Dr. Joel Thomas Cotton, MD

Dr. Cotton is a physician who refuses to listen to his patients, does not care about their needs or medical concerns, and is extremely dismissive of patients, especially women. do NOT go to him, he should not be practicing.

Very thorough!

I have been having quick onset muscle jerking, uncontrollable sounds, and collapsing often, which is why I was referred to this doctor. This man examined me for maybe 5 minutes and told me that it was just phycological, as I have a past of mental illness. The moment he walked into the room one of the first questions he asked was "Are you going to see a psychiatrist?" which told me then and there that I wasn't going to be listened to, it was solidified since he asked me throughout the exam at least half a dozen times, when I was going to see the psychiatrist. He was very condescending and rude, almost patronizing. I know a little about neurological exams and majority I should have failed, he said were perfectly fine. As if my left leg underreacting to having the tendon hit is normal and the fact that I couldn't touch my nose when having my arms out. I don't recommend this "doctor". He should have his license pulled.

Dr Cotton is the worst physician I have ever encountered. Front the outset he fails to take a proper clinical history. He does not allow you to finish answering questions and interrupts you repeatedly as if he doesn’t have time to hear about whatever your clinical problem is, which is why after all you are there. He asks leading questions which is a big no in medicine and takes no time to understand your neurological condition. He formulates conclusions after seeing you for less than a minute and then asked questions to secure the diagnosis he has arrived at in under 60 seconds, and berates you of any of your answers do not fit in with whatever diagnosis he comes up with. All of this is before you even get into the examination room. Once in the exam room he does not perform a thorough neurological evaluation. I had large motor and sensory deficits and severe nerve pain after a major surgery and my surgeon requested a neurologist do a through exam and an EMG. His neuro exam lasted less… than 2 minutes and invoked him watching me walk then touching thr side of my thights with his finger, and that was it. Despite having a completely number thigh on one side, he tried to impress on me that I wasn’t really having any problems and that it didn’t fit with an issue he had ever heard of. He said this many times. When I told him about my motor and sensory deficits and severe radicular pain, as relayed to me by my surgeon, he said “I don’t know what that is” which is a blatant lie meant to confuse the patient so he can take full charge of the history taking and make up his own answers since he doesn’t let you finish a sentence. He won’t let you use any medical terminology. It is almost as if he believed a lay person is incapable of understanding medical terminology, even more disrespectful that I am a highly qualified and experienced physician. He went on to say I would need an EMG in 3 weeks, which I then explained would actually be next week. When he heard that he said ok well 8 weeks, and then changed his mind again “ok you don’t need one at all”. Really bizarre behaviour. Then he admitted he didn’t have the skill set to perform an EMG to look at the area of my exiting spinal nerves involved which is the strangest excuse I have ever heard since his own website lists EMG as a procedure he performs and which he has performed before on my arms. So he was giving a patient the complete run around, being dishonest, interrupting rudely, dismissing symptoms and signs, not willing to refer me to one of his own colleagues in his own office to have the EMG that he says he isn’t skilled to perform, and doing the poorest neurological exam I have ever experienced. There was no thorough evaluation of pinprick, light touch, temperature, vibration, or proprioception. He just said “just count yourself lucky you don’t have foot drop” as if the current neurological deficits and radicular pain are not of any consequence to a human being - they are. When I checked out at the desk to relay my experience and request an emg by another provider in the office, I was told the office manager would call me. When she did she simply protected Dr Cottons behaviour and did not set me up with another provider for proper evaluation and the EMG my spine surgeon referred me for. She then repeatedly transferred me to Dr Cotton each time I called to discuss the medical insurance issue I now had that my referral had been used up with the visit to him and he had not done the test requested on the form, because by his own admission he didn’t have the skill set to do it. I tried to explain this to the office manager but she literally cut me off three calls in a row and transferred me directly to Dr Cotton. He simply said let me know where you want your records sent. So he essentially fired a patient and clinically abandoned them for the neurological investigation, care and follow up they needed, for no fault of the patient , but because he just didn’t want to see me and that was that. I am absolutely horrified as a physician to see another doctor violate his Hippocratic oath so dramatically, and abandon a patient without doing the test or referring to one of his own office colleagues (of which there were several ) or another neurologist. He will be happy to take the Medicare payment of course when it comes through, but he did not do what he had been asked on the referral to him. I find him to be the most toxic and antisocial physician I have ever encountered, with an office manager whose only interest is to protect Dr Cotton over any patient. Please do not see this doctor for any reason. He will not help you and will bully you, belittle you and humiliate you during your appointment, and fail to do even a barely adequate neurological evaluation which includes history physical and any additional tests such as EMG. It is amazing that he can drop a patient who has done nothing wrong except request the care and evaluation they were referred for. Again I have to stress, DO NOT SEE THIS DOCTOR. THEY ARE DEMEANING, INTERRUPTIVE AND FAIL TO DO EVEN THE BASICS OF A NEUROLOGICAL EVALUATION AND EXAMINATION. YOU WILL BE LEFT FEELING CONFUSED DEMEANED AND EVEN ABANDONED AS A PATIENT AS I WAS, FOR NO REASON. THIS MAN HAS A MAJOR PERSONALITY DISORDER AND SHOULD RETIRE FROM PRACTICING MEDICINE. HIS LACK OF PROVIDING AN ADEQUATE EVALUATION, EXAMINATION AND ABANDONING THE PATIENT BECAUSE HE SAYS HE CANT DO AN EMG (which is a lie because he does them every day), IS A VIOLATION OF THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH. STAY AWAY FROM THIS LUNATIC FOR YOUR OWN HEALTHS SAKE !

Dr Cotton is the worst physician I have ever encountered. Front the outset he fails to take a proper clinical history. He does not allow you to finish answering questions and interrupts you repeatedly as if he doesn’t have time to hear about whatever your clinical problem is, which is why after all you are there. He asks leading questions which is a big no in medicine and takes no time to understand your neurological condition. He formulates conclusions after seeing you for less than a minute and then asked questions to secure the diagnosis he has arrived at in under 60 seconds, and berates you of any of your answers do not fit in with whatever diagnosis he comes up with. All of this is before you even get into the examination room. Once in the exam room he does not perform a thorough neurological evaluation. I had large motor and sensory deficits and severe nerve pain after a major surgery and my surgeon requested a neurologist do a through exam and an EMG. His neuro exam lasted less… than 2 minutes and invoked him watching me walk then touching thr side of my thights with his finger, and that was it. Despite having a completely number thigh on one side, he tried to impress on me that I wasn’t really having any problems and that it didn’t fit with an issue he had ever heard of. He said this many times. When I told him about my motor and sensory deficits and severe radicular pain, as relayed to me by my surgeon, he said “I don’t know what that is” which is a blatant lie meant to confuse the patient so he can take full charge of the history taking and make up his own answers since he doesn’t let you finish a sentence. He won’t let you use any medical terminology. It is almost as if he believed a lay person is incapable of understanding medical terminology, even more disrespectful that I am a highly qualified and experienced physician. He went on to say I would need an EMG in 3 weeks, which I then explained would actually be next week. When he heard that he said ok well 8 weeks, and then changed his mind again “ok you don’t need one at all”. Really bizarre behaviour. Then he admitted he didn’t have the skill set to perform an EMG to look at the area of my exiting spinal nerves involved which is the strangest excuse I have ever heard since his own website lists EMG as a procedure he performs and which he has performed before on my arms. So he was giving a patient the complete run around, being dishonest, interrupting rudely, dismissing symptoms and signs, not willing to refer me to one of his own colleagues in his own office to have the EMG that he says he isn’t skilled to perform, and doing the poorest neurological exam I have ever experienced. There was no thorough evaluation of pinprick, light touch, temperature, vibration, or proprioception. He just said “just count yourself lucky you don’t have foot drop” as if the current neurological deficits and radicular pain are not of any consequence to a human being - they are. When I checked out at the desk to relay my experience and request an emg by another provider in the office, I was told the office manager would call me. When she did she simply protected Dr Cottons behaviour and did not set me up with another provider for proper evaluation and the EMG my spine surgeon referred me for. She then repeatedly transferred me to Dr Cotton each time I called to discuss the medical insurance issue I now had that my referral had been used up with the visit to him and he had not done the test requested on the form, because by his own admission he didn’t have the skill set to do it. I tried to explain this to the office manager but she literally cut me off three calls in a row and transferred me directly to Dr Cotton. He simply said let me know where you want your records sent. So he essentially fired a patient and clinically abandoned them for the neurological investigation, care and follow up they needed, for no fault of the patient , but because he just didn’t want to see me and that was that. I am absolutely horrified as a physician to see another doctor violate his Hippocratic oath so dramatically, and abandon a patient without doing the test or referring to one of his own office colleagues (of which there were several ) or another neurologist. He will be happy to take the Medicare payment of course when it comes through, but he did not do what he had been asked on the referral to him. I find him to be the most toxic and antisocial physician I have ever encountered, with an office manager whose only interest is to protect Dr Cotton over any patient. Please do not see this doctor for any reason. He will not help you and will bully you, belittle you and humiliate you during your appointment, and fail to do even a barely adequate neurological evaluation which includes history physical and any additional tests such as EMG. It is amazing that he can drop a patient who has done nothing wrong except request the care and evaluation they were referred for. Again I have to stress, DO NOT SEE THIS DOCTOR. THEY ARE DEMEANING, INTERRUPTIVE AND FAIL TO DO EVEN THE BASICS OF A NEUROLOGICAL EVALUATION AND EXAMINATION. YOU WILL BE LEFT FEELING CONFUSED DEMEANED AND EVEN ABANDONED AS A PATIENT AS I WAS, FOR NO REASON. THIS MAN HAS A MAJOR PERSONALITY DISORDER AND SHOULD RETIRE FROM PRACTICING MEDICINE. HIS LACK OF PROVIDING AN ADEQUATE EVALUATION, EXAMINATION AND ABANDONING THE PATIENT BECAUSE HE SAYS HE CANT DO AN EMG (which is a lie because he does them every day), IS A VIOLATION OF THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH. STAY AWAY FROM THIS LUNATIC FOR YOUR OWN HEALTHS SAKE !

I have been to many different doctors, in many different specialties. I have never had a doctor look right at you and tell you that you aren’t experiencing the symptoms you are telling him. Like you are making it up! Not to mention, he put me on 2 meds that interacted with each other and caused me to have severe dizzy explodes where my whole body would go left, and I literally almost hit a car head on because everything went left. After calling him, he couldn’t figure out what was going on. Put me on a heart monitor for a month. I finally took myself off one of the meds and cured the problem. Find a different doc...it’s for your own good.

I had to wait for months to get an appointment and never cared for, and he never cared about my condition either, I have prescribed the wrong medication and had to experience five seizures, and he had such a lousy attitude and was very racist, like the reception, and nurses he never once asked me how I was feeling only about where I was born so disrespectful and dehumanizing. Never was I treated with respect I regret ever going to this doctor everyone in this office has a horrible attitude even over the phone. I had to leave the country to receive proper medication and a probable diagnosis for my condition. Please do not go here!!

I was referred to Dr. Cotton by my GP for treatment of peripheral neuropathy resulting from a course of the drug levoflaxacin. I began to relate the onset and symptoms to Dr. Cotton (this is before any examination) when he interrupted me by declaring there is no way I could have peripheral neuropathy since he never heard of it being a side effect of levoflaxacin. Well, Doctor, my GP, my podiatrist, the Foundation For Peripheral Neuropathy, and the manufacturer of the drug all have heard of it. He concluded by saying I probably had an infection, then accompanied me to the outer office and made a show to the secretaries by patting my shoulder and announcing, "We're going to get you feeling better." I do not know whence comes this doctor's ignorance, rudeness, and condescending attitude. I can only advise you to stay far, far away.

Dr Cotton is absolutely terrible. Unbelievably rude & talks right over you. Very unknowledgable with new treatments and needs to just retire. Never had such a bad experience at a Healthcare facility! Had I read the reviews beforehand I would of known better. Listen to the reviews!!!

As the former wife of a physician, I am well aware of the Dr. patient relationship and how it affects treatment and confidence of the patient towards her physician. This Dr. works for Workman's Comp ONLY! During my visit this Dr. bulleted questions at me so fast I could not even answer them. When I inquired as to my medical records he responded very curtly, "I'll get to that!" This leads me to believe he did not even take the time to even peruse my records prior to the visit. Physicians take a Hippocratic oath to first "do no harm." Due to the accident, I sustained while working I was under a lot of stress and experienced a lot of pain. The treatment I received from this Dr. was emotionally and psychologically abusive as I was in a vulnerable position. The exam he performed lasted approximately five minutes. It is apparent that this physician works solely for SFM Workman's Comp Insurance and makes no effort to gather information from the patient. He clearly has one goal in… mind; satisfy the needs of the insurance company he works for. I cannot express enough that if you are in need of good professional medical care do not see this physician. He will not help you.