stanfordhealthcare.org Arvostelua 

2 vs. 1 star: Excellent physicians but the administration and management and customer service is so poor, actually availing and using their service(s) is close to impossible for anything beyond 'take 2 aspirin and good luck calling me in the morning...'

Had an urgent spine problem which already necessitated an emergency surgery months before. The excellent Stanford neurologist referred me to several specialists and noted they were available near my residence. I would be called by phone to set appointment.

Meanwhile, using their app (in and of itself a problem - since they made their own vs. using more standard software used by other healthcare organizations such as Epic's medical records and management software) showed the referral was cleared (even though my insurance does/did not require pre-approval given I have a PPO and a good one) and it said to contact them for an appointment (thus already contradicting what I had been told: "they'll call you").

I called per the message displayed. Was informed (contrary to information displayed on the notes generated for the referral) that the only such specialists they had (neurosurgery - not that exotic actually) were 40+ miles away from me (Redwood City, CA directly contradicting info displaying on the notes in the app which state that wait time for neurosurgery in my location were long (thus DIFFERENT information than 'we don't have any in your area').

To date, I have not been called and no appointment has been provided. A second call to verify the contradictory info re location for the specialist to whom I was referred produced the following by the agent: 🤷‍♂️.

While the neurologist (excellent) told me (and noted) my issue was urgent and truly reflected understanding that I did NOT want to end up in the emergency ward a SECOND TIME because of such 'one hand does not know what the other hand is doing and a general all around lack of common sense and logic in the business end of managing healthcare', I AM TODAY WITHOUT CARE AND TREATMENT RIGHT NOW for likely what will ultimately be surgery.

Finally, I asked about using the referrals to go get my care outside of Stanford given my insurance (PPO which does not require pre-approval as confirmed even by Stanford itself), and Stanford refused.

THIS is why I cannot recommend Stanford at this point at all. Physicians indeed are excellent but clearly, especially given the referral constraint that is purely business (an attempt to emulate an HMO system without the negative vibe of actually doing so given the poor track record of HMO type healthcare in the USA), getting anything other than routine care from Stanford might be a life threatening endeavor.

Stanford Health Care made my medical crisis infinitely worse.

Here’s what happened:

· A nurse practitioner refused to give me a treatment plan. She insisted I wait six months for an experimental exam – while I was actively declining after a year of untreated illness.
· When I refused to wait and asked for qualified care, she retaliated. She dismissed my condition, told me to seek different employment, and demanded I return to work with no treatment or diagnosis.
· She ordered repeated blood tests to “prove malnutrition” – even though I’d told her I couldn’t eat for over two years. Nonsensical, wasteful, and cruel.
· I complained. Stanford acknowledged it and promised an internal investigation, including reviewing the fees. Instead of resolving anything, they sent my bill to collections – without notice, without decision, while I was still in distress.
· My credit was damaged. I couldn’t access funds for care. I eventually disengaged from Stanford out of fear and cumulative abuse.

Result: Worsening organ damage, multiple ER visits, psychological trauma, loss of employment, permanent impairment. I’ve had to pay for costly alternative treatments out of pocket.

If you have a complex or chronic condition, do not trust Stanford Health Care. They punish patients for advocating for themselves.

Date of experience: December 2024 – April 2025

The doctors are ok but the support is terrible. Inefficient, chaotic, totally disregarding patients' time and energy.