BE WARNED! The deceptive billing practice of Dr. Van Pelt's office (along with St. Francis Hospital) completely overshadows any review of him as a doctor. You will be billed twice for the same visit - once by his office and again by the hospital for simply walking in the door as a facility fee. This double billing practice left me with a $300 bill for what should have been a $30 copay under my plan. Needless to say, no one in his office mentioned this to me in advance. Our healthcare system has enough problems than to have providers engage in deceptive billing practices like this. I am more than happy to pay my assigned co-pays for services rendered but double billing people like this is deceptive and unfair. I only wish I had checked Yelp or ZocDocs (the site through which I made my appointment) before making my appointment because it's clear from other reviews that I am not alone in this experience. Dr. Van Pelt is nice enough but there is no legitimate way that any patient would knowingly come to his office if they knew in advance that a 5 minute visit to see him would cost them over $300 in out of pocket expenses. My recommendation for an orthopedist in SF is Dr. Jeffrey Halbrecht. Great doctor, normal billing, good experience, helpful office staff. read more

I'm getting old. I have pain in my knees when I run. So I stopped running and now I use the elliptical machine. No problem, right? But two weeks ago I hiked Yosemite Falls (awesome, if you haven't gone GO!) and starting on the way down felt that familiar pain. Once I got to flat land I did what they always told us in basketball, RICE, rest, ice, compression, and elevation. No better. So now I have to find someone to diagnose and hopefully fix me. Enter Dr. Van Pelt via my insurance dr listings. I called, and got an appointment that day. The name Van Pelt name sounds totally snooty but the man is very chill (also contrasting which his place of work, the Center for Sports Medicine, an intimidating bureaucratic department of the Saint Francis Memorial Hospital). Dr. Van Pelt asked really acute questions about the nature of my current pain, listened to my sports injury history, and patiently answered all my questions. I didn't get the feeling that he was rushing at all or that he was mentally somewhere else. He also discussed with me a few options for treatment and then got one of the on-site physical therapist to give me a quick walk-through of some strengthening exercises. read more

I located Dr. Van Pelt after reading some Yelp reviews. I had previously seen another physician in the same clinic, and wanted a second opinion. Appointment booking was a cinch, I was seen the following day. Dr. Van Pelt was patient and approachable, his demeanor made me feel very comfortable as I conveyed my concerns. I felt him to be of the old school of practitioners who rely on empirical diagnostics rather than imaging, but perhaps this varies case by case. He asked specific questions and used very specific clinical examination techniques that, having visited a few other sports docs previously, I had not experienced before, all quickly leading to an affirmation of earlier diagnose. Dr. Van Pelt then personally led me over to the therapy department and prescribed some treatments. Overall, I'm very satisfied with the experience and would recommend his services (non-surgical sports medicine/orthopedics). read more

Last November I cracked my tibia after I fell while chasing after a friend one night and even though it's been months since my injury, my knee still feels slightly sore and just a little bit off. I've been wanting to start running again and pursue other athletic interests, but I didn't want to cause further injury to myself if my knee wasn't fully healed. I decided to visit Dr. Van Pelt last week and the experience was great! First of all I called on Monday and was able to get an appointment for the very next day. I showed up early for my appointment and after filling out some paperwork I was actually able to see Dr. Van Pelt earlier than my scheduled appointment time. As far as Dr. Van Pelt goes, the guy is super nice. He was very friendly and took the time to listen to how I injured myself, what my current symptoms were, and to show me on a model knee what was going on . The final thing that impressed me was his prognosis. He basically told me that my knee just was poorly rehabbed, described a few exercises I could do on my own to strengthen the muscles around my knee, and even took me over for a half hour session with a physical therapist where she showed me more exercises I could do on my own. Prior to my appointment I was expecting to be told that I had to have regular appointments with a physical therapist, but for Dr. Van Pelt tell me upfront that I could rehab my knee myself, is just a testament to his honesty and character. read more

I saw Dr. Van Pelt today for my quad strain. He was extremely helpful, a good listener, and also very informative about my injury. His assessment was thorough and detailed. He took his time to explain what he was checking for and really listening to my replies and history. My overall impression of the clinic was good as well. A little... "corporate" on the outside- all of the different receptionists feel a tad like waiting in line to get a number at the DMV. But what can you expect from such a LARGE sports medicine center. Dr. Van Pelt himself was a pleasure and seemed extremely knowledgeable and patient. Would recommend him and the clinic to anyone with a sports injury. read more

One of the best doctors I've ever had: spot on diagnosis (the most important thing), super nice and friendly, takes time to explain what is wrong with you and what options you have. I broke my ACL and now he is helping me with contacting a surgeon and getting an operation Came back home and told my housemate and, small world, he treated her wrist years ago...also only nice things to say. read more

Find an alternative!!! Dr. Vanpelt was great but his office billing practices/those of Dignity Health are really shady. My father is a physician and I know what good practice looks like, and this is FAR from it. This office double charges your insurance for visits - 1) a physician fee and 2) a hospital facility fee, regardless of whether the hospital facilities are used in your visit. So my 15 min visit for my shoulder, in which no tools/facilities were used, was $150. I was being charged to keep the elevator running and the lights. I've asked for someone to show me proof that the facility fee was made clear and/or warranted, and no one has anything helpful to say. If you're desperate and willing to double pay, go ahead. If you have options, go somewhere else. read more

Just received a collection call for $20 for this doctor. Obviously he got hundreds of dollars from my insurance already. His billing system is ridiculous, no way to pay online and his support staff never answers the phone or returns calls. Before I got a collections call I never ever received any calls from his staff. So, if you can't be bothered with working, can't be bothered with hundreds of dollars from my insurance paid you, and would like to offload your work onto collections agencies please enjoy this one star review. This practice is unbelievable unorganized with staff scattered and always on "lunch" breaks. I have waited for over an hour in this practice for my appointments. DO NOT COME HERE!!!!!1 read more

Dr VanPelt saved my life , and is a great Sports medicine Doctor . He has been my sports medicine MD since 2008. I do not want to get into " he saved my life specifics." He is kind , listens to his patients , ask you questions. Makes decisions with you , not independently . I would highly recommend anyone with back issues to see him . Peter Simmonds read more

Met with him only once on a follow-up visit & he was subbing for my regular doctor who was on vacation. The exam was fine & he was nice enough, but he was a little chatty which is the opposite of Dr's that see you for 30 seconds...but I had to wait a while to see him, so I think his chattiness may have been what caused him to be running late. Lastly, while chatting, he repeatedly put his hand on my knee/upper leg while talking & I hate touchy-feely people/doctors that I do not know that do that. I'm no prude, but seriously, hands-off! read more

I run/hike/bike quite a bit, and lately i started to have consistent knee pain after sitting down for a long time. Honestly before i saw dr. van pelt, I thought all doctors would just ask me to stop exercising until the pain subsides (at least that's what my primary care doctor would say), and pray that the pain won't come back when i start exercising again. But Dr Van Pelt did way more than what i expected! during my visit, he asked me alot of questions about my exercising habits and my knee pain, examined my walking posture, and did a thorough check on my knee, and best of all, he actually concluded about what caused my pain!!!! phew, can't tell you how much better when someone can tell you what's going wrong with your body! after the diagnose, dr van pelt asked a physical therapist to show me what exercise i can do to improve my situation. i felt so lucky to have found dr van pelt :) read more

Seen this doctor a couple times. He is friendly and seems pretty nice, but unfortunately his clinical skills seemed to be lacking or perhaps just sort of blase or careless in his exam. One time, in an urgent situation, he prescribed immediate PT and pain pills. That did help in the short-term, so I was thankful. However, another time, non-urgent, he did an exam and essentially had no idea what was wrong with my leg and didn't seem to think much of it. Funny thing is, it's 2 or 3 years later and I STILL get the pain in my leg - feels like my hamstring is popping out from behind my knee. Hey, if any readers know what I'm talking about, and have a diagnosis, please let me know. Van Pelt was no help. Oh, and I was told my insurance covered the appointment, but I got a bill for a copay some months later. When I called and spoke with his billing person, she said the insurance didn't cover the whole thing. Odd that my other appointment with him WAS covered in its entirety. Hmmm. Nice guy but I personally wouldn't recommend. read more

Great doctor. Listens very carefully to your problems, explains you why you have the disorder. Very good person to talk to.

I had reasonable expectations, but I was still impressed with Dr. Van Pelt. I found the doc through Zoc Doc (which I had never heard of) which gave me a 8am visit time. I received a phone call the next day saying Zoc Doc is wrong and that the earliest appointment was 9am. Ok, no worries. Showed up at 8:30 to fill out paperwork, seeing the doctor at 9am on the dot. The reason I went was to get what I suspected to be a ganglian cyst on my left pinky looked at (climbing injury). The doctor concurred with my YouTube self diagnosis, and gave me my options: nothing, drain it, surgically remove the sac. Because it was minor but still annoying, I opted for draining it. He went and got a numbing agent and needle and went to town. Out the door five minutes later. If anyone else found this review because of 'ganglian cyst', he said it would ache the rest of the day but be fine tomorrow. And I'm back to climbing on Thursday! read more

Great doc -- very thoughtful and comprehensive. Dr. Van Pelt (I was corrected by the staff to say Van Felt...hmmmm) listened to my history of injury closely, gave me a full eval and gave clear and concise council on my next steps. This is how it should be! read more

I honestly don't know if this Dr. can be any nicer? He seriously needs to write a book to share with other doctors re: how to treat your patients, listen to them, and overall demeanor. Over the past several years I have gone to him for issues w/ my back and knees. He's simply the most pleasant doctor you will ever encounter. I highly recommend him for any of your muscularskeletal needs. read more

Right on time, smart, very helpful in answering my questions, didn't rush me.

First off I'd like to say that I hate doctors. That being said I had a great experience with Dr. Van Pelt. Had some issues with my shoulder (thought it may have been a torn rotator cuff). Dr. Van Pelt did an exam determined it was just and AC Disc issue, and gave me a few ways to fix it. If I ever have a sports issue again, I'll be going back. read more

Conclusion: Dr. Van Pelt is awesome. Will definitely see him again Me;First time patient for Dr. Van Pelt. Very patient - He actually let me thoroughly explain my problems. That's a first for me. Not rushed - He asked questions to cover issues i missed myself and took his time with diagnostics and explanations. Also, he had time to personally drop me off to PT. Maybe it was a slow friday, but scheduling ample time in between patients showed me that he didnt cut my visit time short. Amiable - He didn't have a "i'm the doc, stop questioning me" attitude, thus making him very easy and pleasant to talk to. While i would have liked an mri/xray/whatnot for reassurance, Dr. Van Pelt's explanation logically reassured me that those tests would be unnecessary. read more

Brought my wife in who suddenly developed what was diagnosed as bursitis in her shoulder after too many long days in the office and too much time at her totally non-ergonomic desk. Dr. Van Pelt was kind, thoughtful, thorough and totally professional, providing not only immediate help, but down to earth and, dare I say it, holistic advice on what she needed to do to get her shoulder out of the immediate crisis and bring it back to health. Last but not least, he was not at all hurried, but took his time exploring the problem and discussing the short and long term prognosis and treatments. If I haven't yet made myself clear, I would unreservedly recommend this doctor to anybody. read more

Dr. Van Pelt is the best doctor I've ever been to. I went to him with a slipped L5/S1 disc in an incredible amount of pain. He took the time to listen to me, fit me in to an MRI right away, and then fit me in right afterward to read the results. He went through the MRI step by step and showed me exactly what was happening and totally put me at ease. I can't recommend him highly enough. read more

I saw Dr. Van Pelt for my knee, which I injured while skiing. I had never injured my knee before, and I wanted to speak with a non-surgeon first so that I would not be pushed into surgery. Dr. Van Pelt was very patient with me, and answered all my questions, no matter how stupid. He had great bedside manner, and never made me feel rushed. He performed a very thorough physical exam and determined (to the best of his ability without seeing an MRI or x-rays) what was possibly wrong with my knee. He then walked me through my options, and recommended some surgeons and physical therapists. I later got an MRI and his diagnosis was spot-on. Overall, I had a great visit with him and he set me on the right track to getting my knee fixed. Highly recommended. read more

Dr. Van Pelt is a great doctor. He's extremely personable, professional, and made going to see the doctor (an experience I avoid if possible) a pleasure. I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. Van Pelt and the Center for Sports Medicine in Corte Madera if you have any kind of knee issue. read more