Dr. Robert James Berens, MD

Beyond horrible. All this man does is talk about himself. He is rude, indifferent, doesn’t listen, and a few more words I cannot post on a public review. His personal appearance is sloppy, needs to shave and look in the mirror. What a disgrace. Never will I waste my time or energy or schedule another appointment. Really pathetic creature. Does not speak well of NW.

If you want results then visit Robert J Berens. He has worked with me for over 3 years and has performed four procedures. I must say his office manner is straight forwarded with no sugar coating. That's that way I like it. He has helped me immensely with my lower back pain that hits a 9 or 10 on the pain scale.

Dr Berens was very attentive, took his time to examine and then was informative on the issues and options. His staff was very supportive and friendly.

It was 13 years between my first spinal epidural and my second. Dr. Berens is awesome and so is his team of professionals! He takes his time with you answering questions and explaining the process. Pretty rare these days.

I have been very pleased with the care provided by Dr. Berens and all the staff at the TMC Integrative Pain Center. Dr. Berens was both caring and knowledgeable in reviewing the particulars of my pain situation. He did not rush through either the initial exam or the subsequent procedures that were performed. He listened to my concerns and offered some helpful suggestions to further improve my outcomes. I would absolutely recommend him to anyone seeking control of their pain.

Dr Berens is always kind and compasionate but professional. He explains everything about why you have pain and what he can do to help. He explained my MRI and where he believes the pain is coming from He is honest about how much relief he can give you. He is positive and makes you feel very comfortable and calm. I highly recommend Dr, Berens. Making an appointment is easy and all the staff that I encountered were kind and professional form the front desk to all the nurses and technicians. If you are suffering pain go see him.

Dr Berens is amazing. He takes his time to explain the possible causes of you pain and treatment options. He is kind, professional, never rushes you. I would recommend him to Family and friends. His staff is amazing as well. They are so sweet and friendly. I have family member that are his patients as well and they have all have All loved him as well. His staff, from front desk to the nurses Are equally amazing. You can’t go wrong seeing Dr Berens

I chose Dr. Berens because of knowing him professionally as a nurse. He spent considerable time discussing my lumbar MRI results, which I appreciated. When I asked whether he liked to plan a series of 3 injections, he claimed that he wanted to just do a first one, then plan further (if needed) based on my response to the initial injection. I received calls twice in the days leading up to the procedure to inform me of my financial obligations, both for the consult and for the procedure. It was not explained to me that there would be fees charged for both the use of the facility and the doctor's fees (for the consult, then the procedure) separately. I found out after the fact that the fees discussed to that point were only for the facility. They were specific in that I was expected to pay ___ amount each time I came, which is understandable. The procedure the following week went well. The nursing staff and Dr. Berens were courteous and professional. Post-procedure, the RN stated that… the doctor wanted to see me in 3 weeks. I thought this was for an office visit to discuss my response to the injection, but she then clarified by saying that this would be for a second injection. I told her of my conversation with the doctor at the consult about not just planning 3 injections up front. Her response was that they pretty much always do 3 injections in order to get the best results. As an RN, I am aware that this is often the case, but I am unhappy with the fact that Dr. Berens may have purposely misled me in order to get me on the table for the first injection. I have chronic lumbar pain and sciatica. My buttock pain and burning was only about a 3-4 on a 0-10 scale on the day of the procedure. I was made aware that often the pain would intensify for several days post-procedure, and the overall benefit wouldn't be established for at least 7-10 days. I am not necessarily suggesting that the increasing pain I am now experiencing in my low back and SI joint is a RESULT of the injection I received, but it is indeed the case. My decision to write this review is in large part because of the response I received from the nursing staff in phone calls x 2 that I received 14 and 16 days post-procedure, and Dr. Beren's lack of response. I first received a call from a nursing tech who, after being told of my increasing pain, suggested I schedule an appointment to see the doctor, also so they could get auth from Aetna for another injection. With Aetna, I have seen other specialists (ortho) for a $40-50 consult fee. The bill for my consult with Dr. Berens was $298, of which I would owe $200. The tech stated that each time I would see Dr. Berens, another consult fee would be generated! So at this point, I owed approx $1,000 for the FACILITY fees (consult and procedure), as well as Dr. Berens charges of $200 for the consult and an undetermined physician fee for the injection (currently at approx $2,800 pending Aetna review). I told her that from a financial standpoint, I could not afford another $200 office visit fee. She stated that this discussion and her notes would be shared with Dr. Berens. Two days later, after I had then gone to my PCP for evaluation of back pain now 6-7 on the scale, I received a follow-up call from the male nurse that I had met on the day of my consult. He was extremely rude and condescending in his comments, even knowing he was talking to another RN. I attempted to explain some of what I had discussed with the tech 2 days earlier. He stated that I wouldn't receive the full benefit of the injections unless I had the usual series of 3. I explained that I was not made aware of there being 4 separate charges between the facility and physician. He stated "Do you remember signing your name electronically on the day of service? That was your acknowledging understand that as it was explained in your paperwork." I can believe, and will take responsibility, for not reading the extensive paperwork fully. But I believe the office staff could do a much better job of explaining this verbally. The phone calls I received in the days prior to the eval, to notify me of my financial obligations, would have been the perfect time to explain this. When I spoke to TMC billing yesterday, and they explained this fully, they stated that many potential clients chose to not have a procedure once they realize their full financial obligation despite having insurance. Anyway, the rude RN on the follow-up call said, "So what you're saying is that you want a FREE evaluation by Dr. Berens?" I stated that because of the problems I am having since the procedure, that Dr. Berens would want me to come in to discuss or at least call me on the phone. I stated that I feel another $200 consult fee was unreasonable. The RN stated that then there is nothing more that they could, if I wasn't willing to come in and complete the series of injections. BTW, Dr. Berens never picked up the phone to check in with me. Makes me feel that he is only ultimately interested in making a profit, and this is coming from a nurse who worked with him professionally in the past. The nurse was likely defensive and rude since they likely receive alot of calls complaining of different aspects of the care provided at the facility, and by the doctor. This is the first time I have ever left a negative physician review on any site. I just hope my sharing this can help others in determining the route they want to go for their care. Thank you.

this doctor unintentionally burned my occipital nerve and then canceled my appointment to discuss my escalating pain. I would never recommend him.

This jerk is not interested in the well-being of his patients. He is demeaning and unfriendly. He didn’t even give me a physical exam or review my X-rays before telling me that my age, weight and consumptions of carcinogens are the root cause of my work related injury back pain. Then he told me there is nothing he can do. He works at a PAIN clinic. He ditched me as a patient too which is expressly against the law as well.