Chen Christopher J MD

I haven’t met the Doctor as on my first appointment (after having been sent across the street for xrays beforehand) I was told upon presenting my insurance card that they couldn’t honor my appointment as I had Covered Californiai/​Blue Shield and they didn’t accept it, even though over the phone they said it was OK as I had a PPO. Blue Shield has them under contract and said that they were contractually obligated to take it. The office staff person confronted me
and wrongly stated that she told me they did not accept Covered California patients, which was a blatant lie! They obviously accept patients by their age and/​or looks and demeanor, and make up an excuse to «get rid of them». Well, I wasted a non paid day of work dealing with these ageist elitists, and hope nobody else goes near them! Unless of course you fit their «accepted» profile.

I read the reviews of Dr. Chen, his staff and his office– many are unfavorable. My family has had several surgeries performed by Dr. Chen-​and he is the best.
I asked for a referral to see him for a second opinion… Yes, I would admit that his waiting room can be updated, but I wasn’t even in there long enough to open a magazine (which were current by the way). The staff was pleasant and efficient.
Dr. Chen was friendly, upbeat, helpful and honest. He listened to my concerns and questions and answered them all. I even had a few questions after my appointment and called to talk to him. He was busy with a patient and called me back to discuss my new questions.
I can’t understand why the nasty reviews, unless the people who wrote them were nasty to him. Maybe they didn’t love his bedside manner or that he doesn’t sugar-​coat anything. Is that what counts when you are having a joint replaced-​or is it his expertise?
I’d go to him without hesitation or second thought. Thank you Dr. Chen!

My wife and I are extremely unhappy with her experience at Dr. Chen’s office.
Dr. Chen should understand that his reputation in the community is determined in large part by his staff’s interactions with patients. Actions of staff can reflect poorly on the doctor who employs them, even if the doctor is highly skilled in the practice of medicine.

I took my partner to see this doctor after she waited over a month for help with hip pain. After sitting in the office, a totally cheap, uncomfortable, barren hole in the wall, the staff told her he doesn’t take Covered California health insurance.
This is no way to run a Sutter medical practice.

Never even got to meet this so-​called cold fish!
I spoke to staff after being referred by my primary doctor. I gave them my insurance info and we set up an appointment. I waited a month. When I got to the office, I was not impressed. Dingy, grimy carpet gray with ground-​in dirt and what looked like black gum spots deposited over the decades. Old chairs, also vintage 1972, with sagging seats and a bar under the knees… precisely calculated to make anyone with knee or hip pain extremely uncomfortable. After filling out all the forms and waiting almost 30 minutes, Dr. Chen’s staff called me up to the counter to inform me that Dr. Chen had «opted out» of Covered California Blue Shield… the precise plan that I had called Sutter to verify a month before. And that I was welcome to see him… for $ 300.
And while I was in pain, and it is a huge let-​down for me not to get started with an orthopedist after waiting so long, the office was so unimpressive that I am actually glad I won’t be seeing Dr. Chen.

In 2006 I had a hip replacement. I interview doctors before I commit to trust them with my life. He is wonderful in every way and not for one moment have I ever regretted
my decision. This is a doctor’s doctor which means to me «pure care, «again, in every way.
His staff is a great support to both the doctor and his patients. I have always found them to have the courage to be warm and very human in their interactions with me. This includes Dr Chen, and not all doctors have the courage to show their humanity. Only the really good ones do.
P. S. This is November 26,2013 and my hip is great.

I do not recommend this doctor. I’ve seen him twice and both times were not favorable. He appeared disinterested in what I had to say. I had to ask multiple times to review a prior medical record. I had an MRI done with hundreds of images taken of my knee and he only showed me one image and did not offer to show me more or take the time to explain my cartilage degeneration problem in my knee. I did not find him to have a good bedside manner and his lack of interest was enough to rate him unfavorably. I will be seeking a second opinion.

I had a total hip replacement done two weeks ago by Dr. Chen and can only rave about him. The nurses and physical therapists, both at the hospital and in my home follow-​ups, are all amazed at my quick recovery. They consistently say that he is the best.

Might be very efficient but what a cold fish! If you have any complication or are not in good shape, you’re not a candidate for his services. Heartless!

A belated review. I had a hip replacement by Dr. Chen two years ago, with an outstanding result. Everything went like clockwork from his office staff (highly efficient) to the surgery, through the follow up care. He gave me all the information I needed, answered all questions, so that I knew what to expect and when. I highly recommend him!

Dr. Chen is the best. I just recently had a total hip replacement and he did a beautiful job. He is very calming and reassuring. He told me I would no longer have the pain I was in, once we did the surgery and he was right ! You also know he is really good when the nurses at the hospital rave about him.