Dr. Williams was very knowledgeable and helpful. I had saw three other doctors before him for my condition with limited results. It is very clear that he took my complaints seriously and looking for reasonable ways to assist me. read more

Vernon B. Williams, MD was a very mean and uncaring pain management doctor. He prescribed 2 types of medications and gave me no indication that I could have side effects. Thank goodness I waited until the weekend to try one. It made me feel dizzy, nauseated, and it affected my vision when I was driving for an appointment. He gave me epidurals which stopped working and then he yelled at me as if it was my fault. He is a horrible person and doctor. I will never go back to see him again! read more

I had surgery at UCLA 5 years ago. Partial thyroid removal (told I had cancer, I didn't) but started having issues right away. Ringing in my ears, numbness, felt like my head was chopped off and put back on crooked and had not blood flow around base of my neck. I wasn't connected to my body. Things got worse over time, my primary a year into my misery suggested that I had thoracic outlet syndrome. Sent me to Ucla, supposed to be the best at thoracic outlet. They basically laughed at my symptoms. I spent years being told it was in my head and my life including my marriage suffered. I was still athletic and active but stopped yoga and golf because one off swing or down dog and the pain and ringing would come back for weeks. Finally out of the blue I referred to Dr. Williams. Did a scalene block, finally had some blood flow in my torso. I just had botox injections in my left side problem area and have had a week of little to no pain in that area and reduced ringing. The other thing is all this time I've said to doctors I feel like a vein is blocked in my collarbone/trap area and blocks my right ear. Well Dr. Williams listened and ordered an MRI and sure enough...I'm getting a block on that side this week because there's a vein trapped in there. I am writing this because I almost didn't go see Dr. Williams because of the negativity I found here. If you are like I was and suffering, finding little joy in life because you are not doing the things you love. Just go. Yes, he is a man of few words. So what! He sure know how to deal with thoracic outlet and Brachial Plexus issues. Yes it is sometimes hard to get through to the office. But, I just roll with it. As an older woman who is mixed race, I was finally seen and heard by a doctor and not dismissed after 5 very long years of hell. read more

I was assigned to Dr. Williams for my injury needed immediate attention and he was the only Dr. that had and opening that week. I took the appointment and then went onto to researching him. The yelp reviews are mixed but it did make me go in with caution. Why does he only have 2 1/2 stars? My first meeting with him was ok. He listened to what I had to say and then shared his feelings on what it may be and then stated he need confirmation with an MRI. I was watching for the warning signs that the yelpers claimed, such as rushing, not listening. That didn't happen for me. And as being a questioner, he took the time. He also prescribed some medication. Keep in mind I met with him for the first time on Friday so I started the medication on a Saturday. My pain spiked from what I was taking a level 2 to a 9. I had no way of getting ahold of him. I left a vm, and a message through the Cedars portal. I called on Monday and his office assistant took the call and this is where it went south. This girl didn't know how to handle a patient with extreme pain. All she told me was to call 911 because the doctor was in clinic. Even after I told her it's urgent. I hung up, starting packing up to go to the emergency room. Before I left I thought, this is not care that I want, so I went into the portal and fired them. 20 minutes goes by and the Doctor called me back and asked what was wrong. He handled everything, apologized about the office assistant and then we were back on track. I go back for my 2nd visit for now I am coming back for results. I am sitting outside in a chair watching his office staff. And there I see where some of the negative reviews came into question. He isn't supported by his staff. What I witnessed he was trying to get into another patients room and he couldn't find their file so he could prep before going in. When he came out and asked for the file, she was on a break and the other girl did nothing. So with that, I witnessed his support staff is not at 100% and that is why the doctor is not operating at 100%. I would say he is caring, logical and didn't rush to say we need to operate. He was conservative with his assessment. If you are looking for a good doc, this man knows his stuff. Unfortunately, you are going to have to deal with his back office staff - that is why I took a star off. The receptionist is doing the best she can but that is it. I will continue going to Dr. Williams and I am glad I am in his care. read more

I started seeing Dr. Williams and his staff in January of 2019 after suffering an injury. Despite the difficulty of the injury, he and his team have worked tirelessly in helping to diagnose, treat, and monitor me throughout the past 20 months or so. I have had only 100% positive experiences during each of my visits and I am extremely grateful and appreciative to be a patient of his. Stating that he is friendly and positive is actually a critical component of recovery IMHO when one is dealing with nerve pain, damage, and uncertainty. While the injury is physical in nature, there is a large mental component when it comes to walking the road of recovery, and Dr. Williams and his staff are not only always encouraging but also very informed, educated and flexible when presenting me with treatment options. With his help and advice (and that of his top notch PA Harley), I have been fortunate enough to avoid medications despite my nerve damage. Having an advanced science degree, I am 100% pro medications; however, I am thrilled in his supporting physical therapy and acupuncture as a solid treatment program. My appointments have always run on time. While Dr. Williams and staff are very efficient, I have not felt rushed or talked over/ unheard. They listen to patient feedback and come up with plans and options accordingly. The office is beautiful and modern and parking is validated. If I do experience a flare up of my condition, they are very responsive (in person or via video chat) even during this challenging COVID time. I also appreciate the COVID screening that is conducted prior to each visit. I am lucky to be under Dr. Williams' care and have improved tremendously! Many thanks to this practice. read more

Quite possibly the worst doctor experience I've had. Dr. Williams barely spent 2 minutes in the room as I was bounced around different interns and nurses. In the brief period he chose to talk to me, he asked almost no questions and his entire demeanor of certitude felt unprofessional and unnecessary. read more

My mother and I heard Dr. Williams speak to a group about four years ago and were very impressed, but weren't able to see him at the time for pain management assistance. However, we kept his information and we have now been to Dr. Williams and can report a great outcome. Mother is 95 years old and suffers with chronic very bad back pain. MRIs showed her to have every possible bad thing a lower back can have - decomposing, arthritic vertebrae and spinal stenosis. She was no longer able to walk without a walker and then only with great effort. The spinal problem had also deadened her feet. We were leaving in a few days for the East Coast and I was hoping to see if I could get her some relief right away. After an initial consultation with Dr. Williams' uber-capable, kind and thorough associate Harley, it was decided that she could benefit by a procedure, an ultra- sound to determine the area of inflammation followed by an immediate shot of lidocaine/cortisone in that area. We had the procedure a few days later. When we returned for a followup visit a couple of days later, mom said there was no improvement. However, we have now been back East for almost four weeks and she says that the shot DID work and she is much improved. Thanks very much to Dr. Williams and Team. We recommend you 100% and without reservation! read more

I was extremely disappointed with Dr. Williams' complete lack of professionalism in his practice. First of all, his staff lost my MRI results twice, then, they never answer the phone nor return my calls (neither Dr. Williams nor his staff). Dr. Williams put me on a week-long course of a very serious medicine, but when the week was up and I needed to follow up with him about the medication, he suddenly became a ghost. I do not recommend using Dr. Williams' less than mediocre services. My experience could not have been worse. read more

I highly recommend Dr Vernon. He was referred to us by a sports trainer. He's knowledgeable, professional, detailed and thorough in treating concussions. Well worth the 45 min drive! So appreciate him. read more

Helped me with nerve pain in the flank area and back.

I waited more than two hours from my appt time to see him. Cedar Sinai had an army of people working admin at the office, but they can't seem to manage bookings or handle their customer base. read more

This guy is a complete asshole. don't waste your time and go to DR. ZALL. Basically rushes in and out of your appointment and doesn't care about you at all. Told me I have "TOS" and wanted to sedate me and give me a shot. Listen to the other people who reviewed the same complaint. Don't fall for this bs. I'm a professional golfer and have been around very high end equipment and doctors. read more

Vernon Williams performed a scalene block on a friend of mine and it went horribly. He is a useless physician and he, along with his partner Ilan Danan, should not be allowed to practice medicine. They are two of the most incompetent and useless doctors I have ever seen. Please do not waste your time with their pathetic attempts at proper treatment. Go to UCLA or USC for appropriate care. read more

This letter says it all: Dr. Williams,   Why do you insist on calling other doctors with whom I have firmly scheduled appointments, only to interfere with the dates and times of those appointments? This is at least the second time this has happened. How is this not harassment? The chaos and harm which lurk beneath your seeming accommodation ("in case you're unable to schedule an earlier appointment" from your last email) constitute nothing less than malicious compliance toward your superiors, when asked that you change your ways. I just received a phone call from Dr. Tu's office indicating the following: "Dr. Williams contacted us requesting to change your appointment to the first available cancellation in our office."   When I informed Dr. Tu's office that I had, indeed, not requested any changes to my appointment, the clearly bewildered  receptionist insisted that you, Dr Williams, had made this request on my behalf.   Inscrutably, this has occurred subsequent to my making it crystal clear to you that my March 3rd appointment "will not be changed." A fact documented by this very text chain.  Your blatant disregard for professional standards and practices is a vertiginous pattern of bullying and self-aggrandizement. All because you operate a paint-by-number form of medicine that assumes all white men over the age 50 complaining of sever back pain are suffering from Chronic Pain Syndrome (a mental condition) and addicted to painkillers. This is a lazy, reductive form of health care and a serious hazard to the public.   Again, this is the second time you have called a doctor to unilaterally interfere with my health care (which doesn't not even include the multiple instances whereby transitions to a new pain doctor were in process, only to be blocked by your office). The last time, you surreptitiously cancelled my appointment with your own pain psychologist, Dr Calzadilla and then falsely recorded in my records that I had failed to show. The truth is a waited two weeks for that appointment and when I did show, Dr Calzadilla's assistant Susannah told me you had cancelled my appointment less than 24 hours prior. You also falsely indicated to Operations Manager, Chris Habermehl that I was resistant to seeing Dr Calzadilla, attempting to create the dishonest characterization that I was somehow a noncompliant patient. Furthermore, your actions led to the postponing of my psychological screening and further delayed all forms of treatment by six weeks - a screening, by the way, which failed to confirm your perfidious prejudices and ill-conceived notions that I was in some way mentally or emotionally lacking. In fact, after a thorough evaluation including a various psychological inventories, I was found to have a no history of depression, no current depression, rated "low risk" for drug addiction, and otherwise found to have a clean bill of mental health. All this while you completely ignored symptoms indicating failed fusions, serious complications to a failed back surgery, and continued deterioration due to Deteriorating Disc Disorder. Conditions cited by two independent orthopedists as reasons for my increased pain.   Your tiresome behavior has become entirely predictable, transparently puerile, and sadly self-destructive, instantiated by the churlish legal missive you sent, recently informing me that you would no longer provide your services beyond some artificial and supercilious 15 day deadline. Why? The official reason cited within the form-letter indicated that your assessment of the fundamental trust required within the doctor/patient relationship had been compromised. Quite simply - I had to go.    Really?    So, if three months of my requests-for-transfer to one of your colleagues (as expressed in appeals, reviews, and correspondences) didn't land you on that inescapable conclusion in the past, one wonders why you suddenly arrived at it now?    Isn't it obvious that the core component of trust, you so eloquently reference, was lost months earlier when you accused my wife of lying and began including a stenographer in our consultations? I mean, the letter I received was, in actuality, a desperate, ham-fisted attempt to create the appearance that you had dismissed me as a patient, rather than the inconvenient truth that an unsolicited third-party within your own group found it necessary to intervene on my behalf. In fact, by the time I received your letter of dismissal, I had already received an apology from Cedars about your behavior and been successfully referred to Dr Tu a month earlier. Your after-the-fact recommendation that I "find alternate care" was not for my benefit but a sad, failed attempt designed to obfuscate your culpability, create a counter-narrative, and prop up your sagging reputation. read more

Dr. Williams is an excellent medical provider. My established appointment was met on time. The office staff were polite and friendly, Dr. Williams was very attentive to my condition and concerns. He gave me a very thorough exam for my medical issue. I spent approximately forty minutes with him. He explained the nuances associated with my condition. He prescribed medication and treatment protocols. He called me several times to check on my progress. I highly recommend Dr. Vernon Williams without reservation, and I will continue to utilize his services and practice. Ronald B., Rancho Mirage read more

I saw Dr. Williams three times and, two of the three times, I found him to be impatient, unwilling to answer questions, in a huge hurry, curt, rude, highly frustrated and even angry. The first time I saw him he was an hour-and-a-half late and then rushed me without answering my questions or explaining anything about the off-label medication he prescribed. He had me fill out a pain log for a month following a shot and then dismissed the log during the follow-up appointment; didn't look at it, didn't make a copy for the file, and just pushed me hard to say whether the pain was better or not, when I wasn't clear. He just needed a box to check (better, worse, the same) and it wasn't that simple. He didn't try to understand the ups and downs surrounding the pain or explain why and how my pain may vary day-to-day or week- to-week. Instead he rushed me out the door. He was extremely insensitive. He has no bedside manner. He lacked the decency to answer basic questions that any well-informed consumer should ask. I will never see this doctor again and recommend that anyone looking for a pain specialist find someone else. read more

I have had excellent care by Dr. Williams. He listens carefully to me during each of our appointments, and takes the time to really think through what steps we should take to help me feel better. I've had a lot of questions throughout my recovery process, and Dr. Williams has responded to all of them in a timely and thorough fashion. His team is great, and the office is very nice as well. Thank you for your care! read more

I visited Dr. Williams' office today. I was looking for relief for pain caused by shoulder problem. The visit was very efficient, friendly and conclusive. While I am not a friend of needles, I was given a series of injections and made to feel comfortable in the process. I maintained by composure and look forward to the end result. I was given clarity around what to expect in the coming days and Dr. Williams scheduled a follow up conversation to check on my progress. My idea of a top rated physician, is a physician that treats more than my symptoms, cares about what makes me uncomfortable, is willing to listen to what I need to say, considers what I say with what he knows and feeds it back to me in a way that is well understood and it all makes sense. Dr. Williams checks all of my boxes. Jacqueline read more

I found Dr. Williams to be a wonderful doctor who was the first doctor who was patient enough to spend a significant amount of time talking to me. Maybe he runs late, but that is only because he spends time with his patients making sure they get their questions answered. I'm frankly mystified by these other reviewers! read more

Vernon B Williams, MD - Neurologist Near Me - Los Angeles, California

Dr.Williams, is and has been my physician 4 a number of years and he has done an outstanding job of caring 4 my health:)) He is very professional. courteous and extremely knowledgeable!! Without his expertise I do not even wish 2 think of the situation that I would find myself in!! Very Respectfully, Leona M. Strong read more

Always in a rush, no sympathy, impossible to get ahold of, doesn't listen to patient.

I was under Dr Vernon Williams care from 2013 thru the end of 2015 for severe, debilitating nerve pain in my left shoulder region. I had never experienced nerve pain before (electric shocks, stabbing, burning). It was not only a physical battle but mental battle in dealing with this kind of chronic pain. I was passed around amongst several Doctors because they were baffled and thenI was fortunate enough to be referred to Dr. Williams. With several MRIs under my belt (left shoulder, cervical, thoracic, brachial plexus AND an EMG) Dr. Williams was the first Specialist that I felt listened to what I, as a patient, had to say. He began a series of diagnostic tests/treatment to narrow down what he believed was my problem. I had a Scalene Block, two USG Trigger Point Injections of Lidocaine "cocktail" and FINALLY, after almost MANY MONTHS of Dr Williams requesting, another USG Trigger Point Injections of Botox around my left shoulder finally cured the horrific nerve pain that made daily existance unbearable. I am happy to say that those injections gave me TWO & 1/2 YEARS of a wonderful pain free life!!! I am now back under Dr. Wiliam's care, the nerve pain has reared it's ugly head. I never thought of looking at YELP before, but was inspired to share my story. Can't believe some of the "Negative" Review I have read!!! For those of you reading, Doctor Williams is a VERY EDUCATED, KIND, FUNNY, ENGAGING Doctor with a WONDERFUL bedside manner. I have NEVER found him to be "curt, rude, angry.....". Please remember, I was under this Doctor's care for nearly two years my last episode of pain. I would think that this type of personality would have shown itself. He is even very engaging about life outside of work, I personally find it baffling that some patients don't have the interest in one's doctor??? As for "time waiting", yes. I have never waited under 30 minutes to an hour for a Specialist and willingly accept this knowing the kind of exceptional care they give. In closing, I rarely use YELP to write a review, (ergo I am very passionate about this Doctor and his care. I hope those out there with chronic pain find their alleviation. It's a wonderful thing when the clouds of chronic pain dissipate! Go seek Doctor Vernon William's professional and expertise advise in Neurology and Pain Management Treatment. read more

I started seeing Dr Williams, in 2011, after several years of failed pain management from back surgery. I was treated very professionally. Dr Williams was recommended by an insurance case worked. After working as a pippefitter/welder for 30 years my body worse for wear, Dr Williams is treatting my knees after VA dragging out process for over 2 years, and in the past used the latest treatments on my Achilles tendon, nerve pain around piriformis muscle. I do research on every procedure first. read more

I have been a patient of this awful physician for over a year and a half and he's rude condescending and NEVER listens to anything I have to say ! I have a rare disorder called EDS3 and he keeps trying to give me steroids which cause the destruction of my connective tissue ! His staff is also rude never prescribe the proper info to the Insurance companies so I'm constantly needing to follow up with them and get treated like I'm an inconvenience to them ! Mind you he works at the Kerlan & Jobe center which have the best surgeons and doctors that I have had over 6 hand surgeries and shoulder surgeries that were a success because they listen and have treated my condition with care and respect ! Dr.Williams is negligent and non caring disrespectful and the wait is always an hour and hair just to be seen ! Then he spends less than 10 min with you negating what you're trying to explain to him challenging every word you say and leaves you feeling helpless and like you have done something wrong ! No one should ever see this doctor or visit this office ! read more

I have chronic neck pain from being rear ended and suffering a double whiplash 6 years ago. The only treatment that was successful in relieving the pain has been Botox injections in my neck muscles. Yesterday the pain was so bad and getting worse, that I called about 13 doctors on my insurance plan. First question, Does Dr. Williams use Botox for pain relief in the neck. "Yes, he does!" Great, I'm leaving town this weekend to care for my ill father for an extended period of time, do you think I could see him and receive injections before this weekend? "Yes, I can fit you in tomorrow at 10:30, please bring your MRI report." I drove over to UCLA at 8 in the morning and acquired copies of my report and film. I brought it with me to my appt. I didn't mind that he was running 70 mins behind schedule, pain relief was on it's way. An asst came in to talk and examine me. I was very clear that I was leaving this weekend and needed treatment before I left. He was great, and he said, "you came to the right place, the doctor uses Botox for this frequently and he should be able to help you". They took xrays and the asst briefed the doctor on my condition. So far, so good. The doctor came into the room and agreed that Botox was a good treatment, especially since it's been successful for me in the past. He said they'd set it up. I was so disappointed when he told me that it wouldn't be today, I'd have to make an appt and come back, he said maybe I could get in the next day. Ok, I can wait a day. The nurse came in and gave me a list and a script for PT. She then explained that they don't have Botox there and it would have to be ordered and I should come back the following week. Everyone I spoke to, knew I was leaving town in 5 days. She said, "Oh, it's not possible for you to get these injections this week." What? Every call I made, everyone I spoke to, knew I was leaving town. She said, "well, we could call it into your pharmacy and you could go pick it up." OK, I can pick it up, do I bring it back here to the doctor to have him inject me? "No, that's not possible." Wait, I can go pick up the Botox...and then I have to find someone to inject my neck? She said, "I'll see if he can fit you in next week". Seriously? Everyone knew I was there because my pain was excruciating and hoped to get help before leaving. It's like people don't "think" anymore. If you don't keep Botox in your office..how often do you practice this treatment? And nice assistant guy, why didn't you tell me, I was wasting my time and money because you don't even have Botox? Don't people "think" anymore? Do they not "listen"? I burst into tears because the hope of pain relief just vanished...Still crying, I got out to the waiting room and after calming myself asked for my xrays. I then called that nurse and left a message, "If I can get the Botox from pharmacy or some other source, can they fit me in tomorrow morning to be injected?" Never heard back. I called again 2 hours later...never heard back. read more

I saw this doctor some time ago and was completely dissatisfied with his demeanor - he was absolutely rude and lacked compassion.

I don't know why anyone would give Dr Vernon Williams a good review. I found him cold and indifferent. He quickly referred me to a "spine surgeon". I think he believes his blog on himself. NOTHING, was resolved from his recommendations for me. read more

Dr. Williams has been seeing me for several months. He is rude, condescending and over all has treated me like I am wasting his time. He has made no effort to read my file after my initial visit to become familiar with me, my injury, or my job specifications. I have been on disability for 5 months. On my last visit I waited for over an hour to be seen by Dr. Williams. He spent less than 5 minutes with me and left the room without examining me, leaving me there thinking he was surely come back to actually "care" for me. Then his nurse called me out of the room and said I was done. I explained that the Dr. hadn't even finished with me and that I needed to either be released to go back to work without restrictions or that the Dr. needed to extend my disability. The nurse was argumentative and explained that the Dr. was too busy to go over my work restrictions. At that time, the Dr. came out of another one of his 3.5 minute visits with another patient, and told the nurse to write a note for me to return to work with restrictions. MY JOB DOESN'T ALLOW ANY RESTRICTIONS. All he did was put me in a position that disrupted my disability payments and I am unable to return to work because of the restrictions he put me on. I am writing this review to inform other people of the experience I had with this doctor. If I could put lower than 1 star I would. DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU. There are plenty of caring, compassionate doctors that "treat" their patients with the respect and concern that we each deserve. read more

You would normally expect compassionate care, and attention to detail and your past medical history when dealing with a pain management doctor, but Dr. Vernon Williams provided NONE OF THAT for my husband. He didn't appreciate it when we tried to provide clearer information on my husband's medical history regarding past pain management while pursuing the next steps in his pain management plan. He didn't like it when we had questions about his recommendations even though we were simply trying to avoid redundancies in his treatment. He kept looking at his watch over and over during the 5 minute conversation we had with him. He doesn't like it when we requested a call back because questions arose from that previous 5 minute office consult with him. His assistant didn't like it when we asked her to leave the doctor a note requesting a call back about those questions and insisted that we just needed to come back for a follow-up visit. (even though we live a couple of hours away and both of us need to take time off work to get there). This is another example of how the doctor's time is always valuable, but yours isn't. And then, after the phone call that we finally received six days later, he still didn't quite provide the information we needed and even more questions arose, so we DID go and pay for a follow-up visit before the procedures he already had him scheduled for. He told us that he has patiently answered our questions while he was clearly getting defensive and IMPATIENT about not researching the medical history that we provided to him. He completely avoided some of our questions and got mad when we pressed him and told us that he has released my husband from his care. ON THE SECOND VISIT. We spent a total of 15 minutes trying to communicate my husband's situation over 2 office visits and one phone call and he became completely agitated at us. So, if you want a doctor who listens intently to you and at least ACTS like he cares about you and isn't just going to dismiss your entire pain management history, then I do not recommend this doctor. At all. read more

I'm glad I went to Dr. Williams. He certainly knows what he's doing. I have 2 bulging discs in my lower back. I was in a of pain, 5 out of 10. He did 2 epidural shots and hit the right spots. Then, no more pain. Thank you so much!! He is very profession and very knows his job. I'm very happy read more

This man is a genius. He helped me get my life back. He was the sixth doctor I saw, I had no luck with the others over a two year period. I went back to work less than two months after my first visit with Dr. Williams. What he lacks in his bedside manner he more than makes up with his knowledge. Five years later I am still working and playing hard. read more