Review for the doctor - Knowledgeable, won't try to sell you a surgery but the con is he is never on time. So plan on being there for at least an hour of your day Office review - The operators are in the Philippines from what one of the woman told me.. makes it impossible to talk to somebody at the actual office. I can't reach to the assistant but the manager Stephanie was helpful when I asks to be pinged to some one in office. Overall - 4/5 because of the care received read more

I tried to get an appointment with Dr. Rovner but was told they wouldn't take Medicare. I have Blue Cross supplement but it didn't matter. This is the first time I have had this experience using Medicare. read more

Not sure why this doctor is a recommended orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Rovner performed a L4-L5 disc fusion on me in 2021.By the 4th day of my recovery I was having severe pain in my right side, groan area, and not able to stand. After numerous attempts to have it re-evaluated, he referred me to a internal medicine doctor, suggested it was probably a women's issue, and then prescribed medications that had nothing to do with my symptoms. His PA finally suggested I have a CT. It turns out the "cage" that was inserted into my spine, had dislodged and became imbedded into one of my back muscles. Therefore, three weeks later the surgery had to be revised. Long story short, Dr. Rovner waited too long for the revision, therefore, I now have permanent and painful damage to my right groan area, right foot, and toe. I live in constant pain, due in part to a doctor's large ego and the inability to listen to my concerns. Not to mention.. rude staff, and the worst bedside manner I've ever experienced with a physician. I hope this helps if your thinking of having Dr. Rovner do any type of surgery on your being. Giving one star in favor of his PA who decided to listen to me. read more

Doctor may be good but staff is rude and wait time is horrid. Don't get there in time they cancel you but you wait up to an hour to be seen after your appt time. There are other good doctors with better staff and no wait time read more

Caution: This MD did my mom's back surgery 18 months ago. Right away she was having issues with pain. Fastforward to recent her hardware failed in her back per recent imaging. She went back to him and he is disbelieving the scan stating nothing is wrong. My mom currently has acute urinary retention with a foot drop, and she is unable to walk. This man is refusing to transfer her for neurosurgery at ucsf as a second opinion. Instead, he has thrown other teams at her to eval her bladder and suggest another procedure for pain control. I do warn you; this surgeon does not provide appropriate patient care, he is negligent. I suggest you go elsewhere. Why does he only have privileges to work out of San Ramon medical center and not John muir walnut creek or another larger facility? Ask these important questions prior to blindly going to this surgeon for any procedure. If it goes bad he will try to deflect and cause patient harm read more

My wife had neck surgery with Dr. Rovner. He took time to answer all of our questions. The surgery went according to schedule. Post surgery he was available to help as my wife wasn't tolerating the pain medication. Her was able to switch it, and she started doing better. The pain in her hands started subsiding shortly after the surgery. Then she was able to feel the ulnar nerve issues because the neck was masking it. If you don't address these things right away you can end up with permanent pain. Great doctor! Great staff! Great surgical office in Fremont. read more

I should note that my review is on Dr. Rovner himself and not the "practice", or the office. Dr offices don't always reflect the quality of the physician unless its a small office that's dedicated to no more than one or two doctors, and the larger the practice the lower level of service that office will provide so lets leave it at that. As for Dr. Rovner himself goes, my experience with him in the last 15 yrs has been very positive. He's not one to baby you, he's not one for chit chat, and some people don't care for his bedside manner, but for my money, I expect one who a) knows what he's doing and b) can provide high quality of medical care on a consistent level. To that I've found him to be competent and knowledgeable in his craft. He's very skillful and doesn't mess around with un-necessary treatments which you're not likely to benefit by. He's not an ambulance chaser and doesn't write to benefit his wallet or the insurance company, if you don't need a procedure he won't recommend it, and he doesn't force surgical decisions. He fixed a broken neck which was cause of agony for many years and after we exhausted all conservative measures, I finally chose to go under the knife, I only regret not making that decision on DAY-1 because had I known just how painless the recovery would be I would have saved myself 6yrs of pain, and I mean debilitating agonizing pain, not just a nagging pain. He's also provided consultation on my lower back disk issues which has panned out to be on the money. Again, there are a lot of other ortho surgeons who would book your surgery before having seen you because it is where the money's at. But with him, surgical options are reserved for last resort when all other options have failed to bring relief. So there it is, take it or leave it but regardless of what ortho you finally decide to go with, beware of your options and make time to get at least 2 other opinions before you go under the knife. In my case, I saw 6 well known surgeons in BayArea, and I am glad I went with him. Good luck to you for whatever pain is bringing you to the Doctor and I wish you a successful recovery. Best Regards, -F- You may email me directly if you would like read more

Dr Rovners my hero and he saved my life. I first saw him at Webster ortho and it was such a hectic office! I'm very pleased in the smooth and wonderful new practice he and Dr. Talwar created. His employees are very helpful and extremely welcoming. Dr. Rovner went above and beyond to help me and I can't say enough good things about him. read more

I saw Doctor Rovner at the practice in Oakland a few months ago, and was pleased with my visits. In my case, he made a preliminary diagnosis, but then was concerned when he saw my X-rays. He explained why very clearly. He sent me for an MRI, and when those results came back, it was clear in my followup visit with him that the X-rays had been a bit misleading, and that I was okay. Surgery would not be necessary. I really respect him for being able to say "I am unsure" despite having a vast amount of experience, and then seeing to it that I got the better imaging to get to the truth. My gripes there have to do with the practice, and not Doctor Rovner (nor Doctor Peatman) themselves. This place is always *way* too busy, and they are always running late. Don't even think about using the metered parking on the street (two hours max). Park in the lot and pay the seven bucks, and avoid the stress of worrying about a parking ticket. Anyway, some of the staff there are really nice, but some of them are rather surly, and it took me a long time and lots of phone calls to resolve an insurance billing issue so that I wouldn't have to pay for the MRI out of my pocket. I would rather have a great doctor and a poor practice than a poor doctor and a great practice. Doctor Rovner is that great doctor. Update #1: After months of phone calls, I still have yet to get the insurance mess sorted out, and Doctor Rovner's office has been totally unhelpful. The doctor himself should get five stars, but I would be very cautious about seeing him in the event that he were to send one off-site for something as simple as an MRI. Update #2: After many more phone calls, the billing headache finally got sorted out. The best help that I received was actually from the business that performed the MRI. Doctor Rovner is great, but one better triple-check that the staff there is totally one-hundred percent in sync with one's insurance provider. Update #3: I just now noticed that Yelp has a message system, and that Doctor Rovner had sent me a very thoughtful message regarding my negative experience, was happy to see that he had established his own practice elsewhere where he governs the rate at which patients are scheduled, and was assured that he now has control over problematic office personnel. He seemed very sincere, and I was surprised that he even gave me his phone number. I am taking him at his word, and am changing my review from three stars to four stars. read more

Dr. Rovner treated me for severe sciatica from a herniated spine. He was the third doctor I saw and the second specialist, but he was the first one to give me an accurate diagnosis and useful alternatives for treatment. His office was very prompt in arranging for an MRI and in following up. Treatment led to getting a microdiscectomy that was very successful, and resulted in a great recovery. I'm very grateful to the family friend that referred me to Dr. Rovner. read more

Not a good experience!!! At all.... Staff its "OK"but yet Unprofessional. But Dr. Rovner...ugh. Rude &unprofessional..etc. This is a WC case...and so far his the 4th Doc. Ive seen in a period of almost 2yrs. 1st visit; My app was at 3:30 I was there @ 3:00(fill out pw) so by 4:30 I was still sitting in the waiting room i mean come on I have a low back injur,So I cant be sitting for long periods. At 5 pm I finally decided to talk to front desk and she tells me "oh well Im not sure if he'll be able to make it" I ask why??? "well he's performing a surgery" I was MAD!!! i mean at least they could of tell me.HOURS BEFORE..we drove a very long distance.. BUT NOOOOO,they decided to wait till i ask??!!!!!!!!!!!! So I just had to reschedule. 2nd visit; I was there on-time and waiting time was around 15m (so far so good) They walk me trough the back and i had to wait for Dr. for like for 1hr. When he finally shows.he was...OK. But when he ask me about symptoms and everything(even tho he had review my MR) HE was paying really good attention and i mean he was doing his job. So he wanted x-rays and MRI. So he schedules me AGAIN..in 1 month. :-( 3rd visit; He finally reviews my MRI and he found the problem... he didnt even explain to me about exactly whats going on with my back and left leg. all he said "solution; SURGERY" Two surgeries..one for lowback and 1 for leg. He kinda explain the surgery procedure..and tells me to go home and think about it. Im 23 yrsold..w 2 babies..so i was a little scared about surgery..c'mon So i go home and i was supposed to go back to DR in 4wks. 4th visit; I had my answer for surgery (if it was the best, i was up for it) So yes. I was willing to get it. But when i gave him my answer he tells me "I dont think surgery is the best thing for you" and that was a little weird because,he tells me that after he spoke with my insurance adjuster. hmmmm... But instead he gives me TONS of medication for pain. Even tho i explained how that medicine havnt help me at all. (ive tried it before) 5th and last visit;DEC.10 2013. He schedules me for a 3:30pm app...and some other of his patients where schedule at the same time too. So at 4:30 they FINALLY call my name and Dr. wasnt even there...i was seeing a different guy. Who i explained a new symptom i was having (abdominal pain,that radiates to my back and leg) he just nod and said ok. .Sents me back home and wants to see me back in JUNE 2014...aRE U FREAKIN out of your MIND!?!?!!!!! I Am switching Dr..again!!!!!! So for the record No im not getting paid with TD Or anything,I havent been able to go back to work and this pain KILLS ME!!! Its very hard...very very. I know how many ppl here talk crap about WC patients and blah,blah..but believe me im not taking advantage in ANY WAY... read more

Great knowledge, great beside manner. Spends the time to explain in detail your diagnosis and answers all questions without becoming annoyed or rushed. Respects the opinions and questions of those who are not experts. Is not in a rush to operate and is frank with you on the prognosis. read more

Dr. Rovner was friendly and competent, as far as it goes. His staff was incompetent and rude. I waited 30 minutes after my appointment time, and nobody acknowledged my existence, including spending 10 minutes waiting at the desk for someone to look up and let me know they were aware I was waiting. They were unable to recommend a PT in Berkeley (?!) so I was planning to do the research myself. Post-appointment, they called me to try to find out whether I had found a PT yet, and I told them no. They called me a second time a day later, for some reason, and when I told them I still hadn't, and asked them to please stop calling, they simply hung up on me with no further words. Incredibly unprofessional. read more

My husband and I are both physicians; he a retired Orthopedist, and I a retired Anesthesiologist. Needless to say, we are choosy about our physicans. Dr. Rovner is a lovely fellow, well-run office, but best of all an exceptional surgeon. He knows his way around the spine. When he told me my surgery would be outpatient, and that I would have basically no restrictions afterward, I was sold. This was after talking to multiple Neurosurgeons, including at UCSF. Go with this guy, or at least use him for a second opinion. I would not hesitate to have him do scoliosis surgery on my child. read more

I had the unfortunate, more like disastrous, experience that is Dr. Rovner. My god, when I think now how he tortured me for his material gain and what ever other proclivities he has I just sigh with relief that he is no longer anywhere near me and won't be ever again. And he should rue the day I ever see him in person. I went to him for a work comp injury. A bulging disc C5 in my neck. I was in so much pain I couldn't see straight. He told me, get this, that there was nothing wrong with me.He actually ran a test on me that showed him I wasn't faking it. Yet, he denied I had a problem to me. He would try to load me up on Vicodin and say see me in 4 wks. If I had no problem why come back? He had me totally convinced I was nuts. It was useless to bring my husband to straighten him out because he would then act like a normal dr.. I hope he has nightmares for what he does. He is mysoginistic and very dense. Good luck if you chose him. I told my doc that he is never to touch me again, even if I am dying. read more

Waited over 45 minutes to be seen. My visit with Dr. Rovner was a complete joke. He clearly puts patients who are in workman's comp situations or accidents before anyone else. And for those who bring an attorney will get "Top Shelf" treatment!! My appointment lasted barely 7 minutes... never even did an exam on my neck. Just sent me to PT and wrote the order wrong so when I got there the physical therapists did more damage. Of course Dr. Rovners office billed my insurance for over an hour... not the true 7 minutes!! Don't waste your time. He definitely has a hidden agenda. Ambulance chaser at best!! read more

Dr. Rovner's office staff were amazingly helpful and kind. My husband was in desperate need of an appointment and they bent over backward to get him the service he needed. I would absolutely want to work with this office under any circumstances. read more

Rovner's practice is a joke- I would call it more of an assembly line than a medical practice. They take on more patients than they can handle and really do not care about the well being of them. First off, I often had to wait for an hour and a half in the waiting room. Rovner decided to give me pain pills rather than get to the root of my chronic back pain - he said it's not bad enough for surgery and did nothing else to help. I guess since I wasn't getting surgery I was no good for him and/or he didn't have enough time to care about my back. I spent good money as I had terrible insurance to see him as he was supposedly the best- not. I finally went to a surgeon at John Muir who actually took time with me and figured out what was going on- rather than just give me pills. Fast forward to a few years later. My elderly Father has herniated discs and is in excruciating pain. He told me he was going to see Rovner and I cringed. Sure enough, after getting an MRI last week they couldn't get him in to see Rovner for 4 days. My poor Father ran out of pain medication yesterday and started calling Rovner's office early on. They said they would have his assistant call the pharmacy and by 2:30 he had not called it in. My Father even staggered in pain down to the office to try to make sure they were going to call it in and they said that they were on it. By 4:30 it had not been called in to the pharmacy. He called the office back and they sent us to the assistant's voicemail again. The prescription was never filled and my Dad went to bed in excruciating pain and can't even stand this morning. I've never seen him like this and I feel helpless and angry. My Father never complains or says anything bad about anyone but he made a comment about how upset and disappointed he was with Rovner and his office. Rovner and his assembly are unprofessional in every sense. What kind of surgeon/practice tells someone who has herniated discs and can't even walk or function that they ARE calling in their prescription and never does? Never returns a call. Never apologizes. It is pathetic and sad. No one in this much pain should have to deal with this frustration. Rovner needs to only take on as many patients as HE can handle as people are suffering in pain and he could care less. read more

I saw Dr Rovner 7 years ago and he gave me advice about who to see for neck surgery because I had Kaiser. He was compassionate and from my ex ray's he could understand that I was in considerable pain. Until then I had received 20 years of non-invasive shots, blocks, epidurals and much more without any real success. The surgery was a big success. In two days he is operating on my best friend and I am very confident he will fix her neck so she can get on with her life. Great doctor. read more

There are two aspects to review: Dr. Rovner, and the experience at his office. The good things about Dr. Rovner: - he knows his stuff - he made a recommendation that I get a microdiscectomy, which ended up being the procedure I had - but with a different surgeon - and it has helped me tremendously. - The bad things about Dr. Rovner: - he is unapologetic for being late (and he was late for every single appointment I've ever had with him) - he tends to rush you; he's not one of those doctors where you feel like you're important, or that he/she genuinely cares what you have to say. - after waiting for a minimum of 45 mins each time, he doesn't spend more than 5 minutes with you. - he does MINIMAL physical examinations; he does more writing than examining you The good things about the office: - the staff seem like nice people - Rovner's Medical Assistant (Katie?) is very attentive and sympathetic - The bad things about the office: - the staff seem incompetent with scheduling because they OVERBOOK Rovner CONSTANTLY. You will see this complaint on other reviews on Yelp, I encourage you to read others' reviews as well because you will see a theme. - my last visit to Rovner was a 3-month post-op appointment. My appt was at 11:45, which I scheduled around my lunch break, so that I wouldn't miss more work. They called me at 11:30 saying he was running behind about 15-30 minutes. I showed up at 12:10, and the first receptionist said that he was "somehow double-booked" and they don't know how that happened, but he was an hour and a half behind! He was just about to see his 10:45 patient!!! I needed this appt or else I would've had to wait 2 months to be seen by him. I ended up waiting an hour and then furiously complained to receptionist #2. She denied the double-booking and said he had an emergency appt that morning, which pushed back every single patient after that. She then proceeded to have me fill out a huge packet since this is his new office, even though I already filled out all of that info at Webster. And no one gave me these papers in the HOUR I had been sitting there. After waiting an HOUR AND A HALF to be seen, he spent 3-4 minutes with me and he never asked to see my incision site from the surgery. I said to him "can you take a look at this to make all of this worthwhile?" (He looked for a second and said it looked as it would if he had performed the surgery.) Bottom line: life is too short to waste so much time in his office. You can find something better. read more

Dr. Rovner is kind, helpful, and competent in his practice. I visited him with horrible back pain, and was relieved when he, unlike so many other doctors, took my complaint seriously and sought out to find the route problem rather than simply treat the symptoms. After an MRI and an x-ray, Dr. Rovner was happy to report that nothing was structurally wrong with my back. Despite being a surgeon first and foremost, he continued to offer suggestions and exercises to help me alleviate the pain even though ultimately, he could not correct the problem with surgery. As other yelpers have mentioned, the office is a little busy, but I see that as a small price to pay for the expert advice and patient demeanor for which you are waiting. read more

Dr. Rovner is horrid. His office staff equally horrid. Had back surgry and came out with a new injury. The recovery was the most horrible I have ever experienced. I am afraid to have back surgry to fix new problem. It is true the wait time is crazy and his assistant at that time was a mess. They were only to happy to have me in the operating room again. Not me, never again. Smh read more

had a chance to have Dr Rovner examine and assess my cervical spine issues , another surgeon insisted I needed a multi level fusion , Dr Rovner was refreshingly up front and honest in his assessment of my issues , I appreciated him and his directness , at this point surgery would not help with the issues I suffer due to cord impingement , the experience was good on all levels from office staff , x-ray tech and Dr , my thanks to Dr Rovner and staff for answering questions and being honest , when the time comes I will definitely go to Dr Rovner for the surgery read more

Dr. Rovner is amazing! My anterior posterior spinal fusion was a success and I am so happy with the results. Dr. Rovner is very personable, caring, detailed in explaining the operation and all of my questions that I had. He came to visit me in the hospital daily to make sure I was doing fine. Thank you Dr. Rovner for giving me back my life! read more

Dr. Rovner is a fantastic! I had surgery on my lower back and almost 3mo later I feel like a new man. His office is really nice and the staff is very helpful and pleasant to deal with. I couldn't be happier. read more

I have been a patient of Robert Rovner's since 1998. To date he has operated on my back twice both times successfully and I am now facing a third and final surgery. My five star rating is for Dr. Rovner ONLY he is truly a gifted surgeon. Webster Orthopaedics gets a 0 star rating from me. When I first became a patient oh so many years ago they were great no long waits, the staff were kind and helpful even friendly and over the years that kind of patient care disappeared and was replaced by overworked, stressed out people who rarely even look up from their computers. It is sad. I have many orthopaedic issues other than my back and it would be nice to keep all my care under one roof but I have chosen not to see other Webster doctors because of the uncaring atmosphere of the support staff at Webster Orthopaedics. I do recommend Dr. Rovner without reservation you just have to grit your teeth and deal with the support staff. Oh, you can refuse to see the PA and insist on seeing only Dr. Rovner, that is your right as a patient or you can see the PA and then insist on seeing Dr. Rovner after you have seen the PA before you leave the office just insist on this when you make your appointment and make a note of the name of the person date and time that you made your appointment. lindalee 12/2/2013 read more