Dr. Song Min Hong, MD

Dr. Hong has been treating my brother for lung trouble for 4 months. He is very caring and genuinely concerned. I would recommend him to anyone.

My husband has a pulmonary condition. Dr Hong could not figure out the problem and didn't have empathy for the stress we were dealing with. If you like doctors who don't have time for you, don't listen to your concerns, and bully you, then you'll like this doctor.

This doctor is a moron. First, his staff charged me three times for my co-pay. Had I not monitored my cc statement he would have gotten away with it. I believe he was making up for the fact that I am a medicare patient. Then he never bothered with any kind of follow-up. I found out I had sleep apnea and needed a machine by chance through a follow-up with another doctor. Further, he never personally saw me except when I went to his office to demand a refund for the triple charges which he did refund. I wonder how many other people have had the same experience with him.

Staff is rude!!! Try to set up appointment and no call back!!! When I get there, I over hear some conversation about smoking and drinking!!! Dr. Hong needs to DRUG TEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Office staff is very slow to respond if they respond at all. It usually takes at least two calls to get something done. Not knowledgeable about insurance matters and don't really care if they are helpful or not. They make lots of excuses about why they can't or won't do something. Prescription refills are a nightmare and local pharmacies know it will take a while with this office.

Dr. Hong is a nice guy, but don't let that interfere with your judgment of getting a second opinion. Just to be clear, he is a Pulmonologist, but that doesn't mean he specializes in how to treat the different stages and/or Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. When seeing patients, it is obvious that he has a sense of urgency and doesn't really answer concerns or takes the seriousness of questions as something important to be addressed. If you are uneducated or health illiterate, your visits will be even worse. I was told that a good specialist will do everything to use multidisciplinary services, a nutritionist, therapist, physical therapist, etc. Since you can't get these services at Dr. Hong's it is critical that if you have an interstitial disease you go to a place that does in order to have all the illnesses that come with lung disease addressed. Relating to this, Dr. Hong is not equipped to handle lung diseases that are fatal, lacking any sort of pschological and emotional empathy… in dealing with a dying patient, he will refer you to your family physician for help instead. A good doctor should be able to address ALL the issues that come with any medical condition; if not, be able to offer assistance in getting the patient help or looking into meetings for a support group. I had to constantly have my sister and dad ask Dr. Hong about other therapies and to ask for a referral for a nutritionist and physical therapist. None of these were things that Dr. Hong recommended on his own when they should have been. His initial diagnosis was COPD, then Pulmonary Fibrosis. It turns out that after the death of my mom, her true disease was Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, which is quite different from just Pulmonary Fibrosis. The treatment is different and Idiopathic is not good. Had we known the correct diagnosis of idiopathic we would have made more informed decisions and we would have been better prepared for my mom's eventual death. In addition, by the time he suggested my mom receive a transplant it was too late. Her BMI would not have qualified her for a transplant as she was severely malnourished, something Dr. Hong didn't address even though it was brought to his attention several times. Megace can only help symptoms, not the underlying problems associated with lung disease. She died a couple months after he informed of us of the transplant option. Patients are supposed to be educated about the option of transplant as soon as they are diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, something Dr. Hong failed to diagnose. In short, he lacks bedside manner, cultural sensitivity, knowledge of current health literacy issues facing the community, genuine concern for the individual, and a knowledge of new technologies and treatments currently associated with IPF. Please get a second opinion if you see Dr. Hong. Any doctor welcomes a second opinion. I'm sure he will too.