Dr. Susan Ann Baker, MD

It actually makes me really sad to write this. I've been a patient of Dr. Bakers for about a decade and over the past few years her care and the competency and proficiency of her staff has tanked. Firstly - Dr. Baker doesn't take insurance. The yearly visit is $1,500 and the visits between your yearly exam is $350-$1,500. Know that going in. Dr. Baker's team does not return phone calls. Dr. Baker's team does not follow-up with insurance companies. I have two prescriptions that are sitting there waiting for her office and her office does nothing. So - if you think about it - I paid for the visits and the result of the visits was a prescription that I was never able to receive - so I literally did not get what I paid for. Additionally, she often has inexperienced phlebotomists. I was poked 5 times and now that I think about it - never received a refund for the IV I did not receive that day. Dr. Baker does not treat her tele-health appointments as she does her face to face… appointments. At least 5 times I have had a telehealth appointment and she either doesn't show up at all or is so late I can no longer do it. This past week I had an appointment and Dr. Baker was an hour late. Her staff called me at the 45 minute mark to tell me she'd be ten more minutes. Somehow - I missed that call. She called from her cell phone. As soon as I saw that I texted her and tried to get in touch with her. Well - she had already left the office. So, I finally speak to her and she chastizes me for using that phone number which - apparently - was reserved for her concierge patients. When I expressed I had been waiting an hour and wouldn't have time to reschedule tomorrow - with some rather urgent things to talk to her about, mind you. She proceeded to further chastise me - telling me sometimes she's late because of her job. I'm not sure if she or her staff will read this, I hope so. I'm going to provide some suggestions on how to better manage her time - just in case. - Do not schedule appointments (tele-health or otherwise) within 1.5 hours of when you need to leave if you haven't built in buffer throughout the day. - Build buffer in throughout the day. Max of two appointments per hour with at least 15 minutes between appointments. - Schedule an hour in the middle of the day to catch up - Let your clients know that they aren't a priority if they aren't a concierge patient and what the implications of that are. - If you are running behind have your staff call the patients before the appointment time so they can tell you if they have the ability to wait an hour. Dr. Baker has also shifted her focus to anti-aging and while this is novel - there are doctors that specialize in this and do a much better job for that. In closing - Dr. Baker's staff don't do their job, you'll waste your time and money by not being able to get the prescriptions, Dr. Baker doesn't respect your time and you will be left hanging.

Horrible

Over medicates, sells cheap services with questionable medical value and is otherwise a 3rd-rate doctor milking the dumb rich in Beverly Hills.

I’ve seen many really wonderful, smart, caring doctors in my lifetime but never have had the extraordinary care that Dr. Baker provides. She listened to me and after years of being told ‘it was nothing’, she gave me answers. She actually called me to give me the results of a blood test. Frankly, I didn’t know there were physicians like this anymore. What a gift she is, a genuine healer. And, she’s oh so lovely.

Dr. Baker is a lovely woman and very attentive physician. I enjoy our visits and feel that she is on top of her game. However, her support staff makes everything a little more difficult - and sometimes confusing - than it needs to be. To see Dr. Baker, you're required to pay a non-reimbursable $350 administrative fee. I understand that small practices need additional funds for staff and to deal with insurance companies (I'm OON, so I still pay additional fees on top of a copay), but you would that staff to be on par with Dr. Baker's quality of care. Unfortunately, my experience with common things like refills, clear instructions on using my medication and getting medical records to pass along to other physicians who need to stay abreast of my condition has been ... well, we'll just say bumpy. Finally, I think Dr. Baker and her office are a little overwhelmed, perhaps taking on more patients and complex cases than they can handle. Again, Dr. Baker is a lovely lady and I do… think she is knowledgable in her area, but when a serious complication arose during my treatment, her approach to the problem (including communication and steps to resolution/management) was what I expect to see at the community health center level, not at the private specialist level. I dug a little and unfortunately discovered that Dr. Baker may not be up to speed on the latest FDA safety warnings with regards to some of the medications she prescribes and dispenses in her office. Specifically those that have forced manufacturers to change their labels and require physicians to understand under what circumstances serious complications may occur. This is just not acceptable and there is never an excuse not to cross reference a patient's prior clinical history with drug safety. If the doctor doesn't have the time, then they need a PA or an advisory Pharm to double check before administering drugs. It's a shame that such a bright and obviously talented woman would put even one patient in harms way.

Never returns calls or gives you your results.

Excellent physician with an excellent staff.

Dr. Baker is a "top of the line" physician. She was courteous, compasionate, patient with all the wonderful ingredients mixed in that comprise of a skillful physician. She listened carefully and attentively and I felt my concerns were addressed, in addition to feeling welcomed and in good hands. I highly recommend her for patient care

I've suffered from pain in my back, shoulders, knees and hands since 2004. I've seen doctor after doctor with no diagnosis and the same meds prescribed over and over again. Quite honestly, I was disenchanted with the whole doctor thing at this point but my joint pain increasingly got worse. I had a family member who mentioned Dr. Baker in Beverly Hills and I decided to give things one last try. I am so glad I did! Dr. Baker is an incredible rheumatologist who cares. Not only did she listen and acknowledge all of my symptoms, but she wanted to get to the root of my pain just as much as I did. A doctor who cares is hard to find, but Dr. Baker is certainly one of them.

After dealing with this horrible rash/hives thing all over my body for months without a single doctor being able to correctly diagnose me, I finally saw Dr. Baker who was recommended to me by a friend. She immediately was able to tell what it was - I have an autoimmune disorder - and she prescribed me to something totally different than what the other doctors had given me. And guess what? It worked! My weird skin thing is almost completely gone and it's only been a few weeks. I am so grateful for what I call Dr. Baker's "magic touch." I can't imagine what I would have done if I hadn't found her.