Knapp Thomas P, MD

Incision site has not closed up! Its been three months and my boyfriend still has a gapping hole in his armpit that is discharging yellow pus. His surgery was done the second week in MARCH! We have gone through roll after roll of gauze and bandages. At first Dr. Knapp dug around in the incision with a wooden stick and tried to pull out subcutaneous stitches. When that didn’t work he recommended another round of antibiotics and topical antibiotic ointment. My boyfriend has gone back week after week to no avail. Dr. Knapp still has not given my boyfriend a real reason as to why the incision site is not closing up. When my boyfriend tried to get in to see Dr. Knapp this week they let him know that his three months are almost up. I guess the doctor gives you up to three months of free appointments post surgery, but after that they will start to charge the patient again. That makes no sense for someone whose surgery has been botched. Dr. Knapp does not seem concerned about leaving my boyfriend with a open hole in his armpit. I guess why should he he has already been paid for the surgery. At this point Dr. Knapp is not making any more money on my boyfriend by fixing him. In the mean time my boyfriend has been unable to workout, get in a pool, hot tub, steam room, or sweat in general because of the risk of infection. The armpit runs one of the highest risks of infection. Again Dr. Knapp does not seem to be concerned or understand how inconvenient that is for an active person. When he tried to get an appointment this week his staff did not return his phone calls. When you call the office you get an operator who is not even in the office. When you ask to be transferred to a staff member you almost always get a voicemail. When you leave a voicemail message for his staff nobody calls you back. When you do get ahold of someone they say they have to call you back but don’t. After leaving three voicemail messages we still have not heard from Dr. Knapp. One would think a doctor would call his patients back. Read this WARNING before you decide to use this doctor. I wish we had read the reviews below as they seem to be saying the same thing.

After being misdiagnosed by three other doctors, I finally found out what the problem was when I saw Dr. Knapp. With a cortisone shot he did exactly in the right place with very little pain. He is the reason I am basically pain free.
As with his assistant, Brandi, I had nothing bad to say. She called me right back and was very helpful with appointments.
I have nothing bad to say about Knapp, he is an incredible doctor who really does care about the person.

I have nothing but great things to say about Dr. Knapp. If you want a doctor who knows and understands shoulders, he’s your guy. I had been suffering from shoulder pain for close to a year and was very close to surgery with my regular orthopedist who I’ve trusted for years. I was urged by a friend to get a second opinion and was referred to Dr. Knapp. Prior to this appointment, I’d had 2 cortisone shots, physical therapy, chiropractic care, massage therapy, two MRI’s and was still in pain. It turns out that the radiologist who read the films on my first MRI made a mistake and missed the problem and my first doc missed it too. When I arrived at Dr. Knapp’s office, I did not experience any of the problems mentioned in other Unilocal reviews. The first doc to see me was a Fellow, who did a preliminary exam prior to Dr. Knapp entering the room. This is a very standard procedure that I’ve experienced in many other Dr. offices. It was actually the first doc who identified the issue on the films and Dr. Knapp confirmed it (it was a rare genetic abnormality). Once they figured it out, I was given a cortisone shot (finally in the RIGHT place) and after it kicked in, I was 100% cured. I write this after more than 3 months (just to make sure the shot wasn’t going to wear off and the pain was going to come back). I am eternally grateful that I saw Dr. Knapp and his staff vs. going under the knife with another doctor!

I love Dr. Knapp! He has operated on 3 members of our family, including myself and my 5 year old daughter and has taken care of my son as well. He has an impeccable reputation. He is also a really good person, and one of the few physicians I have ever met who really does care for his patients. Also, he doesn’t jump to surgery, but tries to consider all options. I have rarely waited over 20 minutes and have often been seen there right on time. I have dealt more with his assistant, Yoli who is lovely. Before my daughter’s surgery I asked many people I knew who worked at St. John’s in the operating rooms, and each and every one said he is the kindest doctor and the best surgeon in his field.

After scheduling my appointment a month in advance, I gathered all of the materials I needed including my MRI report and a DVD of xrays and showed up on time.
After a 20 minute wait I was told that the MRI films were needed IN ADDITION to the complete report that I provided which was normal. (Films for normal reports – really? Sounds like a load of crap to me.) And then as I was trying to get the films emailed over I was told I needed to reschedule and was given no opportunity to provide the «necessary» records then and there. Nevermind the fact that another patient showed up AN HOUR late and was given the opportunity to gather additional records as other patients were waiting.
Call me crazy, but don’t doctors order reports as needed? Why is it necessary to have seen another doctor prior to seeing Knapp. Huh. I was told when I booked the appointment that some of my tests may be too old, and that I would need to repeat them. Which makes me wonder why I was sent off packing before THE DOCTOR could make that assessment HIMSELF, not his administrative assistant who went to community college somewhere near a freeway, I’m sure.
I never had the chance to interact with Dr. Knapp, but given how I was treated I will never lay eyes on him. If he wants his office to be run by a total [insert expletive adjective, insert expletive noun], then he can be assured he’ll lose out on plenty of business and that the list of negative reviews here on Unilocal and elsewhere will grow. This office was completely unprofessional and I will make it my life’s mission to ensure that no one I know ever visits anyone any doctor in this practice.

Astonishingly badly run office. Extremely difficult to get anyone on the phone. Your appointment with «Dr. Knapp» is mostly run by another Dr, with Knapp coming in for a couple minutes at the end.
A few months ago I had to wait four weeks for Knapp to get back to me re: my MRI. When he did, it was some girl named Brandi who was going to send me for more tests, without telling me what Knapp had seen in the MRI or what my diagnosis was.
Knapp is supposed to be a great shoulder guy but his office is one of the worst run I’ve ever experienced.

Dr. Knapp is possibly the best orthopedic surgeon the side of the country has to offer. Not only does he have incredible bedside manner [just ask him WHY he wanted to get into medicine… he has such a heart for helping others] but you won’t be able to find another doctor who is as brilliant and compassionate as him. I do a ton of research before going to a doctor and found out that not only is he highly praised doctor, but has invented many tools in the medical field that have revolutionized surgery. These tools are now used WORLDWIDE to change the way that surgeons operate. I don’t know about you but that to me says alot… a doctor who knows how to fix problems so well that he invents new ways to do it much more accurately. I went to another doctor who had to make 4 incisions on my shoulder but found out after the fact that Dr. Knapp could have done the same procedure with the same results with only 2 incisions. I won’t be going to any one else ever again. And as for the wait time… I’d rather see a doctor who everyone is fighting to see because of his incredible skill then walk right into an appointment with someone who isn’t as accurate. What’s more important to you… wait time or your body getting the best care? I know what my answer is.

I really wish I would have read these reviews prior to scheduling an appointment with Dr. Knapp. I found his office staff and procedures to be condescending, rude and narassistic. They insisted that I have an MRI PRIOR to coming in for the appointment, that I bring withme the report and the disk. They sent me pages of forms to complete. When I arrived, the receptioinst, Ginger, scolded me for not having completed portions of my paper work in advance of the appointment. When I explained that the answer to the question depended on the circumstances and that I wanted to speak with the doctor for clarification, she told me firmly, «No. Dr. Knapp is very picky and wants all of the questions answered before he will see you». She made several other snappy remarks before I was made to wait to see the Dr.‘s medical assistant.
Once I got in to see the medical assistant, she told me that I would need to have an x-​ray BEFORE I saw the doctor. Mind you, the doctor had already insisted that I receive an MRI test and bring with me the disk and report or «he would not see me». So he had my MRI, why did he need an x-​ray now too, that was not mentioned previously, and why should I have to be exposed to radiation, and have my insurance pay for another procdure, PRIOR to my even seeing the doctor? When I asked to speak with Dr. Knapp the mecial assistnat told me «Sorry, he is very particular and will not talk to you without the x-​ray.» Either his poor staff has been so badly mistreaten that they don’t dare risk their job by accomodating a patient’s reasonable requests, or this Dr. Knapp is a complete narassisist who thinks his time is more important than his patients. Well, I’m sorry but in Santa Monica there are a lot of important people whose time and money is as (or more) important than Dr. Knapp’s, mine included. So I’ll be finding a more professional doctor and staff and taking my business elsewhere.

I love love love Dr. Knapp! He is an excellent doctor with great bedside manners. He has excellent follow through when it comes to his patients. In fact, I have used him twice (shoulder and knee surgery). I went to three doctor’s regarding my shoulder and they all stated I needed only physical therapy (which made my shoulder worse). One of the doctor’s who couldn’t figure out what was wrong with my shoulder referred me to Dr. Knapp. Dr. Knapp was the only doctor to suggest a MRI and he found what was wrong with my shoulder. As for Dr. Knapp’s staff I have never had a bad experience with them (Brandi or Yoli). In fact, Brandi has only been kind to me and very helpful. Trust me when I say this that if I ever had a bad experience St John’s would know and I would post it everywhere. I have had bad experiences with other doctor’s at St. John’s but not with Dr. Knapp. I’m sorry to hear that some patient’s have had a bad experience with Dr Knapp and his staff. I truly have had top notch service and have recommended Dr. Knapp to several of my friends.

Believe me, you are far from the only person who ever has had a problem dealing with Brandi. It’s too bad she’s such a turnoff, because Knapp is a great orthopedist.

To be clear, I never actually saw Dr. Knapp. I was too turned off by the poor bedside manner of his staff. They were unsympathetic and completely not helpful.
One of the nurses, Brandi, scheduled me for the wrong appointment and then argued with me over it. She had so much attitude that I hobbled out of the office on my crutches– I couldn’t bear to stay for the consult.
It’s hard enough to be injured and to deal with countless doctors, exams and appointments. I don’t need obstinance from hospital staff.