treated me for a Morton’s neuroma in my left foot. He is fantastic to work with and extremely knowledgeable and thorough. He forms his orthotics by plaster casting, which is an art that I had not experienced at my previous podiatrist’s office. The process ensures a super accurate cast of the foot. He also was very helpful in recommending athletic and dress shoe manufacturers that make good Orthotic compatible shoes (Asics and. .. Brooks?)
The staff at the front desk couldn’t have been nicer and were very helpful.

Dr. Kim is amazing to work with! Very kind and compassionate and really takes her job in helping people seriously. I was referred by Urgent Care at UCSF (not the best experience I have to say but this referral made up for most of that) and was able to get a same day appointment here, though it took some time on the phone to do so. The paperwork was long and detailed but helpful for the doctor to gain full understanding of the patient and care possibly needed.
She did an x-​ray on my foot because UCSF did not want to forward over their findings, let alone my films in a timely manner, and she didn’t even charge me for it! Very nice of her. She looked at them in detail in front of me and explained what she saw or did not see, and why. We discussed my pain level and her decision on care. She fitted me for a boot and I was on my way.
Front desk staff are a bit overworked it seemed but still very helpful. I needed an MRI and they got me pre-​approved in less than 48hrs! Very helpful! Sadly the location they approved me for was closed. Not sure why they did not know this or check prior to setting this as my place of care for insurance purposes, but I had to call back and I suggested UCSF as I know they are in-​network but they wanted me to go to a sub-​division clinic as it was (as UCSF put it) «a one stop shop» at their podiatry clinic. I was not able to schedule ANYTHING until just days before travel so I was not able to run around town on public transportation (UCSF has a shuttle, but you must walk 4 – 5 blocks from the drop off destination which was not something I was physically capable of) and St. Mary’s which was right around the corner from Parnassus Heights Podiatry Group was not in-​network so I found myself out of luck and unable to get my MRI done. This is sad but this is not because PHPG did not try to help me, so I am stuck with a boot and zero ability to get any real follow up care here. I will have to just hope that it fades with time and the use of this boot. If not, I will end up back at an urgent care clinic or the ER.
Overall I will give this location 4 stars because of the quality of care and genuine disposition of the staff. I highly recommend them to anyone in need of their services. I sincerely appreciate all their hard work and compassion in dealing with my case. Thanks Dr. Kim & staff.

This review is for Dr. Colin Traynor. I was referred to Dr. Traynor from SOAR sports medical group in Redwood City. SOAR described him as the best foot specialist at St. Mary’s, and I can see why.
His treatment approach is conservative. He recognizes the risks of surgery and will not rush it while there is still a chance that more conservative approaches will work.
He is upbeat, patient and understanding. I decided to call off surgery just a week before we were scheduled in order to see if things kept improving. He was completely flexible and said he was here whenever I was ready. He also reassured me about the role of residents in surgeries and was generally empathetic and responsive to all my concerns.
He is knowledgeable. We discussed the latest research on neuromas, on running injuries, and anything else that came up.
The office staff was always friendly and responsive. I never waited very long for an appointment.

I came to Dr. Traynor for my feet, after visiting 2 other podiatrists and not feeling great about them. I immediately trusted Dr. Traynor. He gave me a really specific and tailored evaluation of my feet and how my problem directly affected me, at my age, and all the possible fixes and results. He was realistic, straightforward, and very confident.
Six months later, and I’m almost completely recovered from two back-​to-​back surgeries (austin modified bunionectomies) and couldn’t be happier. Dr. Traynor and his staff were amazing on both surgeries. I felt totally comfortable and confident that he would do an excellent job, which he did. My foot pain is gone and the scars are really minimal. I would and have recommended Dr. Traynor to anyone experiencing any type of foot pain.
Also, the receptionists are super friendly, everyone is fast and on the ball, and overall each time I went in there it was easy and quick. I am super satisfied with everything and feel so grateful to have had Dr. Traynor working on my feet!

I have been coming here for about two years now. The main reasons, I have bunions on my feet. My doctor, Joel Clark is a great doctor. I don’t know why people gave him poor reviews. Maybe its because they got orthodics. Anyway, he has good advice, better than the medical students. He did surgery on both of my feet and did a great job, I think. He’ll answer any question you have. I do feel like he is in a rush sometimes, that’s why I gave 4 stars. He’ll pop in my room after the students looked at me and then be off to the next room. Other than that I do love the office staff. Cherice is one amazing person! The first time I went in with my baby. She remembered my name the next time as well as my baby’s, it had been months since I was there the 1^st time. Same with Maryann. There’s one other front desk worker who I’m not too fond about, but over all, I’ve had an amazing experience at this podiatry group.

My low rating is only because of my actual podiatrist, Dr. Clark. The staff & facility were great.
I really don’t take the time to write bad reviews, but hopefully I’ll be saving some people frustration and money. I didn’t listen to the previous bad reviews but really wish I had.
The only positive, is that you can get an appointment very quickly, but seeing by the way he treats his patients, that might be because there isn’t much demand.
First off, it’s a teaching office, which I’m all for, except the interns were so freaked out by him they couldn’t do their job correctly. To the point where one of the girls asked ME if the alignment of my leg was correct for a test she didn’t know how to do. Sorry hon, I have no idea… that’s why I’m paying to see a Dr.
And I don’t blame them, he snapped at one in front of me (even thought he didn’t realize i could hear). And when I pushed for the test to be done correctly by Dr. Clark, he decided not to do the test at all.
I think he’s probably a fantastic Dr. but doesn’t seem to care much these days and might be getting close to retirement. And I say «I think» because in two visits I saw him for a total of 5 minutes and had to rush to ask questions because he was so clearly wanting to get out of the room.
I spent $ 400 on orthotics that he barely took the time to fit, and then didn’t watch me walk in them and told me to schedule another appointment.
I’ve since gone to a new Dr. who told me the orthotics were good, so there is my +2 rating. He also did a temporary alteration to my store bought orthotics while I waited for my new ones which was the only reason I didn’t cry when I got the bill.

Mehrere negative erfahrungen.

Excellent podiatrist care! Dr Clark spend time explaining my problem and provided outstanding advice!

{This is a review for Dr Jenkin as I have no experience with the other Drs.}
Well I’ve waited 2 years to write this review, largely because I feared I’d write a review that was a little too gushy. I didn’t want to attract all the crazies to Dr. Jenkin’s office, as my circumstance and his treatment went above and beyond any medical experience I’ve had in the last ten years.
Yes, I’ve been in pain for TEN years. No cute shoes, no more dancing, no more hiking, no more skiing, Hell, even wearing socks was painful. I’d even gave up a fancy 6-​figure career as the pain was too intense to give me the clear mind I needed. What caused this? In a word «Malpractice». Sigh, everyone makes mistakes, but what happened to me in the last 10 years, shouldn’t happen to anyone.
So I was in pain 10 years ago and had a bunionectomy. Unfortunately the surgeon made a big mistake that could not be identified through X-​rays, bone scans, or MRIs. I saw +10 podiatrists/​ortho surgeons in the last 10 years and had 4 more surgeries before going to Dr. Jenkin.
The reason the other surgeons failed was because they neglected to LISTEN TO ME. Instead they speculated that I might be a «drug addict» or «crazy». One even wrote very nasty comments about my emotions in my chart. (Well, Miss Doctor, I’m sorry that you can’t deal with me bursting into tears after you said I’d «just have to be in pain for the rest of my life.»)
SEVENTY years of pain? No thank you.
So, Dr. Jenkin took my case where the others had failed. Many of them were TOPS in the field as I’m not one to just allow ANYONE to work on my foot. And the truth is after 4 surgeries, few wanted to help me. Most surgeons don’t like to fix other people’s messes, so it takes a truly special person to be willing to take on a case like mine.
In the course of the ~6 months it took for him to trust me, and for me to trust him, he TRULY bent over backwards to provide the services and diagnostics in a SAFE and effective manner. What does this mean? It means, YES, he is conservative.
You WANT a conservative surgeon. (Stop watching «Grey’s Anatomy». Arrogance has no room in surgery.) You want a surgeon who will exhaust ALL other avenues to reduce your pain, prior to commiting to surgery. Believe me, surgery should be the last resort.
In Dr. Jenkin, I found more than pain relief. I found a partner in my health. He was willing to listen to me and to be open minded enough to customize the surgery plan to what I needed to emotionally heal.
I don’t want to go into the details of what that customization meant, but it should suffice to say that I will forever be indebted to Dr. Jenkin’s kindness and willingness to bend the rules.
Yes, there are times when he is busy and can seem pulled in many directions. That is normal for a teaching hospital. He is in a tough position where it is difficult to satisfy everyone (patients, students, intern, and staff) without loosing your soul. He does his best in a difficult role where few probably take him aside to say thank you.
So, I’m hoping he reads this and knows I have often thought of his generosity and kindness. The OUTSTANDING CARE and COMPASSION he, his staff, and his interns showed to me were un-​matched in the San Francisco market.
Dr. Jenkin, thank you.

My internist highly recommended this group to me. I have had 3 visits with them and found my experience subpar — However for podiatrists in this city they are probably of the higher tier.
I have found that as a medical field podiatry uses antiquated practices and needs an overhaul. If you recognize this and are not looking for a permanent, effective solution for your foot troubles then yes, PHPG is a great place to come.
1. Do NOT book an appt on a Friday near the end of the mth — it is the last day for students to get their hours in and it is a total absolute disaster of a day there. I waited over an hour to be looked at, then told there wasn’t enough time to make my orthodics — even though my appt was FOR orthodics. Additionally they were unable UNABLE to book me before the end of the year so instead of getting FREE orthodics as my deductible was covered I now, in the new year, will have to pay the full amount for them, NO thank you.
Other points —
No upselling (I told them something didnt work great in the past, they said it would work the same now). Although be crystal clear when booking an appointment what you are coming in FOR as the docs like to see you as much as possible.
Doctors are informative, their usual opinion is surgery.
Students have to look at you too so effectively you get 2 assessments.
Billing: Is horrific, pay it at the office if you can.

Contrary to the last post I had a very pleasant experience during my recent visit for an ingrown toenail procedure at parnassus heights podiatry. I’ll list my reasons why:
1. The medical student who sure appeared to be nervous and inexperienced did an excellent job calming me down and numbing my big toe. Thankfully my toe was numb for a long time and I felt no pain! I’m glad I was able to be a part of her learning experience.
2. I did not feel the need to speak to a doctor over night but I’m sure glad that there is an office out there with an on-​call doctor. I bet your doctor doesn’t have after hours services.
3. Overall, I have to say everyone was very pleasant and welcoming. I hope my ingrown toenail doesn’t come back but if does I know where to go!

I have been a patient of Dr. Gerbert’s since 2005. Before going to him I had been stuck in a foot cast for over a month and seen countless doctors who could not fix my problem. When I showed up at his office I didn’t really believe he could do anything; but he took swift action, spent time measuring my feet, and listening to my problem. He got me into surgery and fixed my pain; allowing me to walk and dance and wear high heels again. I had two more surgeries w/​him (my feet are very messed up) and all three have been successful. I am very grateful to Dr. Gerbert and his well-​trained staff for helping me w/​my bone-​structure problems. I have recommended Dr. Gerbert to everyone I know and continue to do so.

If you need a podiatrist, don’t pound the pavement. Dr. Clark is the best. I have been going to see him for a while now and he has treated several members of my family too. Bad feet must run in the family.

I went to see Dr. Jenkins at this office and he was great. I had simple foot pain and was really hoping the appointment would be cheap and for $ 70 it was.
Dr. Jenkins offered a good insight into the problem and I felt he offered a good diagnosis. All w/​o taking x-​rays of anything expensive. I was really pleased and would recommend him to anyone especially if you don’t have insurance.

I had a great experience with this office. It’s hard to have a great experience with acute anterior tibial tendinitis, but Dr. Gerbert and his enthusiastic students made it a lot easier. I got lots of personal attention, which made up for a bit of a wait in the lobby. And the selection of magazines wasn’t so good. But they gave me good anti-​inflammatories, and their little heat/​cold treatment fixed my foot. They wanted me to wear an Aircast, which wasn’t really convenient for my everyday life, but they were zealous. Can’t fault them for that. They even prescribed physical therapy so my insurance would pay for it. I’m a big fan of all the care I’ve received at St. Mary’s, and a big fan of enthusiastic med students, so if you’ve got foot issues, go here.