Orthopaedic Surgery Center of La Jolla Review

I have been to this outpatient facility twice. First time was for a lumbar epidural in June of 2020 during the peak of Covid and the second was for a microdiscectomy today, 9/28/20. Staff were extremely friendly and helpful both times, even after I got a little feisty with them in the recovery area while coming off the anesthesia. Sorry for that and thanks for not punching me back!

Facility seems nicely maintained, the staff all seem very knowledgeable about each role they are going to perform and do an outstanding job keeping you informed along the way. Everyone from the front door to the last person to help you into your car, were all great, and just wish I could remember all their names to thank them. I will say the parking is a little tough if you drive a big vehicle, but overall I highly recommend this facility to anyone needing an outpatient procedure!

Yesterday, 10/9/14, Dr. Bigham performed the cataract procedure on my left eye here at the center. I have nothing but praise for Dr. Bigham and every single staff member. I d heard from relatives and acquaintances that this operation is very routine. Don t worry about a thing. Are you kidding? I saw the entire procedure from underneath. It was my eye and I was fully awake the whole time. I didn t miss anything, and I heard everything. Wow! There s nothing routine about it. It s actually a miracle, and has to be done with great skill which Dr. Bigham has and those who assisted him. Every staff member is right out of a television commercial. My wife and I were awed by their personalities, friendliness and the professional manner in which they worked. If cataract removal is in your future, I d say, Don t worry about a thing if it s done by Dr. Bigham at the Outpatient Surgery Center of La Jolla. Today I went to Dr. Bigham s office and had the protective patch removed. He told me my eye looks fine and he s pleased with the results. On the way home, my wife drove us to a store where I bought sunglasses with uncorrected lenses, and I drove the rest of the way to our house. I now look forward to having the right eye done.

Thank you to the doctor who took care of my aunt with down syndrome, she can see a lot better and is doing well

Both the facility and the staff are absolutely horrendous. Do everything you can to avoid this place. You are forced to pay to park, there is no other option. The parking structure only takes credit cards so if you only have cash you will be stuck in the parking structure for over an hour until you can find someone to use their card for you. I took my girlfriend in for a simple surgery and they screwed up her block and we're unable to fix it so she was in immense pain the entire surgery. They did not call me back to see her before the surgery like they said they were so I was in the waiting room for hours missing work waiting to see her. The surgery did not go well so we have to go back for them to fix it. Most people who go here do not have a choice but if you are one of the fortunate people who does have a choice in w
to get surgery you should definitely consider somewhere else.

I had left shoulder surgery here this morning. Everything went smoothly and as planned. All 7 of the staff I interacted with were professional and friendly. Special mention to Shane, Tony, and Dr. Ohn, my anesthesiologist, who I met right before my operation.

The entire staff was compassionate and professional. I had total knee replacement. My surgeon was Dr. Kimball. I could not have asked for a better surgeon nor better care! Thank you to the entire staff.
Anita Emge

All went very well with my husband's cataract surgery until it came time to work with the billing department. I needed an itemized receipt to submit for reimbursement. It took over 6 weeks and numerous call to get it. The only response I could get from Patti was "I'll make a note of it on your record". I finally had to demand to speak to a supervisor. Within 30 minutes she was able to figure out the issues and get answers for me. We had to transfer money from our retirement account to cover the costs before the Visa bill was due. It was a very frustrating and anxiety ridden experience!

Lady who work at the front desk, she was pieces of ...... such a rude and unprofessional.... hate this place

The Outpatient Surgery Center of La Jolla charges astronomical facility fees. They charged over $4,700 for me being in there for a couple of hours, which was more than double what the fees were for the surgeon and anesthesiologist combined. Shame on surgery centers that rob unsuspecting patients like this.

My wife shattered her ankle (trimalleolar fracture) and went to the ER at the local hospital. The on-call surgeon, Dr. Rickards, (who happens to work here) refused to come in at night and advised she take pain killers and then come see her the next day at her office. After waiting a day with a shattered ankle, the doctor then schedule surgery yet another day later at the Outpatient Surgery Center of La Jolla, where she also worked. As soon as it was scheduled, this place was calling demanding large pre-payments, and threatened to deny treatment unless we payed enough money (this is with insurance footing the bulk of the bill). We tapped our HSA and made a large payment so she could get care. Then to make it better, Dr. Rickards was over an hour late arriving for surgery and the staff indicated that this is not unusual for her.
Now after five months of consistent payments totaling ~$1300 of the $2000 bill due by us, they threaten us with collections less than 30 days after the last payment was made! Unless you are wealthy enough to pay cash up front, go to somewhere else and avoid Dr. Rickards.

My family member was here last week for a total hip replacement with Dr. Kane. We had a nice experience while we were there. Staff members who made a lasting impression on us were: Yogita, Lisa, Amy, Chris, Kristen, Jennifer (at the front desk), Dr. Kane, and the anethesiologist (I forgot his name but he was also really nice). The nursing staff were all really nice to us. When a patient and family members spend a lot of dedicated time somewhere in a setting like this, it is important that we feel comfortable there, and we did. The center called and followed up with us after we were back home. I thought that was nice. We never ended up having the home nurse or Physical Therapist come to our home afterwards to work with my family member and that was not good at all. There were a few phone numbers and contracted companies we had to get in contact with, and even still: nothing. Luckily, my family member has a doctor/post-op appointment tomorrow so hopefully, we should be fine. Also, there are no patient meals at the center - you have to go buy your food from across the street. I thought this was not ideal, because a regular hospital has meals and snacks for the patients. Overall, we had a really nice experience there and are thankful for their care, and wanted to share our experience here.

I've had 3 surgeries in the past 6 years and this place was somewhat unprofessional and seemed unorganized in comparison. The bathroom was disgusting with a mess left in there the second time I used it. I was left waiting for an hour after seeing the first nurse and while the staff was very nice, there was no run down or explanation about what to expect or next steps, furthermore when my procedure was done, nobody could give me post-procedure details as to what they found or the end result of the surgery other then 'it went good.' I also thought it weird that I was walked back to surgery room and had to hop on the bed where in the past, I think I was put on a bed and vitals where taken then wheeled back. It just seemed half a$$, and while I like my doctor, this facility definitely hampers your overall perception.