UCLA Health Brentwood – Internal Medicine and Pediatrics

The doctors here are ok, but I have to agree with the other reviewers who have said that the billing practices here are bordering on fraud. I never have any billing issues with other UCLA offices, but for some reason, I always get random, unexpected bills after visiting the Brentwood office. The doctors here add extra insurance codes to get more money out of patients, and the last time I went, my appointment was billed as two! If you want to avoid the stress of calling and arguing with the UCLA finance office, I’d recommend finding a doctor somewhere else.

I have been going to a PCP at this practice for many years now. The experience I had recently has me considering going elsewhere.
I was the third scheduled patient of the day. I was taken into a horrible exam room in the far reaches of the office next to the X-​ray suite. It was long, narrow, and freezing. The medical assistant made the mistake of asking me why I was there while taking my blood pressure. Any person with a high school education knows this would cause a person’s blood pressure to rise, so my reading came out abnormal. I then sat in that exam room for nearly thirty minutes, 20 minutes after my appointment time. I had to go to the nurse’s station and ask where my doctor was, which tells you how little this staff cares about their patients. I was angry, I raised my voice, and told them that I matter just as much as every other patient in that place. I considered leaving, but decided to give it another 10 minutes. My doctor finally materialized 30 minutes after my scheduled appointment; from her demeanor I felt like I was bothering her, so I was unable to give her a full description of all my symptoms. I was trying to rush through it. Since I have a history of depression, she decided I must have developed severe anxiety for no apparent reason. This is just lazy doctoring, IMO, as well as very sexist. Women’s symptoms, especially cardiac symptoms, are often chalked up to «emotions» whereas men’s are taken seriously. To her credit she also ordered labs that later showed there was a potential physical cause for my symptoms.
She also ordered an EKG and that turned into another rigamarole. I was told about 15 times that this awful new exam room used to be their calling center. Someone came in to do the EKG, wired me up, plugged it into the computer and it didn’t work. That person screwed around with that thing for a good ten minutes before deciding that it would need IT’s intervention and it was the first time they had tried it in that room. Really. So you set up a new exam room and didn’t test capabilities beforehand? Sounds legit. Instead it was done the old fashioned way, so I laid around freezing on a table with two different EKG machines draped all over me until they finally did a reading on paper.
When I left, a practice manager came out and spoke to me and I told her about the awful exam room and how the staff just left me back there without telling me my doctor was woefully behind, which is a nice touch, but doesn’t fix all the problems, which clearly had an effect on the care I received. I’m not sure I will be back, between the obvious mismanagement, staff that doesn’t care, and a doctor quick to dismiss physical symptoms as psychiatric.

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE experience with Dr. Maldan… if I could give a score of negative 5, I would… a 10min visit in which he informed me that internal swelling within my ears would subside within the next 4weeks cost me $ 265. All of which is now out of pocket because the office misinformed me about how it was being billed. I would suggest all to look for other options.

Ok, folks; when you’re unhappy with the provider, don’t think there isn’t recourse! There is! And I’m not just going to complain about the incorrect billing code my provider billed my insurance company — TWICE; I’m going to tell you what you can do when your service SUCKS!
So my provider billed me for a preventative visit, which is covered under the Affordable Care Act as normally 100% covered and let me be clear — I did NOT go in to have a pathology treated under the guise of Preventative Visit. The purpose of a physical is to discuss your overall health, and it’s not a free physical only if nothing is wrong. What if something is discovered only at the annual physical? I would expect to be charged for subsequent visits, however on my alleged bill, it still says «preventative visit!» Now listen up, because this part is important: the way you know what you will be charged for is knowing EXACTLY WHAT YOUR PROVIDER CODES YOUR VISIT AS PRIOR TO LEAVING YOUR INTERACTION WITH YOUR PROVIDER. That way, you know how much your insurance is going to cover vs your out of pocket costs, and you can even negotiate that before leaving the office. It is virtually impossible to learn the codes yourself because they are copyrighted by the AMA, but you can learn them when you go in and what that will mean to you. It’s like the physical is only free if you’re completely healthy — that doesn’t do anyone any good; particularly if they lead you in a non-​preventative direction! The recourse is to have them recode the visit correctly, and then to file a complaint with the fraud investigation bureau located at: attn: George Mueller Deputy Commissioner — Enforcement Branch CA Department of Insurance 9342 Tech Center Dr. Set 100 Sacramento, CA 95 826 or call (800)927-HELP. Under the Affordable Care Act you can also call (800)318−2596.
It doesn’t stop there; I was supposed to receive a referral to a specialist, and the referral never came. After a month I took action and even the specialist (also part of UCLA Healthcare) almost never had anyone answering their phones or returning phone calls requesting an appointment (and it was a wakeup call for that office too). About 2 weeks ago, I received a phone call from this office about my referral and I told them I was already seeing a specialist they were supposed to be referring me to months ago, and I got pretty angry about why they were just now calling me (6 months later.) Folks, your provider has a DUTY OF CARE TO ENSURE YOUR CONTINUITY OF CARE, and it is a fundamental right to receive information from your provider and a fundamental element of the patient-​provider relationship! Furthermore, the provider has an ethical and legal obligation NOT TO NEGLECT THEIR PATIENTS. This is pathetic. If you don’t want to battle with your providers, maybe you should look elsewhere for care. I will be in the future.

Two words — Allison Leung!
Dr. Leung is not my PCP (Dr. Bui is) but it was so hard to get appointments with Dr. But that I just told the receptionist to put me with anyone. What an amazing Doctor I stumbled upon! I am a nurse and am very familiar with working with BUSY doctors with a wide range of bedside manners.
Dr. Leung is incredibly personable and empathetic, as well as knowledgable and efficient. Every appointment meets my expectations, which can be hard to say of doctors these days. She is very patient — NEVER gives off a rushed vibe (Dr. Bui is great but has never not seemed in a hurry.) and genuinely cares about each and every concern I have. I have talked to her about very personal things and she makes difficult conversations as painless as possible, almost like speaking to a friend you can trust. I always come in knowing all my questions will be asked and if not. I can message her. Read on.
A huge plus for someone who is very very busy and cannot always make an appointment or wait to be seen: She answers EVERY single message I send her on MyChart in a timely manner (within a couple hours usually or at least by the end of the business day), no waiting around necessary. I sent Dr Bui a message the other day asking for a derm consult for adult acne. Did not hear from her after a whole week. I decided to ask Dr. L and within a few hours, she messaged me back saying the referral was put in, with some further instructions. Amazing!
Needless to say, I’m switching over to Dr. Leung as my PCP and I HIGHLY recommend her to anyone looking for a reliable and efficient dr with an incredible bedside manner. Just don’t steal all her appointments, okay?

Dr. Yeung is an excellent doctor who did a better job of diagnosing my issues than any of the specialists I saw. She is very patient and thoughtful.
The staff is great and very helpful. They help me deal with any insurance issues as well.

The staff of the UCLA Brentwood Health Center are incredibly unprofessional and disrespectful. After checking to make sure that the offices accepted my insurance provider, I was barked at by the rude receptionist, Cindy, who told me that my insurance did not in fact cover my appointment. She said I was «not being proactive about my health,» which she had no right to say, when I had been calling her office for the past month trying to set an appointment. Never wasting my time or risking my health by going to this office again.

I am disappointed that this office makes no effort to keep you with the physician you have designated as your primary. When I take my daughter they consistently schedule me with multiple physicians… we never see the same one EVEN when I call weeks ahead and request our primary. I made an appointment over a week ago (again did not get my choice but yet another physician) and waited in the room for 1 hour!!! Just really sub par service. I was not impressed with the physician… while nice enough she just wasn’t great! She also kept pressing me for immunizations that I told her I was not going to give my daughter today.

I just switched health insurance and turned 26 so I had to find new doctors. I started going to Dr. Yeung about a month ago and she’s amazing. She’s more thorough than any doctor I’ve ever been to and she’s easy to talk to. She takes all precautions and makes sure to ask the right questions. I definitely recommend her to anyone looking for a new doctor!

I’m firmly convinced that Dr. Jennifer Yeung is a robot. I’m not sure I have encountered a less empathetic or compassionate doctor in my entire life. I completely understand that it’s standard practice to prescribe antibiotics less these days, but when a patient comes in as sick as I was I think it’s also unacceptable to tell them to just take Aleve. I contacted the office because I was still sick 9 days later, and asked if I could get some prescription cough medicine because over the counter stuff wasn’t helping, and was treated like I was drug seeking. I’ll be taking my business elsewhere going forward.

I have to agree with Melanie C. about Dr. Jennifer Yeung — she is the best doctor I’ve ever been to! I absolutely love her, and while she is an exceptional medical doctor, she also focuses on the whole person, not just ailments and medications. Dr. Yeung makes great suggestions, give you a lot of attention, and genuinely cares. She’s also whip smart and extremely knowledgeable, and will always provide you with a thoughtful, accurate action plan. I feel 100% confident and comfortable in her care. As far as the rest of the office goes, I’ve had nothing but positive experiences there as well! The front desk is very helpful and efficient, and can typically accommodate last minute appointments. I’ve usually never had to wait very long in the waiting room either, but on the rare occasions it happens, it’s not for lack of efficiency in the office, probably more likely the patients holding them up. The location itself — Brentwood — is not really convenient for me, but it doesn’t matter because they are that good!

I’m actually quite surprised to see the rating for this place isn’t that high??? My doctor here at the UCLA Clinic is Dr. Jennifer Yeung. It’s pronounced «Young» but spelled «Yeung.» She is one of the best internists out there! I absolutely LOVE her! She always spends more time with me if needed, always takes extra precautions, follows up with my other medical physicians, keeps me up to date on my test results and procedures, she’s greatly proactive and thorough in solving the problem and always treats my health concerns the best way possible instead of sticking me with another drug prescription. I also admire that Doctor Yeung not only uses her medical skills in her practice but also encourages mindfulness, meditation, and alternate methods of treatment. It’s a relief to know Not All medical professionals keep strictly to western medicine and are openminded to a certain degree. I can honestly say I’m completely content with my PCP.
In addition to my wonderful physician the staff here are sincerely kind and always address me by my first name. All of them (receptionists, CNA’s, Nurses, assistants, etc.) put forth their best efforts in providing great quality health care. I also very much appreciate Monica especially, she never misses my vein and can always get me on the first poke and I’m pretty difficult when it comes to blood work, my veins often times roll and all of a sudden become camera shy. I’ve received great medical care here at this clinic and I always refer my friends.

The rating is for the doctor & not the office staff! Dr. Hartenbower is great. He is very caring & attentive. He is great at returning your calls & addressing your concerns. The office staff were hired by UCLA & not the physicians in the practice.

I needed urgent care quickly and so I went to this facility because it was open on a Sunday and near my house. The service was prompt and they did some analyses on-​site, however they had to send my blood work to a lab (that would take 2 – 3 days) as well as a request for an ultrasound.
On the third business day I called the office for my results, but the receptionist informed me that my results were sent to my primary care physician and to follow up with him.
I don’t have anything against my PCP, but they should have told me they were going to do that. Suffice it to say, I called my PCP and they haven’t received the results. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal for me, but since I’m still in pain, I need answers!
Now I have to chase down what, apparently from the other reviews, will be very expensive results!

I agree with many of the other reviewers here, the doctors are good, but their billing practices verge on fraud. And in the end, the doctors themselves are the ones that should be held responsible.
I went here probably 4 or 5 times over a two and a half year period, but after my last visit I said enough was enough. I guess I kept going back because it was so close by and they were part of UCLA. I also didn’t realize how egregious their billing practices were.
On my last visit, I went to see Dr. Jennifer Yeung because I had face pain and a headache for a few days. Once again, nice enough doctor, but she literally saw me for 5 minutes and told me to go to CVS across the street and buy Sudafed and a saline nasal spray. That’s it … 5 minute visit and go buy some over the counter drugs across the street.
They charged me $ 350 for a FIVE MINUTE consultation. My insurance covered $ 150 of it and I was left with a $ 200 bill. They would not budge on the fee and just sent it to collections when I refused to pay that much.
There are many other GREAT doctors in the area that don’t take insurance that cost less. Do yourself and your pocketbook a favor and stay away.

First of all, Dr. Bui is great. She’s very professional and attentive to my concerns about my health.
With that said, their receptionists clearly could care less about assisting new patients.
I had a 2pm appointment (not a 2:30, as I was told… even have the VM to confirm the 2pm appointment and 1:30pm arrival). I sat patiently in the waiting room (after filling out forms) until about 2:15, which is when my patience wore out. I go ahead and ask the very flat-​toned receptionist what the deal was «oh, your appointment is at 2:30»…
I was pissed. Sat down. Waited it out. 30 mins later the Dr. was ready for me.
Could you have please told me when I walked in the door that you schedule my appointment incorrectly, OR the Dr. was a bit behind with patients. No one takes responsibility for their actions in LA.
At least Dr. Bui apologized for running late.
I will probably reluctantly come back here in a year for a physical.

I had been sick for a while and of course got worse over the weekend. I walked down to the Urgent Care and registered. They had just opened at 1:00 on Sunday and I was there at 1:15. Everyone was nice and the doctor was great. What was not great, was they said about an hour and it turned out to be almost 3 hours. 1 ½ of which I sat in an exam room. I was super frustrated by the time the doctor came in. I explained the wait situation and she apologized. Anyway, I don’t think I will go back here if I can find another Urgent Care that moves more quickly. I have been to the Porter Ranch Urgent Care and never waited more than 15 minutes. I could have driven to Porter Ranch, seen a doctor and been home in less time than I sat at UCLA Healthcare. Glad they were there, but wasn’t a great experience.

The past two times that I have come in for appointments I have had to wait 45 minutes past the appointment time to even be called back to an exam room. I am one of those people who are always early. The last appointment was at 3:15, I arrived just after 3. I was not called back until 3:55!
This is absolutely ridiculous. I understand waiting 10 or even 15 minutes, but 40 to 45? No. Both times the nurses and doctor apologized for running behind, and while that is nice and I do like the doctor I see as far as her personality, demeanor, and professionalism, I do not appreciate waiting so long. I have places I need to be following appointments, and getting so behind just waiting to be seen is stressful and irritating. I may think this place is «ok» aside from the wait time, but I don’t love it, so with the long wait time it makes me seriously consider finding a new doctor.

Ahhhh — where do I start???
Disappointment would be a compliment at this point.
I’ve been going to Dr. Denise Garvey at this location for about 8 years (ok – shame on me!!!) I’m self-​employed and carry my own health insurance which has always had a sizable deductible. There has been more than 1 occasion where blood work was recommended but I declined because the lab fees are astronomical and only count against my huge deductible. We’re talking lab fees alone of $ 500 – 700 each time blood work is done.
Come to find out a bit earlier this year that there are TWO LAB OPTIONS for them to send your blood work to. The expensive one (ironically it’s a UCLA lab) or the cheap one. When I refused the blood work they wanted to do earlier this year — siting that the fees are outrageous — I was asked if I didn’t have insurance. Once I explained that I had a $ 2500 deductible, I was told they could send it to Quest, the lesser expensive lab since it was out-​of –pocket. WTF? For years they’ve been sending my blood to the expensive lab AND billing me for bloodwork that WASN’T DONE or authorized. I’ve had bills come in 2 years after I was under the assumption we had resolved the issue that the tests were done without my authorization. RIDICULOUS!
My annual pap also would have additional lab fees for std testing that was never brought up would be done, and again, not authorized by me. I would make the appointment for my annual WELLNESS exam (free of charge) and a pap (also free), then get a bill for other things. THIS IS THE NORM with this group, not an exception. Again, shame on me for thinking each incident was isolated and just a clerical error. NOT! There ripping off the consumer and the insurance companies, driving up our costs overall.
PLEASE, do yourself a favor and GO TO ANOTHER doctor and facility. These guys are self-​serving, non-​compassionate crooks.
The latest and greatest of all is that, even though I have a PPO, my annual mammogram results go to Dr. Garvey and she is to inform me of the results. This year we did a biopsy and I awaited anxiously to hear the news that I was hopefully cancer-​free. Was told by the Barbara Kort Imaging Center (THESE GUYS ARE FABULOUS, BY THE WAY … showing that not all UCLA groups suck) that results would be had in about 3 days. My biopsy was ¹⁰⁄₃₁. No news after 4 day, 5 days go by… nothing. 1 week… panic is setting in but you tell yourself «No news is good news, right?» Then it gets to 10 days and you’re convinced something is wrong and call to find out what the delay is. After explaining the urgency to the receptionist and the mind-​games I was dealing with, I was told a message would get to Dr. Garvey immediately upon her arrival that day. Do I get a call back? No.
Call again the following day. Another message. Frustrated, I call the Imaging Center and they IMMEDIATELY put me on the phone with one of the doctors there who is able to tell me my results on the spot. I was lucky — everything was fine. 5 minutes later I get a call from Brentwood with a doctor who is covering Dr. Garvey, saying she has NO IDEA why I wasn’t contacted immediately by Dr. Garvey but will bring it up to her when she sees her. Thanks guys! Imagine if it were you awaiting news to find out if you had cancer or not!!! Maybe have a bit of compassion or perhaps be on top of biopsy results when they come into your office? I don’t know… seems like it could be an important little detail that you wouldn’t allow to slip thru the cracks.
In summary, it’s been a long time coming but I will never be seeing Dr. Garvey again nor visiting UCLA Brentwood. They will not get another penny of my money, nor will I be part of their insurance scam to overbill the insurance company and send things for analysis to the most expensive lab to get a bigger payout.
Good riddance!

Really enjoy the entire team at UCLA Medical Group — Brentwood. I have found the staff friendly and helpful, the nurses attentive and well informed, and the doctors (particularly Dr. Grossman — Internist) outstanding.
They are generally on time — rarely have to wait more than 15 to 20 minutes, and provide excellent service. I recommend their practice.