Nitin Bhatia, MD

Dr. Bhatia was fantastic. I had excruciating pain in my lower back. I already had my MRI but the Newport Beach Doctor I was seeing could not get me in for a moth and a half to read it (absurd!). That’s when we asked an ER physician friend of ours for a referral. He told us about Dr. Bhatia and boy was that a great recommendation. Dr. Bhatia was also scheduling out about a month but I called his office inquiring about cancelations and they got me right in. His bedside manners were great. Super professional and seemed like he truly cared. I had a disk herniation and he did not want to do surgery. He first wanted to take the conservative approach and suggested an epidural and some PT afterwards. By going to him, he saved me about a month of agonizing pain waiting for the other doc to see me. Got the appointment to do the epidural right away and hopefully I am on my way to recovery. I would highly recommend Dr. Bhatia.

i would wait hours or days to see Dr Bhatia, hes the best ever!!! saved my life in 06 he will be my hero for life, and all good things that are being said about him are true… he is amazing ask my whole family

I walked out after waiting 40 minutes for my 9:30 appointment when I found out there were 2 other patients waiting that also had 9:30 appointments — and the 9:00 patient was still waiting. This is the first time I’ve ever been triple-​booked. I don’t think even airlines have the gall to triple-​book like that. I wish I could be paid for the 1 ½ hours I wasted. So incredibly rude.

Here we are a year after my spinal fusion, let’s just say I’ve seen Doctor Bhatia and his amazing PA more then some of my family members. Sadly I have genetic back issues that won’t be getting better but I know I am in good hands with a Doctor Bhatia. Next week he is going in to take out my bolts and screws from my fusion last year and shave off my tail bone since it is causing some issues.
Doctor Bhatia and his team is extremely professional, he is smart, kind the best bed side manors I have ever seen. He doesn’t rush to cut you open, he listens and comes up with the best possible plan.
Again! Don’t think twice, go see Bhatia if you have back or neck pain.

Dr. Bhatia is perhaps the most skilled spinal surgeon in the United States. His extensive back surgery on me when I was 59 for multiple ruptured discs and severe spinal stenosis literally saved my life. Recovery was free of all pain after around a week and I did not take any pain pills past 10 days. There is no better surgeon and his confidence and demeanor as a person is unmatched. I was told by country club orthopedists just to live with the pain and take shots. Thankfully I sought out Dr. Bhatia instead! Playing golf now twice per week and a 14HDCP!

I got lucky to have this surgeon. I had some pain that I believed to be another recurring inguinal hernia that I had while in the Army. A lengthy 6 months of trying to figure it out with the VA finally ruled that out. I lived down the street from UC Irvine Medical Center at the time and figured since they were a teaching hospital with many residents in various disciplines along with being the only Level 1 trauma center in Orange County, they must have good medical care. I saw a general physician who referred me to Dr Bhatia who is at UCI a few days a week. He is super nice and friendly and his entire staff there are as well. I first saw him in summer 2011 and he sent me off for an MRI. Sure enough I had a herniated L5 S1. He said I was too young for surgery (I was 33 at the time) and said the body will usually adapt to this injury and over time I would feel much better. He sent me off with some medication and sure enough he was right. I would have very painful flare ups every few months or so but nothing I couldn’t handle periodically. He recommended I see a pain management doctor but I passed and just did the exercises on a sheet he provided me along with my normal exercise routine. Fast forward to summer 2013 something happened and I was in constant pain nearly ²⁴⁄₇. Sometimes it was crushing and debilitating and sometimes it was just a sensation I would feel in my back and left leg. I saw him again, we do another MRI, and I finally started seeing the pain doctor he recommended. He still wanted to wait to do surgery on me. 3 epidurals with the pain doctor did nothing so Dr. Bhatia said it was time for surgery. I scheduled the surgery for a few months later primarily because work is slower around the holiday season. By the time surgery day came I could barely stand on my feet for 20 – 30 minutes without being in so much pain I could barely walk. Anyway, Dr Bhatia explained the whole process to me and my family in a way that was easy to comprehend. His PA was the same and very friendly. On November 10 he performed a microdiscectomy on me and the wifey and the rest of my family were very impressed with his professionalism and his overall demeanor during the entire process. The same day I was able to walk, albeit slowly, but aside from pain from the surgical site I felt much better. He and my pain doctor both told me that I would feel immediate relief but some pain would last for several months to a year due to having the nerve being compressed for so long. It’s been 3 weeks since the surgery and I have had some bad days, some good days, and some so so days. Overall I feel progress and that I am moving in the right direction. I would highly recommend him if you live in OC. If you have any reservations about seeing him, just Google «Nick Adenhart Dr. Bhatia.» Adenhart is the Angels pitcher that was tragically killed by a drunk driver. There was one survivor in the crash who was internally decapitated. Dr Bhatia was his surgeon who reattached the guy’s spine to his skull. Not only did the victim survive, he is walking and talking. Incredible. I was nervous of course about surgery but always felt I was in good hands with Dr Bhatia, his staff, and UCI Medical Center. I figured if he could reattach skulls, my surgery was child’s play compared to that. When I said that to him he told me that my surgery was just as important to him as that one was and he would put in the same care and attention as he did with that surgery to mine. He is a sharp guy and a class act with a great personality. I highly recommend him.

Simply the best orthopedic spine surgeon on the planet. I had surgery with Dr. Bhatia 2 years ago. The day after, I felt better than I had in years! All pain was gone. I have a degenerative condition related to psoriatic arthritis and need more surgeries. Dr. Bhatia is the ONLY doc who I will let cut me. He and his PA, Florica are beyond comparison. They have amazing bedside manner and treat patients like family. I wish all docs were like Nitin Bhatia. I can’t say enough good about him.

Just called for initial consultation $ 394. !!!
Wow!
That is before any treatments, MRI or anything else!

I saw Dr. Bhatia after my uncle recommended him to me. I am so happy he did. I went to Newport Orthopedic Center to get an epidural (avoid Newport Orthopedic if you can) and saw Dr. Bhatia following that procedure for my herniated disc at L5-​S1. He has the best bedside manner of any doctor I’ve seen. He took his time with me and had a conservative approach to surgery. I even called him a week later to schedule a surgery because my epidural didn’t help as much as I hoped and he said to see him in a few weeks (after the second epidural) and to wait on surgery. His first choice is to avoid it if possible. I feel like some doctors would schedule that appointment just to make money.
His P.A. was also very friendly and helpful. If you have questions, feel free to use the email listed on their website as they will respond.
Now, if I could just find a Primary Care doctor with the same level of expertise, compassion and attitude. :-)
I highly recommend Dr. Bhatia.

Dr. Bhatia is fantastic! I had spine surgery in April to fuse the first and second bones in my neck and I wouldn’t want to have gone to anyone else! He was my second opinion due to the first doctor saying everything was fine (which it wasn’t). He has a great bedside manor and actually takes the time to listen to your concerns. His PA is also very nice and they both have available appointments when you need to get in. He’s the best!

My boyfriend had an early morning appointment with Dr. Bhatia for an L5-​S1 herniation he has struggled with for almost a year. Bhatia took extra time to go over an MRI with him and even provided emotional support/​understanding in a professional way. Dr. Bhatia did not push for surgery which was reassuring, and my boyfriend left his office with a great excercise sheet and a reference for a good doctor who could provide additional help. We left knowing exactly what my boyfriends next plan of action was to be. Until this visit we both had felt a little lost.
He is a class act and his physicians assistant was great as well.
His front desk ladies were also very lovely and they had a Keurig coffee machine and TV for while I waited,. This was not an «in and out» session. Dr. Bhatia went above and beyond, and we are very pleased!

Dr. Bhatia is an excellent.physician. He’s got savvy medical expertise as well as a kind bedside manner. He’s also conservative about recommending surgery. His office staff are friendly and efficient.
RECOMMEND