Dr. Christine Minjung Kwak, MD

I was assigned Dr. Kwak when I got a referral for an orthopedic surgeon to remove hardware in my clavicle from a previous injury. In my first consultation appointment, I had to wait 45 minutes before being seen, which I suppose is normal in a suburban area. Then the communication after that consultation over online messages revealed some red flags. Her office scheduled my pre-op appointment during a week I'd be traveling so they moved it up for me. Then 3 hours before that appointment, they cancelled and rescheduled back to the week I'd be out of town. I spent the next couple days trying to reach them to reschedule once again and it was such a pain to try to get a response. I talked to multiple reps from the surgical appointments line to no avail. Finally the office responded and set me up, and the pre-op appointment went smoothly, though no one addressed the scheduling pains and inconvenience. Dr. Kwak also pushed back my surgery date a week beforehand because her schedule changed.… I understand when that happens and it did end up working out better for me, but again some red flags with the communication. I had a question two days before my procedure about whether I could wear earrings. I sent a message and never heard back so I had to ask Dr. Kwak in person right before the procedure. The procedure itself was fine. Fontana has a great facility and all the nurses and technicians do a great job. Then after the procedure, I was discharged before seeing Dr. Kwak again. That same day I sent a message to ask if all hardware was removed or if any screws were left in there. No response. Then on Day 5 I removed the bandage that was placed near my neck in a way that I could not relax my shoulders at all. I spent a few days with sore shoulders, then I saw the incision. The sutures were stitched so tight that the skin bulged up along the incision line. I thought it was supposed to lie more flat but the stitches were wound around the skin to make them buldge like mini sausage links. I sent another message to Dr. Kwak with a photo of the incision and no response. I'm appalled at the lack of communication from her office and can't recommend her to others. My incision wasn't infected so my questions weren't urgent in that sense, but part of treatment is being communicated to. About a week and a half after my procedure, I finally get a call back from Dr. Kwak, who reassured me about the tight stitches, which had left bruising and scarring after a PA took them out. She had been on vacation, which is great for her but her staff could have communicated that to me rather than ghost me. Do yourself a favor and find another surgeon who has more reviews and better than the one you just read. Dr. Kwak herself is very personable and friendly, but I'll have to deal with minimizing an ugly scar across my collarbone. If I ever do an orthopedic surgery again, I would not go to Dr. Kwak.