Dr. James Lawrence Major, MD

I was Dr. Major's patient for two years & my advice would be to avoid him. I have been a physician for over 45 years, now retired, & this is the poorest medical 'care' & the most unprofessional behavior I have ever experienced. I first saw Dr. Major two years ago for sciatic pain down my left leg. He seemed to listen at that first visit & ordered an MRI. My insurance wouldn't authorize the MRI until I had a course of PT which aggravated the pain. An MRI showed a protruding disc in my low back. I went to a pain treatment clinic where I had 2 epidural injections, which did not help, & trials of two meds for nerve pain, one of which helped a little. I just put up with the pain. This summer the pain worsened & interfered with walking. By fall I had numbness & a clumsy feeling in my left foot. I contacted Dr. Major but he didn't listen. I asked to have a repeat MRI & see a neurologist. He said he didn't think this was a time to see other providers! I went in for an appt to advocate… for further evaluation & treatment. Dr. Major came into the exam room, held his hand in front of my face & went on a tirade against me, saying I was just trying to get my own way. I was stunned & couldn't speak for a few minutes. Then I told him in no uncertain terms that I was suffering & I wanted an MRI & a referral to a neurosurgeon. I had to wait 6 weeks to see the surgeon who listened to me. On examination, he found that I had no ankle reflex & asked why I hadn't come sooner. He scheduled me for surgery on the disc, which I am still waiting for. He said the numbness in my foot may be permanent. In conclusion, Dr. Major not only ignored my complaints & delayed my getting the treatment I needed but also verbally assaulted me because I was trying to advocate for myself & get relief from my pain. Beware this doctor!

I echo the experiences from the other 1 and 2 star comments. The office staff is terrible. They don't know what they're doing and they don't listen. I needed a vaccination and it was pretty hard for them to get that done correctly. Dr. Major was my new primary care physician, but not any more. I decided not to go back after my annual exam was very transactional and rushed. He didn't care about my concerns about my health. He just doesn't seem to care about his patients from what I read here. The trust was never established given his attitude and lack of concern. If you're looking for a new doctor, keep looking, Dr. Major is not a good one.

I’ve traveled with the military for 22 years (having moved 14 times) & during this time I’ve had many providers. So, I have a vast pool by way of comparison (to include the Mayo Clinic & the National Institute of Health). That being said, I do realize that my medical condition is somewhat unique as it falls in the realm of ‘orphan diseases.’ So, I do not expect him to have expert level knowledge regarding my situation. Still, I expect his manner to be professional & compassionate . . . And I cannot say that he is either. Regarding my most recent (& last appointment) he was only slightly late but when he did arrive he was clearly preoccupied & dismissive. When he entered the room he started with “so let’s talk about items A &B (Note: I had previously indicated that I had 4 or 5 items to address; but he intended to only address the two cited). Now I know the appointment times are limited; but a couple of the issues were as simple as “yes/no” . . . He enters the room with a… predetermined plan (based on whatever info you submit beforehand). At some point, I had had enough and simply asked “are you in a hurry, because if so. . . This is not okay with me.” At this point he began to babble how I had too “many issues to address in this one appointment.” I didn’t even let him finish as he was just justifying he indifferent attitude and dismissive communication style. I should have read his bio beforehand and realized that he seems to specialize with the elderly population with common/typical issues (not to detract from the severity of their medical issues; but rather he’s like the old fashion family practice doc that has grown comfortable ministering to a very specific population with a very circumscribed list of ailments. Beyond the two institutions cited above, I’ve also been to numerous teaching schools (e.g., university medical schools). And I was told some 10 years ago, because of the unique nature of my ailment, that I needed to stay with similar institutions (lesson learned). I do believe that to be true & I cannot fault Dr Major for his lack of experience treating ailments such as mine. . . But that is NOT what I’m rating here; I’m rating his interpersonal skills as he dismissive & pretty much wants to do what he wants to do. The medical community encourages us as patients to be educated and informed regarding our care. . . Well, I’m De Majors case, he seems to believe that IF you fall in line with his treatment plan. But I ask, how do you not listen to a patient with a rare ailment. . . . You’d think he’d welcome the input. . . . Not so much. In any case, back to the university setting I will go & in the mean time, I will post my review on EVERY possible medical review site. Hope this is helpful. If you’re a senior with a common ailment and you prefer a provider to just tell you what to do, then you’ll be okay with Dr Major.

I’ve seen him 3 times in the past month and a half. He is my new PCP. My Annual Wellness Exam was the most perfunctory and cursive I’ve ever had. It’s like he just going through the motions. He’s also a germaphobe who listened to my heart with my shirt on, didn’t do a prostrate Exam, didn’t discuss my blood work at all, did a very clumsy and uncomfortable “Exam” of my lymph glands, never checked my feet(I’m diabetic.) Every time I’ve left his office it’s been with a great sense that something was amiss. I’m not going back.

Would not recommend.

Dr. Major is by far the best doctor I've ever used. He is very down to earth, makes you feel completely at ease and genuinely cares and listens. I recently moved to Glendale AZ and was going to keep him as my doctor but he's no longer with Northwest Allied. The letter I received led me to believe he was no longer going to be practicing but it looks like he relocated to the east side so I don't know what he's doing now.

Can't believe some of the other reviews are about the same Doctor we are seeing. We've been with Dr. Major for years and he has always taken the time to answer our questions and 100% accurate on diagnosis. Very caring. His assistant is great also.

He is so rude and demeaning that I suspect he has a mental disorder and would never trust his professional judgment.

The doctor and his assistant are rushed and overworked. His assistant returns calls several days later if at all. You can't get an appointment for months out. It seems our family physician is Urgent care. Don't think insurance appreciates that. Time to find a new doctor.

The doctor is rushed and overworked. Told me he was taking mental health time off thought that would help but instead he has been rude and short and doesn't return calls. HIs staff doesn't return calls. I had to contact the Practice Manager Donna to get him to talk to me/my wife about my medications and refills.