Robert H Malstrom, MD

For the record, let me first state that I love giving good reviews, and dislike giving mean ones like this one… if it weren’t a review site I would feel petty…
but seriously– its times like this that I wish Unilocal!would let me give a NEGATIVE 5 STAR RATING to this sorry excuse for a man, much less a doctor.
I hate to be dramatic but this is the only doctor (and as many people can say, I have had some horrifying experiences with the Industry that is Western Medicine) that actually made me cry in his office in front of staff and patients… which says a lot for someone who really doesn’t do the crying thing.
Its a long story, but hopefully it isn’t a waste of my time explaining it, or yours in reading it. I visited his office in San Ramon with a torn ligament on my right foot, for which he prescribed a cast for 2 weeks ($ 500). 4 days later, the bottom of the cast was cracked. I called the office, they told me to come in for a («free, of course!») replacement.
While I was in the casting room waiting for the casting nurse, Dr. MALstrom was walking by, and noticed the situation. He grabbed my foot (which he did each time he examined me, even though I was in a ton of pain, and told me I was over-​exaggerating by wincing…), squinted at it for less than 10 seconds, and said– «it looks a lot better– no need to re-​cast it.» I was skeptical since it still hurt to walk on it, but he scoffed at me for questioning him and left the room.
I can only assume this (eventaully very bad decision on his part) was driven by a desire for money — which I would have spent on the walking cast he prescribed next; but this was because he didn’t know i had one already on loan. So I went home that day, confused, and uncasted (and had to drive on an open injury), just to re-​injure it during my sleep every night until I was fed up and went back to him, complaining of pain and swelling.
He just grumbled and said, yeah, we should have kept the cast on.
Summary: After deciding that I needed to be casted for 2 weeks, he noticed me (outside on an appointment!) and half-​assed decided to remove it after only 4 days. Then, after admitted we ‘made a wrong choice’ he proceeded to try and charge me again for another cast ($ 500, even though they said they would repair/​replace for free in the first place). Here’s where my frustration lies: After I complained about this fact, his feathers became very ruffled and he scratched out the notes on my chart he had just written for a new cast — and went on to declare that no cast was necessary– telling me to sleep with the walking cast on, and sent me home (crying) but not before charging me $ 275 for the visit.
Moral of the story– the man is a liar… straight to his own staff and his own patient’s faces. I couldn’t believe that when I confronted him saying that he had made a mistake, he told me that it was in his discretion as my doctor to make those choices. I have never felt so mistreated or abanfdoned by someone who was supposed to be helping me heal.
Needless to say, I will never return here, and seriously suggest you steer clear if you have any respect for yourself and your injury. I hold the delayed and possible sub-​par healing of my foot over his head. He is a horribly irresponsible practitioner, and a ruthlessly typical doctor who obviously works for the paychecks not for healing. Aside from all that, he has a serious Nazi vibe, but I won’t get into my personal qualms with him here. This is actual and factual, ya’ll.
Ya heard.