Johns Hopkins Orthopedics - Columbia

"The office staff is disrespectful and do not care about patients. My sons follow up appointment was at 3pm. We tried to check in at 2:40. We were told that the xray machine was down (no we were not called about this). We were told that an appointment had been made down stairs at Charter radiology and everything was already set up for him. That was a lie. Nothing was communicated to them at all. They had no order nor his ins/workman's comp info. Then we were told that they probably wouldn't be able to do the xray because they needed to get authorization to do it. We went back upstairs to explain and were told then that their machine had been back up and running and that they were going to do it in the office. We wasted 35min for nothing at this point. By the time he finally was taken back got the xray and saw the DR it was 4:15pm. Then the front desk refused to make another appointment claiming a false policy that only one person can make his appointment because it workmans comp and we would have to call her because she doesn't even work in that office. He tried to tell her that was false because he made this appointment last time at the desk and didn't have to call said person. She still refused to make the next appointment. Fast forward to the next day (today) we call the office back and try to voice the irritation about yesterday's appointment and frustration. Was constantly cut off and wasn't able to speak. Was told oh no the xray machine was down till 2:30 so yes he wasn't able to get it done. I pointed out that we were lied to and his appointment was at 3 and it was back up operational before we got there, and she obviously didn't know what she was talking about because he did infact get it done in office. She was extremely rude and kept talking over me to the point where I told her she was absolutely wrong and we don't appreciate the jumping through hoops to be seen when this appointment was made a month ago. That we absolutely should not have been there for over an hour and half and been lied to and bounced around. During my rant I demanded to speak with a supervisor and she blatantly laughed and said she was the supervisor. I asked to speak with her boss which she abruptly put me on hold. She then had a coworker (not a supervisor) get on the phone with me which she got the irritation. The gas lighting and disrespect is absurd. The lack of accountability is laughable. Again got told that the machine was down but up and running by 2:20 and that's why were told it was down to begin with. Again his appointment was at 3. This shouldn't have affected his appointment. The lack of follow through with shifting it downstairs is insane to me. That speaks to poor patient care. I ended up just telling her to make the appointment she wanted to speak with my son. He told her to just make the appointment. She refused said she was documenting the call and hung up. The many excuses that were given during this call is ridiculous. That his appointment was double/triple booked due to the weather and that's what took so long. I'm sorry but this appointment was made a month ago before the weather, and while I'm empathic to foot ankle injuries from the ice/snow that shouldn't mean that his appointment and care gets pushed aside. Just because he his going through workman's comp shouldn't mean he has to jump through hoops to be seen and make appointments. All the while I bet if we had to cancel same day they would charge a fee but it's OK to have a patient running around for no reason wasting time. They do not care about patient care."

"The office staff is extraordinarily rude. I went there for a fractured foot. I had to stand at a podium for 15 minutes to fill out their 20 page patient information questionnaire. Considering that I was already in pain that was a long time. At the end of the questionnaire, it said "You may need to still check in with reception." I thought that was vague, but I got in line. One of the reception staff yelled at me "BACK UP!" It was loud enough that my friend who was with me heard it from the other side of the waiting room. I really didn't think she speaking to me and then she yelled again, " YOU NEED TO BACK UP! IT'S NOT YOUR TURN!" It is pretty obvious that my left leg is in a large orthopedic boot. OK. I started to move backwards and another receptionist on the other side of the desk motioned me over. I gave her my name, my appointment time, my ID and insurance cards. She said to me, "You haven't completed the questionnaire." I told her that I had and she said there was an on line questionnaire that I was supposed to fill out BEFORE my appointment and she was clearly irritated with me. I told her nobody told me about this questionnaire. She gave me an IPad and had me fill it out. I did so and returned it to her. My appointment was 2:15. They did not call me back to the exam room until 2:55. While I was waiting, I witnessed very unprofessional behavior of these same women who were rude to me. They were talking loudly, laughing loudly and singing commercial jingles. One of the women said "This is the Mondayest of Mondays very loudly, sighed and rolled her eyes." It was loud enough that my friend and I heard it from the other side of the waiting room. I can't identify anyone by name, because non of them had visible name badges. During that time I had to sit with no way to elevate my foot. I finally saw the doctor. He gave me the diagnosis and treatment plan. I asked for a mild pain medicine, because I can't take anything but Tylenol and it was not quite enough. He told me he doesn't prescribe narcotics. I chose this particular practice because they are Johns Hopkins medicine. Clearly, that was a mistake. It was a terrible experience and I would not recommend this orthopedic practice to anyone."

"My review is precipitated by a disastrous experience I had on January 17, 2025. I had a good experience prior to that. However, Jan 17 everything went astray. First of all, I couldn't get checked in for almost 20 minutes because Gina G. at the front desk had no clue what she was doing. She deleted insurance information from my profile including the photo of my card. She was unable to re-enter the information and had to ask two colleagues for assistance. Previous I had Gina cancel three of my appointments that were so difficult to schedule without any explanation or reason. But the worst part was yet to come. It was 10 minutes into my appointment when I was told that my regular PT was out sick. No one bothered to send me a note or even tell me about it during the check out. Outrageous! The doctor is out, no one bothered to tell me. Suddenly I was approached by JA who offered assistance and it turned into another disaster. He had no clue how to deal with my condition. He tried to do neck traction but he was unable to do it correctly and as a result my symptoms got aggravated. Then he told me to hold my left arm in the up right position which caused my symptoms worsen even more. All the time he was talking nonstop how soft tissues compress a nerve in my arm. It seemed like he was trying to distract my attention from his inability to do the right thing. I was shocked. My PCP diagnosed me with cervical radiculopathy and I was told that the issue was within my neck due disc dislocation and not soft tissues in my arm. Dr JA was unable to reproduce the procedures recorded in my file by another PT specialist! After 5 minutes I had to get up and leave the therapy room because I realized that JA did not know what he was doing. He seemed clueless and instead of offering some relief exercises he kept touching my shoulders and arm that was awkward and unnecessary. I have to add that I had received a number of neck traction treatments from another PT and I knew very well how it was supposed to be done correctly, where pressure had to be applied and how it was supposed to feel. JA was hitting all the wrong spots. I ended up with a severe left shoulder pain till the end of the day. I never ever had such an issue before. I had over a dozen of sessions with another physiotherapist and I always felt much better after leaving PT. To sum up I felt traumatized by unprofessional conduct by Gina as a receptionist who couldn't even do a proper check in and then my experience was aggravated by JA who seemed to have no clue how to help a patient with my condition. I hope this review will get proper attention."

"My appointment was at 1:45. I didn't go back until 2:30. I didn't see the doctor until 3:07. He was done by 3:15. When I complained, I was informed that this specific doctor "runs late." The front desk staff engaged in a full phone conversation on speaker, with an interpreter for a patient standing in front of him. I learned much about him and his injury that he received at work. Completely against HIPAA. For the few minutes that I saw the doctor, he seemed knowledgeable, but, his demonstration of patient care (or lack thereof) demonstrated a lack of regard for me and my needs. I will never return."

"Wait time for my appointment for all of my visit was less than 10 minutes. Most times I barely sat down before my name was called. Examination was thorough but not rushed. The doctor and his assistants were very knowledgeable and made certain we understood the diagnosis, surgical and non-surgical options, and what I could expect post-op. Bottom line, they cared about me and valued my time. I went to the practice for a right shoulder replacement. I am a left arm amputee. My surgery, recovery, and continued recovery have been remarkable."

"Had terrible back pain, couldn't sit or walk for more than a few minutes. Met with Dr. Dyszel and after testing and treatments, Dr. Jain for a potential ALIF surgery that eventually happened in April. I opted to not take opioids so my recovery was a bit rougher than normal but after the first week I was basically able to do what I was doing pre-surgery and after 3 weeks I was starting to be able to do things I hadn't done since before the back pain. 6 weeks out now and recovery has been great, I'm back at work and only dealing with occasional abdominal pain from the incision. If you want a promising recovery, I'd recommend hopkins."

"Dr. Thakkar is a kind, compassionate, gifted surgeon. He has taken care of my family members and friends. All have had superb outcomes. He explained everything to me in a language I could understand and we made a plan of care suitable to my needs. I am grateful to have such an amazing doctor caring for me!"

"Dr. Varghese is notoriously late for all appointments and procedures. I overlooked this in the past when he was 2 hours late to my daughters second OR procedure and every other follow up appt that we have ever had in Columbia. Today was the final straw unfortunately. My daughter had a follow up appointment at 9:45am. They called me at 8:45am to say he's running over an hour late, and to arrive at 10:45am. While not ideal, I adjusted everyone's work and school schedules to make this work. No problem. I finally arrived and was told another 2 hour wait time. After I made the 1.5hr drive there, with an already grumpy 3 year old. This is unacceptable. Someone should have notified me further. This is not how a practice should operate. I will never be using Hopkins again. If you are punctual and need to be on time ever in your life while also dealing with the emotional toll of children's surgeries, do not use Dr. Varghese. He is a fine doctor but I wish I would've found someone who understands the importance that patients have lives outside of orthopedic surgeries. I'm so disappointed in this practice. How does Hopkins not have backups for these types of situations? Avoid at all costs."