Dr. Kiyomi Keala Goto, DO

Okay, I have to say that the one star reviewer is a bit insane. Dr. Goto does *not* just do simple "chit-chat," and she does *not* pass serious medical problems over to the nurses. I've had many appointments with her, and we've discussed a number of medical issues at length (sometimes for an hour or more), no nurse involved. She's helped me with a lot of ongoing medical problems, ranging from her doing tests in the office, to ordering more advanced tests for elsewhere. She listens to everything I have to say and is very empathetic. And another thing: a DO and a MD are considered equals, *except* that the DO actually does more hands-on training. So, to treat a DO like an inferior person is just wrong.

We needed to see her as a follow up after an emergency visit to the hospital. We were waiting for additional test results and we had to see our family to identify the next steps or be referred to a specialist. My husband was dealing with a life-threatening issue and was only given a temporary solution by the hospital. We set up a meeting with our primary provider as we were instructed by the hospital. However, Goto did not feel like seeing us and cancelled the appointment we set with her. Her staff called us and said she wants you to see a nurse practitioner. We pleaded…and pleaded. We essentially begged them to see my husband. They did not budge. They said “sorry, she is too busy.” I could not believe what I was hearing. Our own family doctor, who kindly and pleasantly engaged in chit-chat with us during our annual visits for years was refusing to see my husband who was facing a life-threatening issue. So, she has the time for annual chit-chats but do not have the time when it is… a sincere medical situation. We immediately changed our primary provider and managed to get an appointment with a real MD within the same time window. Note that Goto is a DO, not an MD! We were told by the receptionists we talked that their nurse practitioners are just as good as their doctors (which also means their doctors are just as good as their nurse practitioners). If it was me, I would not have cancelled an appointment with a patient who has just come out of the emergency room - not a million years! If it was me, I would not have asked that patient and his family to sort their issue with their nurses. What kind of a family doctor would act like this? I can’t phantom. Not a reliable one, for sure! If you do not mind being pushed to their nurses when you have a medical emergency, she is the doctor for you. If you don’t mind being ignored and put in a position to beg their receptionists to not cancel a meeting that has been set for your husband who is facing a life-threatening issue, she is the doctor for you. I made the mistake of having her as the primary provider for my entire family and paid the cost when we had a genuine need. This, I will have to live with.