Dr. David Eric Buccigrossi, MD

When Dr. Buccigrossi was my primary care doctor in the late 1990's, he took care of me pretty well, so before I even moved back here I had looked him up and was very pleased that he was still at the Carlsbad Kaiser facility and was specializing in Geriatrics (I'm 66). These days, though, I think he needs to just retire because IMO he isn't there for his patients any more. In the past I could make a list of my questions and he would address/prioritize them and take the action needed for each one, or tell me their importance. Now, though, he seems to be just another company man as far as making changes to benefit his patient goes. I asked about a stronger medication than Oxybutynin because it isn't working very well and there's another incontinence drug in the Kaiser formulary but he was too lazy to bother with it. The day he decided to jack me up about my weight was very telling...I have a lot of extra tummy skin left over from having 3 babies and hardly any elasticity in my… skin anywhere - well, he seized upon that and pronounced my "apron" a "Pannus" while jiggling that floppy flesh until I was thoroughly humiliated. It's not a Pannus in the first place - it's a Panniculus! It takes a month to get an appointment with him because apparently he's never on duty in the afternoon. There was another time he embarrassed me unnecessarily - we had discussed my alcohol intake and he just couldn't resist - I'm guessing - sending the message "Cut back on alcohol consumption" - or words to that effect - on that paperwork that I had to take to the other departments and I was just cringing in shame. To all you doctors - here's a clue: you'll never get an alcoholic to stop drinking via abuse/humiliation! This is a disease, do you get that or will you ever??? If it feels to a patient like his drink of choice is his/her best friend, why not prescribe one of those new drugs that were designed to stop the CRAVING? Would you prefer to just despise us then, because that doesn't help at all! Alcoholics can just seize on that as yet another excuse to reach for that bottle that numbs the pain.

Dr. B may not be a warm and fuzzy kind of guy and maybe that is what people think of when they say 'good bedside manner'. However he is a man with his own distinct personality, and as a doctor, he is attentive, thorough, questioning, and pays attention to every word and every nuance. I can not ask for more. He is never hesitant to order blood tests, x-rays, or a second opinion from a particular specialist as may be needed. I have found that he is cautious when prescribing drugs or scans/mri's - the type of things that carry their own risks; I prefer that approach. Therefore when he tells me that I need to take xyz, I know it is with good reason, which he thoroughly explains. I may wait 5 minutes in the outer office, maybe 15 minutes max in the exam room. Never more. He never seems rushed or hurried, gives me all the time my exam and discussion needs.If I have follow up questions, I do so by e-mail and get an answer by the end of the day or next morning, or a call from his nurse. One… must understand and be able to work w/i the system to be happy with Kaiser, which means immediate needs may be seen by another doctor or PA but almost always that same day, and once you go out of network, he will not involve himself with that out-of-network visit. He is the doctor and I trust his advice and recommendations for follow up.

do not know the meaning of compassionhis bed side manner is non existintentrude and mean