California Orthopedics & Spine

I want to make it very clear at the outset that I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY WITH THE TREATMENT THAT I RECEIVED FROM DR. MARK LAWLER. He is amazing, kind, patient and so positive. However, the reason I'm leaving a bad review is because of the unbelievably rude receptionists. I had an ACL reconstruction and meniscus repair surgery and was 10 minutes late to an appointment (they do ask you to come 15 minutes early, so they counted the total "lateness" score at 30 mins). Keep in mind at this point I can barely move my leg and walking on crutches. Getting to the bathroom and back to bed takes me 15 minutes and at the end of it I'm exhausted and nauseated. And the pain from the surgery is excruciating! They're located on a second floor so I admit although I left early it took me a while to get to the receptionist. She was rude, snarky, sarcastic and pushed me to pay a bill (that I was yet to get in the mail). When I pointed that out she says "You don't have to pay right now, you do have a balance but okay...". Her attitude, body language and tone was beyond disappointing for a patient who just underwent a very painful surgery. Again, the doctors and nurses were very understanding and kind but the receptionists are beyond terrible. Hilariously and ironically she had one of those generic "be kind" stickers on her desktop. Lol. In short: go see Dr. Lawler if you need to, be wary of the needlessly spicy receptionists.

Dr. Kelly. The last thing I want to do is write this. As, if I were not in continued pain, it would not be necessary. I was referred to Dr. Holly Kelly’s practice by a surgeon from whom, some years earlier, I had received a new right hip. Pain had returned to the hip area but it was believed that its cause was lower back. An MRI confirmed the likelihood. As I was planning a trip to Europe, pain-reduction was advised. 1. In Nov. ‘22 I met with Doctor Holly Kelly’s Tech Assistant. He recommended a two-step process (a) I would receive a small amount of numbing agent into area to see if the location were ‘correct’ (the pain relieved). (b) If it was, the full Cortisone shot would be injected into that location shortly before my departure. 2. When, in Jan. ’23, I met with Dr. Kelly for the first step she advised me that it was unnecessary. Instead she would simply inject the Cortisone ten days before my departure. An appropriate appointment was made. 3. In March ’23 I arrived for the Cortisone. She asked, Why are you here?’ and when I told her she said, ‘We should have had a consult before this to see if it’s still necessary.’ I assured her that it was, and she – seemingly reluctantly – agreed to the injection. 4. I had received Cortisone previously. Three times prior to my hip-replacement. Each time it was injected ‘INTO THE PAIN’, both with and without a Sonogram. But that day the Cortisone was to be injected into the small of the back; the MRI-suggested source of the pain. 5. I mentioned my previous experiences to Dr. Kelly and she responded that this was her approach. Cortisone was injected into the back (not into the pain). 6. Now in Europe the pain has worsened. From Europe I contacted the doctor and again asked her about the Cortisone being shot INTO THE PAIN. Her rely was (a) That is a ‘trigger’ shot and I should have asked for it, and (b) Why don’t I drop into her Novato Office and she’ll do it. As I look back over this experience I don’t know what more I could have done to achieve a better result. We, each of us, is responsible for our own health; not our doctors. But the communication breakdowns that defined this set of experiences should alert anyone seeking treatment. Get as much information about a practice as you can, before ‘signing on’.

The actual providers and care were good, but the billing and customer service has been poor. I was overcharged $225 for services back in November 2022. I was never informed that I overpaid my account as I just paid what was requested after the services. The only way I found out I had overpaid was by checking the itemized billing record. I don’t understand why it is my responsibility to not only check if I have overpaid, but to also request that I get a refund for overpayment. In addition, I need to wait for some department to approve the refund, and no eta can be provided. Poor communication and customer service.

Dr. Solomon is the best Orthopedic Doctor I have ever worked with, very professional. He has worked on both of my shoulders that were very painful, now they are great. He has helped me with several injury’’s and got me into Physical therapy right away and I was able to heal fast. His assistant Louisa Munger is very professional and always able to answer any question I have. I highly recommend both of them!

Excellent experience with Dr. Solomon and his staff. My wife and I have both seen him and each time he listens to the patient very openly so he can determine your diagnosis and pan treatment accordingly. His staff is very courteous. I was pleasantly surprised at the short wait time and the appointments happen right on time as planned. Dr. Solomon is an excellent physician. Recommend without reservation.

While Dr. Hellerman provides excellent, caring and wise care, trying to access that care is a nightmare. Scheduling an appointment always takes multiple phone calls. I am routinely denied an appointment until I obtain new insurance authorization, which my insurance provider tells me is unnecessary. Attempts at scheduling via the web site never receive a response. My most recent appointment was cancelled without notice and re-scheduled for the wrong office

I was recently referred to California Orthopedics for evaluation of a shoulder problem. From the initial presentation of the physical office space through the intake procedure, I was impressed with the thoughtful efficiency and warmth of everyone involved. This was also my first time meeting Dr. Solomon and the experience was similarly impressive. Coming from a medical family and having had a fair amount of treatment in my life, I've admittedly become somewhat wary or skeptical of the experience. This practice helped me recalibrate and know that a practitioner can be genuinely engaged and fully present during an exam, asking open ended questions and listening to the replies. An emoji for the added star is not accessible so here's the sixth one. STAR!

I got a two layer ACDF surgery 10/26/2020 with Dr. Su. Since then, I have been in physical therapy in their Novato office with Kyle Watry, and had injections into my shoulder with Dr. Solomon. These guys are magicians!!! I feel so well taken care of, and that’s saying a lot considering I have had a ton of bad doctors over the past 10 years since my car accident. For the first time since 2011, I have hope of living a pain free life, and finally coming out of a rough 10 years in chronic pain. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this practice, and these three doctors to anyone serious about getting out of pain and on with their lives. Their assistants have been wonderful as well! Five starts all around!