Kevin M Ehrhart, MD

Kevin Ehrhart did a total knee replacement on my right leg back in 2009 and the same for my left leg in January 2016. I met with several surgeons regarding a total knee replacement. I live an hour away from Santa Monica but heard about this group and met with Kevin. I liked him from the first day, Kevin spent all the time I needed and I had lots of questions. I indicated that I wanted to get back to my active life as soon as possible and Kevin mapped out a plan and said if I was willing to make the effort on the rehab end, it was attainable. I was 61 years old in 2009, play a lot of golf but by no means a super fit athlete. Everything went as planned and I will be the first to tell you total knee replacements are not fun. It is painful and at times frustrating but with the right attitude, you should have the same positive results that I have now had… twice. I was back playing golf in less than 8 weeks and am on target for the same this time. All doctor have busy practices these days and I saw several complaints about wait times. In all fairness, early on I did experience a bit more time in the waiting room than I liked but instead of complaining I did something about it. With some advance planning, I made all my subsequent visits early in the morning, usually between 8:30 — 9:30 and it solved that problem. It is like teeing off to play golf at 11:00 AM or 7:00 AM. One is a 4 hours round and the other is 5+ hours. I want to specifically give a shout out to Cheryl, Tony, Ric, Katherine and of course, Kevin. These are good people and I know first hand how they helped me regain the quality of life that I now have. Just remember, you will get out of it as much as you are prepared to invest. After all, it is your life.

This sports oath practice I have used more than several occasions. Every time regardless of what doctor you see it is first rate, great staff. Ok sometimes you wait a few more mins to see your doctor but hey its a busy practice, parking you pay for the convenience. You can park on the street if you want. I was there yesterday Paul was great got me comfy then I meet A Dr Natasha, lovely lady she listened looked at X-​rays did a quick pre up then Dr Kevin Ehrhart MD did his thing I came out much better than when I entered. Love this place highly recommend you get what you pay for excellence

I am totally pleased with my experience with Dr. Ehrhart and my hip replacement surgery. He was always on time and i dont beleive i ever waited more than 20 mins for any visit. the office staff was always available and more than helpful. Everything was explained at least twice. the hospital stay was a very calm experience because DR. Ehrhart had explained it all to me and there were no surprises. I saw the DR. twice during check in and pre-​op. he was in the OR to greet me and point out what was about to take place. all went well and i was up and walking the next day. I saw DR. Ehrhart the day after the surgery and again before discharge. Went to the post op visit one week later and was rechecked again by DR. Ehrhart. i am so happy with everything that happened and the best is that i am pain free and limp free and feel great. I would recommend DR. Ehrhart to anyone.

I have been to multiple doctors and finally, finally found Dr. Ehrhart. Amazing, smart, caring, listens and reviews all possibilities before making a medical decision. I have to say, «he is simply the BEST.» I had to follow my heart and keep moving forward with knee pain and he is the only one willing to make specific challenges before surgery. Yes, his office everyone, including Patricia all made my meeting this wonderful and intelligent doctor possible. Find him and go to his practitioner since he looks at you the patient and what is best to work for you. He moves with a calm that bring one into a space of care from the very best. He is on my list of the best!!!

The most important qualification for a surgeon is that he or she is a master at surgery, the rest is much less important, but Dr. Ehrhart is also great at explaining the surgery, answering questions, and providing followup. I had a total knee replacement 2 weeks ago, and am already walking (around the house and a bit outside) with no walker or cane, and have had virtually no pain (never needed narcotics in or out of the hospital). I asked a doctor friend of mine why she thought I had no pain and a great recovery and she explained that really good surgeons are very good at carefully minimizing tissue damage as they operate, not just getting the new joint in right. I’m so relieved and pleased with my outcome that I’m suggesting my relative from out of state have her surgery here with Dr. Ehrhart. Staff Patricia, Tony, and PA Rick were all fantastic too.

Dr. Ehrhart is worth waiting to see. He is an expert hip doctor and is thorough with his explanation. He is worth waiting for. HOWEVER, do be prepared to pay a facility fee charge to St. John’s Hospital. In light of this, get ALL necessary xrays and MRI’s done elsewhere and bring them in. My insurance was charged a $ 900 facility fee because I had an Xray! It was a very expensive visit!

Dr Ehrhart did a full knee replacement on my right knee 5 months ago. I am pleased and think he is a good surgeon and has a good bedside manner.
The problem is the office and the wait. each time I waited over 2 hours. The last time I was there I requested the first appt of any given day in the month as I live in Santa Barbara. I was scheduled for 8:30 and Patricia his assistant told me not to arrive until 9:00 as he would be doing rounds. I arrived at 8:50 and the waiting room was full. The people who were there went in before me and a women who arrived after me went in before me as well. I finally had been there for an hour and was told when I asked how long it would be… that I was waiting because I was late and could reschedule!
I finally saw Dr. Ehrhart after 1 ½ hours.
I did consult with other respected surgeons in Santa Monica and never waited over 10 minutes.
Beware of the facility fee that I was not informed of until after my 4^th visit.
And as Winnie R said. bring reading material as they provide nothing to keep you occupied during your 2 hour wait!

In spite of long waits, I am very appreciative: that I can get an appointment quickly; his staff handles Xrays so he can review on the spot; he takes his time to review my concerns and questions; and he calls my other doctors to confer regarding the best treatment plan while I am there. Well worth the wait!

Wonderful surgeon. Problem is post op care. One can wait over 90 minutes for a 2 minute exam. Bring lots of reading material/​Nothing to read in the waiting room.

I completely disagree with Ben F.
I recently underwent a total hip replacement with Dr. Erhart in December 2012. I was so relieved to have found him. I had been dealing with I diagnosed hip dysplasia for o rr seven years. I was referred to Dr. Erhart through a friend of mine that had a knee replacement with him. We both play tennis together and she said he had her back on the court in 8 weeks. So I went to see him. I found his bedside manner very friendly. Actually he has a funny personality and made me feel comfortanle and heard. He spent quite a long time going over my MRI’s my exrays and previous surgery. He explained to me everything there was to know about the surgery. I felt very comfortable. He is rated one of the top doctors in his field.
I have had several surgeries in the past and something that stands out for me with Dr. Erhart was the day of surgery. It has been my experience for the do for to be the last one in the operating room, but not Dr. Erhart he was there the whole time I was being prepped and I could tell he was preparing himself. I felt very confident and he did a beautiful job with my new hip. My scar is minimal and I feel great!
Anyway I won’t go into every detail but I would like to address some other concerns that Ben experienced. I have been to his office 5 times and the longest I have waited is 30minutes. This is not unusual, I don’t think I’ve ever gone quickly in to an appointment with a doctor. A wait is to be expected. I always get a return phone call from Patricia, I even recently had her call me back at 7 pm, long after she should have been home. She said she didn’t want to make me wait until the next day!
I had my six week post op and am so thrilled to know that I can retur To the gym and all of my previous activities including tennis .
I would recommend Dr. Erhart many times over.
Dr. Erhart preformed surgery on Ronald Regan and Arnold Schwarzenegger!
That’s a pretty good recommendation !
Thank you Dr. Erhart

I am a highly unsatisfied patient of Dr. Kevin Ehrhart at Santa Monica Orthopedic Group. I begin seeing Ehrhart about one year ago for knee pain. Ehrhart fits the reputation to a tee of the type of doctor who is arrogant, emotionless and unhappy. He is not a people person. While he is in his early 60s and clearly knowledgeable, his knowledge does not appear to be any better than alternative doctors in the area who have the people skills that Ehrhart sorely lacks.
I will try to summarize the following key problems with Ehrhart:
1. He overbooks his calendar so the average waiting time to see him is usually an hour. When he finally sees you, he either gives an emotionless apology or no apology at all.
2. He refuses to talk to patients over the phone. In order to speak with him, one needs to make an appointment which requires at least an hour of waiting and costs money.
3. Often Dr. Ehrhart will not even see the patient, but instead Ric Campbell, Dr. Ehrhart’s «physician assistant», who does not have a medical degree, will see the patient instead. Ric Campbell has on several occasions given me medical information that has contradicted what Dr. Ehrhart has told me.
4. He is either lazy or overworked or both. I first met with Dr. Ehrhart about a year ago, and he didn’t realize a very obvious cause of my knee pain until a follow-​up visit almost six months later.
5. The person who answers his phone, Patricia (not to be confused with his lovely office manager Ginger), is incompetent. She is incredibly difficult to reach and it can literally take days for her to come back to you. She is not very friendly and generally a hassle to deal with.
6. Dealing with Dr. Ehrhart’s office is incredibly laborsome. His staff is lazy. It often takes them weeks (or even months) to do things that should only take a doctor’s office a day or two. For example, it literally took them two months to get an approval from my insurance company for a certain medication for pain. The magnitude of the delay was exacerbated by Dr. Ehrhart deciding to take vacation without addressing my medication before he left.
7. He is bitter. As an orthopedic surgeon in his 60s, Dr. Ehrhart is a bitter man who seems to have had enough of his job.
8. Parking is very expensive. It costs approximately $ 9 – 10 per hour t o park in the medical building and the parking is billed every 15 minutes.
Over the last year, I’ve made a significant financial, time and emotional investment into Dr. Kevin Ehrhart and the return on that investment has been terrible. My knee pain has not changed since seeing him. Dealing with his office has been incredibly stressful. My advice to anyone looking for an orthopedist is to look for someone else.