OrthoNorCal

Dr abidi has helped me so much. I honestly can’t thank him enough. He did surgery to fix my ankle after we exhausted all non-​surgical options of course. He was very thorough and even did a bone scan and blood work due to a spontaneous fracture. He ended up referring me to a rheumatologist due to what he saw on a MRI. Basically he finally got me help for a autoimmune disease that I had been fighting with for years. The wait to see him can be long but I would rather wait 3 hours to see a highly skilled surgeon vs a on time visit with a bad surgeon. Those of you who choose not to wait will probably end up with dr abidi to fix the other surgeons mistakes anyway. Is not that he doesn’t respect your time, unfortunately emergencies happen and he is behind because he is trying to HELP people. I was one of those patients when I came from the ER to his office when I broke my ankle. If you want help from a amazing Doctor, he’s your guy. ..

The quality and responsiveness of the medical care is unfortunately overshadowed by the unpleasant reception staff, especially Coco who answers incoming calls often. You shouldn’t have to dread calling or visiting your doctor’s office. The other person at the front desk is Corrine who is so rude that I almost turned around and walked out on my very first consultation appointment. It makes me worry about the doctors and their decision making and management skills that they choose to keep those women employed there.

HORRIBLE!!! AVOID!!!
Saw Reynolds. Making an appointment and wait times were average (staff was nice although the office manager is a you know what) but Reynolds was totally worthless. He did not even do a physical examination of the knee. Didn’t even lift up the pant leg. He did however send me to his in-​house x-​ray machine to make some more money. Of course that proved nothing so he sent me for an MRI. Next visit he simply read the MRI report and said I was fine, …I wasn’t. After he sent me to do physical therapy, it got far worse to where I could not even move my knee. I saw another doctor who did a thorough physical exam and found the issue immediately, stated he didn’t even need an MRI to know the problem, looked at the original MRI and found the problem exactly where he said it would be. He stated the MRI tech was wrong, didn’t have my history or the physical exam and a later MRI confirmed he was correct. I needed more major surgery to correct the mess Reynolds allowed to occur.
I’ve heard horror stories of Abidi also. Avoid this hack shop.

Wow-​$ 320 office visit and $ 802 to TREAT RADIUS FRACTURE. Less than 5 minutes w/​Dr. Heywood, no treatment, no x-​rays, no follow up. No wraps, no casts, no pain medication, no nothing.
How many stars for standing and looking at my arms… nothing ???
Camille was very nice and helpful, so was Joy.

I would give Dr Heywood 5 stars for his surgery, but the office just sucks. There is absolutely NO customer service, other than the surgery scheduler, who is very good at returning your call and providing information. Don’t even bother phoning their office. Your call will go into some black hole and you’ll never get a call back. And that’s only if you get referred to a voice mailbox that isn’t full. These are some of the best surgeons in the region and you’d think they could spend some money on office staff. Is there an Office Manager? All of the reviews complaining about the long waits and the lack of help from the office staff are absolutely true. Despite all of this, I would have Heywood do my other knee when the time comes, but I do wish they would improve their front office. It’s really disgraceful that people have to wait so long and cannot access the information they need.

Great Doctors, worse reception staff ever. I’ve had to call twice and they we’re unwilling to help and short with me.

I am giving a full 5 stars despite problems with the practice, because the MOST important aspect of this review, to me, is the quality of the surgery they do.
I have now had three procedures on my feet, ankles, and knees, performed by Dr. Abidi, and I could not be happier about the outcomes. Dr. Abidi is one of the best in the country for total joint replacement in the lower extremities and has years of experience both here and back east, at big teaching hospitals with high volumes of total joint replacement surgeries. You could not ask for a better surgeon to do your work.
Dr. Reynolds has a similar reputation. And, recently, they allied with doctors over the hill to become a larger practice, this new OrthoNorcal. I know that Dr. Littlejohn has the same glowing reputation among the PT’s who actually see the aftermath of these surgeries and can vouch for the improved outcomes and recovery times.
Now, having said that, there are a few critiques of the office staff and practice overall. I think making the move to a bigger practice has taken away a bit of «soul» from the charming, small practice they used to have. The front desk staff are just ordinary, and seem to be about as clueless as anyone, and not all that well trained. Not sure whose fault that is. They gave me a form pre-​op… it was called Pain Management Risk Assessment. I asked them, what should I do with this? She said «Oh, [hair flip, hair flip] that is just for you to KEEP! haha!» I said that didn’t make much sense, and she just looked at me like I was from Mars or something. It turns out that form was to be filled out while waiting, and then given to the doctor during the actual appointment, to assess whether there would be any abnormal risks (due to sleep apnea etc) prescribing narcotic pain relievers. Seems important, don’t you think?
Dr. Abidi is very interested in Health Care Telematics, which is applying computers in the health care field. He has a very modern internal system with online records, X-​rays, and so forth, very impressive. The system can auto-​generate pre-​op information referral packages and fax them to the patient’s other care providers and the hospital, and I think that’s just great. However, in all the wonderful automation, I think some human touch things have been forgotten. For example, I did not receive my OWN auto-​generated information packet until just one business day prior to my pre-​op review appointment. It could have been sent to me almost two months prior to that. The information in that packet is crucial for the patient’s understanding of the pre-​op clearance procedure, timeline, and **financial liability** for a cancelled surgical date, but if you don’t have it in hand while that process is actually happening, then how can you be an effective advocate for your own health care??? I barely made it thru the pre-​op clearance process on time and if I had had this info packet much earlier, I would have been a bit more on top of pushing my PCP and cardiology referrals to get their info to Dr. Abidi sooner than they actually did.
I think people also have some common complaints about the length of time to wait, and how fast Dr. Abidi talks. One thing I have learned: medicine is not predictable, and good doctors will take the extra time they need with a patient, rather than just push you out and on to the next guy. So, when you are sitting there waiting, you can be sure that Dr.‘s Abidi and Reynolds are taking time with their patients as needed, and you will get the same opportunity to ask questions and be with your doctor. I have found that if you ask Dr. Abidi specific questions or raise particular concerns, he will take all the time you need to understand your situation.
Overall, I think these general practice annoyances are found almost anywhere you have good, competent doctors who are in high demand.

I have had cartilage /​meniscus «repairs» on both knees with Dr. Reynolds. Both times I felt totally informed on what to expect and received followup calls from the PA to answer my questions. Plus Dr. Reynolds spoke with my husband after the surgery.
i went to Reynolds because a physical therapist friend of mine recommended him. She sees patients after the surgeries and sees the outcomes. He is the knee guy in this area. I am happy with my results.
I am giving only 4 stars as there is usually a long time in the waiting room. Now I just plan for it, and it is comfortable there. The staff are friendly and helpful.
if and when knee replacement becomes necessary, I’ll definitely return here.

Zero stars for making patients wait over an hour and half to see a doctor despite having an appointment. Complete disregard for other people’s time and schedules. Unless you have an entire day to waste find another office.

Dr Heywood and Dr Abidi performed my knee replacement surgery. Before the surgery I was very uncomfortable. Knee replacement is a major surgery. The road to recovery is difficult, but Dr Heywood and his office are very supportive. With their expertise, support and DeWitt PT I’m back to doing the physical sports I love — fishing and surfing.

This place is a surgery factory. Consider a 2^nd opinion from another orthopedic doctor. Reynolds almost did unnecessary surgery on my knee but fortunately I ready tons of information and sought a 2^nd and 3^rd opinion and both recommended AGAINST surgery, especially the lateral release he wanted to do. It could have caused serious knee problems. Fortunately, I avoided surgery by doing physical therapy and Dr. Reynolds! He also did not do a proper work up, including proper xrays.

Dr. Reynolds did knee replacement surgery for me a few months ago. He is simply the best. He looked at the wreckage of my knee, said he didn’t know how I was walking around like that, and had me in surgery within two weeks, adding me on at the end of an already fully scheduled day. I have found the staff in the office very pleasant and efficient, I have never had to wait more than a few minutes to see Dr. Reynolds (though my surgery was later than scheduled, because of complications with a previous surgery). He’s not warm and fuzzy, in fact a bit dour (so my goal is always to get him to crack a smile). But he knows what he’s doing and I couldn’t be happier with the way my knee has come out.

I’m writing this review as I sit in the treatment room of Dr Reynolds. This is my first time to this office and I have to say I do not have a very good first impression. I arrived 10 minutes early for my 3:30 appointment. It has now been an hour– the PA finished taking xrays 45 minutes ago. I have been sitting in this room ever sense and no sign of the doc– nor has anyone bothered to check in on me or give me an update. I went to the front desk 5 minutes ago to suggest we reschedule since I am a professional too and my time is valuable. The front desk staff are harried and obviously not well treated. They are sweet though and apologized, then told me there are no appointments until the middle of December. Also by the way Dr Reynolds typically runs over by about an hour. So. Apparently he wants to maximize patient dollars at the inconvenience of the patients. I will not come back here– if this first experience is any indication of the regard this office holds for patients, it does not bode well and certainly does not inspire confidence in me.
Update: After waiting an additional 15 minutes I left.

Abidi is s surgery crazy, stay away from this guy. He thinks everything can be solved by him cutting on you. A friend of mine had a problem which this doctor insisted could only be rectified thru surgery. Fortunately my friend sought another opinion, which was in complete disagreement with Abidi. In the end the problem was resolved thru
a process which did not involve surgery and cost very little. Had my friend followed this guy’s suggestion he would have been under the knife for NO REASON other than the money the guy wants.

I have worked with both Dr Abidi and Dr. Reynolds and had great experiences.
In 2008 I shattered my collar bone in a bike crash. I chose to see Dr Reynolds because he had 25 years experience and some of that with athletes. He had seen a lot of situations like mine and gave me good advice. Surgery was not going to help me so he gave me an x brace and a sling. I healed completely. I got some scar tissue work from a specialist after the bone grew around the pieces. I don’t even notice the break today.
While I was in the office I had Dr. Abidi look at my ankle which had been painful and bothering me for a couple years. He recommended an MRI which revealed a significant defect in a bone in my ankle. Dr. Abidi performed a procedure that he invented and saved me from total ankle fusion. He basically resurfaced my ankle joint with bone and cartilage taken from my knee. I can’t fully express the gratitude that I have for that in words. I am a very physical person and would have hated a fused ankle.
There are TVs in the waiting room that have the sound on and people lined up out the door to see these guys because they are really good. The staff at the Santa Cruz Surgery Center said Dr. Abidi was really good and really fast which seems to be a key to successful surgery. The less time it takes the better the results.
I happened to choose a Physical Therapist after the surgery who had worked extensively with Dr. Abidi while at Dominican Hospital PT because so many patients came through there who had been operated on by Dr. Abidi. He had nothing but good things to say about Dr. Abidi. It seems like Dr. Abidi has a gift and is helping as many people as he can which is part of the reason why you don’t see him after your surgery unless there is a problem. He is busy seeing the next person who needs the benefit of his gifts.
I found Dr. Abidi to be very personable. He is from Philly so he talks a little fast but I am from NYC so it didn’t bother me. I found him sensitive to my situation and interested in helping me the best way he knew how.
I have no complaints about his staff. Everyone I experienced was friendly and did their job well.
Two thumbs up.

I feel SO much better & pain free with the excellent surgery that Dr. Reynolds did in January. After going from doctor to doctor finally I was able to see this doctor who actually listened to my complaint and understood I was having pain where I said it hurt. He repaired my shoulder and am pleased with the results. All the office staff is polite, professional, and minimal waiting for the appointment. Should I ever need any Orthopedic work done again (which I hope is NEVER!) I will go back to Dr.Reynolds.

Went and saw Dr. Abidi on Thursday. He’s a really nice guy, but talks reeeallllllly fast (and can change topics really quickly). Got assessed for my foot problems. The visit was mostly a positive one, as I’m now working toward correcting the issue with Dr. Abidi and his team (without surgery). Guess I’ll update this review if anything changes in follow-​up appointments.

I was not a patient there but accompanied a friend for her appnt. as she needed a ride. Her appointment was scheduled for 9AM on a Monday with Dr. Abidi. He did not stroll into the room until 10:30, preceded a few minutes earlier by his Physician’s Assistant. There was no apology for the lateness which, even for a medical practice, was way over the line. He was in the room for approximately 3 minutes.
A few weeks later my friend had her surgery and was in at 9am and out at 2:30. The Dr. did not provide any follow up instructions wrt movement, how to handle the dressing, should she change it, How long to leave the ice machine on and so on. There were no instructions regarding those important aspects of her recovery process. A very nice nurse from the surgery center did sit down to explain some basics re: don’t drink while on the meds, don’t drive (as if she could after the surgery) elevation and the like. Most of which was common sense but at least there was communication. The surgery was performed at a surgery center in another part of town and everyone there was so nice and helpful in every way. The office seemed to run smoothly and efficiently. They were ready for every patient and every patient was treated most gently and kindly.
A day after the surgery, she attempted to phone the Drs. office; was put on hold for an interminably amount of time and was finally put into the voicemail of the Abidi’s PA but the mailbox was full! Another call was made to the office for more hold time. This was in an attempt to get answers to some of the unanswered questions. A return call was promised via a voicemal box that was not full.
Again, I have no experience with this office in terms of their surgical prowess and success but on areas of communication, respect for patients’ time, and follow up instructions, there is much, much room for improvement. If I needed ortho surgery, and if I had a choice (which many do not with their health plans), I would not go to that office for orthopedic surgery.

I cut a tendon in my foot and I couldn’t find a doctor who was willing to fix it. I kept getting bounced from specialist to specialist. Finally I was referred to Dr. Abidi (I am in San Jose and saw him at the office here). He took one look at my toe and knew EXACTLY what to do about it. The NEXT DAY he had me in surgery. He phoned me himself at 8:00 AM and asked if I could be in Santa Cruz in the afternoon.
He already had a full day of surgery, but just added me on at the end so he could help me out ASAP. I’ve NEVER had a doctor do something like that! He spoke to me before the surgery and explained what was going to happen and just spent some time getting to know me. I feel like that’s really rare.
He definitely inspires confidence and knows what he is talking about. I can’t say enough good things about him! All of the nurses were telling me what a great surgeon he was and how people actually travel from all over the place to get an appointment with him.
Although it was frustrating getting sent from specialist to specialist, I’m so happy that I ended up with such an amazing doctor.

Sweet! First review! I’ve come here a few times in the last month to have my leg looked at and everyone is super friendly and helpful. It was very festive in there for Halloween too with free candy — always good for those with casts and ailments.
I’ve only seen Dr. Heywood — who is a newer doctor. Nice to have a younger doctor who enjoys explaining things to their patients! He did my surgery and did an AMAZING job, you can barely see the scar.