Berkeley Community Physical Therapy, Inc. - Berkeley, California

Jennifer Basurto

Berkeley Community Physical Therapy staff went above and beyond to advocate for my family so that we could get the treatment we needed. Having seen many providers for myself and my children, Nageeme is next level. She is thoughtful, very thorough, totally committed to her patient's recovery and sees receiving PT as a human right. She is very knowledgeable, assessed me for a full hour and delivered new and important information in an easy to understand manner. When her schedule is full, I see the PT Assistant and he is also highly knowledgeable and an excellent provider. The care between them is seamless. My son is a competitive soccer player and has been to other clinics for over 3 years. He was working with Scott who is a great option for people who need after hour appointments. Scott taught my son the skills he needed to rehab at home, and what additional tools he could use outside the office. My son completed his authorized sessions then started having a knee flare up from overuse. When I informed Nageeme that he needed more treatment at the end of the week, she worked her magic work on the paperwork to get him additional sessions, and the front office staff went over and beyond with processing his paperwork so that he could continue care. My son was seen quickly and the authorization was approved the following week. What a team effort! I understand why the call volume is high and there may be a wait to get into this clinic. They accept insurance and Medi-Cal. Front office staff is managing and dealing with a lot behind the scenes. The paperwork requirements for Medi-Cal are very involved and tedious for very low reimbursement rates. And insurance doesn't pay for missed appointments so they lose a lot of revenue for no shows. Quite honestly, I don't know how they stay in business. Most practices I've been to offer short follow-up visits, you are in and out like an assembly line. In other clinics, I've had to pay extra for things like deep tissue work, cupping or Graston technique. I feel lucky to have found a team of healers who collaborate with one another, care about their patients and have restored my mobility and are taking care of my family. I'm grateful that the front office staff is willing to do the difficult grunt work needed so that all people who need this level of care can receive it. Thank you BCPT for your dedication and commitment to being for the people. My one suggestion to any reader is give yourself extra time to park. I generally find parking around the block on the street.

Carrie Whitaker

PT Scott and PTA Hunter worked well with me and together to teach me how to address the root causes of my knee pain and related plantar fasciitis sustainably and effectively. The practice is holistic, patient-centered, and NOT an impersonal Big Corporate operation. I felt comfortable getting care here over 5 months, progressed pretty quickly, and found that the pace of adding on new stretches, exercises and tools to heal increased with each visit, but not to the extent where adding to the routine outside of my visits was overwhelming to the point where I didn’t want to do any of it. As a person who has been to multiple PTs over the years for various other injuries, I’d say accomplishing that balance is an art and they do it well here.

I have fully recovered from severe, lifestyle-limiting, chronic pain in my knee and foot and I am mostly back to the way I was prior to the injuries at this point two months after my last session. I know I have to keep stretching and strengthening for the rest of my years to maintain this, and stop wearing crappy shoes, which is why I say “mostly” back to the way things were, but it’s really great that Berkeley Community PT was able to help me make these practices an enduring habit.

I hope they serve our community for decades more to come. I’m sure this won’t be the last time I need them now that I’ve arrived at middle age ?

Andy McCoy

I cannot recommend BCPT enough if you are looking for individualized care from professionals that know your name, care about you, and care about their craft.

BCPT is one of the only PT outfits in the East Bay that is not owned by private equity groups or vertically integrated into an orthopedic practice that only takes new patients from said practice. They also *still take most insurances* - even more than those listed on their website. If you have been looking for a PT, you probably have figured out yourself just how rare that combination is.

The therapists are exceptional. I've worked with Leslie and with Hunter. Both are skilled practitioners that take their work seriously and are clearly invested in my progression. They also do not use aides (essentially interns) to conduct 90% of the PT session, as many other practices do. They provide individualized care themselves. That is also very rare in my experience. I have progressed well in my knee rehab under BCPT's care.

BCPT's facilities are adequate. They have everything one needs for rehab; they have not shelled out for a sleek new space. They are focused on their work, not hitting performance indicators so some private equity backer can earn a bonus.

I can't speak to other peoples' experience with the front desk team, but they have been kind and professional to me in all of our interactions. The staff followed up on my messages when I tried to make a new patient appointment and has communicated with me directly if an appointment needs to be rescheduled.

I would recommend BCPT to anyone I know and anyone in the Bay that needs a PT. They want to take care of you; they are not trying to hustle an extra buck out of you. It's what physical therapy - and medicine in general - can and should be.

Zenobia

UPDATE: I altered my previous review to five stars. The initial review raised concerns about the front desk clerks. Soon afterwards, the front desk clerk Denise reached out to me, and we had a lengthy discussion regarding my concerns and how she could help resolve them. Each and every concern I had was resolved. This was actually a very kind gesture.

I realize that the mission of Berkeley Community Physical Therapy is to provide very effective, quality PT services to many of those who do not have the means to go elsewhere. And, yes! the physical therapists are amazing!

I can't believe! that this didn't hit me earlier. I mean, where else am I able to get top notch PT for a broken fibula? Hello! So, of course, the front desk clerks cannot immediately return some of the phone calls. They are overwhelmed with the phone calls, faxes, emails, all requesting appointments to get into the clinic. And, the place is booked solid, sometimes for months. Man, let's just give the clinic some grace. They're good people.

Maury Butler

After many months of therapy I was always treated with less care than others I feel because I'm a minority and would get terrible service they would always be late starting and early in making me leave for other people who were not black and my therapist would be on phone calls or interacting with other people instead of helping me I'm a athlete and they are not prepared to help me. They catered to older people and would give my appointment time away to white people and just change my time without my consent and never answer my phone calls. Just terrible service and you wouldn't expect it in Berkeley but I guess it's everywhere when people are not being treated fairly. And the worst thing about it a black lady treated me the worst and nobody cared how she treated customer's SMH ‍♂️? and you would think a office with a person at the desk doing nothing would answer the phone but they never answered the phone and would never call you back in a timely manner just terrible customer service!!!

Elana Auerbach

I first went to this clinic some years ago when I tore my meniscus. The care I received was fantastic. Since then, I have brought my son and my spouse to this clinic. The receptionists are always welcoming and helpful. I feel so lucky to know that this clinic is there for me and my family when we have overdone it in some way or had a fall! If you are in need of PT, definitely go to Berkeley Community Physical Therapy for the best treatment.

Paul Lee

A few days ago, I was blessed to be treated by Scott Smith, who has an exceptional ability to quickly diagnose, offer practical advice about and professionally address my physical therapy needs.

However, ALL of the therapists at Berkeley Community Physical Therapy (BCPT) are just as adept, including Hunter, Lesley and Negeene, the owner of this community-centered clinic, which specializes in treating the WHOLE person.

Indeed, I never leave without feeling spiritually and mentally uplifted, not only because the therapists recognize the interconnectedness of health, but also because their attitude and the clinic's environment are so positive.

So do yourself, your family, friends, coworkers and neighbors a favor -- get your physical therapy needs treated by BCPT, a clinic that supports our community, and particularly the most needy.

Michael Dezelle

When a "health" "care" team is limited by the team answering the phones, our health isn't actually being cared for.
They do not answer phones. They do not call back, over 2 weeks and multiple messages. I get that the holidays... If you're that backed up, you need to hire more people. It's that simple.
That you cannot answer the phones promptly, that you gaslight clients and intimate it's not your fault, continously. This is a problem and shows a lack of efficacy.
I've called my Healthcare provider, made a complaint, and am making a new appointment, elsewhere.
I have no idea how good their team is besides those answering the phone. You can't get past the people answering the phone; they don't do their job.