Mt. Tam Orthopedics and Spine Center

Some of the professionals were excellent and some not so great. My 10 year old daughter will not walk in the doors after her experience. She did not feel cared for and they cut her wrist as they removed her cast. They also were a little unorganized and had a couple of recasts that probably were not required.

People were very professional and friendly. Very high tech with equipment and décor. Gave quick diagnosis of my back condition (herniated disk) and non-​surgical means to resolve. Dr. Sponzilli and his assistant joked, listened, and appeared very committed to giving proper treatment. Felt better immediately after the visit in knowing what my injury was, and appropriate treatment.
Only complaint is that they are so popular it took a long time to get my appointment, but the wait was worth it.

My 86 yr. old mother began seeing Dr Su a few months ago for back pain. She was very impressed with Dr Su. Because of her age surgery was not recommended.
She was handed off to Lisa and over the ensuing weeks given shots to alleviate pain. That seemed to help.
Then about 6 weeks ago my mom fell and hurt her back. She called the office several times to schedule an appointment. Calls were not returned. When she was finally able to get a live voice, the staff told here that despite her pain, no appointments were available for about a month.
My mom did see her primary doctor who did an xray but found nothing. My mom was given vicodan, which did little to alleviate the pain.
This week, after additional prodding, my mom was able to get an earlier appointment. An MRI was scheduled. At first the staff told my mom that it would take a week or two to schedule an appointment to go over the results. After some persuasion, mom was able to return the following day.
The scan showed a broken buttocks bone. A cortisone shot was recommended, but she now has to wait another week or two to get it because they are busy!
Needless to say, it seems that the staff at this office is terrible. My mom should not have had to wait so long to get a returned call or an appointment. Her pain was and is such that they should have gotten more immediate attention.

I recently received treatment from Dr. Oechsel that included having a tricep tendon reattached in outpatient surgery. While I was quite nervous going into surgery, I found Dr. Oechsel to be a supportive doctor who provided me with a thorough understanding of my injury, the surgery, and my recovery process. The surgery went perfectly, and my recovery was pain free! I did not even need the pain medications that I was prescribed. I am now 3+ months out and have 100% range of motion back in my arm, and am able to do many weight-​baring activities very well. I found their practice to be very professional and friendly as well. I think if there are any negative reviews out there, perhaps some of these patients were not being ‘good-​patients’. I listened to my doctor’s orders/​recommendations, and followed them. Therefore, my treatment and recovery went amazingly well. I highly recommend Dr. Oechsel and Mt. Tam as being very competent Orthopedic physicians.

I have been a patient for several years of Mt. Tam Spine Center. Recently I needed revision surgery on my ankle and was introduced to Dr. Kim. Dr. Kim was such a breathe of fresh air. His professionalism, skill and calm demeanor were so appreciated. You can tell he honestly cares about his patient’s well-​being. I would recommend him without hesitation.

I cannot give enough praise to the surgeons at Mt Tam Orthopedics.
26 years ago, almost upon Dr Stuart’s arrival in MARIN, my sons right hand was totally crushed in a roll over accident. 2 mm from the growth plate. They were going to have to amputate before gangrene set in.
Dr Stuart, now retired, came in at 3:30AM and rebuilt his right hand! It was and is perfect. 4 years later he saved his severed left foot. Again, perfect!
In the last 4 years Dr Keohane replaced both my right knee and then my right hip. Absolutely perfect! Miraculous fits!
On 11÷25÷15 Dr Su fixed my lower lumbar spine. I was completely unable to stand or walk. I’m still healing but I can walk! Nothing short of amazing. In 6 months he will fix my very bad neck and I’ll be good for another 30 years!
If you need the best orthopedists in the business, This is THE place to go.
Absolutely state of the Art orthopedic medicine you can trust. They get 15 out of 10!

I have been to Mt. Tam Ortho three times, 2 different Doctors. They get you in and out fast. Every time that I leave there, I feel like I never have had a chance to discuss anything or ask any questions. The people at the front desk, just kind of look through you. Everyone one seems to have the attitude that you are just lucky to be in there presence. The only one that I felt was really interested in anything was the man that took x-​rays.

Dr kim took care of me after I injured my ankle. I had a greater experience with. He is a very caring doctor that quickly diagnosed my ankle issue a d now with the great treatment i received from the physical therapist Nick i am 50% better after only one session. I am very impressed.
Than you Dr Kim and Nick CPT

Extraordinarily disappointing experience with Dr. Sponzilli and Mt. Tam Orthopedics. As a patient I can’t really judge the quality of the medical care that Dr. Sponzilli provides, but his practice is completely disconnected from the needs of the patient and one must question his care and concern for his patients.
I came to Dr. Sponzilli with severe back pain. It took weeks to simply get a first appointment. When I finally did get to see him, he ordered MRIs which took another week to get completed. But my followup appointment to review the results of the scans was yet another three weeks from the date of the scans.
I called his office after the scan reports were completed and asked if he could call me an let me know if there was anything that needed immediate attention, as I was in pain. His assistant told me he didn’t make such calls, that I needed to wait the three weeks to see him in person.
So finally, finally after about six weeks the day comes when my appointment is scheduled and I get a call from his office at 10 AM telling me that the doctor is leaving early for the weekend and my 3 PM appointment is cancelled. But, no problem, they can squeeze me in in another 10 days.
I have had other experiences with Mt. Tam Orthopedics in previous years with other doctors. I believe that this is a dysfunctional organization that is oriented to the needs of the doctors and that the patient is treated impersonally as simply a customer with no demonstrated care for his or her well being. Again, as a layman I can’t judge the actual quality of the medical care but as a patient I can assure you that this organization and this doctor don’t really care about your well being.

Details are as follows: Dr. Goff. is technically excellent. He knows how to mend a shoulder. In terms of being gracious, not so much. He is a fast talker using very technical terms, and he seems annoyed to explain concepts in lay people terms. This really isn’t that important as his work is consistently excellent.
The front office personnel can get snooty and impatient if there is an error or an appointment adjustment. Last night I received an automated notice from Mt. Tam. with the incorrect appointment time for my next office visit. Today, I called to clarify the time. The appointment person sniffed, «oh yeah we changed that time.» Just having had surgery, I am unable to drive and am dependent upon someone to take time off from work to drive me to and from the doctor’s office. Explaining this to the woman on the phone, I received the reply, «Ok, you can come in at 12:45 if it makes you feel any better.» SERIOUSLY?!
This is about getting your scheduling correct NOT personal FEELINGS ! I can do my job if you do yours correctly!

Are you just a series of body parts? Then this is the place for you! If you are actually a whole human being, maybe even a real person, who might require more of a holistic plan of action (like shoulder, elbow AND wrist, for example) this is definitely not the place for you.
Each doctor only treats their «part». I’ve been bouncing around appointments with different doctors within this practice for an entire year now and all any of them say is «I can’t help you with that, you need to see Dr. So and So». Don’t ever assume they will actually talk to each other about your case if your issue happens to cross over between more than one body «part» because they don’t. «We read each other’s notes» is what I was told today. They are all just too darn busy treating their own «parts» to actually talk to each other!
Why even bother with the 2^nd star? ONLY because the support staff are really great like Greg (Dr. Moon) and Jackie (Lisa Elvin) and Heidi (Dr. Goff). It seems like they know the practice is difficult for patients so they try to cover the gaps the best they can… but there is only so much they can do. Even Tara, the front desk operations person is really great. And it is true what others say about getting appointments here, anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks regardless of any pain you might be experiencing.
Move along… no comprehensive (i.e. whole human) care to see here. Like the old commercial says «parts is parts».

I saw Dr. Goltz for a swollen and painful knee. By the time I could get an appt I’d suffered with it for at least two weeks. After an x-​ray (unnecessary) and MRI the following week (probably necessary) during which time he would not drain my knee or give me any medication to alleviate the swelling he said immediate surgery to «scope» it was the only option. Turns out I have inflammatory arthritis and the last thing I needed was exploratory surgery. What I needed was to have it drained and anti inflammatory medication. Also had he drained it and had the fluid tested he would have learned enough to probably realize surgery was not the answer. Thankfully I’ve had enough medical issues to know when a doctor is not properly diagnosing so I went tor another opinion and ended up with some highly competent and knowledgeable doctors in the city. If you do end up here I recommend a second opinion.

I took my 86 year-​old mother to Dr. Elizabeth Dailey because of a knee problem. Dr. Dailey communicated in a clear, easy-​to-​understand fashion and came across as caring and respectful. My mother had been resisting my suggestion that she would benefit from physical therapy but when Dr. Dailey recommended it and explained why, my mother’s resistance immediately faded and she agreed to go.
As my mother’s problem (arthritis) was relatively simple I cannot address the doctor’s technical or surgical expertise, but my mom and I are both very impressed with Dr. Dailey’s manner of relating and communicating. We both trusted and liked her, and we both would recommend her.

Called the office today to request an appointment for my son who has a serious sports injury to his back and can not row until he sees a doctor. Was told in a I-don’t-give-a-damn tone of voice by the receptionist that the earliest appointment is in a month. Do all sports teams that call this office wait A MONTH to have their injured athletes see a doctor? Poor customer service.

Nice place. Qualified doctors. Fancy waiting room. State of the art equipment.
But you may have to wait for two weeks while you are in pain ²⁴⁄₇ so that a secretary can transcribe the doctor’s dictation from your exam before they send it to your insurance company to get pre-​approval for treatments.
That’s not waiting 2 weeks for a treatment appointment. That’s two weeks before they even start getting the paperwork into the insurance company’s system.

My husband had shoulder surgery in Feb ’14, with great results with Dr. Goff. In May ’14, I tore up my knee and Dr. Goff was the surgeon I chose to do the procedure. I couldn’t be happier with the results. The 8 weeks of non-​weight bearing was horrid, but the surgeon is not to blame. By week 9, I was better than before. Our daughter is next in line to see Dr. Goff for a rowing injury. We expect the same great care and positive outcome with her upcoming appointment. Would recommend Dr. Goff to anyone who needs a specialist. The front office staff is easy to forgive; you can’t rate a orthopedic surgeon on the staff making appointments and answering phones. Really?

I was seen at MTO for a left knee problem. I was scheduled for an MRI and quick follow up appointment. Scheduling of MRI was easy and follow up appointment was a breeze. The receptionists and staff at MTO were wonderful.
I ended up needing knee surgery and that was also handled flawlessly through MTO.
I had my surgery at Marin Specialty Surgery Center (check Unilocal review).
Doctor Keohane did an incredible job. ( Unilocal review)
From the receptionists, to the nurses and the doctors, Mt Tam Orthopedics is first rate.
I can’t thank you all enough !

Ok, so far here is my rundown:
Rude front desk either office? Yes, in spades
Dr Su? The only reason this entire place got any stars
I have had more than one appointment with other physicians in this practice cancelled. When their 8 am resched. doesn’t work for you, they act like YOU are the pain in the ass. Novel approach when they were the issue to begin with.
I am enjoying the steeplechase of trying to get a surgery scheduled. I had no idea it would be this hard to give people money.
Also, FYI, ladies at the front desk, when we as patients are waiting to be checked in; rolling your eyes at patients that you are speaking with on the phone and shooting each other «knowing» glances is really unprofessional and just crappy human behavior.
It really reflects on the professionalism of this practice if this is the office staff they hire.

My wife and I have been patients for years and always have had great experiences with the entire organization from the Spine Center, surgery Center, and Physical Therapy. The doctors are very professional, the staff is well trained and friendly. They deserve the Highest marks. Anyone with negative comments may want to look in the mirror.

After 2 years of pain and no health insurance I finally made some calls to Orthopedic Doctors in the area who may do a hip injection to get me through to January when health insurance kicks in. I found Mt. Tam Orthopedics after some of the best MDs wouldn’t take a cash-​paying patient. They said on the phone that they would take a patient with no insurance for a consultation and possible hip injection.
First they wanted my credit card number on the way in failing to inform me on the phone that they did not take American Express, which was the first problem.
Then the nurse insisted that I get new x-​rays because the ones I brought were not clear enough, even though they were. I insisted that I didn’t want to be radiated again and was paying out-​of-​pocket. She said she would speak again to the doctor who finally came into the room to see me. Good thing I didn’t get radiated again.
He proceeded to look at my intake form and x-​rays, do a couple orthopedic exams to prove that I needed a new hip, look me up and down with that look of disgust that I am 200 lbs., then inform me that he doesn’t work on people with over 40 BMI, that they don’t do hip injections in the office and that they could send me over to the hospital but it would cost thousands of dollars. He seemed nice in a way but basically told me to come back when I HAD SOMETHING HE COULD WORK WITH. I said, «I have a severely degenerated hip joint and am in constant unrelenting pain.» What about that couldn’t he work with exactly?
So because I have no health insurance and am 9 lbs. over 40 BMI he would not help me at all. So I went out to the reception area and was charged $ 175 for absolutely nothing. And I should feel grateful because they gave me a discount with no insurance?
I am never going back there even when I do finally get health insurance and weigh under 190 lbs. Too bad for them. Probably $ 50K at least lost. They should learn to treat their possible patients with a little more respect and inform people prior to coming in their guidelines of weight limits for what the doctors want to work with.