Ericson Richard MD: Cardiologist Sutter Medical Group

Today was my first vist with Dr. Erickson, my Wife Nita and I met with Doctor Erickson and are so impressed with him. We just returned to Sacramento after living in Palm Desert for the last 30+ years and being cared for by Doctor Gonzales MD also a very good Cardiologist. Doctor Gonzales cared for my wife and myself all of those years. We are so impressed with Doctor Erickson such a wonderful person and Doctor he is taking such good care of both my wife Nita and myself.

Always exceptional care. I needed a new cardiologist and polled numerous area physicians who all recommended Dr. Ericson. He's provided thorough, research based, excellent care to me for several years. I've subsequently recommended 1/2 dozen others see him and they'll had similar experiences as well. I can't speak highly enough about him and his staff.

I found the doctor condescending and perfunctory. He advised me to take blood thinners because every 5 years over 60 my risk for stroke doubled. I found no support for this. New cardiologist at UC DAVIS said I did not need blood thinners and explained my condition after doing 4 tests Ericson was always in a rush and treated me like a child even though I managed a 3 billion plus company. He had his mind made up without thorough testing and put me at risk as a result.

Doc had a nice friendly manner. However in decades I have never had such a perfunctory exam. He touched for no more than second or two spots on my chest and back with stethoscope and for same 1 second or so, my ankle through the thickness of my sock he failed to lower. I thought that's the way we used to play doctor as kids. No way to get readings. Mini EKG just before exam was negative, but I thought it would be as was feeling fine. He had not looked at or ignored my parent's history thoroughly written on his paper, both with heart problems ( Mother had fibrillation from faulty heart valves and replacements twice), and shook that off when I brought it up. I believe he made his decision before entering the room to send me for an ablation. He did present a sound rationale for it with statistics that seemed and are valid. And said taking baby aspirin was good for me. But later he disparaged stronger meds for flutter and fib as had he to constantly monitor and I may not like them, and he touted getting an ablation procedure, giving me no risks or alternatives and referred me out. Did not ask about my, I learned later, my predisposing diet: caffeine, alcohol, salt, chocolate and type A, lack of sleep behavior. I called my internist about this and asked was not an echocardiogram paramount before any ablation procedure and my internist seemed surprise the Doc hadn't ordered one and my internist immediately ordered one. I took a recently retired cardiologist to lunch and gave him my ECG results and echocardiogram results and both he and my internist thought with home management I should do well. I'm doing the aspirin, keeping in shape, changed the diet, do transcendental meditation successfully when need to rest, and sleep more, stay away from stress and just had another echocardiogram for follow up and for a different cardiologist.

Dr. Ericson is awesome.... He is caring, personable, knowledgeable, and takes a sincere interest in my care. After my old cardiologist retired I feel lucky to have been matched up with him.