Dr. Lu received his undergraduate degree from UC Davis with highest honors in Microbiology with a minor in Music, and then pursued his medical degree at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. He completed his pediatrics training at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Dr. Lu has worked in both private practice and academic settings before embarking on a solo practice.At Children's Hospital in Oakland, he was teaching attending in the Urgent Care Clinic, Resident Continuity Clinic, and Southeast Asian Clinic, and later served as a clinical instructor for Lucile Packard Children's Hospital.
Services
Yes, we aim to address concerns in a timely fashion, and our schedule is adjusted according to the demand of the season. We'll try our best to accommodate your request to be seen because we value your trust and confidence in us; and please realize there may be some waiting time when there's an overflow of patients.
Reviews (14)
Meredith M.
Feb 11, 2020
Mike S.
Sep 16, 2018
We moved back to Half Moon Bay with our 1yo daughter and were looking for a pediatrician for her. We decided to try Dr. Lu and couldn't have made a better decision. We found he not only was a great doctor but was very personable, was awesome with our daughter, and took the extra time to answer any questions we had. I cannot recommend him enough. If you have the opportunity to take your child to him, you should.
Megan S.
Oct 12, 2017
Danie G.
Dec 10, 2015
This is a long overdue review but I wanted to share my experiences with Dr Humphry Lu and my daughter. When I was searching for pediatricians for my daughter I request a meeting with Dr. Lu to ask some questions from a first-time parent. He had us come on into the office and spent about an hour and a half with us answering all our crazy questions.
I felt secure that I did not need to seek out another pediatrician. From the newborn stage to the early toddler stage we absolutely loved our time with his office. we moved away at 18 months old on 2014. He was Always pleasant, taking his time to answer our questions, always respectful of the schedule and our apt times. I respected the fact that he used technology during our visit for recording our questions and keeping track of his patients being a single doctor office.
He was always attentive and our daughter was always excited to see him. Mary and Melissa were fantastic with her as well. In addition it was always great that you could each someone on the phone and he was always getting back to us with quick responses to questions or concerns I found him to be knowledgable and up to current questions, concerns and issues!
Now living on the East Coast we are in a much bigger pediatric office. We enjoy our pediatrician however I really loved the small town culture of Dr. Lu's office and his accessibility.
I felt secure that I did not need to seek out another pediatrician. From the newborn stage to the early toddler stage we absolutely loved our time with his office. we moved away at 18 months old on 2014. He was Always pleasant, taking his time to answer our questions, always respectful of the schedule and our apt times. I respected the fact that he used technology during our visit for recording our questions and keeping track of his patients being a single doctor office.
He was always attentive and our daughter was always excited to see him. Mary and Melissa were fantastic with her as well. In addition it was always great that you could each someone on the phone and he was always getting back to us with quick responses to questions or concerns I found him to be knowledgable and up to current questions, concerns and issues!
Now living on the East Coast we are in a much bigger pediatric office. We enjoy our pediatrician however I really loved the small town culture of Dr. Lu's office and his accessibility.
Jeff C.
Jul 25, 2014
Dr. Lu and his staff are great. When you live in a small town you don't necessarily expect top notch care from the local doctors, dentists and pediatricians. However, Dr. Lu is the rare case of a small town doc with a world class pedigree and approach to his patients. Both of our young sons are patients and we've been through annual check ups and emergency drop ins.
Every time Dr. Lu takes the time to listen, take in the situation and give us sound medical advice. We couldn't be happier that he is in Half Moon Bay. If you have kids here on the coast you should feel fortunate you don't have to go over the hill for this level of care.
Every time Dr. Lu takes the time to listen, take in the situation and give us sound medical advice. We couldn't be happier that he is in Half Moon Bay. If you have kids here on the coast you should feel fortunate you don't have to go over the hill for this level of care.
Tina L.
Jul 19, 2014
We feel so fortunate to have found Dr. Lu. He is an absolute gem. He has been caring for our 3 year old son since birth. He is very caring, attentive, and knowledgeable. He is also very accessible. I really appreciate that, if I have a question, I can talk him directly via phone or email. If your child is really sick and needs to see a doctor, he will always make time for you.
If you are looking for a doctor for a newborn, I cannot emphasize enough how much this reduces stress. At large clinics, you have to ask your questions through nurses or less experienced staff. Sometimes you just need to talk to your doctor when your baby is sick, and Dr. Lu is very responsive and attentive. He is also wonderful in interacting with our son, and I always feel that there is plenty of time in the appointments to ask questions and talk with Dr. Lu about our son. I highly recommend Dr. Lu.
If you are looking for a doctor for a newborn, I cannot emphasize enough how much this reduces stress. At large clinics, you have to ask your questions through nurses or less experienced staff. Sometimes you just need to talk to your doctor when your baby is sick, and Dr. Lu is very responsive and attentive. He is also wonderful in interacting with our son, and I always feel that there is plenty of time in the appointments to ask questions and talk with Dr. Lu about our son. I highly recommend Dr. Lu.
Jj S.
Jul 08, 2014
We've been taking our daughter to Dr. Lu for about the last 6 years age 1-7. He has always shown the utmost attention and care for her - I think he gets more worried about her colds (because of the severe asthma attacks and hospitalizations over the years) than we do! And he SO listens to not only us, and of course our daughter, that he remembers her best little friend's name who she's always talking about.
For those concerned about his iPad - welcome to the new milennium - it's called digital records. Much more secure and efficient than paper. We have recently moved, have seen 2 different pediatricians with personalities ranging from wet noodle to disinterested with a front office that actually picks up the phone 1 out of 5 times. To the point where I was worried about her ear infection, had to get to HMB for an event, called Dr. Lu's office and our daughter was seen by Dr. Lu that afternoon!
All of that was arranged before the other "large" pediatrician's office with multiple doctors even called me back. No doctor or person is perfect and and we all mesh with different people, and of course, we need to advocate for what we intuitively know is up with our own child. One time he wanted to prescribe something I didn't want her to ingest so he worked with me to find something that still worked but didn't bother my sensibilities. So we have nothing to say but good things about Dr. Lu.
For those concerned about his iPad - welcome to the new milennium - it's called digital records. Much more secure and efficient than paper. We have recently moved, have seen 2 different pediatricians with personalities ranging from wet noodle to disinterested with a front office that actually picks up the phone 1 out of 5 times. To the point where I was worried about her ear infection, had to get to HMB for an event, called Dr. Lu's office and our daughter was seen by Dr. Lu that afternoon!
All of that was arranged before the other "large" pediatrician's office with multiple doctors even called me back. No doctor or person is perfect and and we all mesh with different people, and of course, we need to advocate for what we intuitively know is up with our own child. One time he wanted to prescribe something I didn't want her to ingest so he worked with me to find something that still worked but didn't bother my sensibilities. So we have nothing to say but good things about Dr. Lu.
H. S.
Mar 12, 2014
Moving from out of state to a small town, I was afraid we would not be able to find a good pediatrician nearby. I was wrong. We found Dr. Lu and he is wonderful! I take both of my daughters to him and he's so nice. The girls adore him and his staff.so do I. He's always pleasant, acts like we are the only patients he is worried about, and gets us in the same day every time we call. He also keeps open afternoon appointments so the kids don't have to miss school. We are very happy that we found Dr. Lu and we feel lucky!
Martin S.
May 26, 2012
Our daughter was complaining about severe stomach pain for two days, couldn't walk upright and had trouble sleeping because of the pain. She and my wife visited doctor Lu to get a diagnosis. My wife told him that there was no fever and my wife asked to check for appendicitis. He palpated the belly and found tenderness but ruled that it was not appendicitis, because of no fever, and prescribed a pain killer.
The next day when the severe pain did not go away we went to an emergency room that found that it was acute appendicitis and through a CAT scan found that the appendix had already ruptured. An operation was scheduled right away. Doctor Lu did not perform all the standard tests, had to be nudged to look closer and ultimately arrived at a misdiagnosis that could have cost our daughters life.
The next day when the severe pain did not go away we went to an emergency room that found that it was acute appendicitis and through a CAT scan found that the appendix had already ruptured. An operation was scheduled right away. Doctor Lu did not perform all the standard tests, had to be nudged to look closer and ultimately arrived at a misdiagnosis that could have cost our daughters life.
Julie S.
Nov 07, 2011
Maryam S.
Oct 18, 2011
Kether H.
Aug 12, 2011
I always liked Dr. Lu but never realized how lucky I was to have him for my son's pediatrician. Like others have stated, he's the only one on the coast and he had been our pediatrician from my sons birth until 9 months when we moved to San Diego. Now I've had 2 other pediatricians and neither compare with good ol Humphry. When my son was newborn he lost a lot of weight and Dr. Lu called everyday for a week and one day when I didn't answer he stayed at the office until I called him back.
When my son was 8 weeks we had a seizure scare (turned out to be nothing) and I was hounding Dr. Lu via email (after he had seen my son and diagnosed it as nothing to worry about) sending him videos from youtube of babies with seizure and he emailed me back every time within an hour or two and got me in to get my son an ecg because I was so worried. I'm obviously a first time mother.
And my last example of why the Dr. rocks is that my son just had a 12 month checkup with his new Pedi here in San Diego and I left with questions that she didn't answer, I emailed Dr. Lu hoping he would take a minute to give me his thoughts on a particular manner. He emailed me back in 2 hours with more info than my pedi here gave me at our appointment.
He even asked for a picture. He seriously cares about the child and the parent. Friendly, gentle, great bedside manner and will take you the same day if there's an issue. We love Dr. Lu.
When my son was 8 weeks we had a seizure scare (turned out to be nothing) and I was hounding Dr. Lu via email (after he had seen my son and diagnosed it as nothing to worry about) sending him videos from youtube of babies with seizure and he emailed me back every time within an hour or two and got me in to get my son an ecg because I was so worried. I'm obviously a first time mother.
And my last example of why the Dr. rocks is that my son just had a 12 month checkup with his new Pedi here in San Diego and I left with questions that she didn't answer, I emailed Dr. Lu hoping he would take a minute to give me his thoughts on a particular manner. He emailed me back in 2 hours with more info than my pedi here gave me at our appointment.
He even asked for a picture. He seriously cares about the child and the parent. Friendly, gentle, great bedside manner and will take you the same day if there's an issue. We love Dr. Lu.
Kelli A.
Aug 04, 2010
Our son had been a patient of Dr. Lu's private practice for the past 3 years and even a few years before that when he was with the Coastside Clinic. As a doctor, I would give Dr. Lu 5 stars. However, his front office and billing practices bring the rating way down. We have had major issues each year that have resulted in fees higher than they should be.
Year 1: During the annual check up, Dr. Lu diagnosed a potential hearing problem, and recommended a follow-up appt. At the follow-up appt., my husband suspected the equipment was faulty and asked that the headset be switched around. Once he did this, suddenly it was his other ear that had the problem. Thus, it became clear that the equipment was actually faulty and my sons hearing was fine.
In spite of this, he insisted on charging us for the additional office visit and the second test itself. After pushing back, we settled on a compromise to keep the peace even though we shouldn't have paid at all for this second visit and test. Year 2: We went in for a physical, but at the same time my son was not feeling well. My husband requested a strep test so that we could cover it without paying for an additional office visit.
We were billed not only for the test itself (which we were expecting), but a 2nd office visit as well (which was a complete surprise and counter to our prior discussion). This caused another argument and the office manager suggested that if we didn't like their policies, we could find another doctor. Year 3: At this year's physical, my son was due for 2 immunizations, which would be covered by insurance.
When Dr. Lu mentioned this would make his arm sore, we discussed delaying the shots to the following week after our son's baseball camp was over. No mention was made that doing this later would cost us money for an additional visit. Had we known that, we would have gotten the shots at the physical. So, afterward we learned that not only would we have to pay an additional nurses fee, but also the immunization cost - which would have been covered had they been given the day of the physical.
After calling and discussing, they were not willing to compromise. I explained we would like to continue to see Dr. Lu - but would need them to be up front in giving us information with respect to what might cost additional, as we need to manage our medical expenditures very carefully as we have a high deductible plan. They are not willing to work with us in this way.
Our take is that they are looking for opportunities to charge more to insurance companies - and don't seem prepared to be proactive and work with those of us with high deductible plans. We are disappointed to have to go elsewhere, as we would like to keep business on the coastside, but cannot afford to continue with this type of relationship.
This experience helps us understand why medical costs in this country are so high. When a patient attempts to be proactive in controlling costs, some (perhaps many?) doctors seem unwilling to operate like most other vendors of services in the rest of the world, who of course are always clear up front with estimated costs. My husband has experienced similar issues with his doctor as well.
Year 1: During the annual check up, Dr. Lu diagnosed a potential hearing problem, and recommended a follow-up appt. At the follow-up appt., my husband suspected the equipment was faulty and asked that the headset be switched around. Once he did this, suddenly it was his other ear that had the problem. Thus, it became clear that the equipment was actually faulty and my sons hearing was fine.
In spite of this, he insisted on charging us for the additional office visit and the second test itself. After pushing back, we settled on a compromise to keep the peace even though we shouldn't have paid at all for this second visit and test. Year 2: We went in for a physical, but at the same time my son was not feeling well. My husband requested a strep test so that we could cover it without paying for an additional office visit.
We were billed not only for the test itself (which we were expecting), but a 2nd office visit as well (which was a complete surprise and counter to our prior discussion). This caused another argument and the office manager suggested that if we didn't like their policies, we could find another doctor. Year 3: At this year's physical, my son was due for 2 immunizations, which would be covered by insurance.
When Dr. Lu mentioned this would make his arm sore, we discussed delaying the shots to the following week after our son's baseball camp was over. No mention was made that doing this later would cost us money for an additional visit. Had we known that, we would have gotten the shots at the physical. So, afterward we learned that not only would we have to pay an additional nurses fee, but also the immunization cost - which would have been covered had they been given the day of the physical.
After calling and discussing, they were not willing to compromise. I explained we would like to continue to see Dr. Lu - but would need them to be up front in giving us information with respect to what might cost additional, as we need to manage our medical expenditures very carefully as we have a high deductible plan. They are not willing to work with us in this way.
Our take is that they are looking for opportunities to charge more to insurance companies - and don't seem prepared to be proactive and work with those of us with high deductible plans. We are disappointed to have to go elsewhere, as we would like to keep business on the coastside, but cannot afford to continue with this type of relationship.
This experience helps us understand why medical costs in this country are so high. When a patient attempts to be proactive in controlling costs, some (perhaps many?) doctors seem unwilling to operate like most other vendors of services in the rest of the world, who of course are always clear up front with estimated costs. My husband has experienced similar issues with his doctor as well.
Rudy D.
Apr 14, 2009
We love Dr Lu. He is nice, takes his time with my boys, and it's usually not a problem to get an appointment on the same day. The only reason i don't give 5 stars is because he is younger and doesn't have the years of experience that an older pediatrician does. Once we had an issue where he missed a diagnosis, and I think a more experienced doc would have caught it, or at least raised it as a possibility. However, i still recommend Dr. Lu for anyone living on the coast. He's great!
