Scripps Clinic Carmel Valley — Local services in San Diego

I had been having extreme shoulder pain for a couple months, so finally went to my PCP who did x-rays and told me to see an orthopedic surgeon stat. I called to make an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon, and was then told that I needed to see a PA first who would order an MRI of my shoulder, that I could not see the surgeon without it. So I make an appointment with an orthopedic PA, Madonna Guzman, who looks at my x-rays and tells me I need to do intense physical therapy on my arm and shoulder, and that I also needed a cortisone shot for the pain. When I asked about getting an MRI done, she told me that I had to go through a couple MONTHS of physical therapy and have a couple cortisone shots before my insurance would pay for an MRI (NOT TRUE). So she proceeds to get the big needle out for the injection into my shoulder joint (after telling her my pain was a solid 7 at least, at all times) and I asked if she was going to use an ultrasound to guide the needle to the correct spot, as I have read is the standard protocol. Nope! She literally told me she is THE BEST injector around, she didn't need to use an ultrasound. So I get the injection and get zero pain relief. I knew there was NO WAY I could stand even one session of physical therapy having someone manipulate my shoulder, I would pass out from the pain. So I made an appointment outside of Scripps with and Orthopedic surgeon and it turns out I have a rotator cuff that is completely torn in half, (not fixable), a bicep tendon tear, and almost a complete loss of all cartilege (which means bones grinding against bones, doing more damage) and too many bone spurs to count. In addition to my shoulder being partially displaced, or half out of the socket. I need to have a complete shoulder replacement "reversal" surgery due to the extreme damage to my shoulder and rotator cuff. If I had done any physical therapy, my shoulder could have become completely dislocated, with my arm completely detached from my body. ALL of this could have been seen (and I would have also been spared a painful, expensive, unnecessary injection which also could have easily done more damage) if Ms. Guzman had only spent 5 min doing an inexpensive, not invasive ultrasound, either prior to treating me, or using it to guide the injection she was about to give, she would have clearly seen the rotator cuff completely shredded in half and detached from the bone. But instead of trying to learn what was actually wrong with my shoulder (which she diagnosed as arthritis. No one has the excrusiating, constant kind of pain I had from arthritis) she took it upon herself to give me an unneccesary injection and prescribed intense physical therapy 3 x a week. I used the Scripps portal messaging system to ask her WHY she never took an ultrasound of my shoulder, so she would know for sure what she was actually injecting, and I was called by some IDIOT that said she was a 'patient advocate' and that I could not ask questions like that of the PA and she was deleting my message and if I dared to send another message asking why I was treated one way and not another, I would be kicked off the site entirely. Fair enough. I have now filed a formal complaint with the Medical Board, and have consulted an attorney as well. Instead of not answering my simple question as to why she chose not to do an ultrasound, she can now answer that same question for the medical board and hopefully a med mal attorney. UPDATE: The SAME EXACT CANNED, GENERIC RESPONSE FROM SCRIPPS that they reply to every negative review, and of course no one will EVER follow up with you. It could not be more clear they do not actually read any of these seriously negative reviews, and as another person said, respond only to show Google they respond to every negative review to keep their place when someone is searching for a medical facility. If this is not an indicator of how a facility could not care less about their patients, I don't...

Horrible! The pediatricians here like so much to send your kids to Rady Children, a killing place that gives you nightmares. I wonder if they can gain anything from sending the kids to that stupid hospital or particular doctor when not necessary!

My daughter was sent to Rady ER by Dr. Kupelian for a bug bite! Luckily we only wasted 4 hours there without being harmed.

But my poor son was almost killed by this bad-quality hospital!

Dr. Kupalian did not prescribe anything or do any test when my son saw her on the 4th day of fever with very frequent coughing and chest pain!

On the 8th day of fever, when my son's coughing was severe, another Scripps pediatrician Dr. B without compassion thought my son was just having inflammation, so he sent us home after ordering us to take chest X-ray at the first floor instead of letting us wait for the result and treat him right away! It only took 2 minutes for the result sent to him from the first floor! Later he called to let us go back for a shot due to pneumonia found on X-ray while my son was lying in sofa listlessly. The phone communication was so unclear that I chose oral medicine(He said it was strong too) instead and he did not say it was risky. But he repeatly said on the phone to follow up with another pediatrician the next day! Later that day I called their office to confirm if it was safe to opt out the shot but no one called back!

After two doses of oral antibiotics my son did not cough at night any more.

The next day, we went to see Dr S as directed by Dr B, unfortunately she did not know his coughing was actually reduced or his condition was getting better compared to yesterday, because she did not see him yesterday! She sent him to a very irresponsible doctor Doshi in Rady Children, as a result of poor judgement or over caution!

Do you know what he got in Rady: no phlegm test or 2nd blood test in the first week; Got 800ml IV fluid within one hour twice, which made him hard to talk or move the next day! His hand got swelling only after one day due to infiltration; No one cared about the rashes or ear ringing or cough attack after the two guessed medicine; the chest tube from the right side got his right lung collapsed and they sent him to ICU, where the third incorrect and stronger medicine based on guess was used on him. They forced him back to sedation when he woke up from sedation! He got worse and worse until life support only after a week there while he was fine and getting better before getting into hospital! He was Connected to the tubes and machines in sedation for 12 days! Sick liver and swelling all over due to the third guessed antibiotics; Until 9 days they found mycoplasma antibody! So many X-rays and blood draws! The RT hurt his head, which caused the pain not completely gone even after 2months; The RT forgot to give him treatment for over 24 hours! A ICU nurse almost choked him; they let him take bitter medicine in the middle of night for a week without thinking of adjust the time or way of taking it!

Later when he was recovering out of hospital, another Scripps doctor Dr. Coffin prescribed antibiotics when my son had no fever and infection and was improving, according to two specialists!

Where can we get reliable medical care or...

Wow, reading the google reviews I'm surprised the Scripps Radiology and Health Express in Carmel Valley is still in business. Go to any other hospital/clinic, do not waste your time/money at the Carmel Valley Health Express or Carmel Valley Radiology. That location is not interested in "Patient Care", just "Patient Payments"! I get it, healthcare is a for profit business, but in an era where almost every other hospital system is focused on Patient Care, that location is sadly not. At least not the folks in the Carmel Valley Health Express and Radiology.

Visited the express clinic on Sunday Sept 29, the PA ordered an x-ray for me, but radiology was closed. Fair enough, it was a Sunday.

For those of you who don't know, the Scripps Doctors and PAs tell patients you can "stop in at Radiology anytime" to get your x-ray. Nobody ever tells you the order expires. So, came back two days later, Tuesday, Oct 2nd at 3pm. I walked in and asked if I could get an x-ray and was told (in a very rude manor) the Radiologist left for the day. I chalked it up to maybe she was having a bad day.

I had to travel for rest of week due to work so couldn't make it back until following week. Show up on Monday, Oct 7th and the radiology admin says the order expired on Oct 3rd... and I would need to see a Dr to get it re-opened. It's only been 1 week!!!! Regardless, I think it's a simple fix, I ask them to just call the clinic upstairs and ask them to extend the order. I was just there a week ago, right??? Wrong.

First, the radiology admin tells me she can't call anyone. I ask if she can give me the number to clinic up stairs, she says she didn't know there was a clinic up stairs. THEY ALL WORK FOR THE SAME HOSPITAL SYSTEM!!!!! Unbelievable. I walk upstairs and ask if they can extend the order, they tell me no. I would need to be seen by a physician again to get the order placed, again!!!! And the current wait time was 1 hr and 20 min. I asked if they could just ask the PA on to extend the order and they said they would check. 15 min later I'm told they can't and I should just go to Emergency Care at Scripps Green. BTW, there was nobody in the waiting room. I'm sure there were people scheduled to come in over the next hour, but seriously... I would have paid another $50 copay just to get the x-ray completed but not waiting another 1.5hrs. I have to travel again tomorrow and won't be able to see another Dr for another week. It's just sad.

I really love my Scripps family physician, Dr Dawkins... he's great. Been seeing him for 20yrs+... His Patient Care, and those around his immediate office are great. But once you need to go outside his office the Patient Care drops to horrific levels.

Bottom line, it's just a money grab at Carmel Valley. Go to Green or maybe Rancho Bernardo. Don't waste your time in Carmel Valley.

10/17/24 update - This clinic always responds and claims they want to follow up with you. So you send your info to the email address requested and they never follow up. Again, they don't really care, just doing what's needed to stay on good side of Google... For those who don't know, Google likes it when you respond to poor ratings. Helps keep your web site higher in the...