I was trawling on business in the Bay Area when my left (cadaver) knee transplant failed. I went to the Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and confirmed the joint was shot. I spoke with an excellent ER physician and learned of a very progressive surgeon doing some exciting things with knee replacements. The fact that I am only 46 creates many challenges for getting a total knee replacement that will have to last the rest of my life. I started doing research and calling friends who were surgeons in orthopedics and received resounding endorsements for Dr. Nathan Ehmer who happened to be working in the Santa Rosa area. The ER doctor called Dr. Ehmer early on a Saturday morning about my case and Dr. Ehmer's assistant Jasmine (who is also terrific) moved his schedule around so they could see me ASAP Monday morning. Dr. Ehmer was very kind and worked through my history and it was quickly decided the joint was toast and it needed to be replaced. I was facing down a critical time line at work and literally only had an immediate 6 week window I could be working from the couch. Dr. Ehmer offered me two options, one was he was willing to move his schedule around and do a traditional knee replacement in 3 days or the other was an exciting (somewhat) new procedure where a CT Scan is Used to build a plastic model of the knee and a computer generates cutting guides which lock onto the old joint and help the surgeon with alignment, cutting, placement and time under for the patient. This new procedure seemed obviously the best option and I checked with several friends who are Ortho Surgeons and they all said it was the way to go so wait the extra time if practical. I explained my dilemma to Dr Ehmer and he offered me a solution. He booked me for his next possible opening then personally telephoned the company that made the cutting blocks and asked them if they could rush the cutting guides for my case. He called me the next day and said they could get me the blocks in about two weeks so we decided to wait. In less than 2 weeks I got a call from Dr. Ehmer's office that the blocks were in and I was scheduled for surgery in 2 days. I am now 4 days post-op and feeling great. I need to get my right knee done this year as it is just as bad as my old left knee and I am going to fly back to Santa Rosa, likely from from Africa, to have Dr. Ehmer do the procedure. I can't express how pleased I am with Dr. Ehmer and his team and I would encourage anyone needing an Ortho surgeon to find your way to Santa Rosa and see Dr. Ehmer. The travel is irrelevant when you are talking about removing a joint from your body and replacing it with pieces of metal and expecting them to last the rest of your life. read more

One leg shorter than the other and a double staff infection, which he refused to give me antibiotics for. I ended up on IV for two months and lost hearing on one side permanently from the amount and strength of medication needed to clear the infection Finally went to a qualified surgeon that redid my hip. Seeing this doctor was the worst experience I have ever had. read more

Same infection from days after his surgery when Ehmer refused to acknowledge an infection could have occurred. Bone infection actually which required a week of hospitalization and months of antibiotics. read more

I received a form letter signed by Jennifer Schaab, President, MarinHealth Medical Network that referenced MarinHealth Orthopedic Care. More specifically, Dr.Nathan Ehmer will be leaving that practice as of June 9,2025. The letter referred patients to two other orthopedists in the practice. No further comment was made of note. The remaining two orthopedists, nor the orthopedic practice, sent out any similar letter. read more

My first visit with Dr. Ehmer was accidental at the emergency department where I arrived with a fresh spiral fracture in my lower leg. I consider myself very lucky that he was there that day at that time. He explained to me the complexity of the case and options of a surgery. That was an urgent physical job which he did excellently and very timely without a delay which made my recovery go smoothly right away. The post op care provided by his office is also focused on guiding a patient through healing as quickly and effectively as possible with a patient's understanding and cooperation. Like I said I consider myself lucky to be treated by Dr. Ehmer and I recommend him to whoever is planning a surgery ahead of time. read more

Dr. Nathan Ehmer Google Evaluation - September 1, 2020 No bedside manner here. Surgeon is completely unresponsive - does not return calls and does not keep his promise to "call you every day after surgery." 7 days out from a full right hip replacement surgery, and with the exception of one return call on an emergency basis because I became violently ill, not one call my way. What kind of medical office does this? August 24, 2020, I came to Marin General for a right hip replacement. I left with two wounds: my right hip and my right knee. 8 days post-surgery, my right knee cap continues to be swollen, bruised and incapable of bearing weight. My knee cannot bend or move without severe pain. From Friday, August 28, 2020 on through Sunday, August 30, 2020, repeated requests for help were made on the doctor's voicemail. Several times via text, the doctor was directly contacted. No response from the doctor. After a 3 hour wait, a back-up doctor called. This person told me not to expect any calls from Dr. Ehmer. He does not return them on weekends nor when he is on vacation - which is precisely what happened, before and after surgery. In the end, I never heard from Dr. Ehmer again. The "on call" surgeon, the back-up person, was concerned about my knee and thought it could be blood clotting or other dangers. While on the telephone with me, he texted Dr. Ehmer for help. Still no assistance from Dr. Ehmer. Before the surgery, 2 letters were written as follow-up to the several voicemails left requesting a response. Call, call, call. Write and write. Only then, did I hear from his assistant. Although repeatedly asked to call me on my cell, the assistant either called the wrong number or called my boyfriend to fill him in, instead of speaking with me directly. Wrong information about the drugs was given to my boyfriend, causing no end of further sickness, and vomiting after surgery. Now we are out $51.00 for drugs not covered by my insurance. When I said as much to Dr. Ehmer, who called my boyfriend because I was violently ill, he turned the tables on me; fiercely defended his assistant and made the situation all my fault. Dr. Ehmer did not visit me while in ICU. Instead, he commandeered the nurse's station, raging loudly about all the things going wrong with my case; what was wrong with the Nurse Navigator; what was wrong with Marin General Hospital. Upon hearing all his caterwauling, I felt compelled to soothe this doctor's anger and asked the nurse to bring him to me while lying in the ICU gurney. Imagine! I'm lying down telling my surgeon, "I need you on my team. I cannot have you against me." One of his rages included the fact that other nurses and physical therapists thought I should spend the night after surgery. I was not stable. When I got home, I had 15 stairs to climb. Dr. Ehmer and his assistant were told of the stairs well in advance of surgery, which he also denied. Nonetheless, 12 hours after surgery under these conditions, I was sent home. Dr. Ehmer does not allow his patients to stay overnight, nor will he be challenged by others. Forget the sweetness and light. My experience of Dr. Ehmer is an angry, arrogant, defensive doctor. read more

In December of 2022, my husband had hip replacement surgery performed by Dr. Elmer. However, Dr. Elmer never prescribed ANY post op physical therapy for my husband. I understand that by not doing so, the good doctor gets more money from insurers. As a result of the doctor's negligence, my husband had a very difficult time recovering, was in pain and unable to walk. He called and texted the office multiple times for advice but they did not not respond to the repeated attempts for help. When Dr. Ehmer or his assistant Sydney, did finally call and scheduled an appointment, they actually blamed my husband for the situation. My husband subsequently developed a staphylococcal infection which resulted in a large mass that was painful and which, by the time the doctor finally saw him, required an additional surgery to remove. Dr. Ehmer operated and said he removed the mass. He was not successful in doing so, and my husband will now be forced to endure yet another surgery to remove the infected mass next week. Dr Ehmer's assistant, is highly unprofessional at best and outright hostile at worst. When she finally returned our multiple calls last week- she left an expletive laden message on our voicemail. It was unbelievable. We will be saving the message. read more

Dr Ehmer gave me a full hip replacement, 12 days later I was hitting golf balls again. Great surgeon, a no-nonsense surgeon. Very approachable, and answered all my questions as I am very active at 63. Skiing, Golf, water sports, Mountain bike riding. He does his part, I did mine. I will hopefully be seeing him again soon for my left hip. Dennis N read more

I am a nurse and had worked with MD Ehmer and when I desperately needed my hip replaced he refused take me on as a client. I moved to Redding CA and Orthopedic care was 4-8 months out. I was hobbling in pain and distressed as it was almost impossible to get through 12 shifts. He started the conversation out with "Penny, I am not going to replace your hip". Because I lived in Redding he refused to take me on as a client. I explained I have family in Napa which is 20ish miles away from Novato and that I would stay there to rehab. He raised his arms and made a circle and stated that "our group has made decision that we don't provide services outside the area". I drove 230 miles and paid a co-pay to be denied services and to be emotionally deflated as I lost all hope in this surgeon. Now Dr. Ehmer wasn't my first choice as his partners who was my Dr. does not perform total hip replacements so I thought as a professional curtsey he would accept me as his patient. NOPE. I left in tears. After reading some of his reviews I am so thankful for his denial. I had DR. JOHN DIANA in Napa replace my hip and I'm rocking it, Smooth Post-op. 100% available and I am bless by this. I truly believe that God was looking out for me by not letting this Dr. touch me. Stay away from this Guy he has zero integrity. read more

Dr. Ehmer is a warm sensitive doctor, a rare breed for a trauma doctor. Dr. Ehmer was a god sent the night I bashed my knee in a car accident. He was a true surgical artist who patched me up and I have no complications at all. It feels good to know there are medical professionals out there taking care of injured folks. read more

For a while (2 appointments), I agreed with the (mostly) 5 point reviews. Then. As I was on the mend, I asked about driving. His reply: " if you feel like you can control the car, sure, but be aware that if you're sitting at a red light and some immigrant who has no license to drive in this country, with a load of cocaine on board suddenly loses control of his car and smashes into you, and he sees this cast on your arm, his lawyers can say..." I was speechless for about 30 seconds before suggesting it might be less offensive to substitute "outlaw" for "immigrant" in order for him to make the same point. He didn't appreciate that. Now I'm wondering whether the person who gave him a 1 star unfavorable review was perhaps not born here. read more

I wish I could have given Dr. Ehmer 5 stars. I see every one loves him and he passed with flying colors. Why was he so indifferent to my daughter?Why would'nt his office call me back and explain to me why her leg was crooked? The last time my daughter seen him was when he sent her for a exray. At that point I had no reason to be angry. It was when he would not call back or have his assistant call me for a appointment that I became angry. From your remark it sounds to me like you feel only one out of five screw ups is good. Now I know why I never received a call from you my daughter was just one of the your mistakes. read more

I need to let you know that I have been trying to get ahold of you. If I can get a hold of you to text that would work.

Dr. Ehmer is great--funny and approachable yet highly professional. He'll tell you exactly what he thinks. I had a broken wrist and he said surgery was up to me because the injury was just on the cusp of needing it. He patiently explained the pros and cons and was willing to say what he'd do if it were him (which was not have the surgery). Lots of docs are sort of surgery-happy, so I was psyched to get what I feel was an objective opinion. The only downside to seeing him--and it's significant--is that he practices at Santa Rosa Orthopedics. Check out their Yelp reviews to see what I mean. If I had it to do over again I would have seen a different doctor, only because the experience at SRO was so bad. read more

Thank god for Dr Ehmer! My husband had surgery for a broken femur which was botched. Luckily we were able to get in with Dr Ehmer. He spent quite some time talking with us during his first appointment. He explained everything to us as far as our options and the risks of the second surgery. It was very clear my husbands leg needed to be fixed asap and I was so relieved to hear Dr Ehmer say he would do the surgery the very next day. Throughout the whole process it was very obvious he genuinely cared about my husband and wanted to be sure he healed properly. His assistant jasmine has also been great and always returns phone calls promptly. read more

I saw Dr. Ehmer in the ER and found him to be an incredible orthopedic trauma doctor. He was extremely thorough and his orthopedic work was perfect. He reassured me at all times that everything was going to be o.k. His follow-up office visits provided me with education about my surgery and he worked closely with my physical therapist providing me with an excellent rehabilitation. read more

I was referred to Dr Ehmer upon release from the hospital to follow up on wound care regarding a cat bite. I find Dr. Ehmer to be unfriendly and cold hearted. without providing any anesthetic, he opened the wound which had begun to seal, he squeezed the palm of my hand to remove any remaining pus. He gave me instructions which included washing my hand with soap. up until that point I was advised to keep it dry. So I was surprised with his instruction. I remarked "so it's ok to get it wet". He looked up at me like I was a retard and repeated in a stern voice glaring at me "wash it with soap". After that I did not feel safe to say another word to him. He put a mesh over the wound, a piece of gauze and wrapped it tightly. he explained the pressure was necessary to release any accumulating pus etc. I asked him if I could have a couple pieces of gauze. He sternly replied "you can get that at CVS" Shortly after I left my hand began to hurt a lot, Dr. Ehmer had wrapped it so tight my hand my fingers were turning purple and swelling. I called his office, left a message on voice mail to talk to his assistant. And never got a return call. What's wrong with these arrogant over paid narcissistic doctor's like Dr. Ehmer. They go into the business for the money not because they give a shit for humanity in my opinion. Just because we are referred to a doctor doesn't mean we have to go there. We have options and it's up to us to research and we owe it to others to use a website like this to steer people away from cold hearted money hungry doctors when we have had an unprofessional experience. And if we have a positive experience we should post that too. read more