Sunset Health Services

I have read other reviews and my experience has always been excellent. Dr Goh is knowledgeable, listens well, and takes his time with me. The office staff are prompt, helpful with reminders, and the forms and authorizations I need. I am usually the only non Asian in the building and it is not an issue. Very happy.

The young NP there is nice and considerate. She knows what to do for your typical conditions. It’s usually a $ 50 charge to fill out whatever paperwork you need, but she filled all mine without charging me anything. I give her 4 stars.
However, most of the docs here aren’t keen on patient education and symptoms may be overlooked if you seem young and healthy. If you can speak Cantonese, the front desk assistants will be a little nicer. When I was first there, they were talking about me in Chinese in front of me, until they realized I can speak and understand every word they were saying. Since they got to know me better, they did start conversing more.

This is my first, and possibly only, Unilocal review but I just had to address my experience here.
It was horrible and the effects of horror continued to last for the next few months.
I went and saw them in September 2013. I had my school insurance card which they gladly accepted and all I had to pay was a $ 15 copay for the visit.
They insisted that I take multiple different types of tests, even though I thought it was unnecessary, and told me that they would call me back the next day with results because they were unable to diagnose me (and I had a very well known type of infection).
I waited a day, they did not call so I went to another health care provider who was able to correctly diagnose me in ONE visit and started me on antibiotics.
On the third day, Sunset Health Services finally called me back and told me it could be one of two things, and the first diagnosis was wrong. Their incompetence was unbelievable, how are they doctors and unable to give me ONE single diagnosis, especially if it was a very common infection?
I thought I was done with them, but they apparently they realized that my insurance did not cover all of the visit that was essentially POINTLESS since they did absolutely nothing to help me. They told me during the visit that they would be able to use my insurance but apparently that was not completely true. So, I get a bill in a few weeks requesting $ 700 for all of the tests that I thought was unneccessary and that they kept on insisting that I take. Then when I eventually pay that off, they issue me ANOTHER bill a few weeks after the first one for another $ 150 for a visit cost… Are you serious?
They are a horrible establishment and need a complete management reorder. Unhelpful and charging me for not helping me with anything at all. If you were thinking about coming here, PLEASE DO NOT. If I could give them ZERO stars I absolutely would.

They are located in a not too busy part of sf.
And by busy I mean like California and market street type of busy. (+1)
They speak both dialects of Chinese as far as I can tell staff wise… and they are good with chinglish too for those of you who aren’t too fluent.(+1)
Scheduling isn’t too bad as long as you give them at least a 4−7day notice depending on your issue ur need.(+1)
Sometimes you’ll get lucky and they have same day appointment but don’t bet your paycheck on it.
I haven’t had any issues yet. And with a full time student schedule, as a patient how is that possible? Haha (+1)
At least if they known you well enough. Them conversing isn’t so bad… unless your a strictly «by the book» type of the person…(+1)

If I could I would give this place 0 stars. I had a rare case of Epiglottis and this place was the closest medical assistance I could find at the time. When I went in, it was already extremely difficult to breathe, the nurses and doctors did nothing but over-​look my situation. No one offered to help or even check what was wrong but I had lots of them hovering about to watch me die from afar. I am not a regular patient there but I still had hope any humane clinic would at least give some emergency tips when you see someone struggling as hard as I was to breathe. Did no doctors in there knew ANY emergency procedures at all– I may never find out because I honestly can not believe what I witness while being there. If I did not manage to convince anyone of anything about this place, well, the receptionist also refused to call 911 for me. When I was sent in to the ER, i had exactly two minutes before my windpipe was completely blocked off.

To put it mildly, my stomach area was irritated. It was VERY irritated. Over share? That should set the stage for why I came here.
Anyway, went to the doctors without an appointment so I was expecting a crowd of people. The door to this place is hard to find and it is on 31^st NOT Noriega. Once you enter the place the waiting room is like just chairs and magazines from 3 months ago. It was like 10:30am on a weekday and it was empty.
The nurses are no nonsense nurses. I can understand why other reviewers are frustrated with them and their lack of customer service skills, but I’m desensitized because sometimes I go with my dad to his appointments in Chinatown. I also speak Cantonese and I find it easier to speak to them in Cantonese. I approach the window with my ID and health insurance card ready and they ask if I have an appointment and what’s wrong. They give me some forms to fill out and then told me the price. I forgot how much it is but I find it odd that you have to pay up front.
Anyway, about 30 minutes later, got to see the doctor. (yay short wait!) First the nurse comes in to take your vitals then wait then the doc comes in. Short but basically confirmed that yeah it was irritated and no I wasn’t dying. He gave me some recommendations on what to drink and to eat and gave me a script of medicine I should take just in case it doesn’t get better. The whole thing took about 15 minutes but I left satisfied.

I used to be ok with this place. But currently I’m writing this review while waiting. Appointment was at 1:45, it is now 2:30. There are NO other patients. There is actually one, but she’s being seen, and her appointment was at 2! Wtf! I don’t understand why she gets to see a doctor before me. Also I am using metered parking, and anyone who lives in SF knows how freaking expensive it is. But really, what pisses me off is that I’ll wait like an hour, but the doctor will probably talk to me for 5 minutes and send me off. fUUUUUUUU
ANDDD… 15 minutes later, I have officially been waiting for an hour. I go up to the counter and ask them how much longer I have to wait since I will have to refill my meter. Receptionist says I should be the next one in. One of the nurses chimes in. «You haven’t been seen yet??? I put your file away!» Wow. Just wow.

I’m currently sitting in this poor excuse of a doctor’s office, waiting with my grandma for her name to be called. I swear we’ve been here for an hour. Anyway, working in a medical office myself, I know you’re supposed to help the patients who are standing there at the desk rather than those on the phone. Take a message, politely ask them to hold, call them back later, whatever. The receptionist, Sandy, or whatever the eff her name is, is incredibly rude. Wow, she just threw a little hissy fit in her broken English, «My job is ovaaah! This is the lass chance!»
Earlier, I spent five minutes of my life listening to them argue about whose initials were L. W. The conversation went a bit like this:
A: «Lindah Wong!»
B: «I’m not Lindah Wong!»
Repeat x13 in Cantonese
How unprofessional! If listening to «medical staff» argue loudly in Cantonese is your thang, then this is the place for you. I understand their location is convenient for a lot of elderly individuals who live in the area, but don’t subject yourself to the abuse of the staff.
Oh, btw, if you come here, make sure to bring your insurance card cause they make a huge deal out of it if you don’t. They have that shit on file unless you’re a new patient, so wtf?!? This appointment is taking so long that I had the time to type this review up on my Blackberry. It’s too late for me, but save yourself! You can thank me later. And bring your own magazines cause they only have WebMD and boring stuff like Heart Insight. No thanks, where’s my People mag at?

i went here because i was out of town, my insurance said this place was in the plan, and needed a doctor to deal with my flu. BIG MISTAKE.
they refused to see me until I paid a made up co-​pay, so I paid, just to see a doctor. its been months, and my insurance company is still dealing with them.

I was initially pleased that they offered to see me within 24 hrs of my call. They said I could have the physical and lab work that I wanted done by an NP. No problem. Different story when I got there. Front desk was not friendly but whatever. Filled out the papers including the receipt of notice of privacy practices which every medical office should have, but I wasn’t given one so I asked. She tried to tell me that the receipt was it. I told her it wasn’t and she handed me the cover letter for the privacy practices. I said this isn’t it either! Finally she got it out and made a copy for me (they don’t have copies readily available?). SKETCHY! Looked the place up on Unilocal saw the reviews grabbed my crap and left! Thank you Unilocalers!

My wife had been going to this place for a long time and had good stuff to say about them, so I decided to try them out.
Let me tell you, DON’T EVER TRY TO HAVE THEM FILL OUT PAPER WORKS! They would tell you they don’t fill out paper works and tell you to call your health plan and have them refer you to someone that could. Because I have an illness, and I can’t work. I’ve asked them about 10 times now to fill out the EDD form 1 page is for the doctor to fill. She keeps refusing and each time they fill out forms, it’s $ 10. that’s not even copay. I sit in the office waiting for at least 30 mins, and in the office for just 3 – 5 mins., I give them the appropriate forms, and 2 days later they tell me she can’t fill them out. My blood pressure is sky high because of them. I’m never coming back to this office. If you want to save time, blood pressure medications, money. Go to another office!

Man oh man, it was really stupid of me to decide to come here just cuz it’s close to my house.
My first complaint: the physicians here are listed under my PPO on the BCBS website as providers. SO WHY AREN“T YOU ABLE TO TAKE MY INSURANCE? Don’t tell me on the phone that you most likely will and then leave me stuck! I was sick, I was desperate– of course I’m gonna end up paying. I ended up paying over $ 200 out of pocket for my first visit!!! If my new dermatologist in the same area, who is also listed as a provider, can easily accept my insurance with no problems whatsoever, WHY CAN“T YOU?!
2^nd complaint: If you’re going to charge me for this and that test, at least be efficient. Why just get an ALT when you could get the whole LFT? Why just get a TSH when you could get the whole TFT?
3^rd complaint: You call me to say one of my labs came back abnormal. How nice of you to let me know. Now why can’t you just tell me what it is on the phone instead of having me blindly make a follow-​up appointment!!! I go to my appointment, pay $ 50 for it, only to have my NP (that’s right, I never even got to see a real DOCTOR) come out and tell the lady at the front desk a little too late not to charge me cuz she just wanted to tell me about my lab. What’s more, the lab WASN’T EVEN SIGNIFICANTLY ABNORMAL. I ask her if I could get my money back and she simply says «no.»
I would rather desanguinate than give these people here another cent of my money.

My parents sees the doctors here because it’s a shorter bus ride from Chinatown. They are affiliated with Chinese Hospital (from my review of CH, you will know I am not overly fond of their services).
Anyway, they’ve always jerked my parents around with their poor service. For instance, usually, the doctor’s staff will fax or call in a referral paper for you. Not SHS! They told my parents to come by and pick up the referral paper. They are too cheap to call or fax the specialist for you.
They also will not call in a drug prescription for you. If you’re not here to pick up the prescription, they will tell you to come by and pick up the paper.
The final kicker was when I tried to call for a same day appt for my mother because her foot was bothering her. The receptionist said, sorry the doctor is fully booked. She refused to take in an emergency appt (I even brought that to her attn. Don’t tell me she doesn’t have any slots available for emergencies. I’ve worked in the medical profession before I know there are slots!). She could only let my mother see a nurse. She told me a nurse and doctor are the same (Ahem, no they are not. If they were there wouldn’t be a difference in schooling would it?). So I said, fine she can see the nurse but if something is wrong and my mother wants a second opinion, will the doctor be available for a consult? The receptionist again said the doctor was very busy and booked up. Well geez, lady I understand that but does she have time to eat and shit? If she does, she has time to swing by for a consult! This was so exasperating!
Oh yeah, they did offer to schedule an appt for my mother at the Excelsior clinic. My mother has never taken the bus to that side of the city before and I’m not sure she’ll know how. Thanks for the great service (not!).

Terrible place. DON“T EVER COME TO THIS PLACE.
the service is HORRIBLE. all the receptionists have no customer service what so ever.
incident 1. last time i went in to see the DR for a FOLLOW UP, the receptionist goes to the back and brings out her manager. the manager tells me i have a bill past due. i tell her ok, so when do i see the doctor. she tells me i need to pay the bill that was «past due» and $ 50 dollars to see the dr (FOR THE FOLLOWUP!) i told her i’ve been there over 5 times in the past and they have NEVER asked me for ANY sort of copay, so why should i pay it this time? the manager then keeps going at it and she THREATENS me and says IF i don’t pay the «past due» bill, she will call a collection agency. WTF?!
i find out from my WONDERFUL dad, he helped me pay the «past due» bill over 2 weeks ago, and showed me the dupicate of the check. so what was the manager trying to do? scam me by telling me i have a bill «past due» and charge me $ 50 for co pay. (according to my insurance plan, my co pay is only $ 25 AND on top of that i MET my $ 2500 deductible for the year … so basically my checkup was supposed to be FREE)
incident 2. so in late September I found a new physician. I went in to transfer my records from Sunset Health over. It’s been 3 weeks and no trace of my records. I called Sunset Health and the front desk bitch answers the phone (I can NEVER forget her accent) she tells me she can’t pull up my chart because I no longer exist in their files. I’m like, ok, so what does that mean? Did you even sent out MY records to the new office, she says, «I cannot tell you. I cannot see your chart» EVERY TIME I ask her a question. I ask her, so «what does that mean?», «did you THROW or BURN my records?», «did you even send it out?» every time she responds with the same thing. AND i NEED my records to goto the new office MAINLY because of INCIDENT #1, I need to get my followup and find out why the hell the Sunset Health DRS did so many tests on me.
Avoid this hell hole. And if any of you employees who work at Sunset Health is reading this… go take some social skills and English classes. You guys need it!
Nance– you’re totally right about the bitch at the front desk.

No time for chit chat here. It’s all business.
I’ve been here a good 10 times or so and every time the visit is 5 minutes or less.
You can consider this place the «fast food» of clinics.
By the way, watch out for the girl that works at the front desk. She’s a total bitch. I think something crawled up her cooch and died.