Dr. Karl Roger Zarse, MD

Well lets stay w/strict experience. I'm disabled and have been under pain care for 15 plus years in this state and in CA. I have prescriptions. I rarely saw Zarse, I saw Russell. Not sure if you know but his office doubles now as a Regenerative Laser Center. My wife had a procedure on her face. She was not happy. The communication between the office manager/Laser Aesthetician and my wife was poor. Often calls being returned days later as her face was so swollen, her facial recognition wouldn't recognizer her face. While it was encouraged more than once to write a review, she didn't want to lie and I was still a current patient. She was afraid of retaliation. Well I guess she should have lied on a review. Subsequently after, I received a letter basically stating my I was not being honest about my drug intake. Proof being random urine tests. While I explained many times, I drink a lot of zip fiz drinks and water. I'm as active as I can be as was encouraged by Russell NP. The letter… basically noted in doctor "talk" there were I believe 2 urine tests that came back clean. I explained what I just noted. Now if there were concerns, is it not a doctors OBLIGATION to speak with the patient?Hey maybe we decrease your allowances. Maybe we switch to another pain medication. I'm concerned for your health. NO, none. No blood test. No hair follicle test, which never lies. Urine however is easily manipulated. No, instead I got a letter talking about trust and over looking once or twice but we don't want you anymore. JUST LIKE THAT. In the blink of an eye, this doctor and his wing it staff blocked all calls to Zarse. He would not engage at all. It feels like retaliation and poor medical practice, especially from one who is diplomat for ABIPP. Don't look for compassion. It just seems so random that the urine was addressed before and I explained why. I was complient with my visits and my RX's were renewed as it was in past years by this office. Russell his treating NP, never seemed to blink an eye or even ask for more test or show any high level of mistrust implied in our discharge letter we received in the mail. "An isolated incident can be explained, but as a "pattern" can not be ignored" Goodbye and we can recommend rehabs if needed. So kind. Calls were not returned. My wife has yet to review the inadequate treatment she received and she just won't lie. It's a pain clinic and looks like one. So if you want care that can be terminated a the drop of a hat or because you don't glowingly review their practice, this is for you! Don't mind the smell of burning flesh that radiates throughout the office and certainly know that Medicare billing is not their specialty in our experience. Know that they are the law. They wrote notes in his medical file and are now making it impossible to find another doctor. It's beyond outrageous. So be aware, be very aware. Kind of sad when a cosmetic procedure affects your actual medical care. Make sure to book your procedures with a real Aesthetician and not one that just took a class and is now using a gagillion dollar machine on your face and then have them hock their skin products. Bad, bad, bad, business and totally lacking in human compassion!

He wasnt interested in treating my condition. All he wanted to do is make money on injections

My initial consultation with the RN went well. I really liked him. I was schedule for spinal injections. Not my first rodeo. I knew what to expect. I just in new state with a new doctor. Place is clean, staff is efficient but there was a breakdown that was not resolved. During intake the staff member verified the procedure. I told her that was incorrect and my understanding of the procedure I was there to have. She said she would check with the doctor. A few minutes later she came back and said "OK, we are ready for you" I went into the procedure, got on the table, didn't feel a thing and then was done and left thinking I had what I came to get. No I didn't. Within a few days it was clear I didn't have the same injections I had in the past. I also had what I thought was a complication but wasn't sure so called about it and never got a call back. By the time I got to my 2 week follow up I had figured out something was amiss. I asked the RN what they did. He… verified they did the procedure that I specifically told the intake person was not what I was there for. There was never a discussion between me and the doc or anyone else about the discrepancy before they called me into the procedure room. I not only got zero pain relief but I got more pain that was quite different than I've experienced over the years of spinal problems. It was bad enough for me to go to the ER on a Saturday simply because I had no choice. I tried to reach the doctor by phone, e-mail, fax. i explained in detail just like I have done here. I asked the doctor to call me. That's all. Just talk to me. My case manager got involved. She was assured I would get a call back. After hounding them in every way I could think of trying to get a call with the doc I finally got a response. It was tacky beyond belief. A two page fax. The first page was a blank cover sheet. The second page was one sentence. "Do you want us to send your records to another doctor" Now why on earth would I want that since you didn't get the records to show what I had done in the past and just plowed right ahead anyway? I'm still hoping that Dr. Zarse has been "protected" by his staff and he is unaware this has all happened and will a decent human being and actually talk to me since I didn't talk to him before, during or after the procedure, but that seems unlikely. It's so dehumanizing I can't give it words.

My initial consultation with the RN went well. I really liked him. I was schedule for spinal injections. Not my first rodeo. I knew what to expect. I just in new state with a new doctor. Place is clean, staff is efficient but there was a breakdown that was not resolved. During intake the staff member verified the procedure. I told her that was incorrect and my understanding of the procedure I was there to have. She said she would check with the doctor. A few minutes later she came back and said "OK, we are ready for you" I went into the procedure, got on the table, didn't feel a thing and then was done and left thinking I had what I came to get. No I didn't. Within a few days it was clear I didn't have the same injections I had in the past. I also had what I thought was a complication but wasn't sure so called about it and never got a call back. By the time I got to my 2 week follow up I had figured out something was amiss. I asked the RN what they did. He… verified they did the procedure that I specifically told the intake person was not what I was there for. There was never a discussion between me and the doc or anyone else about the discrepancy before they called me into the procedure room. I not only got zero pain relief but I got more pain that was quite different than I've experienced over the years of spinal problems. It was bad enough for me to go to the ER on a Saturday simply because I had no choice. I tried to reach the doctor by phone, e-mail, fax. i explained in detail just like I have done here. I asked the doctor to call me. That's all. Just talk to me. My case manager got involved. She was assured I would get a call back. After hounding them in every way I could think of trying to get a call with the doc I finally got a response. It was tacky beyond belief. A two page fax. The first page was a blank cover sheet. The second page was one sentence. "Do you want us to send your records to another doctor" Now why on earth would I want that since you didn't get the records to show what I had done in the past and just plowed right ahead anyway? I'm still hoping that Dr. Zarse has been "protected" by his staff and he is unaware this has all happened and will a decent human being and actually talk to me since I didn't talk to him before, during or after the procedure, but that seems unlikely. It's so dehumanizing I can't give it words.

My initial consultation with the RN went well. I really liked him. I was schedule for spinal injections. Not my first rodeo. I knew what to expect. I just in new state with a new doctor. Place is clean, staff is efficient but there was a breakdown that was not resolved. During intake the staff member verified the procedure. I told her that was incorrect and my understanding of the procedure I was there to have. She said she would check with the doctor. A few minutes later she came back and said "OK, we are ready for you" I went into the procedure, got on the table, didn't feel a thing and then was done and left thinking I had what I came to get. No I didn't. Within a few days it was clear I didn't have the same injections I had in the past. I also had what I thought was a complication but wasn't sure so called about it and never got a call back. By the time I got to my 2 week follow up I had figured out something was amiss. I asked the RN what they did. He… verified they did the procedure that I specifically told the intake person was not what I was there for. There was never a discussion between me and the doc or anyone else about the discrepancy before they called me into the procedure room. I not only got zero pain relief but I got more pain that was quite different than I've experienced over the years of spinal problems. It was bad enough for me to go to the ER on a Saturday simply because I had no choice. I tried to reach the doctor by phone, e-mail, fax. i explained in detail just like I have done here. I asked the doctor to call me. That's all. Just talk to me. My case manager got involved. She was assured I would get a call back. After hounding them in every way I could think of trying to get a call with the doc I finally got a response. It was tacky beyond belief. A two page fax. The first page was a blank cover sheet. The second page was one sentence. "Do you want us to send your records to another doctor" Now why on earth would I want that since you didn't get the records to show what I had done in the past and just plowed right ahead anyway? I'm still hoping that Dr. Zarse has been "protected" by his staff and he is unaware this has all happened and will a decent human being and actually talk to me since I didn't talk to him before, during or after the procedure, but that seems unlikely. It's so dehumanizing I can't give it words.

If you want your doctors to treat you like drug addicted cattle...this is your place. Took me two months to get a call back after a referral from my GP and it just went down hill from there. Plan on going in every month (like clockwork...don't miss a day!!!!, they won't refill your prescription without seeing you), plan on signing a waiver to be drug tested at any whim ($800 urine tests...seriously), AND plan on regular non-insurance covered pitches for regenerative treatments. The Straw: My last appointment was fine, spoke to the Nurse Practitioner, said "OK , see you in a couple of months", said goodbye and walked out (thinking I would make the appointment closer to that time). 30 days passes, I put a refill request in with my pharmacy, they fill one, the other, crickets. Five more days pass when I hear back from my RX that they want to see me before refilling. I spoke to the front desk (VERY hit and miss on professionalism and empathy), who told me that the Doctor needed… to see me. I explained that he had said a couple of months (thinking this was like any other Doctor)...No!, was the answer. The soonest they could get me in was another 6 days away. Mind you I had been entirely out of medication for 4 days already at this point and they refused to even send a bridge in to get me to the following week. Speaking to them later, I apparently "self discharged" because I was unwilling to take the appointment (was traveling for business...not possible). Anyway, if you want a group of physicians who took their oaths seriously, keep looking...not only did I have to go off of my medication "cold turkey" after 5 years...they didn't give a crap, just that I made it in to pay the next $150.

I've been a patient of Karl Z. for about 3-4 years and he's helped me considerably with my neck pain. I won't go into my personal issues but I will comment on the low ratings that other people have been leaving Karl for lack of empathy and compassion. Karl has ALWAYS been considerate, compassionate, understanding and listened to what I described with my issues. In his previous office and his new one (moved about 2017-ish) he has always spent time and never rushed the appointment. And that is with my personal understanding of the requirements and pressure of a medical office to rush patients and appointments in order to see as many as possible in a day while giving appropriate care. One commenter mentioned being on pain meds for 17 years and was offended that it was brought up in the appointment? Ridiculous... I feel that several of these low reviews are motivated by a perceived bad experience. Dr. Zarse, due to his focus, has probably seen more people addicted to pain meds than… he can count and when someone is told that they are or have been taking them for too long (most people have no idea how pain meds even work and how the efficacy tapers off over time and long term effects) they get offended. A few of the bad reviews don't even make sense and are calling him names, they have nothing to do with the quality of care. If you are considering Dr. Zarse and are reading reviews on Google and other sites, read them all and take the bad ones with a grain of salt, read between the lines if you will.

I've been a patient of Karl Z. for about 3-4 years and he's helped me considerably with my neck pain. I won't go into my personal experiences but I will comment on the low ratings that other people have been leaving Karl for lack of empathy and compassion. Karl has ALWAYS been considerate, compassionate, understanding and listened to what I described with my issues. In his previous office and his new one (moved about 2017-ish) he has always spent time and never rushed the appointment. And that is with my personal understanding of the requirements and pressure of a medical office to rush patients and appointments in order to see as many as possible in a day while giving appropriate care. One commenter mentioned being on pain meds for 17 years and was offended that it was brought up in the appointment? Ridiculous... I feel that several of these low reviews are motivated by a perceived bad experience.

When I went to Dr Zarse he gave me one option for treatment. When I felt like that didn't work he was done with me. I can't believe that there is only one option for pain treatment.

Dr. Zarse and his team are hands down the best. He is focused on finding a solution to your problem and helping you have a comfortable life. I had previously been seen by another Dr. For years and he refused to do anything more then write a prescription and send me out the door despite my begging to help correct it and get me off meds. Dr. Zarse had a plan in place to correct my issues starting at my first appointment. I highly recomend if you are suffering from spine pain and looking for a solution not just a medication see Dr. Zarse.