Seeking a Pediatrician in the East Bay

Hey everyone!  We recently switched from Kaiser to Anthem medical insurance, and I am seeking recommendations for a pediatrician in Berkeley (neighboring cities ok, too) who is open to alternative medicines.  Thanks!

Hello-

My family is relocating to East Bay from Brooklyn in May and will need a new pediatrician in the area. Hoping for a few recommendations that accept United Healthcare.

Thank you,

Kayla 

Hi parents,

We are looking for a pediatrician for our baby due in January. Anyone have recommendations for someone in east bay (e.g. El Cerrito, Berkeley, Pinole areas are ideal).  We live in Richmond, and go to UCSF for prenatal care.

Thanks!

I have been a Kaiser or Sutter patient my entire life and therefore only have experience with large health care providers.

My 11-month old is now under my husband's PPO, so for the first time I have a choice between a smaller practice or Sutter/John Muir.

I hear people recommending Berkeley Pediatrics, East Bay Pediatrics and other smaller practices.

My questions are:

1. For those of you who have experience with both big conglomerates and smaller practices, which do you prefer? Is it hard to get appointments, school forms, etc. with the smaller practices?

2. Do smaller practices places charge for emails? I want to be able to email the pediatrician basic questions without being charged.

3. What happens when you need Xrays, blood work, etc? Do I have to go somewhere else? Where? What if there is an emergency/after hours issue? The "all-in-one" of a Kaiser/Sutter is convenient.

Lastly, if you love your (non-Kaiser) pediatrician, I would appreciate recommendations!

Thanks for your help!

Hi there,

I'm expecting my first child this October and have begun the search for a pediatrician. Do you have recommendations for pediatricians within Berkeley area? 

Thanks in advance!

Hello! We just moved to the area from Brooklyn NY and are looking for a pediatrician for our 3 year old daughter. We will be living in west Berkeley. Any recommendations for specific doctors would be much appreciated! Thanks so much!

Julie, mom to S 3yo

Good Morning!  My wife and I are expecting our first child in the coming weeks and wanted to work on lining up a pediatrician.  If anyone has any recommendations for anyone they have enjoyed working with in Berkeley or Oakland it would be greatly appreciated.  We are located in the Oakland Hills above Piedmont for geographic reference.

Thanks in Advance!

Our family is switching from Kaiser to blue cross in January. We're in Berkeley and would love a rec for a good pediatrician for our 2 year old and primary care physician for the adult members of the household. Word of mouth seems a good way to find good doctors so any input is appreciated. Thanks in advance. 

Good morning.

I'm expecting my first child and am looking for a pediatrician. Do you have any recommendations around the Oakland/ Berkeley area?

Thank you!

My husband and I are expecting our first baby in June and are looking for recommendations for pediatricians who are in private practice in the East Bay or even SF. Also hoping to switch my OB care from Sutter at some point as well so if anyone has any good OB recommendations, I would welcome those. We are in Albany, but are willing to travel for good doctors. We are really looking for providers who take time to answer questions and who we can contact if needed with questions between appointments. Thanks for any leads!

We just moved from Oakland to Concord and need to find a new pediatrician for our 6 month old. We were previously at Sutter in Berkeley with Dr. Geri Landman who was fantastic. Looking for a practice located in Concord/Walnut Creek/Pleasant Hill areas. TIA! 

Hello parents/guardians,

We live in Albany but are open to providers in Albany, El Cerrito, Berkeley, Kensington and Northern parts of Oakland.

We had an amazing Pediatrician who went into early retirement.  The new doctor is great but her front office staff is incompetent, rude and untrustworthy - great combination!  We are looking for recommendations for a great doctor who has great office staff as well.

Our child has been seen by dentists at Alameda Pediatric Dentistry since age 1.  They moved their office closer to Lake Merritt, so it's even further for us to get to. 

Looking for great providers who are backed up by great front office staff.

Is there such a combination anymore?

Please help!

Hi all,

We are moving the next month from London and will live in North Berkeley. We would like to have a pediatrician at the ready just in case it’s needed for my toddler son. Is there one you can recommend? Could you please help me understand the health system as well? We will have insurance. Thanks in advance!

Hi, all.

We're expecting our first kiddo in May, and are trying to narrow down and pick a pediatrician.  My OBGYN is through UCSF and I've had a mixed experience; we're sticking with UCSF for delivery, but my husband and I are not particularly interested in the UCSF system/UCSF pediatricians.  I'm wondering if folks have thoughts/recommendations for either Bayside Medical Group or Sutter Health? 

Of course, we'd like someone with a good rapport with kids, knowledgeable, etc.  We certainly don't want unnecessary medication/treatment and are on-board with caring for both physical and emotional health, but finding a staunch holistic provider is not an absolute for us; we definitely want to get all recommended immunizations.  Based on my experience with UCSF, one of my concerns is avoiding bureaucracy/miscommunication/poor communication/lack of communication from the doctor or staff.  We're also hoping to build a connection with the pediatrician (i.e. see that provider consistently) and not get bounced around a variety of providers - perhaps that is a pipe dream given how medical care functions today.

Anyway, thoughts/recommendations/reactions welcome!

Thanks, Lauren

Hi Moms! My family and I relocated to the area from Cambridge, MA just before the holidays. We have a 19 month and 3 yr old. Because of COVID we’ve been doing tele-visits with our pediatrician in Cambridge but really need to transition to a new local pediatrician. I’d be very grateful for any referrals. Our insurance is Blue Cross/Blue Shield Carefirst PPO but we’re not filtering our options based on insurance. So happy to be out here!! Tremendous thanks!

Hi- In search of a east bay pediatrician recommendation. 

[Moderator reminder: reviews of 40+ East Bay pediatricians are here: https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/advice/pediatrics . If yours hasn't been reviewed recently, please do post a review! ]

Hi, I am sadly losing my Kaiser insurance and have to switch to a PPO. I have a baby who is under 1 and I'm looking for a fantastic pediatrician. My ideal doctor would be female, with a strong educational background, and someone who is truly interested and keeps up to date with the latest medical research. Obviously they gotta love kids and be able to connect with them. I also would appreciate if this doctor had some holistic/integrative leanings. Although I hads some quibbles with Kaiser, overall it was so much easier than having to navigate a PPO. In particular their software portal works incredibly well -- doctors are super responsive, it's easy to upload and access all medical records, it's easy to get my billing info. I find with smaller independent offices, this type of very basic administrative stuff becomes a HUGE pain. (Don't even get my started on filing insurance claims or figuring out what specialist to see and whether they are in-network etc). I'm currently considering going to East Bay Pediatrics... thoughts? Other recommendations? 

Hi,

I'm looking for Pediatrician recommendations for my 1-year-old who accept Anthem Blue Cross of California PPO in Berkeley.

Thanks,
Praneeth

[Moderator Note] all the Berkeley pediatric practices have numerous reviews here: https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/advice/berkeley-pediatricians

Hello BPN! 

I am new to the Piedmont area and am seeking a referral for a great pediatrician for my toddler, preferably a female doctor. Please let me know if you have any referrals to a good pediatric dentist as well. I'm willing to travel outside of my neighborhood, but closer is always preferable. 

Thanks!

Hi everyone,

My husband and I just moved to Marina bay from SF, and expecting our first baby in June. Does anyone have a recommendation for a pediatrician in the area, in the Sutter Health network? Also interested if anyone has an Ob/Gyn they like?

Thanks in advance!

Shehla

hello!
we're moving from San Francisco to North Berkeley this summer and are in need of a recco for a pediatrician and kid-friendly dentist in the North Berkeley/ Berkeley/Albany area. We have United Healthcare PPO and Delta Dental. 

thanks in advance!

Amy

Hi, we just moved from Japan with our little one who was born Dec 26 2018. We are looking for a pediatrician here around Berkeley, does anyone have any recommendations for a Japanese-speaking pediatrician ? I thought I would ask, as that is the native tongue, and we are still learning English. Many thanks!

Just got a new job and insurance - woohoo!

I have UnitedHealthcare. Does anyone have a pediatrician recommendation? For a 3 year old girl no major health issues.  We live in South Berkeley, so Berkeley or Oakland.

thanks!

Sara

Hello,

We are looking for a a female pediatrician for our daughter, who will be born in October. We live in Oakland, but are willing to travel east of the tunnel or further north for a caring and reasonable doctor. Any recommendations/anecdotes are helpful.

Thank you!

Hello, I am seeking an excellent female pediatrician for my newborn in Berkeley or Oakland who takes Blue Shield PPO.

Hello,

My wife and I are expecting our first kids (twins) in the next few months and were wondering if anyone had a pediatrician they recommend? We live in rockridge so ideally one close to that neighborhood.

thanks!

[moderator note] there are hundreds of parent reviews of local pediatric practices on the BPN website here: https://www.berkeleyparentsnetwork.org/advice/pediatrics

My daughter is starting 5th grade in a Berkeley public school, and she needs to have a report of health examination here. We have just arrived from France and hence have a french health insurance policy (not sure whether they will reimburse for a health examination here, as this is not an emergency situation). The school gave the number of City of Berkeley Public Health services but no-one is on the phone to answer so I could get an appointment with a physician..Do you recommend physicians that would do this examination for my daughter at a reasonable price?

Thank you

I'm looking for a great doctor in either Oakland or San Leandro for my 2 year old and 4 year old. Thank you in advance!

We recently moved to Richmond from out of state and need a pediatrician for our 12-month old son. We have HealthNet Blue and Gold insurance in case anyone has a similar policy and could recommend pediatricians in Richmond, El Cerrito or north Berkeley. Thanks very much!

Hi, we are due with our first child in the next two months, so are the hunt for a pediatrician.  We currently use Sutter East Bay Medical Foundation for our OBGYN, so figured maybe it is best to stay within the network. Thus, I would love any recommendations.  Also, it looks like there are some threads about Berkeley Pediatrics, so curious if there is much of a difference between the two practices.

Thanks for the help,

Andrea

Hi, 
My family is moving to Berkeley (Elmwood) next week and would love recommendations for pediatricians. We're currently at UCSF in SF. They're affiliated with Berkeley Pediatrics, so if you have anything good or bad to say about them, please let me know. 

We have twin 1yo's and a 4 yo. We're a 2-mom family, so LGBTQ family-friendly is essential. 

Thanks!
Shannon

Hello- I would like to hear your favorite pediatricians! I have 4 year old and 6 month old boys and they are pretty healthy. I have Aetna and prefer in Berkeley area. Thank you!

Hi - we are expecting our first child in January.

We are hoping to find a pediatrician/pediatric group in the Glenview/Lakeshore/Piedmont/Pill Hill area who is an MD, but open-minded to alternative medicine, as well as less aggressive vaccination schedules.

We have a PPO, so rec's for Kaiser docs wouldn't be helpful to us. ;)

Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

We are new to Walnut Creek and expecting our first baby in January 2017.  Please let me know if you have recommendations for a good pediatrician in Walnut Creek.  Thanks!

Hello,

I'm seeking recommendations for a new pediatrician in the North Berkeley/Albany/El Cerrito Plaza area. My family has been with Bayside Medical Group for 10 years.  I have been very happy with their pediatric services, but I'm looking for something closer to home.

Thank you for any recommendations.

Hello, We just moved to Albany and need to find a pediatrician ASAP for our 4 kids (7, 5, 3, 4 months). The youngest needs shots in a week for her 4 month appointment and I don't want to mess with her shot schedule. Any recommendations for a good family pediatrician in Albany/ Berkeley/ El Cerrito? Thanks in advance!