UCLA HealthcareReviews of uclahealth.org

I have worked for UCLA as a medical assistant, CNA and eventually as an RN, used UCLA personally for all medical care over my entire life as I grew up here on the Westside. I have loved all of my experiences up until the last year. I pay $2600/ for 3 people to have Blue Shield. Regardless of how much I pay we should all be able to get medical care, I am only trying to point out there is no reason I should be lacking care. Recently I went to my primary with some painful issues. On May 28th I received 2 referrals, general surgery & the GI clinic. Neither could see me till November! That is at least 5 months away. I called daily and the GI clinic fit me in farther away from my house which I said was fine. General surgery even with multiple calls and an urgent referral can not schedule me till November. My husband and I have both needed physical therapy over5 the last year. UCLA charges your insurance for a full hour but sees you for about 30 minutes. Very difficult to schedule and rarely do any hands on muscle manipulation or work. Its almost exclusively showing me exercises and giving me a new band to use. I will be switching to Cedars or St. Johns facilities where I can get good and appropriate care. They are farther away and or a much smaller operation, but I do not feel that UCLA is currently able to provide good care at the satellite and Santa Monica offices and facilities. I would rather go to St. Johns or Cedars than battle with the traffic and issues of Westwood & Ronald Regan to find out if they are any better over there. I am sad and disappointed to be writing this.

My problem with UCLA Health is their appointment system. I needed to reschedule my appointment with my endocrinologist doctor due to an emergency, they postponed my appointment by more than 4 months, FOUR MONTHS. I'm over 70 years old and diabetic. I do NOT recommend this organization.

When you actually see a doctor, it's good, but seeing a doctor is not easy. ANY appointment I try to make is at least two months away, so, unless it's not important, or just a test, it's useless; you'll just have to go to an Urgent Care and get inline & wait hours with everyone else. I'm convinced that's their business model: make it very difficult to see your primary care physician so you'll just go to their Urgent Care, which I assume is more profitable for them. Even if you do make an appointment, they can cancel it with little warning. I had an appointment to see a pulmonary specialist. I waited over two months, only to have the appointment canceled two days before I was to be seen. I didn't even bother re-scheduling... Obviously it's not important if it can wait four months, so why bother? I sincerely regret signing up with UCLA health, and will be switching to something else as soon as I can. At one time UCLA had a great reputation, but now it's just another business, where profits art more important than peoples health. Sad, but true... AVOID!