Stanford Sports Medicine Clinic

I wish I would’ve gone to the Stanford Sports Medicine Center sooner. My health insurance’s website is a little complicated to navigate, so I didn’t realize this facility was an option earlier, but I’m very pleased with my experience here so far.
THE BAD.
— It can take up to a month (or more) to book an appointment as a new patient (and you’re unable to do so after ~4 pm daily)
— Regular PT appointments can be hard to book (I was told nothing was open for 2 weeks after my first evalv)
THE GOOD.
— Friendly, intelligent, helpful therapists & PT assistants
— Detailed therapists who spend ample amounts of time with their patients, listen to needs/​feedback, and are hands-​on in your healing process
— You’re never rushed or pushed to finish up in a certain time (they understand that everyone moves at their own pace)
— Gorgeous facility with ample parking and top-​of-​the-​line equipment
— They take both new patients and patients from SHC
This clinic has everything that really matters for a successful experience at PT. I highly recommend this clinic, if you can get in, and I can’t wait to be back at 100%!

Based on my doctor’s recommendation to go to Stanford Sports Medicine, I decided to wait the five weeks it took to get an initial appointment. They said once I got in the system, it would be much easier to get an appointment. My intake appointment finally came and the therapist interviewed me to get me in the system. It became clear in the interview process, the questions were geared towards protecting Stanford and not really getting to the heart of my problem — SI joint and lower back pain.
I asked for a therapist with expertise in SI Joint pain and they gave me an appointment for one but it was in 2 weeks out. I waited and arrived for my appointment to find out that my therapist would be out for at least a month and they were rescheduling all her patients. I again ask for someone with SI joint expertise and they provide 2 options. «Great, I’ll book an appointment I say.» Ok, first available is in 3 weeks. Yep, we are now 10 weeks out from the start of this ordeal and I haven’t had a PT appointment other than the robotic intake person. Good thing I found BEST PT in Cupertino and they have therapists that understand how to manage SI joint pain. I’m on the road to recovery now and am happy to be leaving Stanford Sports Medicine in my review mirror.

I absolutely recommend Stanford Sports Medicine Clinic.
From the Valet, Guest desk to Dr you are treated with respect and compassion.
The building is like a hotel. I usually arrive early and spend sometime outside the restaurant’s terrace, good food too or inside listening to the piano.
I highly recommend Dr Frederickson, who is a true pioneer in his field and applies the most innovative treatments. He is also a very kind and considerate person and his assistant professors’ team calls to follow up.
Feel lucky I found this place & its staff.

I’ve been coming here for a month and a half.
You would think this place is a hotel from the lobby but it is classy all throughout the building.
My insurance provider (Cigna) covered the visits and thank god they did because I didn’t know any good physical therapists other than the names on the list.
They have top of the line equipment and techniques to get you back on your normal routine. My therapist got to know me and we are bay area sports fans so we always have something to talk about during my sessions.
Never felt rushed and he took his time to create a great plan to get my shoulder strength back to normal after surgery.
Parking is free and plentiful, I drove up from Daly City and not bad if you leave before or after the rush hour traffic.

World-​class facility but the people are also world-​class. I couldn’t be happier with my treatment and the organization overall.

THE SPORTS DEPARTMENT AT STANFORD IS EXCELLENT. Please note that my complaint is with this one doctor. I have met and worked with many others. My complaint is with this one doctor ONLY.
Dr. Safran misdiagnosed me. He was rude and hurtful. I was Traumatized by this doctor. After my second visit, I refused to see this doctor again I cannot begin to tell you how damaging his conduct was to myself. He is berating, mean, insensitive, not open to discussing your questions, rude beyond words. I do not think he knows how to treat people in general. I wonder if most of his complaints are women? I have used Stanford Hospital and Clinics for years now. I love all the doctors, assistants, fellows,… It is an outstanding place. Be aware of this doctor.

Great new facility on 101, so easy access, no wait time, a highly competent doctor that listened and could give me good advice. I can highly recommend!

Very nice facility and so far happy with my experience as I try to get my hip pain resolved. They have lots of specialists which is great since they have a lot of experience that helps you feel very confident in their ability to help treat you.

I was referred by the Spine doctor for lower back pain. Their prices are absolutely ludicrous. The worst part is no one even bothered to tell me how much money this was going to cost so now I am completely shocked.
The initial evaluation from the Physical Therapist cost $ 1012.12 for 40 minutes.
My next session costs $ 820 for 45 minutes.
These prices are absolutely insane. My health insurance only covers PT after my high deductible was meet so now I am stuck paying this.

OMG, $ 890 for a 45 minute recheck of my wrist after surgery! $ 552 after insurance. Check the price before going here!!! Great doctors but they seem to put the burden of payment on the back of the patient. Guess they were pretty good at negotiating with the insurance company because the percentage of the bill remaining after insurance was deducted is very high…
In all fairness they do have a way you can apply for a grant to cover your out of pocket. But it requires filling out a income statement and other paperwork… Why not just have reasonable fees?
When will we learn our medical insurance and billing system is a corporate money making scheme!
Dr Yao is a nice, well trained Doc and seems have genuine concern…

Very nice facility, efficient staff and layout. Valet parking is around on back left corner. Pretty easy to drop off and then park car. My experience was with the ankle and foot orthopedics.

I recently underwent knee surgery. These people care about their patients. From the Surgery itself, performed by Dr Jason Dragoo, to the Physical Therapist, MAtt Richardson, they are concerned, compassionate and committed to getting you back on the right track. Punctual, detailed and friendly.

Don’t bother seeing Dr. Costouros, the new ortho doc from Kaiser. My wife waited a month to see him after a failed shoulder surgery. He immediately referred her to Pain Management, while bragging that he would do a better job. Well, after finishing Pain Management, he refused to examine or even evaluate her shoulder, just flat refused to treat her. We were asked many times if we were in litigation with the first surgeon. We were/​are not.
There was no reason to be treated so badly, when we have to travel three hours so see this doctor. What a jerk! We have had better outcomes with Dr. Safran, but this puts Stanford in the can for future ortho issues.
I wonder why he left Kaiser…
jh

I came to Stanford Spine center in 2011 as I had a lower back herniation at the L5-​S1 level which resulted to a constant ‘pain + needles’ sensation on my leg. Given this unresolved pain over 2 years, I decided to come to Stanford for a hope of relief.
My case was handled by Dr. G. Scuderi. He definitely is knowledgeable on lower back issue as it is his main field. He is also the type of guy who resolves everything with surgeries. He advised me to first undergo a conservative treatment with epidural /​steroid injection which unfortunately didn’t work. Then he went to the next step which was Microdiscectomy (partial removal of the herniated disc by surgery). The outcome was good. I feel better, but of course, it’s not like 100% normal. There are some limitations on my daily activities, but I am in better condition than I was prior to surgery.
If you’re a new patient at Stanford, you may need to wait at least for 2 – 3 wks before being seen by the doctors. I was a new patient and thus I called early to make sure I didn’t wait for too long.
Because Stanford Hospital /​Clinics are a university hospital, you will be seen by their medical students and the main doctor/​surgeon. The medical students usually will see you first to go through your conditions and basic tests. Some of these students were not as professional (thus, they’re still student!). After obtaining these information, you will see your main doctor/​surgeon whom you will work with.
The Spine center is different from the main hospital !! Most of the nurses at the spine center are nice, understand what you go through and encourage you to be strong. If you happen to be operated at the main hospital and happen to stay there overnight, be prepared to get ticked off by the nurses on night shifts. Thus, its a good idea to have someone to stay over with ya if possible.

dont waste your time with Safran, I refuse to refer to him as a DR he is a rude, know-​it all type that will not listen to your symptoms with an open mind and will not look at or consider reports from other Drs.
I was referred to him by my orthopedic surgeon after having X-​rays and an Arthogram w/​contrast on my hip that showed I had several ligament tears on my right and necrossis on my left hip, my DR told me that Safran is one that would be able to repair the Tears. First I waited over a month for the appt and when I got there he made me take X-​rays, even though I had all my reports and films that I had done they insisted that Safran insist on getting his own Xrays I didn’t feel comfortable with this because I knew that the tears would not show up on the Xrays and the Arthogram should be sufficient but I had no choice if I wanted to be seen. When I finally get to see Safran has me do a few strength tests and tells me I have a hernia and that I need to see a general surgeon I ask him about the tears and he says there was no indication of such tears and then I ask him about the necrossis and he says he didn’t see any, I tell him it’s in my report and films he said it wasn’t at this point I’m frustrated and ask for my films and reports that I had provided them and it takes them 5 min to find it, I look at the documents and noticed that it was not even looked at the report about the tears and necrossis was the first report he would have seen had he looked at the documents. I was so angry for waisting time and $ with this Fraud. I was hoping he was at least correct in the hernia diagnosis but of course I should have known better— he was WRONG!

Great new modern facility located right off Highway 101, plenty of parking (even valets!). Security guards roaming around in the parking lot were very helpful– I actually needed a battery jump-​start once and the security guard walkie-talkie’d up their in-​house service truck and had me up and running within five minutes!
To get back to the topic at hand, the Sports Medicine Clinic is located on the Stanford University Medicine Outpatient Center facility’s second floor. The first floor houses a variety of services, including the Spine Clinic and the Radiology department (amazing resolution 3T MRI suites!), while outpatient surgery is performed on the third floor.
The orthopedists here are great in their fields, particularly in their sub-​specialties. Generalizing here, but Dr Dragoo for knees, Safran for hips, McAdams and Fanton for shoulders and elbows. Dr Fanton has mentioned something like half of their patients have seen other orthopedists before coming here, and with good reason, given how experienced they are and the complexity of cases they encounter.
Of note, once you consult one of these sports medicine physicians, you’re effectively locked in unless he refers you to one of his colleagues. This is so no one’s toes is stepped on and egos don’t collide; nonetheless, these guys do inter-​refer quite willingly, but be aware this must be done in person (as I understand it), so if one wants to see another physician in the group just because of say, appointment scheduling difficulties, one is pretty much out of luck.
They’re very good about comprehensive physical therapy/​rehab guidelines and are great about staying on top of the most updated scientific literature and research on both diagnosis and treatments.
Knowledgeable and hospitable office staff, for the most part. Everything is pretty streamlined and folks do communicate well with one another, from physician assistants, medical assistants, x-​ray technicians, surgery coordinators, insurance authorization admins to appointment schedulers.
As other reviews have noted, scheduling appointments can be tough, so call often — cancellations/​re-​scheduled appointments are frequent, so it’s quite possible to be seen sooner. Note that Fanton and McAdams are frequently away during the NFL season as they are team physicians for the San Francisco 49ers and Safran is also away often for hip-​related instruction and conferences.

3.5 stars
My experience has been pretty good– I’m surprised at the first review that was recent. I’m still doing PT there. I think it’s been great b/​c Dr Fred. confers with the PT I’m seeing. And they’re really interested in solving the problem– citing latest research on effective stretches. Not necessarily the case with other providers who seem more interested in getting your business and getting you in and out quickly. I do have to say I had to wait an ridiculous amount of time to wait for Dr. Fred for my 2^nd appt. The first one was amazing to me– I saw one of his residents and him, and they spent a good amount of time with me. Maybe I’m just too used to our dysfunctional health care system, but I was amazed.
As for the wait, next time, I’m just going to call the office to see how late he’s running, and build in the time.
As for the PT, they’re pretty aggressive and really want you to do you exercises and make progress, and appts span an hour, tho’ he works on other patients while you’re doing your reps.
And the office sent not one but two customer satisfaction surveys which I did fill out. So I think they’re trying to be good at what they do.
BTW, I have a PPO, which might explain some of my experience thus far.

So I’m now finally irritated enough to write a Unilocal review. I’ve seen Dr. Frederickson twice — for all of about 3 minutes each time. And he was rude both times. I’m trying to go back because my knee still hurts. First it takes a month to get an appointment. Then he cancels because his wife had a baby. Fine — you’d think he would know this ahead of time — but whatever. But the woman who told me this said that I could get another appointment in a MONTH. So now I have to fight with his staff for an earlier appointment. Which they can only give me one while I’m out of town — that is it — one appointment. So then I call the manager — can I see another doctor? NO. Can I see a resident? NO. So I call patient services to complain and the woman there can’t do any thing because stanford clinics are «special» with sub-​specialists. I’m sure any other doctor in the clinic had to go through learning about knees when he was a resident. But I guess there is not another doctor at Stanford who could possible look at a knee. And when I complain that their customer service sucks, she says that «that is my opinion.» If I wasn’t a graduate student I would go somewhere else. If you have a choice, run (if you can) to another doctor. One who might care and might actually see you.