Dr Kathleen R Savage

I have worked with Dr. Savage during my medical residency and can attest that she is a skilled surgeon and truly cares about her patients. She definitely deserves a higher rating on Unilocal — it seems that the negative reviews here are due to scheduling issues that are totally not her fault. (One reviewer gave her one star because she expected the office to call 24 hours before to remind her of her own appointment? Seriously? What happened to personal responsibility…) She goes above and beyond for the patients on whom she’s operated to make sure they get the care and attention they need, and I highly recommend her!

I went to Dr. Savage after being originally misdiagnosed by urgent care. She explained what it was and also walked me through what my options were. I thought she was knowledgable, considerate, and friendly. Her assistant was great. I went to her El Monte office which could explain why the service was better. I had read that the secretary staff at her previous locations were a bit lost. I can’t complain. They too were friendly and organized. Paperwork, billings, and follow up appointments went smoothly.

I had met with Kathleen Savage and she spent a lot of time explaining the surgery process and what to expect. I was scheduled for surgery and a week before the date her staff called to say they had made a mistake because it was a holiday and she doesn’t do surgeries then. I was moved to the next week… Monday at 7:00 a.m. The hospital called me on Friday at 4:55 p.m. to say I didn’t have insurance and how was the surgery being paid for. Her staff had sent the wrong insurance info. Once again cancelled. Dr. Savage wanted to see me in her office before scheduling another date. I fully expected her to take ownership of what happened and apologize but instead she put it all back on me. That I hadn’t thought it through, didn’t realize this is major surgery, etc. If that was the case why was I scheduled TWICE??? She never once took ownership for what her staff had done to me mentally, emotionally, physically. I strongly suggest that you stay away from her and her office. No one deserves to be treated the way I was!!!

Kathleen Savage was very nice and she seemed to know what she was talking about. She asked me to come in for a follow up 2 months later. 6 weeks after they scheduled my appointment, I realized I would be out of town. I called and they said the next available time would be 2 weeks later. I begrudgingly agreed as that would put my follow up at 10 weeks. Well, Kathleen’s staff of nurses were not very helpful and failed to give me a reminder phone call 24 hours prior… so now they want to reschedule me for another week. I’ll let you know if Kathleen actually calls me back as I have requested. The staff at the Healthcare Partners Medical group in Glendale were awful and not accommodating in any way at all. I would not recommend this location or their staff!

Dr. Savage also practices in Glendale a few days a week, which is where I saw her. She is fantastic and I would highly recommend her. She took her time with my evaluation, and did not once seem rushed. She thoroughly described what my conditions appeared to be, and what my options were. She was not pushy of any treatment, but described all the options, pros and cons, and let me decide what I wanted to try. (Obviously, for a more life-​threatening or serious condition she might be different; my condition was fairly minor and already on the mend when I went to see her.) She was very thorough, patient and attentive. I definitely feel like I got all my concerns voiced and addressed.
As for office ambiance as a whole, I also thought they were great. I had all my needs addressed quickly and the staff was kind. I waited perhaps 5 minutes while they got my paperwork in order, and was paying my copay when they called me in — so they appear to be very much on schedule!
Overall, everything was great: the office, the Dr., and her suggestions for my treatment. As per standard procedure, I have a follow up in ~ a month, in which my case will be re-​evaluated.