Donald Stemmle, MD

Dr. Don and his team were my pediatricians from the day I was born until I became an adult (along with both of my brothers) and now he’s my daughter’s pediatrician. We LOVE them, all of them. Dr. Don is truly such an amazing, caring doctor! We’ve never had any of the staff ever once be rude to us (and my daughter is on medi-​cal and they CHOSE to accept it).
My mother was a mother of three small children all under the age of three at once, and she even said how easy Dr. Don and Laura made life for her. When my mother had all of us going in quite often, an insurance company decided to look into it and Dr. Don basically told them to leave her alone because she had three small children and they were bound to get sick. They have NEVER talked down to us or made us feel like bad parents, nor have any of the staff. They’ve bent over backwards to make appointments for us when we’ve cancelled our had to reschedule.
All in all, the bad reviews must have been from people who had an extremely rare experience here because this is the best office all around!
*we will see ANY doctor here because they are ALL always so pleasant*

We have been going to this practice for five years — and we love it! Let me list what we like about Dr. Don specifically. First, excellent diagnosis. For me, the most important thing in a doctor. My own last doctor was a very nice guy, but symptoms didn’t clear up after his treatment! However, we’ve never had that experience with Dr. Don. Second, he is not an alarmist — unlike other doctors who give you all the statistics about what could go wrong. Dr. Don’s calm and factual approach really works with my husband.
The other reasons we love the practice are: Very warm and friendly nurses, we love them. In an emergency, they will always squeeze you in, that is very important when you have young children. They always return calls and the nurses helpline is very useful.
I am glad that though they have joined PAMF, we still have the same doctors and nurses!
Do look up the filtered reviews — they are all 5 star but are hidden (most likely due to user inactivity).

We have two children going to Alta Vista Pediatric, which I believe is now called Palo Alto something or another, Los Gatos office. They changed medical groups and are no longer part of Santa Clara County IPA or SCIPA.
Anyhow, about the doctors, we like Doctor Don the best, his wife Laura Stemmle MD the second best, and Dr. Ahmed the least. We’ve never seen the fourth doctor there.
Negative:
— Since it is a group, you may have to see Dr. Ahmed in an emergency. He is fine in terms of giving the information and treating the child, but he doesn’t really have great interpersonal communication skills. She smiles, but it seems plastic and it feels very much like he is reciting a script. He doesn’t really seem in interested in what the parents have to say about anything.
— Parking is a pain.
— The office is dated and poorly lit. I really hate the lighting in the exam rooms because it feels alien. I wish they would just switch out the fluorescent bulbs with warmer colored tubes.
Positives:
+ Dr. Don is wonderful.
+ They keep extended and weekend hours which is critical with small kids.
+ The nurses are usually very friendly.
+ I have called in many times asking for advise and they are excellent. Usually they say to bring the child in for an evaluation, but they have also said not to worry a couple times and saved us a trip.
We keep going here mostly because we like Dr. Don, but if it weren’t for him we would seek another office.

This place is right off the freeway so that is good, I am new to this place and it was easy for a newby to find. The parking lot sucks badly. It is connected with a starbucks so that should have been a red flag to not to put your business here because so many people would stop here. The waiting area is good for kids but it is small and the way the line area is set up makes you think, «Why?» They have this nice big flat screen and it was playing a movie, so a plus. Overall, it is an ok place but if you live in the area and you like the homey feel of a smaller doctor’s office then stop by. If you like bigger then go some where else.

All four doctors at Alta Vista are great — I’ve never had any issue with any of the doctors or staff there, and we’ve seen each one multiple times. I called them a lot when my babies were little, and I’ve always gotten great advice and reassurance. They are always available for an emergency appointment, which is vitally important to me.
My kids love the play structure in the waiting area, too!

Dr. Don Stemmle, like his wife Dr. Laura Stemmle, is a wonderful doctor. We have seeing both them since my daughter was a baby (she is now 13) and we would never change pediatricians. We will keep going to see them as long as we can!

We are really happy with Alta Vista Pediatric Group. There are four doctors (although you select one as your primary) and they are all great. It’s really easy to get last minute appointments and they have extended and weekend hours (or someone on call). Also they have a good call-​in consultation person to give you advice when you don’t really need to bring in the child. Perfect resource for busy parents of three small children.

How rude can a pediatrician be? My son went in to see Dr. Laura for 7 yr old check up. (we have been seeing her for last 4 years)…She said. maybe he need antibiotic since she saw some redness in my son’s nose. Since she used «maybe» so I thought to check out a ENT specialist to get a 2^nd opinion. The Dr. O said my son doesn’t need anti-​biotic. Two weeks after, my son got a ear infection and pink eye. At the urgent time, I booked another pediatrician for the morning on my way to work. With the treatment from the new doctor, it did not seem better from the cold symptom and ear infection.
With a crying kid today, I was able to book Ms Laura’s husband Don for an urgent appointment. OMG… what an arrogant doctor… we were waiting for 40 mins before we got seen. The next thing is he was «asking» me to «make up my mind» to pick a doctor… HELLO…I am a mom and I would prefer not to have my son taking antibiotic if your wife said «maybe». I am willing to pay $ 15 for a 2^nd opinion anytime.
With a crying kid on the side, he continues lecturing me how I should make up my mind… and yet. in the background… with my son’s screaming …“mommy…my ear hurt so much”…
Thanks very much Dr. Don… but no Thanks! I am making my mind.

Based on the reviews, I figured I would try them if Dr. Parvez Ahmed is no longer on staff. He is still on staff. Also, when I called and then told the receptionist I am new to the area and am looking for a pediatrician. She quickly asked me where I moved from and what insurance I have. I answered dutifully, then wondered why she asked me where I moved from. I askede her and she chuckled and said «I was just curious». I should not have wasted my time.

I met Dr. Don Stemmle when my husband and I scheduled a pre-​natal interview with him when I was 8 months pregnant with our son. Can I just say that I knew right away that he was the pediatrician for us. My son is now 3 ½ yrs old and I have a 10 week old daughter as well… both patients of Dr. Don.
Dr Don is always very calm, patient and reassuring during our visits. He always has very thoughtful explanations and answers, and backs them up with the current guidelines and research. His assessment skills are superb. My son actually looks forward to his visits with Dr. Don.
The staff at his office is great and I never have any problems calling for advice or to make an appointment. Someone always answers the phone right away and if I get put on hold, it’s only for a minute or two. A big plus for this office is that they have evening and weekend appointments available. It’s reassuring to know that your pediatrician is readily accessible.
I have had to see the other pediatricians at this practice on occasion, and I have no complaints about any of them.

Although I once had a luke-​warm experience with Dr. Ahmed, I still give 5 stars b/​c Dr. Don Stemmle is the greatest pedi. ever in my opinion. He helped me to get ahead of the game with my son’s autism; (he saw some redflags and then I went to get a diagnosis and services) and this to me is worth more than anything. In addition, he has always been an extremely calming force for both my daughter and myself from the moment I wandered into his office post partum emotional with her and left knowing she was fine. Office staff has also always been good to us. Would recommend him to anyone.

Dr. Ahmed is great! This office is the best. I have two boys, 9 and 6, who I have been taking there since they were born. Dr Ahmed is their favorite. He’s kind, patient and very knowledgeable. He just great with my boys which is the most important of all. I have recommended him to other moms and everyone loves him. He really talks to the kids. He’s younger and they like that too.
The staff and other Drs are also super. I think this woman who wrote the other review was just upset because she didn’t want to be told that she wasn’t doing the right thing for her kids. These people do care and that’s why they’re so good.

5 STARS!!! I can’t say enough about how wonderful all the staff and doctors are at Alta Vista Pediatric Group. We have know Dr. Don & Dr. Laura since before our first baby was born. They are truely genuine, honest and respectable people!
Every time I call the office for advice, the nurses are always so nice and reassuring. I have NEVER had an issue with anyone at this office and I have been going there for almost 5 years.
If I need to get my baby/​child seen they always try to accomodate us to their best ability to be seen that day. Although, we are also very flexible with seeing any of the doctors. We have seen them all!
We also respect their advice on when vaccinations are needed. I feel that they are the ones that are up to date on vaccinations and what I may read in one or two articles regarding childhood autism and vaccinations aren’t exactly what the real «experts» state.
I would HIGHLY recommend ALL of these doctors to anyone. In fact, I think I have already had about 3 referrals since the birth of my first baby!

Since Dr. Parvez Ahmed is on their staff… which brings on the NEGATIVE stars… they are left with «1» Star.
I had a HORRIBLE experience with the the front desk staff, and one of the rotating Dr’s in their office, «Dr. Ahmed». I was behind on getting my baby’s vaccinations completed, due to him being ill (and my not wanting to vaccinate when he already had fevers off and on due to cold’s). And, then also due to my finding it difficult to get into the office, with 3 other children all on different schedules, and all taking turns with colds & flu bugs during the winter months.
As soon as I went to sign in, the lady at the front desk made a HUGE issue over the late vaccinations. She even continued to talk behind my back to other’s in the office area… while my mom listened in the waiting room.
Then, Dr. Ahmed continued to lecture in a demeaning manner about the importance of vaccinations. On, and on, and on… good grief!!! Just catch them up, and be quiet about it already! I made the mistake of mentioning to Dr. Ahmed that I wasn’t concerned that the vaccinations were late. (I don’t stress over things that can’t be changed). The front desk staff told me that he couldn’t have the vaccinations that day, and I’d have to book another appointment. Dr. Ahmed informed me that information was inaccurate, and he would get the nurse to get the vaccinations ready. I’m not going to bore you with details on how he went on and on and on and on and on about the vaccinations… but, it was getting extremely irritating.
My mom came from the waiting room into the back office where we were waiting for the vaccinations, and she let me know about the front desk ladies continuing to carry on about the late vaccinations. Well, at this point, my irritation level with these people «peaked» — and my mom agreed that she’d never before experienced such a thing — so unprofessional and completely rude of them!!! (by the way… this is my FOURTH child… all my kids are super healthy.) These people made me feel like I was an inadequate mother… and as a mother of 4 wonderful children… I’m not okay with being treated that way.
We walked out, after a confrontation with Dr. Ahmed, with no vaccinations! :)
Positives: There were 2 nurses that were SUPER friendly, that came outside afterwards and apologized for what had happened. They also told me that I do have a choice in Dr’s when I call in, and I could request one of the Stemmle’s instead. But, that doesn’t solve the yappy front desk people (oops, I slipped in a negative ;)
Later, I wrote a letter to Don & Laura Stemmle to explain what had happened, and to ask for my medical records, so that my new Dr. could give the baby his vaccinations. (Oh, and with NO fuss — new Dr. is great!!! :)
After receiving the records via fax… I was disappointed that the Stemmles never apologized on behalf of their rude staff.
* — goodbye to one star for rude office staff
* — goodbye 10 stars for rude, arrogant Dr. on their staff (that you might get stuck with if the Stemmles are booked)
* — goodbye to 2 more stars for the lack of response from the Stemmles — and there is another review on Dr. Ahmed besides mine, where a letter was wrote & cc’d to the Stemmles, with no response to that Unilocal reviewer either.
PLUS * — Dr. Don & Laura Stemmle are very nice Dr’s.
PLUS * — There are a couple of great, friendly nurses on staff
Sorry, it still leaves us with 1 star (actually negative stars). I am willing to update if there is ever a reason to :)
**** If you knew me, I’m a super easy-​going person, and rarely write a bad review unless it’s really warranted. I do want to be fair to the Stemmles… and fair to Unilocal Reviewers ****

Dr. Don and Dr. Laura are fantastic. I picked them because it was a husband/​wife team and I have boy/​girl twins, so I figured that the kids could ask personal questions down the line and feel comfortable with the doctor of the same gender.
Dr. Don and Dr. Laura are just amazing, special, gifted human beings. They’re kind and normal and genuine. They are also amazing doctors. The nursing staff is very competent, with wonderful memories and non-​Disneyland child engagement.
My only reason for a 4-​star instead of a 5-​star is that I have not had the best experience with another doctor in that group that they occasionally use as an on-​cal doctor.
Dr. Don and Dr. Laura are absolutely first class physicians and people.

Our baby daughter is new to Dr. Stemmle and his office this year and we are glad we found him!
My obstetrician recommended Dr. Stemmle’s practice since he’s the doctor for her kids. That was already a positive for me.
I called his office and the phone answered right away. The person who answered the phone was very friendly. I made an appointment for a few weeks away for an «interview» with Dr Stemmle. On the day of the appointment, my husband got sick so we moved the day to another day without any problems. Their front office was sympathetic to my husband being sick :-)
Our appointment was at 5pm. We had made a list of questions to ask the doctor. When we arrived, the office was empty and we filled out some brief paperwork with my information and due date. We were given a packet of «welcome» information — well, basically we got all of our questions answered in this packet. My husband and I looked at each other and wondered «What are we going to ask the doctor now?»
Dr. Stemmle took us back to his office and told us about his background and his practice. His office has 3 other pediatricians, one of them being his wife. Then, he proceeded to review the welcome packet with us and just reiterated each point on there. We were glad of that! He made us feel very comfortable and he was extremely easy to talk with. At the end of our meeting, he took us around, showing us the exam rooms, the area where they have newborn babies wait (so they are not in the same room as sick children), etc.
We were also pleased with the care Dr. Stemmle (also known as Dr. Don around their office since his wife is also Dr. Stemmle) so far. He takes the time to answer our questions during all of our baby’s appointments. His office staff is great also — we certainly had our fair share of calling them whenever we came across something we didn’t understand with our baby’s behavior. They answer the phones right away and are helpful.
As said earlier, Dr. Don practices with 3 other people — what’s nice is that if one doctor is busy or not available, you can see any of the other three doctors and not have to deal with different billing or insurance because it’s still one practice — and they all have access to the same chart so any doctor will have your child’s history. (They also work with a practice next door to rotate weekend coverage. The other practice is completely separate.)
Also, at the hospital after delivery, each morning, one of the 4 doctors would come to see my baby. We’ve met Dr. Ahmed, Dr. Laura, and of course, Dr. Don. We have not had a chance to meet Dr. Rose yet. We were also happy with their care of our baby at the hospital.
Caring doctor who takes time to listen, friendly and good nurses, helpful and efficient office staff –an ideal situation to come across!
(As an aside, I had called another doctor’s office during the time I was looking for a pediatrician. At another doctor, it took going through a few phone transfers before I got to an assistant. That doctor didn’t take any interviews (strange) and the assistant said she would send me a packet in the mail so I can read it. I never received the packet. If it was that hard to get to talk to anyone or even see the doctor, I’d hate to have to contact that doctor’s office in the case of a real emergency.)

i cant say enough about how great this doctor is. He always takes as much time as you need and listens to all of your concerns. He is really knowledgeable and my child just loves him!

My favorite pediatrician! My kids have been seeing him since they were in my tummy (that’s 5 yrs now). He always takes the time to explain things, and never judges your parenting style.
I was afraid he would berate me for weaning my son after 4 months and not breastfeeding my daughter at all, but he didn’t. He understood how difficult it was and knew that it just wasn’t for me. On the other hand, there a lot of breast-​feeding nazis out there. Don’t let them make you feel guilty! My kids are perfect!