UCSF Orthopaedic Institute

Wendy vining is one of the snarkiest people I’ve met. She might be a sociopath actually. Went in for shoulder pain and they scheduled me with a physicians assistant instead of a doctor. I’m ok with that. But right when I step in, this woman is a complete b$@ch. rude with horrible bedside manner. I’ll be going elsewhere next time.

I am thrilled. Had to have total knee replacement. Staff was wonderful and incredibly compassionate, caring, and professional. Dr. Vail amazing and Carlie Cavzos the «bomb»! If i ever have to do this again, it will be here. You immediately see why this is one of the top 10 orthopedic hospitals in the country.

I went here for a check up on my knee to make sure it wasn’t damaged the beginning went really fast but my Dr afterwards said he was coming back never did after waiting forever I stepped out to tell him I need to get back to work he was just chilling having a conversation with someone. I was like can I go? He said he was waiting for me to come out? Made no sense, Everything was great except for the last bad communication. If I don’t know I’m done why would I leave the room? Would go again but be careful with insurance they tried to bill me twice when I was only there for one appointment.

Service Desk:
–Knowledgeable and very helpful with assisting me in scheduling appointments for me.
–The Asian lady Ms. Loo was super attractive and bubbly. How come service can’t be like this all the time?!
Medical Staff:
–Thanks Dr. Carvelli! He was BOMB DOT COM for being so patient with me and answering my bajillion panicky questions.
–Sports Therapist wrapped my wound in under a minute. How do you do that?! Teach me! O_​O

I would never go to this place ever again! I was referred there for a broken shoulder and broken arm. Let me tell you, this was THE most painful injury I have ever suffered thru. I saw the Dr. on my first visit but never actually spoke to him. He let his PA Jenny Triplett do all the talking. I was given dilaudid at the hospital for pain and she tried to take it from me and told me I didn’t NEED that strong of a pain pill and offered me norco instead. She insisted I would become addicted to it. Well, needless to say, I have half the bottle left and I am NOT addicted to anything. When I finally got to the point of physical therapy this woman told me that she would NOT authorize in home PT, now keep in mind, I was taking pain pills, had my arm and shoulder in a brace that prohibited me from driving and I am a woman alone in life. Her response? She expected me to WALK or take public transportation to PT. Would you want your mother, sister or daughter walking the streets with a broken arm and shoulder and on pain pills??? Chance are you wouldn’t. I worked hard on my own and by the time I got to PT the therapist told me I had already done 80% of the work!!! So I was hardly sitting at home on my arse popping pain pills! Then she told me when I felt I was ready to go back to work just call her and she would get me an excuse to go back. When I called I was told that she and her Dr were off on some conference and had left express word not to be bothered unless it was life or death and they refused to get someone who was covering their patients to help me get back to work. I have one more visit to get my note to go back to work, three months EARLY, no thanks to them. And will not be going back there or referring anyone I know there either.
UPDATE: RUDE RUDE RUDE! I have been calling all morning to try to get my Drs note to go back to work. I missed my appt last week by mistake, first time that had happened. I didn’t get the conf call they usually make and thought it was this Tue. I was told they didn’t have any appts to offer me, EVER. I talked to more than one person and each one was ruder than the last. Go elsewhere these people are just plain rude.

Updating my review. Although it was difficult to get the first appointment, my visit and treatment here have been the best. Dr. Allen immediately diagnosed the horrible issue I was having after having botched surgery done by my HMO. Although I spent three years in the HMO system, with them all passing me around and stating everything was fine, Dr. A showed me clearly on my MRI and X-​rays the bad job that was done and why it wouldn’t get better. I had a revision surgery done by her at UCSF and the staff was professional and great at scheduling me and advising me. After surgery I received THREE phone calls: The surgeon, the nurse, and the anesthesiologist all made sure I was doing well. I am immediately able to move my leg better than I have in three years. I am so lucky to have this great knowledgeable team to take care of me. A++

Writing an online review about my doctor is a much bigger responsibility than a review of a restaurant online or suggesting where to get your hair done, if fact it could be a life or death decision for somebody else. Knowing my words will be read by people looking for a competent doctor that they can trust and that my words could possibly make or break somebody’s decision when choosing a doctor, is the reasons that I am writing this review.
Dr. Saam Morshed has been my orthopedic doctor for the past two years. Our paths crossed after I suffered a fall from a 4 story rooftop. I had multiple fractures throughout my body including: a shattered calcaneus (heel bone) a broken femur (thigh bone), fractured hips, and a burst vertebrae, to name a few. I was hospitalized for a total of two months, bedridden, and even had to relearn I walk.
Dr. Morshed along with Dr. Geoffrey T. Manley (Chief of neurosurgery at SF General & a trauma neurosurgeon) did an excellent job operating and putting everything back in place for me, setting the platform for a triumphant recovery. Dr. Manley repaired my spine to the point that my back is 100% pain free. No exaggeration-​literally 100% pain free.
Dr. Morshed completed ALL surgery of the other fractures throughout my body. As a practitioner, Dr. Morshed is extremely talented. I can honestly say I trust him 110% with my life. He is not only an amazing doctor, but also has unbelievable interpersonal skills: he speaks in a way that you as a patient can understand, he is a great listener, he answers any and all of your questions or concerns, is empathetic, and highly professional. His skill level is beyond words. He inserted multiple titanium pins, plates, and rods in and around the fractured areas to help my bones heal properly. He performed a total of 8 surgeries throughout my body and I currently have ZERO pain and walk limp-​free and do not need the aid of any mobility devices or even orthotic shoes.
His staff is also amazing as well. I have nothing but good things to say about everyone within the Orthopedic Institute. Physician’s Assistant Jenny Triplette is highly talented, knowledgable, and hardworking. She follows through with anything I have needed and works with a sense of urgency. She is really good at explaining the how and the why of all aspects of my recovery. I can say with confidence that both Saam Morshed and Jenny Triplette are assets to UCSF’s Orthopedic Institute.
I truly hope this review helps somebody in their very personal decision to choose a doctor. I know first hand what a vulnerable and scary thing it can be to have a physical impairment and how emotionally daunting it can be to struggle physically with day to day tasks that you used to take for granted. Dr. Morshed has given me my mobility back and given me a second chance at life, pain free-​and physically recovered. He gave me my «normal» life back and I am forever grateful.
Good luck in your search for a doctor. Hopefully it ends here and you put your trust in Dr. Morshed and his staff as I did. :-)

I’m in good hands here. The staff is wonderful and very polite. When the doctor is behind schedule, they let me know immediately. Scheduling appointments on the phone is a breeze, too. I don’t have to wait that long.
I was referred to one of the best orthopaedic surgeons. I can tell he really enjoys his work. I am a walking testament of his genius. Thank you, Dr. Bozic!

This review isn’t for the doctors themselves; unfortunately, I never had the chance to see them. When I tried to make an appointment for a severely injured wrist, I was told that I would have to wait approximately two months (which, since I can’t move my hand, just isn’t going to work). This isn’t the fault of the front desk staff, though.
Where the low rating comes in was in their ATTITUDE. I have rarely had someone be more short with me, or force me to give a huge amount of information before they can even give me a ballpark of how long it would take to be seen. 45 minutes later, with no appointment and a wrist that was still killing me, I made an appointment with CPMC. It took about 5 minutes as opposed to 45, and there was no attitude, no rudeness.
Even IF I had been able to get an appointment here, I wouldn’t have given this company my business — the front desk staff needs to understand that most of the people calling in are already in a great deal of pain and don’t need someone being rude, unhelpful, and curt.

It seems that if you aren’t a candidate for surgery they want nothing to do with you… I made a call to a script for the proper knee brace more than a week ago… after a couple attempts i finally gave up. I got the hint… You are too busy to tend to my non-​operative condition. The same goes with the physical therapy services. Trying to book an appointment with that department is just as bad if not worse. I had an appointment with PT which was 2.5 weeks out, but was told I could keep checking for any cancellations so that I could get in sooner. When talking to the person who schedules the appointments, she had made a suggestion for another therapist, which wasn’t the best for my injury. During the conversation, she had cancelled my initial appointment. Due to her canceling my appointment, I had lost my spot, causing further delay that was going to be another week on top of the original 2.5 week wait. I decided to go to St. Mary’s PT instead and seek out a different Orthopedic Surgeon elsewhere. So far, St Mary’s has put UCSF to shame with the level of care and service I have received. I don’t think I will ever return to UCSF

Dr Feeley and his staff (from check in to check out) were very friendly, helpful and professional.
My 17 year old daughter sustained a labral tear doing a ballet summer intensive program.
From the first appointment to the last (including surgery) the staff were easy to communicate with and answered all our questions and put us at ease.
These people are «dialed» and I work in a great hospital myself!
We traveled from a town 3 hours away (same surgery not available at our hospital).
I’m still 100% impressed by our experience at UCSF orthopaedic institute and so is my daughter who is going to dance again!
Thank you to all who helped Jenna get back on her toes!

I had a hip revision at the UCSF Orthopaedic Institute that didn’t work. My surgeon was very supportive, but left UCSF last summer. He referred me to an associate at UCSF and I made an appointment, BUT TWO DAYS BEFORE THE APPOINTMENT, I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL TELLING ME THAT MY NEW SURGEON WON’T SEE ME!!! UCSF FAILED ME AS A PATIENT.
The institute was MUCH BETTER WHEN ON PARNASSUS. The front desk now is rude and disorganized (probably overworked, which implies a major management problem), appointments are difficult to make when when you finally can make them, they are 6 – 9 months out, and now they will not even see their own patients if a referral is necessary.
You can do better. They used to be great. Now — I’d give them a D.

Great success on giving my mom a new total knee replacement!

one-​star rating for both Dr. Senter and the admin staff.
First, the front desk: I tore the meniscus in my right knee and had a loud clicking in my knee with instability and pain, so asked to make an appointment. They scheduled me with a month wait. OK, since this is UCSF and supposedly the best place to get this done, I thought, «don’t want to permanently mess up your knee, so probably better to wait it out a whole month.» Three days before my appointment, the staff calls me to tell me that my appointment has been cancelled and I have been rescheduled for 6 weeks from then!
OK, this sucks. I call in every day for 6 weeks to see if there is a last minute cancellation, but no luck. When my day finally arrives, I am told to have an X-​ray (cartilage and tendons don’t show up on X-​rays… why subject me to unnecessary and unhelpful radiation??!), and to fill out various forms. The front desk lady says this and throws a clipboard at me without ever looking me in the eye or smiling. WTF?
Finally, I get in to see an intern. He seems like a nice guy, but has no knowledge, or at least doesn’t tell me anything other than that Dr. Senter will be in soon. An hour later, Dr. Senter arrives and observes my clicking and unstable knee. I tell her that it was perfect a few months earlier (remember, it took 3 months to get an appointment with her), then suddenly started clicking after I made a forceful and painful lateral movement on my knee. I informed her that I am a competitive triathlete. Her diagnosis: completely normal — just need to exercise more!!!
I told the idiot that the only reason my muscles had atrophied was because she cancelled my appointment with her and have been immobilized for 3 months, and she said that this is baloney, that all I needed was to do some leg curls.
She should have her license revoked. Fortunately, after several wasted months of detrimental physical therapy, I went to Dr. Louie at CPMC and he immediately diagnosed a torn medial meniscus. After a 1 hour procedure and one week recovery period, I am almost good as new. Just wonder if in 20 years, I will get arthritis hat could have been avoided if I went to Dr. Louie at the beginning, instead of putting my future at risk with Carlin Senter.

I would give Cathy 5 stars. There’s one star missing because of the parking that a few people have mentioned.
It is $ 3 for 0−1hr of parking; $ 5 for 1 – 3 hours, and $ 5 for disabled parking. There are about 4 disabled parking spaces… ummm aren’t most of us going here disabled and have problems walking? I agree about the pain-​in-​the-​rearness of walking from your car to the parking kiosk and then back to your car. When every step hurts, every step counts. There should be a drive up kiosk so you don’t have to get out of your car. And double the disabled parking spaces.
It is very busy here, so Cathy has been great enough to book out appointments with me. She is kind, warm, and knows her stuff. In just that 30min appointment, she pushes me and makes me sore. Over the past 6+ weeks working with her, she has progressed my exercises and is making sure I’m ready for my next surgery. They have variety of equipment here, it is not crowded even though numerous people are working, and very clean. I’m very happy with my decision to come here for PT. And while I was concerned about traffic and parking at Mission Bay area during baseball season, it has never been a problem and is pretty empty.
Everytime I leave, I get a print out of my exercises with pictures included… so I don’t forget.
P. S. I’ve never had a problem with front desk staff and everyone has been very kind and helpful. I’ve only seen them be kind and considerate with people waiting. I also love the sign that reads «If you’ve been waiting 10min for your appointment, let us know»

Another review based on admin/​support staff.
I saw a specialist here about a year ago for a longterm issue. The Dr and the resident were fine/​knowledgeable and took their time to answer my questions, which I appreciated. I participated in some random study being conducted by a student involving a questionnaire – a little strange to be handed right after checking in. My appointment ran a fair amount of time behind schedule.
The real reason for my negative review is the Xray techs – their machine had malfunctioned before me, and they used the same machine on me for a full body xray (already terrible for you) and so they had to do the full xray again due to their incompetence. My body/​lady parts were twice exposed to needless radiation, and I am willing to bet that my insurance got charged 2x for their mistake. Even then, my dr said there was a problem with the xray so they couldn’t see everything. If your equipment isn’t working, don’t use a patient as a guinea pig.

This is by far one of the worst customer service experienced I’ve had to deal with. Although some of the staff are nice, but their whole team of receptionists /​coordinators /​desk managers /​paper runners /​front desk people are all complete idiots. They do not qualify to be working there because nobody is on the same page. Staff A says Yes, Staff B says no. Who do I believe? sometimes A is right, sometimes B is right, and sometimes they are both wrong. Are you kidding me? I’m in pain, and you over here playing with my mind. The staff needs to go back to high school because it seems like they don’t know how to follow something as simple as following directions.
Management needs serious restructuring, and retrain each and every single receptionist /​front desk staff, because none of them knows the procedures. Management needs to be fired, and they need to hire a team of writers and teachers so the writers can rewrite the procedures manual, and there needs to be elementary teachers teaching the staff how to read it each week because their whole team is a bunch of idiots. They can not or don’t even know how to follow simple directions…
One staff thinks its right, and one staff thinks it’s wrong. R U F-​KING KIDDING ME???
I’m so pissed off right now. I kept getting scheduled, and then when appointment time is up, some staff that actually knows procedures, will call me and say, «you’re not authorized’. DUDE. are you kidding me? I get scheduled again. and then the same thing happens…
UCSF MANAGEMENT, YOU SERIOUSLY NEED TO BE FIRED… BOARD OF DIRECTORS, IF U READING THIS. CAN YOU PLEASE GO UP THERE AND SLAP THE FACE OF THE PEOPLE U HIRED A FEW TIMES. AND THEN SLAP THEM AGAIN… AND THEN JUST SLAP THEM ONE MORE TIME FOR BEING AN IDIOT. %^$&^%*#*^$&%%&^*(&)(&(*^%&$%

Dr. Olson is a 5 star. I had gone to several 4 or 5 foot doctors and non were able to help me however she has prescribed an injection an it works like a miracle. The only reason i am giving a 3 is the staff is often very disorganized and it feels like there is no coordination. One time i came and sat for over an hour only to find out that the appointment i was told to be there for was never scheduled with the proper department. Getting an appointment for the shot is always a hassle it takes days and sometimes weeks to have people return calls and schedule things. Sometimes its smooth like for simple appointments but often if one needs something special it can be frustrating.

Being a new facility is a plus. Efficiency has been hit or miss. The staff is friendly but there have been times when I’ve waited an inexcusable amount of time to see my ortho surg, as in 2+ hours in the morning. Other times, I’ve been in and out within 30 mins, which isn’t too bad to see a doc.
Prepaying for parking is a pain. It’s hard to gauge how much time is needed. They have someone monitoring the lot all day. The prepay tactic and monitoring seems like a hustle.

This is a review for my recent consultation with Dr. Lisa Lattanza. I usually don’t fault doctors for being hurried, as they’re busy people with many patients to see. However, the treatment I received from Dr. Lattanza was not only rushed. It was cold, impersonal, and highly insensitive.
I suffer from a congenital deformity of my left elbow, forearm and hand. It is such a burden to me, both physically and emotionally, that when I came to see Dr. Lattanza, who is reputed for her experience in «research on the biomechanics of the elbow, [and] congenital elbow problems» (from
), I could not help but feel extremely hopeful about what she might be able to do for me to positively impact my condition. It was difficult holding back years of pent-​up emotional pain. I thought «boy, if anybody will be able to help me, it’s probably her.»
I arrived for my appointment, and found the clinic to be more like a zoo than a doctor’s office. Loud noises from every direction and a chaotic atmosphere made it impossible to focus on the stack of paperwork that I was given about 5 minutes to complete.
I was told that I needed additional x-​rays, despite the 5 – 6 which I had brought with me. So I waited some 20 additional minutes for those, and today (on Christmas Eve, no less) I received a bill for over $ 260 for a consultation and x-​rays that my «specialist» used to tell me she wouldn’t do anything for me.
45 minutes into the appointment, I meet with Dr. Lattanza. She’s followed by a student/​resident-​type, who managed to get more personal attention and care from Lattanza than I did. I, on the other hand, was treated like the subject of a study, but to add insult to injury, it was my copay, my insurance, and my deductible subsidizing this study. It’s not exactly a great feeling spending an afternoon away from work being poked and prodded and discussed in the third person, expecting some kind of help, but instead being tossed out without any real answers or any kind of optimistic input.
Lattanza’s bedside manner could be mistaken for that of a snake. One of the great ice-​breakers she used on me with a glacial, matter-​of-​fact expression: «there’s no ‘magical surgery’ that will fix my hand». Ouch. I wasn’t exactly coming to see her expecting magic. I’m not 5 years old. I came to see her because I expected helpful, professional care and guidance. I didn’t get that. I got emotionally-​, physically-​, and fiscally-​draining nothingness.
I’m still waiting, nearly two months later, for them to mail me my medical records that they decided to take from me for «dictation», which they will never use. It has taken a lot of time, effort and money to amass the x-​rays and other documents they managed grab from me in the course of a useless 15-​minute consultation that cost me $ 264 and at least a day’s worth of productivity. They wasted no time in sending me my bill.
And as I type this, my elbow whimpers with the pain left by a negligent doctor, the highlight of whose advice was to «take some Aleve or Motrin».