Tze C. Ip, MD

I was referred to Dr. Ip in 2010 for wrist pain. An MRI show a ganglion cyst. I had intermittent pain at that point. He said the cyst would not be causing me any pain. From 2010-​215 ish, I had more frequent episodes of moderate pain and several visits with him. He, again, said I should not be in pain from the cyst. Made me feel like I was crazy for having this pain. I had several cortisone shots, which worked for a few months each time. I was not having significantly more consistent pain. He told me I was too young to be having this type of pain and he wouldn’t want to do surgery until I was much older. So, I guess he expected me to stay in pain until I was 60 or whenever he thought I was «old enough» I’m 43. My final visit wit him, I was completely SHOCKED at his inappropriate and OFFENSIVE comments and accusations, I never saw him again. He basically called me a drug seeker, simply looking for pain medications. I understand that there may be a handful of people who are drug seekers, but I was NOT one of them and did not deserve to be treated like one. I had a swollen wrist, full of fluid. Throughout my visits with him, i NEVER EVER asked him for any pain medications. I diod ask him for help and desperately wanted to know how to FIX this problem. So, I asked him, again, what we could do to alleviate the pain. This is when he said, «boy, you really are looking for those pain meds, aren’t you?» (Luckily for him, I had my 2 young daughter with me) or I really would have gone off on him. I reminded him that I have NEVER EVER asked him for any pain medication during ANY visit. I was desperate for answers to fix this. I never went back to him again. I have never been so offended and angry at a Dr. and his accusations, simply because he was incompetent of diagnosing the cause of my severe pain.
My PCP, said that this was not the first time he’s had his patients complain about Dr. Ip. Unless you are a clear cut & obvious case of something requiring surgery, Dr. Ip did not know how to handle patients like me, who had significant pain but no obvious physical signs of injury.
I would not recommend Dr Ip at all! I have heard he is a great surgeon, but again, only if you are a clear and obvious case requiring surgery. If you are a difficult case, requiring him to look further and dig deep to find the cause of the pain, he is not the Dr for that.
I was then referred to an associate of his at Newport Orthopedic Intuited, Dr. De Sai. My insurance had to choose the Dr. I had a similar result with Dr. DeSai. with yet another different OFFENSIVE conclusion and comment. I will review him in a different review based solely on him. Please look at that to get my review and experience with Dr. De Sai.
Long story short, I went to a 3^rd opinion with Dr. Dao, in Costa Mesa. He was able to make a clear diagnose of a rare form of severe arthritis and was able to fix the problem, by surgically removing a bone that had NO CARTILAGE at all. I have been pain free for 3 months now since the surgery. I will review him in a separate review post. I will review Dr. Dao in a separate reviews based solely on my wonderful experience with him.

I made an appointment with Dr. Ip because of severe pain in my left elbow. When he entered office he straight up went to the computer, asked me what happened, so i asked him if he is the Doc — to which he said Hmm hun. I told him that it hurts and showed hthe spot, He said you must have exercised a lot or lifted something in garage or hit some corner wall accidentally or stretched muscles by doing something. He ordered no X-​rays or any other kind of diagnostic test. He spoke this in less than 1 MINUTE, typed something on computer and asked me to come back after 30 days and was about to leave, so i asked him if he diagnosed anything or any medicine to which he said NO & He said he didn’t know what was wrong and left. He hadn’t been in the room longer than 2 minutes. I was still in pain and was even not able to lift my arm. I reported this on the reception and submitted «Change Doctor» requested.
I have visited Doctors before and after this i was seriously thinking. WAS THIS A PRANK !! WAS HE A DOCTOR SERIOUSLY because to me it looked like the WORST DOCTOR OFFICE EXPERIENCE EVER. To my surprise i am receiving threatening calls from his office to send my balance to collections. The girls calling me were very rude and didnt listen to me at all they just wanted the money. THIS IS THE WORST DOCTOR & I would never recommend Dr. IP to anyone.

Capitated Medicine at its worst…
I made an appointment to see Dr. Ip because of acute pain in my right elbow. The doctor ordered no X-​rays or any other kind of diagnostic test. He did a one-​minute exam, asked me a few questions, and started to leave — he hadn’t been in the room longer than three minutes!
I stopped him and asked what was wrong with my elbow. He said he didn’t know what was wrong, but he «didn’t want to waste money on testing.» I asked him about treatment, and he said: «stop all that exercising you do for a month, then make another appointment to see me.» I asked him about a Cortisone injection, and he just shook his head and said, «I don’t think that would help.»
I was so frustrated with my completely wasted visit to Dr. Ip that I got a referral to another Sports Medicine specialist one week later. This second doctor took X-​rays, did a spot-​on diagnosis, and prescribed an effective course of treatment, which did NOT require me to become a couch potato; it included a Cortisone injection. My elbow is now much improved!
Avoid Dr. Ip — he’s a lot more interested in seeing as many patients as possible while protecting the insurance companies’ bottom line than practicing good medicine.

I am officially graduated from Dr. Ip. He has been absolutely EXCELLENT. My broken radius is healed. My range of motion is WAAAAAY better than I expected and I’m almost back at 100% strength. If you are looking for a hand/​wrist Dr., then I highly recommend Dr. Ip. He did an amazing job. Can’t say enough.

Not sure if it is Dr. Ip I disliked more or the entire office. All I can say is over 40/​years I have seen a fair share of healthcare providers and this is the only negative review I have written. Felt ripped off all around and it is like a puppy mill at that place

I had carpal tunnel release surgery June 2012 by Dr. Ip. I really didn’t want to have it done because I work with my hands for a living as a dentist. One day I did multiple orthodontic extractions and my entire right hand went numb with pain. The next day I scheduled. The surgery center he uses is outstanding with wonderful nurses and awesome Anesthesiologist Dr. Garcia. The procedure was done under GA and took all of 45 minutes. Dr. Ip placed 3 stitches. He did a fabulous job with immediate results. He explained everything quite well prior to surgery and made sure to mark the right hand with a sharpie so we were on the same page. Post op was pleasant. Dr. came in to check it briefly and had his PA remove stitches. Dr. Ip is straight forward and you may not get the warm fuzzies but he is an awesome carpal tunnel surgeon! I am completely healed and you can barely see the scar! I did get physical therapy because I could not open a water bottle at 6 weeks post op. It took 3 months to use my hand for fine motor coordination in dentistry and about 1 year to do extractions comfortably again. I am so happy Dr. Ip did this surgery. My quality of life is so improved. Please check my pre and post op pics posted.

I really don’t understand the negative reviews here. Dr. Ip was gracious and kind. He chose a conservative treatment and administered cortisone shots almost painlessly himself. I will gladly see him again, and although I hope surgery won’t be necessary, will trust him for it if it is needed.

I really should have read the reviews before I ever went to see Dr. Ip. I have been diagnosed with trigger finger by my physician and it was getting worse so I thought I should see a specialist. His diagnosis was to take 2 Aleeve in the morning and 2 at night and then he had the audacity to bill me $ 320.00. This man should be ashamed to call himself a Dr. Needless to say my finger has never gotten any better. Anyone thinking of going to this Dr. please think twice.

An overall awesome experience was had when Dr. Ip treated my infected finger recently. He was extremely professional and thoroughly explained exactly what was about to take place. His staff set up the exam room with everything he would need for the minor procedure that he was about to perform. Alyssa and Derek, his medical assistants, were also very professional and made me feel totally comfortable. Dr Ip injected some numbing solution in my finger and made sure i couldn’t feel a thing before he made a nice sized incision and removed the large amount of puss (gross) from my finger and explained everything every step of the way. He instructed his MA’s to finish up by soaking my finger and then applying a sterile dressing and i immediately was able to go back to work.
The next day, he insisted on checking on me, which i thought was very attentive, and he went the extra mile by seeing me in between surgery cases. He was pleased with how my finger was healing and he explained post procedure instructions, prescribed antibiotics and i was on my way.
Thanks Dr Ip, to you and all your staff for making me feel very comfortable and very tended to. I would highly recommend you to anyone i know :)
PS. I love your laugh!!!

My son fractured his growth plate in the elbow. I appreciated the fact that Dr. Ip did not rush for surgery. He was up front with the options and suggested everything that would avoid surgery. Unfortunately, after going the consertive route it appears we will now ultimately have to go the surgery route. He answered all the questions we had and listened to our concerns. He never pushed us in one direction, he only reviewed our options. I cannot believe other reviewers gave him 1. He doesn’t do small talk, but he is efficient and will spend as much time as you need answering quesyions.

Dr. Ip has a reputation as a good surgeon, but I want to get to know my doctor before having surgery. The facility where Dr. Ip practices is like a production line, with patients passed from one checkpoint to another. I saw Dr. Ip twice, and both times he saw me for 5 minutes. The first time, he marked my hand with a ballpoint pen then left; a P.A. gave me an injection. The next time, I commented that I didn’t like that, so he gave me the injection — still with the 5 minutes. I didn’t go back.

I would never recommend Dr. Ip if u have hand problem. I went to Dr. Ip for my tendon inflammation on my hand, it took him few mins to exam and then suggested I need a cortisone shot on my hand. After I agreed that I would go for the shot, he then use a marker to mark where the shot going to be and left the room. Few mins later, the nurse came in with the needle and then gave me the most painful shots on my hand. Isn’t that the shot suppose to execute by the doctor instead of a nurse?
However, I went to Dr. Ip’s office twice for cortisone shots and my problem never got solved, it is such a waste of time!

Dr. Ip is one of the best in the area. He reattached my bicep tendon and did a fantastic job. He has seen me for several issues along with my boys. Broken arm, broken thumb, strained this, pulled that. DR IP is a SURGEON not a baby sitter. When my boys have come in and it is not major he is in and out as fast as possible; to deal with real injuries. If you have a minor injury you want him to schedule a surgery?
What you get is one of the best surgeons… you want a Dr. that is not busy and not skilled I’m sure that you people that gave him a 1 star can find that. You should be happy that you don’t have a major issue and are going to heal properly on your own. A hack would have scheduled a surgery
PS I have been charged more than 300 for cortisone shots from other local doctors.
LOve Dr Ip and NOI

Just got back from seeing Dr. Ip for an arm injury. I’m not sure what the negative reviews here refer to, as the staff was pleasant and efficient, I got in a little ahead of schedule, he was perfectly attentive, and his exam was careful and complete.

We arrived early for my son’s appointment and had all of our new patient paperwork filled out ahead of time. The insurance information was very straight forward as I have been a patient at Newport Orthopedic several times. Unfortunately, the office staff at the front desk lost my son’s new patient paperwork. In addition, the staff seemed condescending regarding the mix up. Long story short, we never made it to see the inside of Dr. Ip’s office. With so many excellent orthopedic specialists in the area we won’t be using Dr. Ip.

Dr. Ip is no only rude and condescending; apparently, he thinks that doctors are some kind of deities. I’ve had numerous appointments with him and he generally stands in the doorway for about 30 to 40 seconds, makes a one-​sentence pronouncement from that distance (such as, «You’re fine. Just give it time») and walks away. This was his response when I told him that after the surgeries he performed, I don’t have full use of my hands. My HANDS.
To him, the main thing is to shovel as many patients through as possible each day. Patient care is of absolutely no concern to him. He is arrogant and rude and doesn’t listen to the patient for a single moment. He actually said that he not only «doesn’t believe in occupational therapy» but he actually said there is evidence that it can harm you!
No matter what your upper extremity problem is, Dr. Ip will make it worse. Save yourself a lot of money and frustration: get a QUALIFIED doctor instead of Dr. Ip.

I was not impressed with Dr. Ip or his office. He was in a hurry and I felt like I was on a patient conveyor belt (when I checked in, so did someone else who had an appointment scheduled for the same time as me). It took over an hour just to get into an exam room — and I arrived early and had all of my paperwork filled out ahead of time. I admit I don’t fully understand the difficulties doctor’s face trying to squeeze money out of insurance with the tiny time slots they get with each patient. But I felt like he was NOT thorough.
He did an xray on my injured thumb, and and said there was nothing more to do about it, just wait 6 – 8 weeks for it to heal. Considering that I had also landed on my shoulder, that I have intermittent numbness in my fingers and pain that radiates up my arm, and that the pain level is increasing daily, I would have thought further investigation was warranted. It’s true, I’m not a doctor, but my hands are my livelihood. I’m getting a second opinion elsewhere.

I had a surfing accident and the tip of my finger broke off. I met with Dr. Tze C Ip, and was happy with his comments and attitude. He did my surgery and all seemed well, however, as the post-​op visits progressed, I saw that my finger was misshapen as either he had not done the surgery correctly or else the bone had shifted after the surgery. Any good hand doctor would had noticed this in the many post-​op visits we had, or would have had the foresight to look for this. In retrospect, I realized that he had not been taking x-​rays during my post-​op office visits until it become very visible that the surgery was a failure and that my finger was deformed. When it became obvious, I brought up the point and asked him if he had had the foresight to take x-​rays throughout my visits, if this may have been noticed earlier on and would have been fixable, and he said yes. This malpractice and negligence is unforgiveable. In the following few years — I’ve visited some of the top hand surgeons in the country — and none of them think my finger is fixable. Most have commented that since the initial surgeon has messed up the surgery, the bone that was broken is small that it’s almost impossible for another surgeon to go back in afterwards to fix it. So now i have to live with a deformed finger, a floppy tip, as well as having pain from the nail that is also deformed and grows straight into my skin. Don’t go to this doctor. After realizing the permanent damage — I’ve done more research on him and found more horror stories as well. Please — beware, don’t end up like me!

I recently had hand surgery to repair a radial collateral ligament rupture by Tze Ip MD and everything went very well. Dr Ip diagnosed my injury right away and suggested surgery. I did go for a second opinion and after careful consideration scheduled the surgery with Dr Ip. So glad I did! Now 3 weeks post op and my hand is healing very well. Dr Ip was very caring and answered all of my questions. Staff at Newport Orthopedic Institute is very caring and accommodating. Surgery at Orthopedic Surgery Center in NB was an overall great experience (my first surgery ever). Staff went above and beyond with professionalism and care. Felt very comfortable and confident that I was in good hands. Would recommend Tze C Ip to any of my nearest and dearest. Worrying ahead of time about the surgery was far worse than the surgery experience itself!

My son broke his arm last year and we were referred to Newport Orthopedic Institute by Hoag Hospital. They called us back and set up his appt. with Dr. Ip. He was wonderful! His bedside manner was great and he made my son feel very comfortable throughout our numerous appointments and cast changes. I would highly recommend Dr. Ip and Newport Orthopedics.