Brian S Levitt, MD, FACG

There are two types of doctors in the world:
1. take the responsibility, give you advice, help the patient to recover as soon as possible.
2. take no responsibility, ignore all what patient says, only rely on test, put you into a loop of test, make appointment, check, do test again, as long as you are not dead.
Unfortunately, based on my two visits, I think Doctor Levitt is the second type. He should be very experienced in answering questions like a politician or a robot.
I think everyone is different. A good doctor can easily exclude a lot of causes based on patient’s age and life style. But this doctor only refers to test, which means without test, he will make no move.
My feeling is that Doctor Levitt is more interested in protecting himself than helping the patient, although he is very good at pretending he wants to do a favor.
It’s a shame that USA builds such an expensive and inefficient health-​care system. I do miss my doctor in New York and a lot of doctors in China and Japan.

This is my 3^rd time to this office. My mother is a patient of Dr. Brian Levitt.
I decided to see him for myself after recovering from an illness, and I wanted his guidance.
Speaking as a med. professional, I find the office to be highly efficient and ethical.
The office is well-​planned out; business matters and phone answering are done in the upstairs section, thus it keeps the waiting room pleasant, and all the girls at front desk are kind. Much of the staff also speaks Vietnamese. I enjoy them greatly. Dr. Levitt himself, I’ve always found to be engaging. The reviews below, I agree and disagree. Yes, I would say he’s quite confident when you visit. He’s straightforward, much so. And I like that. I don’t think he is one to waste time. He gets to the facts. He will ask you questions. He will gather info. He’ll present options. He will give you his opinion. I love that he will offer ways to make things more comfortable for you. Some people may interpret his confidence as arrogant. Why would you not want a confident M.D.? I work with MANY doctors, so am not put off by this at all. I love the kindness he’s given to my mother, and the reassurance he gave to me surrounding my condition. For those who complained about the parking lot, I would say arrive a little early. There is great handicapped space right by the office door. 4 stars here because many patients arrive with anxiety, facing procedures whatever, —the office has a TV screen with info about procedures, not everyone may want to see that, perhaps that should be in another area — some nice soft music in the element, when entering, and waiting, would def. make a difference.

Brian and his team are excellent. I have had two Colonoscopies before in SF with an exceptionally well-​respected Dr. and those were fine. But the process with Dr. Levitt was the easiest and most efficient. My first consultation was scheduled in just a month, and the procedure scheduled two weeks later. The office staff is efficient and competent. The Nurses and tech are very friendly. The procedure was fast, painless and dare I say fun thanks to the whole team. Dr. Levitt has an excellent bedside manner and I have complete confidence in him as a Dr. I highly recommend him and his team.

Dr. Levitt is a chilled out person, he made us feel very comfortable in our first visit. My husband has GERD problem, we had visited many consultants and every specialist has made a big deal about it, but Dr. Levitt made us feel at ease. He was more like a friend than doctor.

I would not recommend dr. Levitt at all. I have been waiting for this appointment for a month and a half (that is how he was booked) and really was looking forward to it. I visited him regarding my eating disorder and bloating issues which have been staying stay with me since the moment I entered treatment 6 months ago. Dr. Levitt did not pay any interest in my diagnosis, did not ask any questions. regarding my diagnosis and my complains. The appointment was about 10 min long. Half of the time he was standing next to the door expecting me to leave his office as soon as possible. Highly disappointed patient Julia.

We recently moved to the south bay area and needed to find a new gastro doctor regarding my ulcerative colitis. I’m so glad that I was referred to Dr. Levitt. Everything about the visit was effortless. The staff were very kind and efficient and made it easy to get an appointment, even though I was a new patient, the office was easy to find and had ample parking, and I only waited about 5 – 10 minutes to see the doctor (try to get the first appointment of the day to avoid waiting). He listened carefully as I explained my history which was a bit long as I’ve had this issue all my life, and demonstrated tremendous knowledge, compassion and professionalism from start to finish. The entire experience was completely positive — I would wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Levitt and his staff.

Dr. Levitt is a careless doctor in my opinion, which makes him (and similar doctors) dangerous, because their lack of interest in determining root cause combined with their expert status can cause unnecessary damage to a patient.
I had issues with chronic bloating, belching, and stomach ache and Dr. Levitt was highly recommended to me. By then I had taken antacid for over a year and did not have a clear idea about the long-​term impact of being on medication, and desperately needed to find the root cause for my illness.
Dr. Levitt went through my notes from previous visits with family doctor and GI specialist, and by the second (and final) time we met he quite nonchalantly laid it out that I was indeed suffering from GERD and that there were plenty of people who take antacid for the rest of their lives. He was basically reassuring me that it is safe to stay on antacid indefinitely. And this is where his worst advice was given. He told me that if I wanted to be off antacid, I could run a stomach acidity test after which (if I wished) I could have an operation to tie my stomach to avoid acid reflux. The option he offered me was basically to either do nothing or to operate my stomach.
Eventually I came across another doctor who strongly suggested that I would stop eating gluten. The same doctor suggested that antacid is often prescribed incorrectly even though the digestion issues are sometimes due to low stomach acidity and taking HCL instead of antacid is the solution. None of this information was provided to me by Dr. Levitt, who is a GI specialist and should know this. My issues went away almost immediately once I stopped eating gluten.
Imagine how uninformed and careless of a GI specialist Dr. Levitt must be that he would actually suggest operating and tying a healthy stomach when the root cause was simply gluten insensitivity.

My 83 y/​o Mother had her feeding tube removed by Dr. Levitt today. It was painless! We had been told by at least 4 other doctors that it would hurt a lot. Dr. Levitt did not yank it out as other doctors do, instead he just gently and quickly removed it. Besides that, he is patient, kind, smart, and has a good sense of humor. We went to the O’Connor Drive office and found the staff there to be pleasant, helpful, and efficient. If you want the best doctor possible, Dr. Levitt is your man. We will be encouraging all of our friends and relatives to go to him. We left his office feeling extremely satisfied and happier than we could have imagined.

This is for you Dr. Levitt! Thank you SO very much for taking such excellent care of my husband Dennis when he was at O’Connor. Your knowledge, compassion and professionalism was very much appreciated. I can’t thank you enough for solving the «mystery» pains he was having in his abdomen. You, Dr. Garcia and every single person from the janitor to the entire nursing staff at O’Connor get 5 billion stars on Unilocal. Dr. Levitt is my hero! Thank you for everything.

Absolutely phenomenal doctor. He listens to your concerns, takes into account your insurance limitations as well as you’re feelings about certain treatment options.
He always is up on the latest within his field and is trying to make sure the treatment offered is the right one as everyone’s condition can be just a bit different.
I would highly recommend him if you find yourself in need of a gastroenterologist.

Well, I don’t actually know if he’s a good doctor or not. 5 minutes before my appointment while I’m on my way there, someone calls me from his office to tell me they don’t take my insurance. I’ve actually never encountered a place that doesn’t take my insurance. It is a very common plan. The part that I’m really irritated with is that they called me 5 minutes before my appointment to tell me that I was going to have to pay for the whole thing out of pocket. 5 minutes. Cute.
I altered my schedule significantly to get to this appointment and they call 5 minutes before hand to tell me it isn’t going to fly.

I’m having mixed feelings about Dr. Levitt. My first visit, he spent a long time with me, he was very thorough and detailed. However, his bedside manner and his attitude could use some adjustment. I know you’re a doctor but I don’t need you to act like you know it all. Clearly I’m aware you know what you’re talking about since you’re a specialist. Secondly, it seemed like he gave me referrals for some diagnostic testing to simply humor me, he even said «i dont think there’s anything wrong but we’ll do the test anyway». I was told he’s the best in his field, but he comes off as very snobbish and like a know it all. I’ll come back for a follow up visit, but that’s simply because I need to know if there’s something wrong with me or not.

Excellent physician. He knows the medical and research part of gastroenterology and he takes the time to listen. He answers questions. He explains why he’s ordering certain tests and procedures. I can’t imagine a better doctor. I’ve had to wait sometimes, but I know when I’m in the exam room he’ll spend the needed time with me, too. The office staff has always been efficient and kind at both the Montpelier and O’Connor offices.

I was referred to Dr Levitt by my general physician.
He took time, explained everything so i felt i was in good hands. I saw him at Monpelier drive. Also the receptionist Mimi was extremely friendly.
so overall a very good experience.
But i must admit that it is easier to be positive when the doctor gives you good news, which was the case for me.
i give him 5 stars for giving me his expert opinion during a friendly conversation. this is different to give 5 stars for bringing someone back to good health.

The office location is awful. Dr. Levitt was professional but my experience with the procedures I had was bad. I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy done the same day. I was not given enough of a sedative and remember being very uncomfortable for both procedures. The atmosphere in the facility is a cattle call. They rush you in and rush you out in order to squeeze as many patients in as possible. I will not be returning to this office in the future.

I was there for my gastric/​GERD Problem at San Jose Gastroenterology (SJGI, O’connor Drive with Dr Levitt. The doctor was so rude and impolite and did not discuss my problems and did not give and suggestions for the problem. I just wasted 160 dollar within five minutes. He did not give any suggestions to relieve my pain and further treatment. I will never go there and and recommend to any of my friends and colleges. The doctor has to learn on how to behave the patients well. Doctors’s behavior relieves 50% pain of the patients. Bye ! bye !! Dr Levitt.

I was referred to another Dr. at the SJGI office on Montepelier by my PCP 2 years ago, however, when I called I was informed that the Dr. was booked and the receptionist recommended Dr. Levitt. She stated that he is very nice and I would like him. I did!
I am usually hesitant to meet with any new doctor and doctors that I can’t put a face too. Immediately, after scheduling I had to google for Dr. Levitt’s face. I was glad to see that he looked kind. My first meeting with Dr. Levitt was very informational though I had to wait a little bit. Dr. Levitt provided me with information about my medical condition, research, medication, and followup on my questions/​concerns. He explained things in terms that I would understand and made it simple. I felt comfortable with this first appointment and definitely under his care.
I appreciate his time and effort to call me directly with lab results or concerns he has. He also understands what it’s like to be a patient to take time off for appointments and has suggested that I would be followup a certain # of times in person as he doesn’t want me to come in for just 5 minutes visit. He’s very honest and is a listener. No doubt about it that he’s one of the few doctors I am not afraid to go for appointments and is way better than my specialist I seen at Kaiser Santa Teresa.

Dr. Levitt is great! I went to the O’Connor office, and his staff was also very friendly – when I said I was thirsty, they went & got me some water. Super nice.
So, when I go to look for a Dr. I usually go online to check out their credentials. He has a great pedigree. But, more importantly, he has a wonderful bedside manner.
I had to wait a little while to see him, but once he came in, I understood why: He actually took time to really, REALLY, talk to me.
Having a conversation with a G.I. doc about your BM issues doesn’t top anyone’s list of a good time, but Dr L. put me at ease. He listened carefully, wrote down my answers, and asked me a number of questions himself. When he found out that I didn’t go back to my previous GI doc, he wanted to know why. I told him that once I had my colonoscopy, they said «everythings fine, come back in 10 years», but my problem wasn’t solved. After hearing this, he handed me his business card & said, please *do* call, or come back to me if you have any questions, now, or at any point in the future.
Dr. Levitt is a wonderful find. A rare mix of good schooling, and an excellent bedside manner.
Highly recommend!

I first came to Dr. Levitt for treatment of a chronic condition when my GI Specialist retired. He is an excellent communicator who ensures all your questions are answered, you understand everything, and you understand all your options. He is very good about returning calls and I have always been able to get in to see him when it has been urgent.
My experiences with him have always been excellent. A truly caring doctor.

It was great to see another reviewer (B.J) share my experience. I agree whole heartedly with her assessment so I’ll stop here.
To re-​iterate … while Dr. Levitt ROCKS … he needs to spend more attention to his office staff (SJG is his place after all).
For more info see my reviews for each of the two offices of San Jose Gastroenterology …