Eric S Millstein, MD

I have plenty of experience with orthopedic surgeons and I have to say Dr. Millstein is the best. I’ve been in for several issues and appreciated his careful diagnosis and explanation of the problem, and especially the way he talks patients through options for treatment including non-​surgical options. Solid. And I’ll add that his offices have been great about scheduling appointments and getting me in soon after I call. Just a top notch operation all around.

Dr Millstein is the perfect orthopedic surgeon for me.
He balanced his approach to surgery with care and concern.
I am walking pain free after 6 months of difficulties walking.
Thank you Dr Millestein

WOW! I am very impressed with this office. I came in after falling off my bike during a triathlon (on a Sunday) and really hurt my shoulder. We called first thing Monday morning about an appointment that day and we were able to be seen within 2 hours of calling. I was x-​rayed and left with the prognosis of a separated shoulder.
I then lost my Rx and called the front desk to get another one. They faxed the papers over to me immediately and even emailed them as well to ensure that I received it. Great front desk staff as well as nursing staff.
Would recommend to anyone looking a orthopedist!

Dr Millstein is Awesome! Amazing Down to earth yet maintain a complete professional bedside manor. Got Cut off on my Motorcycle by someone who tried to cheat & turn right into me (from a Left Turn Only Lane)… Tore My ACL, went to the good Doc! Made everything easy for an Ex-​Jock Football head like myself, and the best part, gave me some options to think about (esp because i would miss a significant amount of time from work). Staff is Awesome! From the Lovely Ladies in the Front Desk, Awesome Lady who always takes my vitals, history, & if i have any new issues/​questions.
Prep for Sugery day… The Surgery Coordinator & anyone else you may need to reach, not only give u a easy to understand packet, but are there to answer any questions/​emails. From my experience emails are fastest to get a response (love it becuase i am one to forget things if its not written down or in a email)
Surgery Day was a breeze! Had the normal before surgery Jitters, but the good Doc & Medical staff. Made it very calm, informed so i had no surprises. Woke up, some month or so later, actually saw the «scars» & as time passed it healing, and to my Awesome Suprise, it seriously looked like a small scratch. Like I have Scars from when i was little that look more like surgery scars than the awesome work Dr. Millstein did.
Yes, I am a satisfied, happy, & will be a life long pt if i ever (knock on wood) get a injury. I would Highly Recommend any One I love & care about to Dr. Millstein.
Also,
If you have see him at Century City location, give yourself Exxxxxtra time to go through the underground parking (if you’re running late make sure to make a call Before you hit the structure. lol)… There is Valet, but you still have to make your way to the Elevators & take it up.
Thanks again Dr. Millstein!
Vincent N.

I’m amending my review because of the long waits I’ve experienced in the office. This last time I was kept waiting an hour – an inexcusable length of time. Looking back, I realize I’ve always been kept waiting at least 20 minutes, and often as much as 45. Although Dr. Millstein apologized, these delays say a lot about his attitude – and that of his staff, who were whooping it up in the outer office – towards patients. In short, we are unimportant and our time doesn’t matter. Because of their arrogance, I won’t be back.

Dr. Millstein: Babyboomer Athletes Best Friend.
Dr. Millstein’s no nonsense approach to evaluating my knee problem (swelling from past surgeries), resulted in a spot-​on diagnosis. No knee replacement needed (as other Dr’s have suggested). He simply said,” You dont need me — you need good Physical Theropy.” Millstein directed me to his website and suggested me to use one of his Theropists. Following his instructions, a Theropist was chosen. The rest is history. My knee is now strong and fully oprational. Dr. Millstein changed my life.
Fred K.

Dr Millstein was nice enough to see me on an emergency basis today. His office is very nice and really clean, and runs in a seamless manner. Very calm and efficient. The office provides state of the art equipment. Dr Millstein is very personable and was very patient with me during my appointment. He educated me on my condition and assured me everything would be ok. Before I left he made sure I didn’t have any questions. This office is definitely bringing their A game!

Dr. Millstein is the man! Experienced an unusual accident that resulted in a torn knee cap. This was very scary and my first surgery at the ripe age of 70. I had the surgery last week which went well, and am hopefully on the way to what I believe will result in a complete recovery. His office co-​ordinator, Mariana, truly went above and beyond the call of duty by always answering my questions and calls in a timely manner. She also dropped off a script for me at the area pharmacy. In a big impersonal city, I cannot rave enough about the warmth, expertise, and professionalism of Dr. Millstein and his staff.

From the moment I walked in, I loved the place. The staff was friendly, there was no wait and Dr. Millstein was thorough, kind and professional. I couldn’t have been happier with my experience there. Turns out I don’t need surgery — just some physical therapy — but I’m glad I went there to find out. Definitely recommend.

I’m not it ANY way associated with Dr. Millstein and his office outside of the many positive experiences with him and the staff. The least I can do is share here. This is my first review.
I am a performer with a touring Broadway production. After many non-​surgical treatments for an ongoing shoulder injury, it was time for serious intervention. After researching surgeons around the country I landed here in LA and had an appointment with Dr. Millstein.
He was not quick to diagnose without first hearing ALL of my questions/​concerns. He was very realistic and truthful about my recovery which any athlete/​performer appreciates when your livelihood depends on it.
It did not take long for me to decide this was the proper route. The front office has been very communicative, polite, professional. Response to any questions I’d have usually were responded to via callback or email the same day. (Not to mention Dr. Millstein called me the night of my surgery to check up!)
The nursing staff in the office is amazing as well. They have always been very encouraging, upbeat, and «in tune». None of this feels «put on» or disingenuous.
In approximately 6 or 7 appointments I’ve not waited more than 10 minutes to be placed in a room. Within another 5 minutes a nurse is taking blood pressure, etc. and another 5 Dr. Millstein is there.
Something to consider is other patients, like myself, who have 1000 concerns and Dr. Millstein sits, listens, and answers without rushing. We should appreciate an office that functions this way. What’s waiting a bit longer, if needed, to know you (and others) will receive top care?
Finally, (and most importantly) I have made a FULL recovery. I am SO glad I went through with surgery with Dr. Millstein. I am back to 8 shows a week with no pain.

Dr. Millstein himself is great and did a nice job in my surgery. In terms of schedules and appointments, I found the experience that others have noted on here to be true but i gave them that feedback and they did improve on it the next time I was there.

by Mark on Mar 24^th, 2015
It honestly takes a lot for me to write a bad review, I always try to see things from more than my prospective so I usually don’t complain about much, but this experience really left a terrible taste in my mouth and I felt I needed to share to help avoid any other prospective patients falling for the same thing I did by reading some of these reviews, which BTW I now question the validity of. Read the bad reviews FIRST guys, you can see most of us have a common thread to our complains, but now I will share my experience. I am on Workers Comp, I had been trying to find a Dr who could really evaluate what was going on with my Lower Back, Wrist and Shoulder. After much searching I came across this person with such glowing reviews, completely ignoring the negative ones because the good ones sounded so good. My Nurse Case Manager made the appointment and confirmed that this Dr Millstein treats lower backs as well as other ailments, I was looking forward to meeting this Dr and all I can say is that the bad reviews I read were in fact more true than anything, nothing about the «positive» reviews was anywhere near present on this day. I came into the Dr’s office where I was telling him my nightmare journey with Workers Comp and how I came to find him hoping he could help me. First thing he told me is that he does NOT do backs, which is not what me nor my nurse case manager was told. Secondly he said he no longer is going to be doing Workers Comp cases. Great so now what? Me and my nurse case manager both showed his the results of both my back and shoulder. My MRI of my lower back showed Degenerative Disc Disease and it had advanced in the last few years, it was causing me excruciating pain for weeks and two Dr’s I had seen previously (both Ortho’s btw) said I should not be working for 30 days and prescribed physical therapy. Unfortunately neither of those Dr were under my Workers Comp list of providers, hence I went looking for a Dr that really knew what he was doing. He took an Xray of my wrist and said nothing was wrong at all. Then looked at my MRI results of my shoulder (it clearly showed an injury) and he brushed it off as «no big deal» then moving along to my back, he said it showed some degeneration but that he had several other patients who were older than me and had many more ailments and were able to work and manage regardless. First of all, you cannot compare one patient with all the others, every patient should be tended to as an individual with their own concerns, not lumped into a category of «if they can do it so can you». He said he didn’t mean to diminish my ailments but he was releasing me back to work on full duty. I’ve been working 13 years for my current employer, I rarely take sick time or vacation so I am not a lazy person, if this was about me just wanting to take a «paid vacation» trust me, I have the vacation time to do it, the point was that I was in pain and I was injured and if I can’t work then so be it, but when I go looking for help from a professional to give me a professional comprehensive exam I expect better. So he doesn’t even do backs or spine yet he has the superiority to tell me that my back and shoulder were no big deal. I am in the process of finding another Dr at this point but I must let anyone who is reading that someone with such arrogance and ego should not be practicing medicine. Read the other reviews both good and bad, you will see common complaints from other patients. My two cents. Doctors Oath — «First do no harm»
Update: my response to the Dr’s reply to my previous post.
Dr Millstein, you had an opportunity to make things right when I was in your office and had my MRI’s in hand. Now it’s too little too late. Someone like you does not deserve to carry a medical license in my opinion. If you really cared you would have done the right thing from the start. If anyone is reading this please take from my experience and stay away from this imbecile. Seriously one of the worst experiences with any medical provider.

I saw Dr. Eric Millstein after a shoulder injury (rupture of AC joint & adhesive capsulitis –frozen shoulder). I was new to the area & felt super lucky to have found Dr. Millstein. He is smart, friendly, compassionate, gifted, knowledgable, kind, & the best orthopedic surgeon that I have ever met. He examined my shoulder, & looked at the MRI & diagnosed me in few minutes. Dr. Millstein discussed the options with me & after few months of pain it felt great to finally find the best specialist who could fix me & make all the pain go away. He suggested surgical manipulation. Should add that I have had many surgeries before, & he is the best orthopedic surgeon that I know. The surgery went so smooth. His staff at La Peer surgery center were excellent! He was so kind & told me to call him with any questions in future if I needed referral to see other specialists in the area for any other medical problems. He also suggested evolution physical therapy & they were amazing. I could never thank him enough! You will definitely be in good hands with him & will shorten your suffering & start recovering :-)

I was referred to Dr Millstein by a friend who was happy with him. I’m glad I was. He performed my rotator cuff surgery. I was scared and nervous as this was my first time ever having any issues with my body, let alone surgery. Dr Millstein took ample time to sit with me prior to surgery and go through in detail what would happen. He’s quite busy, but it made me feel good to know he was so generous with his time. The surgery went well and the recovery, although long and painful, has went well too. I’m now 7 months removed from surgery and it appears I’ll be almost as good as new.
The nurses and his staff are super nice too both in their demeanor and responsiveness. Further as I only had Catastrophic insurance and therefore was going to be paying for this out of pocket they helped me understand the exact costs prior to surgery and were honest and forthright. When the bills came due it was just as they said months prior.
Dr. Millstein is quite busy — but he’s worth the wait. If you’re unlucky enough to have an issue get an appointment with him and don’t look back.

My experience with the doctor and office has been sub-​par. I set my appointments well in advance, as I had to get a set of injections exactly one week apart from each other. The doctor was late about ½ hour for every single appointment, and I had the first appointment for the morning. When he finally arrived, no apologies… it was as if it never happened. The office cancelled my appointments three different times, as he was «not coming into the office», usually on Fridays. This was not only inconvenient, as it is a two-​hour drive from my home, but it continually screwed up my protocol, which caused a lull of months between my series of injections.
Then for the finally kick in the butt, I had been using my blue shield insurance with him for about 18 months. Without a notification by mail, a sign at the check-​in desk, or a verbal acknowledgement to let me know when I arrived in the office for three successive weeks, I found out from Blue Shield after submitting the forms that Millstein no longer takes Blue Shield of California PPO. So what used to cost me, after insurance, $ 56.00 per injections, I am now being charged by his office for the three visits, $ 975.00. I have gone back and forth with multiple members of his office and billing department, and each time their story changed. First they said, as a courtesy, they would accept the In-​Network charge for the last three injections. Then they told me they never said that. Nobody speaks to each other, and nobody really cares about their patients. Stay away… it is not a healthy experience.

Great person, great doctor.
He was the on call doctor I spoke to, when I had a question after surgery. He was so nice and thoughtful .
I saw him three days after, my doctor was out of city. His manner is flawless and he helped me a lot, even I was not his patient.
Great place, great doctors.

Unclear if Dr. Millstein’s exam rooms are large enough for his ego. I thought he was different than the archetypal egotistical orthopedic surgeon, but I was wrong.
I saw Millstein in mid-​2012 for a diagnostic knee arthroscopy. My initial impressions of him were very favorable. He performed the surgery and I recovered fairly quickly. Unfortunately Dr. Millstein wasn’t able to resolve my problem in the procedure and I trusted his conclusion that an arthroscopy wasn’t sufficient to solve my knee problem.
However, when I had my first follow-​up appointment it became very clear to me that I had misjudged the doctor. He was incredibly short with me and basically told me that he couldn’t help me. He showed no interest in further discussing my problem and instead referred to two other doctors, both of whom were unable to help me. It would have been nice if Dr. Millstein showed a scintilla of interest in my case after my surgery — very opposite his demeanor prior to my surgery.
Despite my better judgment, I decided to schedule a second follow-​up appointment approximately one year after my procedure to see if Dr. Millstein had any additional suggestions for me. Within 60 seconds of our visit, he said verbatim, «why are you here, I told you I can’t help you.» No questions about what the other two doctors he referred me to discovered. No questions. Just derision. I asked him why he accepted my appointment if he couldn’t help me – his response: «that is a question you should think about!!!»
Dr. Millstein may be a capable surgeon (or maybe he’s not, I don’t really know) but his bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired. My take on Millstein is that he has reached an inflection point in his career where he’s letting his busy schedule start to get in the way of his patient interactions.
***SECTION BELOW ADDED JULY 2014***
Given that Dr. Millstein responded to my review I feel compelled to further respond. The fact of the matter is:
1) Millstein was incredibly rude in his manner when he realized he couldn’t help me. It’s easy to sound polite when you’re defending yourself to the world on Unilocal.
2) Millstein did refer me to two other doctors (who couldn’t help me either, but at least were friendly), but never made any efforts to speak to the doctors he referred me to — as evidenced by the fact that I had to go through my whole history again because they didn’t know my case. He never followed up with me in any way after he passed the torch, even though the doctors he referred me to couldn’t help.
3) And when I decided to follow up with him after the failed referrals, Dr. Millstein literally wasted my time. He had no interest in examining me further — no interest in even exploring the faintest possibility that my condition had changed. It turns out that much of my knee problem resulted from tight hips — you would think he would have at any point examined by hips to see if they were an issue (he didn’t). I saw him for all of 5 minutes (4 minutes of which was arguing with him) for which he happily billed my insurance company even though he literally did nothing.

Great experience with Dr. Millstein. I had a ruptured Achilles Tendon (aka, the Kobe Bryant injury) and was fortunate enough to be referred to Dr. Millstein by an anesthesiologist friend. Injured on Saturday, I saw him on a Monday and had surgery that Thursday. Good follow up from him and his staff. Great bedside manner, confident but not cocky, and he set realistic and practical expectations right from the get-​go.
I’d recommend him to anyone who is injured and seeking the best surgeon.

I echo the other fantastic reviews. Best experience with an orthopedic surgeon I’ve ever had and best you could hope for!
1) Dr. Millstein obviously knows his area of expertise and is a very skilled surgeon
2) He actually listens to you and takes his time to discuss your symptoms, his thoughts and the reasons for them (not just his conclusions!) and to answer your questions. This last is a real source of irritation for me with many physicians.
3) His staff were efficient, warm and friendly. Appointments were a breeze to schedule.
4) The surgery (torn miniscus) was quick and unbelievably problem free. I was up almost immediately and off crutches the next day.
5) The follow up appointment was another great conversation and I left feeling like I was a real part of my treatment plan.

So back on January 1, 2013 I fell while ice skating for the first time. It was extremely painful and my leg twisted strangely underneath my back. Sounds like it hurt? Yeah, to say the least it did. I’m not a complainer and passed it off as a reeeeeeallly bad sprain.
January passed. February came and went. March came and went & I still had considerable pain just walking. Turns out I did a bit more than «just spraining» it. So I sought the professional evaluation of Dr. Millstein. I am glad I did, we did all the necessary testing and diagnostics. His professionalism is only exceeded by his wonderful personality. He provided a Physical Therapy script and as I write, my ankle is much better than it was a few weeks ago.
Thank you!