Dr. Ralph J. Katsman, MD

i never had acid before or gasterperisis until i let him do a endoscopy on me they dont even use licensed anesthesiologists they have their nurse sedate you its just for profit avoid him if you can he is also part owner

he messed me up doing a endoscopy he has kids working on his team and doesnt listen he is part owner so he dont care

never had acid before or pain until he did a endoscopy on me a year later still in pain and constant acid look up his facebook make sure your tattoos dont offend him because he will leave you with perment damage

He did my endoscopy. He did not explain the process of the procedure prior to. Afterwards I was having pain and discomfort. Over a month later I am still in pain and have several medical bills. I would not recommend him to anyone.

i would avoid this doctor at all costs he did my endoscopy he blew so much air in my stomache that i cant eat no more and sharp stabbing pains everyday i have to go get a ct to see the amount of damage he done stay away or find out the hard way

Back in 2001 and still a young man in my thirties I started to get severe stomach pains. I remember helping my brother at a trade show in Las Vegas. And, the plan was to drive back to Washington State, from the trade show. However, I became so ill that we had to go to the emergency room, then I was checked into a hospital in Reno, NV, then flown to Sea Tac, WA where I then checked into St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way, WA. I spent two weeks there in misery while multiple GI doctors tried to diagnose the extent of my illness. They knew that I had either Crohn's disease or IBS. My white blood count was off the charts. I was on high dosages of steroids and other medications, but my condition did not improve. The GI specialists attempted to do a colonoscopy on several occasions. None of which were successful, because there was so much damage to my colon that there was the risk of perforation. After weeks without any improvement, I was told that I would need to have my colon removed and… that I would have to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of my life. This was the opinion of every GI doctor, but one. I am also a type 1 diabetic on top of this. With apparently no options left, some of these GI doctors convinced me to have the operation. I was scheduled for surgery the next morning at 7AM and I already had the markings as to where the bag would be placed. Dr Katsman, whom I had only seen one other time was concerned about me going through with the surgery, since the other GI doctors did not even know how much colon was damaged because they were never able to complete a full colonoscopy. He suggested that we wait before doing something irreparable. He asked if the previous doctors did a CT-scan, so that would show the entire colon and small intestines. I told him that it was never suggested by anyone until now. Dr. Katsman and I decided to canceled the surgery and had a CT-scan the following day, which revealed that the damage to my colon was only severe in a small area towards the end, and did not go into my small intestines. He changed my medication, my energy increased and I was released from the hospital 2 days later with my colon intact. I followed his plan and I have never had a problem since. I have always been an active person. I am a skier, a mountaineer, a black belt and a world traveler. In many ways I feel like Dr, Katsman saved my life. Although, I may have survived the surgery, I would never have had the same quality of life as I have had for the last 19 years. While the other GI doctors were pushing for surgery, Dr Katsman wanted to turn every stone before taking that extreme route. Dr. Katsman seemed to be generally concerned for my overall well being and quality of life. Today I am whole and healthy. I am still very active and I am very, very thankful that Dr. Katsman strolled into my hospital room on the day before that surgery and cared enough to look a little deeper than the others. Thank you Dr. Katsman!

I saw Dr. Katsman last year when I started having GI issues. I was vomiting up undigested food, and couldn’t eat in general because of it. He ordered an endoscopy and was so convinced that it was because of IBS that he wouldn’t look into anything else. I started having the same problem this year, so I went to a different GI, who decided to check my gallbladder with the Murphy’s Sign test. It was positive. Dr. Katsman DID order a HIDA scan when I saw him last year, but he told me it came back normal. Come to find out, my gallbladder’s ejection fraction was 96%, way over what it should’ve been. The new GI I saw referred me to a surgeon, I had my gallbladder out yesterday and the surgeon said it was larger than it should’ve been, was rock hard, and that she was pretty sure it wasn’t working. So yeah, I don’t trust Dr. Katsman and will never go back to him.

He took very serious the symptoms I shared with him, unlike others I have seen. Believe I may finally get taken care of.

The whole staff at Digestive Health Specialists were so accommodating and friendly!