Dr. Michael Lai, MD

Treats you like you don't know anything about a condition you've had for 40 plus years. Is so condescending and arrogant. When you question him, with facts you have verified with several other endocrinologist, he tells you it isn't true and goes on to tell you what he believes. It's not fact, it's his opinion!!

I have been going to this office for a few months now & have been seeing Dr Margaret England, I was referred to her for my Diabetes, I have to say she is very knowledgeable about the decease. As far as the office staff that works there is a nightmare, You can call dozens of times for something you need, weather it be a perscription refill or try to get a answer from the Dr in regards to your health & you will “NEVER” received a call back. The office staff is rude & could care less about your needs. I ‘m do disappointed, it took me months to try & find a good Endro for my diabetes & it’s sad that they don’t care enough for their patients to help them. I will be looking to go somewhere else who cares!

Not happy.Was a prior patient and first off want to charge for new patient fee of over$300.Plus all the other fees they state that insurance company’s will not cover.They should send packet of 10 forms to fill out to you before you cancel your work and start to fill out an hours worth of forms to find out all the extra charges. Even after I pay over $400 a month for health insurance.Do not recommend Dr. Lai, unless you have plenty money to spend.

We have only seen Dr. Lai twice but so far he has been great. He has great bedside manners and and take time to answer all our questions in a thorough way. He has been very supportive of our care and willing to help in any way he can. He is also very encouraging. I had two questions later about lab work and he responded promptly both times. I give him a thumbs up. And I think they did take into consideration others reviews because the staff has always been helpful and kind.

I wanted to write a positive review to balance out the negative reviews here. I met with Dr. Lai for the first time today. Yes, I did have to wait a few minutes but once I got into Dr. Lai's office, he was fully attentive and very thorough. Best of all, he was very positive about my lab results and didn't feel that I needed the intrusive and rather scary needle biopsy that another physician had suggested. He has set me up with annual reviews on one test and semi-annual reviews on another. He also explained how the thyroid interacts with other functions and I left the office feeling educated and positive. His receptionist/nurse was also very pleasant and helpful.

It is very unfortunate to have to say I have had many, many, many problems with this office! Dr. Lai is great but his staff is horrible! When you call there is an answering machine saying to leave a message! I have left at least 20 messages and never received a call back! Been trying to get my Insulin supplies, for my pump, since Dec 2020 and just now they are shipped! I hate leaving Dr. Lai but can’t handle the staff anymore! So I am going to a new Endocrinologist!

If you’ve read the reviews you know that the business side of things may not be Dr. Lai’s strong suit. Yes the offices are unimpressive to say the least and the staff is hit or miss at best. However where it matters most Dr. Lai is a shining star. He is one heck of an endocrinologist. He is very knowledgeable, listens well and really makes a connection. On February 24th of 2020 my A1C was 11.3 (yikes!), my last reading was 5.6. The regimen that he set up for me is nothing less than a miracle. Since the change I’ve lost 44 lbs and my daily insulin dose is down 30%. Form follows function. Ignore the office trappings and go for the results.

Due to severe lack of other endo docs in region, I gave Dr. Lai's office a try and would NOT recommend it. Type 1 diabetic on pump & CGM. Dr. Lai seems mellow, friendly, not overly outgoing but office seems understaffed, poorly managed, dirty and foul-smelling. Yep. It's stale & stinky. Took multiple phone calls and e-mails to get my pump & CGM prescrips completed. Insurance would contact Dr. Lai's office re. various issues & get no response time after time. I repeatedly told Dr. Lai that I was running low on insulin & needed a prescrip for more bottles but he insisted that no, I didn't need more. I finally bailed and found another doc. Not sure how Dr. Lai's office stays in business; maybe they make more $ from the shady weight loss products they peddle in the front office. Very disappointing experience--STAY AWAY!

Dr. Lai seems a competent enough endocrinologist and there are few of them in the San Luis Obispo area so I have little choice but to see him given a chromosomal disorder I have. As others have said, the office leaves much to be desired. After a month of trying to refill a necessary daily medication he prescribed, I had to have my PCP prescribe it. My pharmacy sent Lai's office renewal paperwork five times and has had no response. I have called 5 times but always get voicemail and my calls are never returned. I also cannot get anyone on the phone to schedule an appointment with Dr. Lai. The final straw was when an abnormal blood test result came through from a test Dr. Lai ordered that my PCP alerted me to. I have had no response from Dr. Lai's office about my concerns and questions about this blood test. I unfortunately will now need to seek a referral to an endocrinologist outside the county given the office's incompetence and negligence in basic patient care.

I've been trying to contact Dr. Lai office to schedule my follow up appointment. I have left them several messages and no response. But it does not surprise me because his staff is horrible and has poor etiquette on patient care.

Dr Lai has the worst office staff I’ve Ever dealt with. Their cancellation fee is exorbitant ($100) and despite calling 24 hours Ahead with illness cancellation notice, they refuse to waive fees. They are rude, inefficient and arrogant. Dr Lai is a good doctor but not worth the deplorable office staff.

Dr. Lai has been my endocrinologist for over ten years. He is always friendly, helpful, and extremely knowledgeable, not only in his particular field but as a general physician. He was able to solve a health problem that had plagued me for many years. I highly recommend him.

I can’t get the new PT coordinator to return my calls going on three weeks now. I’ve left her no less than 6 messages. I even spoke to the front desk if they had received my referral info. She couldn’t find me in the system and said she’d call my Dr and have her resend it, and have the New patient coordinator call me back. I never heard from her. So I called my doctor to confirm it was sent, which it was, and they agreed to send it again. Still can’t get them to return my calls.

Snotty staff, doc knows what he is doing but is a little frosty and condescending.

CANNOT charge no show fee but does anyway. against Medicaid and Medicare Policy. It will cost him more to refund everyone than it actually cost. His billing people are costing him patients and money. This has been reported to his insurance providers and yet they still charge and they will drop you if you refuse to pay it. ITS AGAINST POLICY HELLO.

I've been seen by this office for a year and I've not been happy with the quality of care I've received or the office staff. They have NO hours posted in the SLO office, Dr. Lai doesn't listen to your concerns very well, and Lacey, the manager is unhelpful and extremely rude! The $40 no show fee originally stated in their paper work magically became $100. It's just not ok! They have low ratings everywhere! So it's not just me!

My daughter had an appointment with Dr Lai and the Dr had her take some labs. It has been over two months and I have left several messages for the Dr to return my call to give me the results of the tests and I still have not received a call. Also, the office staff is very rude and very unorganized. I am in the process of switching to anther doctor in Santa Barbara...

Excellent endocrinologist. He asked questions that no other doctor has ever asked me. Very good bedside manner and genuinely interested in your health. I would highly recommend him to anyone!

We haven't met Dr. Lai, yet, but Molly our Diabetes Educator was excellent! She was very clear and concise and made everything simple. Cindy, the Nurse Practitioner, was excellent also. She's compassionate, professional, and very knowledgeable. She readily returns calls. You must wait awhile in the lobby, but as we learned, it's because the practitioners spend as much time as you need for your visit.

He does not take the time to answer your questions and he tends to talk over you. I have been going with this Dr. For more than a year and it's always the same thing. I don't think he is very helpful. Also, the staff is not very friendly