Dr. Alfred Lavi, DO — Local services in Los Angeles

I debated writing this review for a long time. I was initially happy with Dr. Lavi when I first started seeing him in 2020. However, things went downhill in 2022. The bulk of the problem was how the office was run rather than Dr. Lavi himself. In 2022, wait times were excessive (over 2 hours) even with an appointment. During visits, I’d see a different student doctor each time and not Dr. Lavi. The visits themselves were long as the students needed to ask approval for everything. Often they’d ask me the same questions multiple times. When I called the office the call would regularly disconnect or I’d be put on hold for a long time and have to describe my needs over an over.

The final straw was when they refused to provide the standard treatment for my medical issue. Instead, they kept pushing me to take a new brand-only prescription that was being marketed by one of the Kardashians. I explained that I was uncomfortable taking this new prescription and expected my insurance to deny coverage. I asked if I could have the medication that I’d taken before, which had been prescribed to me many times over the years by several doctors. They refused and I reluctantly yielded. Sure enough, my insurance denied coverage. I once again asked to get the medicine I originally wanted. Instead, they wanted to try and get approval for this expensive prescription. The approval could take weeks and I’d be in pain the whole time. On my last visit to the office one of Dr. Lavi’s staff suggested I just pay for the new prescription out of pocket and then get reimbursed by my insurance. The prescription in question costs $4000 and my insurance would not have reimbursed me for it as they would never cover it in the first place since there are many alternative drugs.

After that, I started going to urgent care for my medical needs. I was able to get the original prescription I needed right away and it resolved my medical issue within days. I was very happy when the time came to change my insurance...

You're not going to see Dr. Lavi. Your first contact will be a Physician Assistant student. They will ask you questions regarding your health, family history of certain diseases like cancer or diabetes etc. Then they will ask you about the issue that you are having. After that, they will go to another room to give your information to the Physician's Assistant. Absolutely nothing against PAs. I have great respect for them. However, the name of Dr. Lavi's practice should be changed because you will not see him. Not one person that had an appointment the day I went saw him. In fact, he wasn't there. I don't mind being seen by a PA but I want to see my Doctor, not a PA...

Dr Lavi, PAs, and staff have been nothing but accommodating for my needs. Being that this is a teaching clinic, I had expected that the students may not always have the answers, but Dr Lavi and the PAs have always treated me with the utmost care and honesty. It is evident that Dr Lavi truly cares about each of his patients and is not afraid to admit when he is not sure. He always greets me warmly when I come in and makes sure that all my concerns have been addressed. Sometimes the walk in times can be long, so I highly recommend that you schedule an appointment so that you can be seen earlier. Overall, I'd highly recommend this place for all your...