Dr. Benjamin Nestor Potkin, MD

I took my mother to see Dr. Potkin following a syncopal episode. We were referred by ER staff. The office was cluttered and dingy, and staff was exceptionally rude. The doctor was nice and funny but didn't offer much in terms of explanation, testing or treatment. When broached about his staff behavior, he was nonchalant. We quickly left and found Dr. Neil Sawhney, who is worth the drive to Santa Cruz and was much more pleasant and competent.

This guy knows the heart. I’m a nurse and he cared for a member of my family. He was very knowledgeable and cared for my father well. He even called me at home to explain plan of care for my dad. Highly recommend.

His Watsonville office looks like a massage parlor. His staff is very rude, mean and abusive. Tech doing EKG was mean & abusive. Dr did very little. Did not even look at my chart or EKG results. Ordered monitor, again asst was rude & abusive when attaching probes. Not going back.

Dr Potkin was great, he spent the time with me I needed, was very thorough and kind. Great guy!

I was going to another dr. when he really did not know what was wrong with my heart! Then I went to Dr. Potkin and he new right away what was wrong. He spent a good amount of time with me explaining what was going on and he is sooo kind,and also knows his stuff. I have never had problems with the staff they are all kind and respectful. The t.v. is on for the people in the waiting room. I have never seen the staff watching it. If I have to wait for awhile I know it is because he gives such time and attention to All of his paitients. This man is a wonderful Dr. and I would recommend him to everyone! He even called me at my home!

We would give anything if he was the only Doctor we have to see. He listens, he cares, he treats us both with the best of care and advice. We okay everything that is said or is going to be done to us, by Doctors, with Dr. Potkin right away for his okay. The staff has ALWAYS been friendly and helpful. Our wait time has not been over 15 minutes.

Staff bully patients....doc a no show....environment dirty and smelly...it's plain that they don't care about patients...staff would rather watch soap operas on tv...not going back

Dr Potkins is the best doctor I have seen. He did not lie to me and told me the truth. He was straight and to the point and gave me all the options of treatment

I decided to leave some feedback for Dr. Potkin (my doctor for 4-5 years now) because I saw these other comments when searching his name. It seems to me only the most altogether personally unpleasant and upset patients would set out to spend their time to leave bad comments about someone. My personal experience with Dr. Potkin is great. My primary care doctor referred me to him for a cardiology work-up and I ended up being treated for heart disease with a defibrillator and came out of the experience with Dr. Potkin feeling 100 times better than I did and I owe him 100% of the credit. So unlike the two below comments I had a great experience. (I too had multiple test done.... you're lucky they turned out to be "normal". How would you know they were normal without actually doing the tests???) Go to Dr. Potkin for his experience and professionalism and you won't be steered in the wrong direction.

Never saw Dr.Potkin despite 5 appointments. I saw Alex who was introduced as a doctor and I later found out he was a PA. The office ran multiple tests on me, and in the end I was told everything was normal. Office very disorganized. Doctor talking on cell phone during appointment about personal matters. I have to say--it has been the worst experience with any doctor in Santa Cruz. Definitely not "the best"

I have been Dr.Potkin's patient for nearly 7 yrs. I have always enjoyed the Dr. himself and he always takes time to listen to me and take issues seriously. He's kept me alive this long and he is a good physician.However, his staff leave a great deal to be desired. My average wait for him is TWO HOURS. No, I'm not kidding. During one of those 2 hour waits, I was told repeatedly that he would just be a few more minutes. Imagine my shock when I found out he was not even IN THE BUILDING and never had been! Not his fault, he was in emergency saving a life and had no idea how his staff was handling it. Most of his patients are little old people who need help getting to the dr. It is no small feat for them to get dressed obtain a ride and sit for that long a period of time in uncomfortable chairs. I hate to think of them being afraid to speak up for themselves. One of his technicians accidentally got a little rough with me during a nuclear stress test and injured my arm. I didn't make a big fuss, it was an accident, and it was just a strained rotator cuff, but I felt it should be brought to Dr. Potkin's attention. His response was sympathetic enough. However when it came time to do the test again, he called to tell me that his technician was not willing to perform it and I would need to find another place to get the test done. I was shocked!!!! It is well documented that she did indeed injure my shoulder, my primary care physician treated me for it. I had completely forgotten about it, it's been two years. I shudder to think how many other older patients she has injured who are not able or afraid to speak up for themselves as I have. There have been a few other blatant incidents along these lines over the years. I really enjoy Dr. Potkin and wish I could keep him as my physician, but under the circumstances, his staff has become so difficult I'd rather start over again with a new doctor. It's a real shame.

Excellent doctor. I wish he was my only doctor for everything. He really cares about his patients and never treats you like just a number. He always remembers me and about me no matter how long between visits. Dr. Potkin is my hero in saving my life.

I have been seeing doctor potkin for about a year now and I must admit although it is hard to get a morning appointment with him he is there for you when it really counts and is unparalleled in the area when it comes to surgery. He is one of the most energetic doctors i have met and strives for accuracy.

The most skilled in the Monterey Bay area.