Dr Kevin Gersten, MD

I was 10 minutes late for the appointment after trying to find the office because there’s no signage in the lobby and went around the building trying to find someone to direct me and tell me I had to take the elevator to 3rd floor. When I finally get there, I was patronizingly dismissed saying I’m late and come back at the next available appointment in 6 months…you kidding me!? 6 months for 10 minutes late?

I had ear pain. He examined me for 2 minutes and he wanted to do surgery on my ear drum. I went to another doctor and he gave me a spray for allergy and my pain went away within a week. It's very disappointing the this dr. does not care about patients at all. Surgery on an ear drum with no issue would have been a huge mistake.

Dr. Kevin Gersten was recommended by an orofacial therapist. We did a sleep apnea test which showed that my child had sleep apnea. Besides this test, my son had no other indication he had sleep apnea so I was skeptical. Dr. Gersten recommended surgery and said if this was my child, I would go ahead with the surgery. I asked if doing a 2nd test would be helpful, he said no. I went back and forth on what to do and ended up seeing another ENT who specializes with children. Within a year's time, we had another sleep apnea test and it showed he did NOT have sleep apnea. Had I listened to Dr. Gersten's recommendation, we would have gone through the surgery which according to another ENT I spoke with (head ENT at a hospital in Arizona), could have effects on your child in the long run such as speech impediment. Dr. Gersten based his recommendation on the test results only and I was not happy he wasn't open to exploring less invasive avenues since clinically, my child did not have any… other indications. Get a second opinion and trust your instincts if what he's pushing for does not feel right.

Dr. Gersten could very well be an excellent surgeon who knows a great deal. It appears that he is experienced and informed. However, let me be honest. He could really tone down the arrogance and see his patients as humans with genuine concerns and worries. They are not there to waste his time, They are not there to challenge him, they did not attend medical school, and are there to seek help and advice - NOT to be dismissed or talked down to, or given long blank stares. Dr. Gersten - try to connect with patients and try not to get annoyed or haughty when questions are presented. People become doctors to help people, right? The physician’s assistant has a similar vibe. Do not feel comfortable here - there is no compassion at this office.

After many appointments, only saw Dr. Gersten for less than ten minutes on the first appointment. I ended up telling the nurse practitioner everything so I could watch her tell the doctor what I said. He wanted to scope my nose and throat which is not necessary to diagnose sleep apnea. One visit was so the nurse practitioner could tell me I had sleep apnea and schedule the next appointment which could have been done by letter or combined with another appointment. Did not care for the office staffl. They would not call the doctor to ask my question. Nobody explained the overall treatment plan at the outset nor did they describe how LONG the process would take. It's been nearly 5 months now and still do not have a sleep apnea machine. A man came in while I was there for his appointment and the woman behind desk blurted out his name and address and then told him to reschedule as he was late so the guy told her to forget it. No understanding of how hard it is to get off work,… fight traffic and get to appointments. Appointments seem destined to run the cost up as I've spent over a $1000 and have nothing to show for it yet. Apparently, these doctors are scarce so they get away with inefficiency and high prices. Go some place else unless this is the only physician in your network or geographic area.

The only reason I did not give this office 5 starts for Ease of Appointment and Promptness is because Dr. Gersten is affiliated with Palo Alto Medical Fouindation. PAMF USED to be easy to work with. Not any longer. I don't blame the doctor for that. Once you are a patient or get your initial appointment they are great. Dr. Gersten really knows his business. He is Board Certified in more than one discipline but limits his practice to sleep disorders. HIs staff is great. HIs front office person -- I am not going to put her name down -- stalking and all that -- is really fabulous. She does her job really well and then some. She is actually allowed to THINK and help solve problems for patients. I don't mean medical advice, but assistance with obtaining correct equipment, when to come back for help, etc. I highly recommend Dr. Gersten. He now sees patients at his office in Fremont or the PAMF clinic in Dublin -- California.

Consulted with Dr Gersten as one of the few sleep specialists in the area. Usually booked out for a month, but had a new clinic day open up recently so managed to squeeze in on short notice. Found Gersten very condescending and altogether unprofessional. Despite being seen as a new patient, he entered the room and barely made eye contact or uttered a word before sitting down at the computer. Continued staring at the monitor and started typing away. Even while asking about symptoms, he did so without nary a glance at the patient, as if we were not worthy of his time. Spoke in a rehearsed and monotone voice that in no way suggested empathy, seated at the far end of the room, a good 6-8 feet away from the patient. Lectured away about behavioral changes for the majority of the appointment as if reading off a book with no regard for patient comprehension. Whenever we tried to ask a question, Gersten would either make a face out of annoyance or respond with the same monotonous and… condescending tone "everyone is different, everyone functions differently" without really addressing our concerns. Then he'd ask "any more questions?" After a few more useless responses, we essentially gave up. Very disappointing experience and our last consult with this "doctor" who's completely devoid of social interaction skills.

Dr.Gersten is really patient in hearing his patients' problems and analyses all details before arriving at the correct diagnosis. He follows up with the patient after the visit and is knowledgeable in his area of specialization.