Dr. Dao passed away on 10/22/19. He was a man of few words and an excellent surgeon. I just found out he passed when I tried to make an appointment and found the phone number for his office was out of service. This is a link to his obituary on legacy.com: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/khiem-dao-obituary?pid=194238307 read more

I cut my index finger in January 2018. I cut through my fingers nerve and flexor tendon. Doctor Dao reattached my nerve and my flexor tendon and immediately my finger had all its feeling back. With physical therapy, I was really doing great. But after a few weeks, I was using my finger too aggressively and I broke the tendon again. Dr. Dao got me back into surgery and reattached my flexor tendon a second time. Doctors will tell you the second time is not always so easy to reattach. But Dr. Dao was able to do it. I went back to work with the physical therapist and as I was recovering I learned how hard it really is to reattach a flexor tendon twice. I had lots of scar tissue on top of scar tissue. My therapist told me not to expect full recovery. Its been 6 months now since my first cut. I am so happy to report that I have the full range motion returning to my finger. My scar tissue is going away steadily and Dr. Dao deserves most of the credit for my success. He is a masterful surgeon. I recommend him to anyone with a hand injury. read more

I had a very rare finger condition called Giant Cell Tumor of the Tendon Sheath. Basically I had a giant knob on my left ring finger. I had been sent to specialist after specialist and no one could really tell me what was wrong and didn't want to do anything about it. When I went to Dr. Dao's office, I was inside the examination room within 3 minutes of getting there. Dr. Dao came in less than a minute later and examined my finger. He was very straight with me and said I haven't really seen this before but we are going to operate on it and we will see what it is. I trusted that he knew what he was doing even if he wasn't entirely sure what was wrong with me and that trust was not misplaced. I was out of the office within 5 minutes total. He knows what he is doing and doesn't waste any time, which I appreciate. They were very prompt and quick to schedule the surgery and the day of, everyone that I came into contact with had awesome bedside manner and were very accommodating when I asked questions and expressed concern. They gave me the sleepy stuff and the next thing I knew I was waking up and it was done. Dr. Dao explained everything to my husband and walked him through the entire process as well as what was to come. He told him what he thinks it is and it turned out he was right. He again was very forthcoming to me and told me that there is a chance it will come back but they will do everything they can to work with me on it. My finger looks a little frankenstein-ish but that is unavoidable and I no longer have a giant knob on my finger, which was a major insecurity for me. It was my first surgery and I am so glad I ended up at Dr. Dao's office, because he and his team did a fantastic job! read more

Dr. Dao saved me. He's all business, but is clearly incredibly talented and experienced. I recently moved abroad, and needed pins or screws in my hand. With pins I would have had to fly back in two months to go back under the knife to get them removed. But, Dr. Dao was able to put screws in my hand, which make it so I don't need to fly back and go back under the knife. For that I am forever grateful... Upon decharge, Dr. Dao gives you his email, for which you can ask any questions about your healing process protocols. His responses are a delight and they happen quickly. He has 26 years of experience. Trust Dr. Dao. The office is beautiful and the staff is very, very dialed in and on-point. Dr. Dao! read more

I am the mom of an active twelve-year old boy. Whenever he gets hurt, we go to Dr. Dao. We get appointments easily, the staff is friendly, the office is clean and it's easy to park. Over the past three years my son has been treated by him for wrist, finger, and knee injuries. Every time we come in, the visit is prompt, efficient, and it is clear to our family that Dr. Dao cares. His advice has been spot-on. The peace of mind I have from Dr. Dao's expertise is priceless. We live in Mission Viejo and it's always worth the drive. read more

Abosouletly the WORST Doctor... I do not recommend this doctor at all! Not only is he unprofessional but his staff is RUDE! he didn't even exam my sisters hand he just looked at it & said yes you'll need surgery. You literally have to pay for ever little thing extra. And then in order to get a note signed by the doctor to give to your job you have to PAY 50$ !! Ridiculous... stay away from this place. read more

Dr Dao performed hand surgery on Susan Wells in the beginning of September. Her wrist was crushed. Dr. Dao was able to restore her wrist one hundred percent. we could not be happier with the results. He did an amazing job. Susan's hand will be back to normal, because of Dr. Dao, very soon. We just can not thank him enough. So, if you are considering which Hand Surgeon to go with, Dr. Dao is THE BEST! Best Regards, Susan Wells read more

What the hell? I go through all multiple checkups with Dr. Dao and right before we were supposed to schedule for my surgery I get a call from his office saying he's on family emergency leave and that he is not able to perform surgery and that they want me to find another doctor. So you waste my time & money with all these checkups and you bail out on me before my surgery? Seriously? What kind of doctor does that. That was extremely unprofessional and beyond rude. read more

This doctor apparently is out of business! Office is closed. Continued calls to office go to a voice recording only. I don't think you can get an appointment anymore. The gates are locked up! read more

Dr. Dao did an excellent job with surgical repair of my thumb. I lost the end of it past the knuckle in an accident working in my garage, and he did the appropriate cleanup and skin grafting to give me as much function as possible. Other medical people that I have encountered who have seen my thumb have said that the surgeon who did the work did an excellent job, and that I could not have hoped for better results. Dr. Dao also suggested an excellent physical therapy group, which is helping me greatly in getting the range of motion and physical sensation in my thumb to be very good, and it was paid for by my insurance. Even though the end of my thumb is gone, I do not feel all that limited because of the excellent work of Dr. Dao. read more

In March of 2018, I contracted the flesh-eating bacteria/streptococcus A/necrotizing fasciitis. Like most, I was clueless to the condition. It is described as "a disease condition of rapidly spreading infection, usually located in fascial planes of connective tissue that results in tissue necrosis (dead and/or damaged tissue)." Put plainly, it's an extremely aggressive bacteria which kills the soft tissue (e.g., muscles, connective tissues, tendons, ligaments, skin, fat, nerves, blood vessels), at a rapid pace. On Thursday, I felt what I thought was a small sore on my left thumb. Three days later, the pain at my thumb had reached astronomical levels, and required a trip to the ER at 3 in the morning, Sunday. Folks in the ER first presumed an insect bite or trauma which resulted in a swollen thumb. However, my screaming prayers to God Almighty, must have altered their explanation for my condition, because within 45 minutes, I was being prepped for surgery and introduced to the surgeon, a hand specialist, Dr. Khiem Dao. I remember Dr. Dao stating, "you may lose your thumb," and I responded, "whatever you do doc, save my thumb." The next thing I remembered was waking up in a hospital bed, with a heavily bandaged left arm, left thumb intact! At that point, I was happy to be relieved of the pain, and happy to still have my thumb. I told the nurse, "I am ready to be discharged." The nurse asked me to hang on, the doctor would like to speak to me. Not one, but three doctors came in, individually, rather than in a group. The first doctor, the attending physician, stated the severity of my condition, and how crucial it was for me to stay in the hospital. The second and third doctors, internal medicine/infectious disease specialists, identified the bacterial infection, and told me it was a "No Brainer," if I left, it would be a death sentence. And by the way, if I waited another 24 hours to present myself to the ER, I would more than likely be dead. The doctors convinced me. I stayed in the hospital for 6 1/2 weeks, and 3 additional surgeries. Everyday since, I feel like a lottery winner. I frequently find myself staring at my left arm, especially my thumb, and I realize how fortunate I was to have Dr. Dao treat me. I may be imagining things, but the incisions Dr Dao made on and around my thumb appear artistically, well intentioned and made to save it as opposed to easily amputating it. Think about it, there is no way one could tell where the bacteria is, or will be except for the dead, necrotic tissue left in its wake. Dr. Dao literally saved my life. It appears diagnosis is the primary hurdle regarding necrotizing fasciitis. And since the bacteria is extremely aggressive, time is of the essence. My research on necrotizing fasciitis came across an advisement to surgeons not to wait for CT or MRI confirmation, just start cutting away... for the next time you see your patient, they may be dead! My experience with Dr. Dao has been a positive one, and I'm grateful Dr. Dao treated me. I can truly testify, without Dr. Dao's experience, skill, knowledge, and (to all you who gave less than 5 stars), CARE, my outcome would not be the same. Additionally, Dr. Dao's office staff are professional and showcase Dr. Dao's practice well. I give 5 stars to the medical attention and treatment provided me by Dr. Dao and his staff. read more

My son is 17 years old and a left-handed pitcher in his senior year of HS. Last Thur., 5/17/18 while pitching at his first and last CIF game this season, in the 3rd inning, the ball he just pitched got hit right back to him striking his pitching thumb. I have an HMO medical plan, so there was the usual initial visit with his PCP and then a referral to get an x-ray. The x-ray confirmed there was a break at the base of the thumb which required another referral to a hand specialist. Dr. Dao was the referred doctor. Like most consumers today, I Googled Dr. Dao. There were a few 5 star reviews but there were a lot of 1 star reviews. While those negative reviews seemed only about rudeness and slowness with appointments, I still was on the fence about going to see Dr. Dao. Unfortunately, calling other hand specialists within my Medical Group, I found that they were not available for another week or even months. I was able to get an urgent appointment with Dr. Dao yesterday. He advised that surgery was needed. When he discovered that the injury occurred last week, he appeared anxious about delaying further treatment. So, somehow, he worked some magic and got the authorization to operate on my son's thumb this morning at 9am. The surgery went well and he was in recovery within an hour of being rolled into the operation room. Dr. Dao was very patient yesterday during the initial consultation and post-op today he was patient in explaining what to expect with my son. I forgot to mention that at pre-op I was talking to the nurses at the hospital and the anesthesiologist. They all raved about Dr. Dao and how even other medical professionals go to Dr. Dao because he's just that great at what he does. That meant the world to me because it helped reassure me after reading the negative reviews a couple of days ago. Goes to show you, while reviews are helpful, everyone's experience is different and you have to judge for yourself. My son's experience has been great so far. He still has his second surgery in several weeks to remove the pins put in today and then 4-6 months of recovery from today's surgery, but Dr. Dao is very confident that he'll fully recover. I am a very happy mom today that Dr. Dao was so quickly able to get my son's thumb treated and on the road to recovery! I would recommend Dr. Dao completely to anyone who thinks twice after reading some of the negative reviews posted about him. read more

dr dao stated that torn ACL's do not need pain medication. i wonder if he has any idea what a tendon that is torn apart feels like. i promise you it's not fun. not the judgement of a doctor you want working on you. read more

Wish I never went to Dr. DAO. The staff is short and rude and the doctor really doesn't care at all. Was told I would never be 100%. Never would have had surgery if I knew that. Now I have to live with a messed up finger the rest of my life ! read more

My son had a serious hand injury from an ATV accident. While Dr. Dao was not necessarily warm and fuzzy, he went the extra mile for my son performing three complex sugeries. Three months later, my son is doing great in physical therapy and finger movement is darn near miraculous. Some doctors told us he might lose his hand!! It appears that if you want a great surgeon Dr. Dao is your man........my son had no problem with the follow-up visits at his office. read more

Dr. Dao was great helping my 16 year old due to an accident in his hand. He tore two ligaments and he is a musician, we were so worried that he wouldn't be able to play his instrument again or lose mobility. Dr. Dao preformed emergency surgery and it went great. He is a great doctor and his staff has been nothing but helpful. Thank you Dr. Dao!! read more

This doctor and I use that term loosely does not put in the effort to do the job. He did a peer review of my case and stated, "6mos of conservative therapy". Which clearly shows he did not even review my file as it is 9 years long and shows I have had 9 years of conservative therapy. His horrible peer review denied a surgery that would relieve significant pain in my wrist. Luckily, others doctors have read my file and will approve my surgery. If he does not have the time to read a file for a peer review what is he doing on anyone's file??? I met with two other doctors who used the term disgrace when describing what he did. read more

My wife's primary called "Dr." Dao as a secondary choice for a referral because the other was too far away, and he said he could help her with her foot, as an "orthopedic ""specialist"" in upper and lower extremeties". After a very short exam, he told her he can't help her. He then proceeded to ask her for her co-pay, then months later asked for more, sending monthly statements and threatening collection proceedings. Paid the "doctor" the measly $20 to get them the hell off our backs and expressed our feelings. Like the the other reviews of this "doctor", avoid him like the plague. He's obviously unaware of the hippocratic oath as well as ethics. read more

So far my experience has been horrible.. I called the office for 3 days straight trying to schedule an apt. I finally just went to the office and scheduled. The front desk girl told me next available is next Friday so I took apt and asked to put on cancellation list. She didn't seem to understand what a cancellation list was so I explained... she then said that it would be Wednesday only? I then asked if the dr was there tomorrow and she said yes .. I said ok can I be on that list too? She said yes but it would only be the morning.. the next day I get a call for 1:15p cancellation- same day.. I took apt and it's 1:41 and I have yet to be called in. The same front desk girl told me "oh a few appointments showed up late so we saw them first?" Really? Let's just hope the Dr isn't this bad. I'll update when done. read more

Excellent surgeon and post operation care. Also excellent customer service from his staff. I highly recommend. Available 24/7 on his cell phone read more

My mom first left a review here from my account, but now I would like to leave one. I'm very grateful for Dr. Dao. He's been operating on my mom for two years now because he's the only doctor we've came across who hasn't given up on my mom and has given her hope. In 2010 my mom got a rare tumor on her left wrist and she got it removed by a different doctor. However, the tumor came back a few years after and it continued to come back a little after every surgery. About 3 years ago, the doctor who was doing all of her surgeries gave up. Her tumor was very small but he no longer wanted to do anything but amputate her arm and my mom didn't want that. We started looking for new doctors, but every single doctor we saw only wanted to amputate her arm or didn't want to help her at all. But as we looked and looked for new doctors her tumor got bigger and bigger. Finally, we found Dr. Dao. We were a bit scared of getting rejected once again especially after reading quite a few reviews that weren't good. When we first met him her tumor was huge at this point it was bigger than a golf ball, he didn't say much and he was out of the room in less than 5 minutes without telling us if he was going to help my mom. To be frankly honest we didn't get the best first impression of him for that reason. However, I am now forever thankful that we crossed paths with him. He ended up helping my mom when the tumor was at its worst. And up to this day he still hasn't given up on my mom. My mom has finally gotten the strength to accept an arm amputation if there's nothing else left to be done, but for now we're praying for a miracle and Dr. Dao is helping us with that. He's truly amazing at what he does! And he's very nice, respectful, caring and genuine. Wish we would have met him sooner. read more

I had LRTI surgery on my left thumb for arthritis. After almost a year of physical therapy it still wasn't "normal". That doctor said it was time to come back & do my right thumb. Needless to say I went to a different specialist who told me that he used to do that procedure but he would do if differently on my right thumb. I wasn't comfortable with that. I finally went to Dr Dao. He came in, pleasant but very professional, looked at my hand & recommended that I not have surgery on the thumb because it was only 85% successful & those weren't good odds when talking about your hands. I had asked the 2 previous doctors if they had removed the large thumb knuckle. I didn't get any response from either. Dr Dao pushed on the palm side of my thumb & told me it had collapsed as it always does with this surgery. I almost cried because this was the first doctor that answered every question truthfully. I have called my physical therapist & told her to recommend him to whomever might be looking for someone new. This is an excellent doctor with a very friendly staff. read more