Dr. James H. Esther, MD

I have been a patient of Dr. Esthers for almost 8 years and have progressively gotten worse. He does do a ton of blood tests each visit which is good but never follow through with them. He tells everyone "your a good person, god bless, we will get this figured out" I will see you in 6 months. This went on for almost 8 years. Multiple times he tried prescribing me meds that he had already put me on and we determined didnt work. Multiple times he sent new scripts in for meds that i was allergic to and the pharmacy had to be the one everytime to say wait you cant take this. 3 Years ago i had to go to a pain management doctor because even after i told Esther that i was getting to the point where i couldnt even function because of the pain he wouldnt do anything different. I still continued to see him every year even though he would not prescribe any arthritic meds, even though he has diagnosed me with connective tissue disease. My last visit i broke down and told him how horrible i… have gotten and asked him about a few arthritic meds we could maybe try, he looked at me and said "what are you talking about" he told me "this is all news to me" I was showing him my recent lab results from my pain doc and he got an attitide saying well i have no idea what these are i haven't seen them, i said yes i know that is what i am trying to go over with you now. I told him in 8 years you have done nothing for me and i can not live like this. I said every year you just tell me lets do more lab results and go from there, but nothing ever comes out of it even though my lab results show there are issues! He of course sent me for more lab work and prescribed a "new" pill. when i went to pick it up i realized again that he had prescribed this pill 6 years ago and it didnt work! then i get an email from his office saying he is referring me to a different hosipital offiliation to contact one of their rheumatologists. So apparently if you are in dire need and pour your heart out instead of just accepting the same thing year after year. he gives up on you because he cant handle anything that isnt "a typle case" as he said in his message. After that visit i had already decided i never wanted to see him again. It was a wasted 8 years that someone couldve possibly helped me.

He is a great Doctor. If you need to see this type of Doctor you can not get a better one.

I've seen Dr. Esther for several years for PA and also use him as my primary care. I often challenge him on alternatives and he's very flexible (different experience than other commenter). He does do referrals to specialists a lot and likes to run tests (and in one case for me it was a test I thought wasn't needed and glad he did it). He's very friendly, likes to tell stories, and unlike other commenter I'm not offended by his "God bless" remarks - I think he's genuine. He always seemed to be up on the latest options for treatment and didn't treat me like a fool for asking about nutritional/alternative options for care.

I am a 67 year old female who has been under Dr. Esther's care for roughly 30 years. I am probably the world's most critical person when it comes to evaluating a doctor. I question everything. As for my rating of Dr. Esther, he is without a doubt the best physician I have been treated by in my entire life. He is thorough, answers all my questions, runs annual routine tests to verify that nothing has changed regarding vitals. His staff promptly lets me know the results of any tests run and what the doctor recommends my follow-up should be (if any). He has been spot on in identifying issues. If you are looking for a doctor who will take your health seriously and not medically underservice you, Dr. Esther should be your doctor of choice.

Don't EVER disagree with him, he's not fond of patients that are their own advocate. He forgot my medical history every time I saw him, even with the chart in front of his face and when he's the one that referred or ordered. He acts like he cares and "God Bless's" you at the end of your appt but he might as well leave the God out since he has quite the God complex. He loves to refer you to specialists for every little thing and the referrals are always his good ol' boys network of Doctors (middle aged men)that are just as ignorant and self absorbed as he is. The only major positive was the thorough testing and lab work he will order. Patient beware, I wish someone would have warned me!

Dr James Esther has been my Lupus doctor for 20 years. He is now my primary. Dr Esther is very knowledgeable and thorough. I have never not had him take all the time necessary to consult me when I am ill, no matter how busy he is. I strongly recommend anyone in need of a rheum, to seek out Dr. Esther. I wish there was even higher rating to describe him. His staff is also top rated.

Had a really bad experience with Dr. Esther. He can be really self-centered.

I see Dr Esther for Anklosing Spondolitis. He is very thorough, caring, and professional.