I scheduled my appt with the doctor in May and it was supposed to be for 7/17. Yesterday, I received a call that the doctor won't be able to see me this week and they will need to bump my appt to AUGUST 21ST!! That's over a month away and I've been in need of pain management and have patiently waited for my first appt. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS! I can understand changing the appt to maybe next week but August? Truly this doctor and his staff don't really care about patient needs. No way am I waiting until August. Will find a better place. read more

I've been a Patient of Dr Hattori's for 20 years.. Such an excellent Doctor..caring & very informative. read more

Some pain management places are hard wired to consider patients as addicts. Even if the other doctors and diagnostic data supports the use of pain meds, they put you thru all sorts of misery to gain the meds. They do a urine drug test without telling the patient exactly what is going on. Do a quickie, "sign this" to get your consent without really knowing what you are signing . While, I understand these meds can be a problem, prescription should be based on diagnosis and test results. Jerking the patient around isnt appropriate medicine. Also, expect pressure over insurance and payment of co-pays. You will be sitting in an exam room and someone comes in and aggressively sticks a pay point computer in your face for payment for this particular appointment. Overall unpleasant experience. read more

Dr Hattori is one of the most thoughtful and kind doctors I have ever had. He is cautious and metered in his approach and truly listens to his patients. You will never feel rushed and he will always answer any questions you have. read more

Dr. Hattroi and Hana Renor are both caring and professional people who are effective and always have their patients' welfare front of mind. This office, including the entire staff, is always on time, and I can say they go the extra mile while staying true to their own professional standards. read more

He spoke to me for a hour. Most of that time was to talk about why my insurance wasn't good enough. It always amazes me how doctors these days are insurance company representatives instead of health care providers. They really must have amended that hypocratic oath. Docs don't even ask if you can pay on your own!?!? I actually can't ever remember being seen in a "doctors" office and then being refused treatment....this was a first. I guess I am so upset because they are audacious enough to call themsleves a pain clinic, but all they do is give more pain, and no help. These "Pain Clinics" stole business from M.D.'s and set the DEA on them if they continued to prescribe pain medicine. Now "Pain Clinics" won't prescribe pain medicine. Guess you should just go to your local bar and forget about wasting your time here, or at any Pain Clinic for that matter. In addition, So drag me into the City, frustrate me with parking and access because they don't validate their garage, go into an office that hasn't been renovated in 70 years (I like old buildings, but I find no reason for a Clinic do look rundown and dirty. read more

I want to update my review from several years ago. I told you that that the pills that Dr. Hattori prescribed to me for an off-label purpose caused a horrible debilitating effects. Well recently, I learned that not only was the drug not recommended for the use that he had prescribed, but the drug that Dr. Hattori had prescribed has well known severe and potentially life threatening reactions when combined with my other medication that Dr. Hattori knew that I had been prescribed to take by my primary care physician. We went over my chart together. I could have died! He nearly killed me! I am following the lead of another of his patients, and I am contacting the medical board regarding his malpractice. The telephone number for the medical board is: 1(800) 633-2322. Be safe. Stay away. read more

Dr. Hattori is a very competent doctor. I was excited about our first visit. He was very thorough about instructing me on the first telephone interview as to what the rules were. So I went for my first in person appointment. when he asked me if I had anything to drink, I was being honest and I told him I had had one beer. He got so upset that I got very intimidated. I am 79 years old and because I was intimidated and flustered, I couldn't think clearly to remember when I had the beer. When I finally remember that, of course it was two weeks before because I knew the appointment was coming up and I told him that we could do the blood test he turned his back on me and walked away. I got the distinct impression that he thought I was trying to trick him. it's very upsetting. He needs to go and work on his interpersonal skills. He did give me a good recommendation for another doctor to help me with my knees. I appreciate that. I would just advise anyone to listen carefully to his instructions and don't get flustered. read more

I do not recommend this doctor. He didn't listen to me, talked over me, argued with me about taking a medication that had been working well, gave me something else that caused a terrible side effect and then magically agreed I should be taking the one I wanted to begin with. His office never responded to my phone messages when I needed the prescription refilled. It was a very unpleasant experience with this doctor. read more

I've received communication from a state investigative agency wanting my medical records for an investigation concerning Dr Hattori, I did not report him, so just take this info into consideration when looking for a doctor! read more

So my doctor had recommended an epidural and stated that once it was approved and an appointment would be made. I waited and waited, a couple weeks later someone left a message on my voicemail about the procedure but wasn't clear. I called my doctor up and they told me it was scheduled from another doctor and I would need to talk to them. So I called Dr. Masami Hattori office asking about my appointment, they kept saying I needed to talk to my doctor. Explaining how it wouldn't make sense for my doctor to schedule Dr. Masami Hattori procedure they finally began looking into it. They said they tried calling the week before but no one answered, but kept asking what the recording said which was but a mumble. So after everything had to wait another month since they only did epidural on Thursdays. read more

Masami Hattori, MD - Pain Management Near Me - San Francisco, California

LOL... another year, another Rhizotomy! Doctor Hattori is still my guy... he has a larger office, and his sweet, pleasant staff sometimes still makes mistakes. They seem to be changing and having some growing pains. Again, I must state that this is not a is NOT A RESTAURANT, "Jeanne L", so if you want a doctor that isn't 30 minutes late on his "last appointment of the day," go to some shitty doctor elsewhere and see what kind of medical care you get! I can't believe this lady called Dr. Hattori "rude, disrespectful and accusatory." Hattori has dealt with me kindly when I was literally crying from back pain. I am sure that Hattori was trying to be polite while "Jeanne L" was bitching about the 30-minute wait. I can only imagine what kind of insane people these Pain Patient Types are. I don't know how Hattori and Patrice deal with them without getting caregiver burnout. read more

I had a lumbar epidural this morning with Dr. Hattori. It was my second epidural and my first with Dr. Hattori. What a difference !! Our office meeting before scheduling the epidural was comprehensive. He met with me before the procedure this AM and explained what he was going to do. He told me ahead of time each step off the way through my fairly straight forward procedure. I would recommend Dr. Hattori without hesitation. read more

If you can afford it, find another doctor. A friend of the family had two in-office appointments with this doctor and on the latter visit was given no appointment for follow up by the receptionist at checkout. Later, out of the blue they received a call (from a different receptionist) that they had an appointment. They said they couldn't make it, however the receptionist rang back two hours later with another time (also without any preface), and though they had to drop everything to make it, they could, so they drove across the city to get to his office. When they got there, the receptionist who'd called said, "Oh, it's a video appointment." They argued with the receptionist about not being informed they had an appointment ahead of time, not being informed it was a remote appointment, and the receptionist left in a huff and told the doctor they were being rude. Dr. Masami came out, heard the story and his scoffed at his patients, "It's a communication mistake. What's the big deal?" It appears that were several communication mistakes by the staff of his office, and absolutely no indication of responsibility on his part in seeing that his office provides a level of professional representation befitting the practice (or worse, letting it lie as an accurate representation of the quality of their practice). This is the bottom of the barrel- a group of people who think that their clients are beneath them. One might take away that it's unlikely you're going to find someone here who cares about your health and physical progress beyond how it affects their bottom line. read more

The absolute worst experience I have ever had. He just wants to fill you full of steroids. No compassion. Not well educated.

Michelle S nailed it. This was the worst doctor appointment I have ever had. A few years ago, Hattori was fine. He tried a few Botox injections for my chronic post-fusions pain. They didn't work, but he tried. I went back in January 2022. No one even checked my ID or insurance. I was treated like a junkie, though I wasn't even looking for a scrip that day. Hattori never even asked to see my health/pain questionnaire. I was subjected to a urine test and was told to just put it on a table in an empty exam room along with my unread health questionnaire. Hipaa anyone? What happened to this guy's practice? Time for him to vacation then come back and retire. Horrible experience. read more

Dr. Hattori is alright until you lose your insurance. I saw him for about 10 years. I told him I might lose my insurance because of a union dispute. Then it was bye bye birdie. Also, he kept trying to get rid of me as a patient. He might be a bit of a perv, but I'm not sure. Anyway people there is always the methadone clinic. Just watch out for the needle and shit on the street. Hey don't worry, one-way or another you might survive. But then again, you might not. There are some shady people in the waiting room, so watch out. He should put up a sign "No guns allowed". There were even some doctors waiting in the waiting room. My point in this story is if you choose to dance with the devil you won't win. You are gambling with your life and that never turns out well. read more

What I appreciated about Dr Hattori is that he listened to my story, handled my medications graciously and referred me to PT which is helping me immensely. Also he has a sense of humor. read more

I will say that Dr. Hattori is a nice man with a nice bedside manner. However, his office is a complete clusterf*ck. Here are the facts: He was 40 minutes late for our last appointment. He informed me that the discs in my neck had degenerated to the point that there was bone grinding against bone and this is why I was in so much pain. He suggested that I have a cortisone shot in the area. I was thrilled at the prospect of some pain relief. I also requested a TENS unit. I waited one month and never received word from my insurance company that the procedure had been authorized. I called his office numerous times and my calls were NEVER returned. I finally called my insurance company and found out that Dr. Hattori had never submitted the request for the procedure or the TENS unit. My insurance company reached out to the office and attempted to obtain the authorization. The representative was transferred around and finally sent to a voice mail. I will be transferring to another pain management clinic because dealing with Dr. Hattori's office has been an exercise in torture. Update: I transferred to the UC pain management clinic. I'm so delighted with them. I highly recommend them! I see Dr. Melanie Henry and she has changed my life! read more

I am a cancer survivor. My cancer was in my spine. It completely messed me up and my nervous system and caused permanent systemic pain throughout my body. I was sent from my physician to this doctor to deal with long term pain management. I have met with Dr Hattori once so far. He was courteous, professional and listened intently to me to help with my problem. He is competent and seems to care about my well being. His staff on the other hand have been exceptionally hard to deal with (on the phone specifically) and extraordinarily less than helpful, bordering on rude when I can get ahold of them. They don't return calls for weeks, and it had turned out I was calling the wrong office the whole time. When the person who answered figured this out they pretty much told me to go screw myself. A long story short, I switched from one drug to another on his instructions, and somehow I guess my prescription got messed up at the pharmacy. I was down to one day's worth medicine before I got ahold of anyone who would help me. I was admittedly upset, but the lack of empathy was astounding. I'm not looking for pity, only a little courteousness and maybe not treat me like I'm a scumbag looking for the next fix. My medicine doesn't even get you high for gods sake! Just to clarify, the people at his Bush office were the mean ones. The ladies at the California office were the ones who actually helped me out, so take this review with a grain of salt. read more

My experience from front to back ranged from underwhelming to unempathetic to semi insulting if I really cared in the end (maybe my problem is my huge chest). The dr sure likes the sound of his own voice and thinks he knows everything without listening to the patient. I will guess that's why he wants a referral-only patients: He only wants to read doctors' notes. Very clever in the way he can easily manipulate one's experience and dealing with of pain into an algorithm. Highly recommended if you want to be a science experiment. I felt a cluster of symptoms more than a person to him, and was told I should float in warm pools and try to stretch and socialize there while dealing with what he described as the pain "of aging" (I'm in my 30s. he didn't even read my self described daily symptoms). Oh but he can give me Botox shots for headaches! Wonder what the kickback is like for him there. read more

Masami Hattori, MD - Pain Management Near Me - San Francisco, California

This doctor deserves an award for Worst Doctor Ever. He was constantly pushing surgery on a non-surgical patient, and during the first visit, said "I'm your doctor and I know what's best for you." Oh, is that a fact? This guy seems great if you're looking for a butcher to slice you open and repair your back, but he's the absolute WORST choice for pain management due to chronic illness. He's going to kill someone someday with the way he practices medicine. Don't let that person be you. read more

I completely agree with Jeanne when she suggests that it's unusual to have the majority of posts that are either five stars or one star. She is incorrect when she says there are none in between, but her point is valid. So the question has to be "why?". The only thing that really changes from one review to the next is the person posting the review, the doctor remains the same. So if the doctor remains constant and the patient is the element that changes, can't we assume that perhaps the difference lies in us, the patients. I'm of the opinion that we as chronic pain sufferers are the most difficult type of patient most doctors ever see. Maybe the dissatisfaction reported is more a reflection of the frustration that we experience trying to find some treatment, almost any treatment, that will make this pain go away! I have been suffering from extraordinarily painful headaches as well as herniated lumbar discs for nearly 25 years. I have seen more doctors than I could possibly remember and have tried more treatments then you would believe. I have found Dr. Hattori and his clinical staff to be exceptional. I do have to agree with the person who commented about difficulties getting return phone calls. I have left messages for office staff that have gone unanswered. However the office has just implemented a new patient portal that I suspect will address those issues. For me, Dr. Hattori meets or exceeds the primary criteria that differentiates one pain management care provider (doctor, nurse, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, etc.) from the next. That criteria includes: 1. How seriously does the clinician process my complaints? Does he validate the information with respect and treat my symptoms as credible? 2. How attentive is the clinician during my appointment? Do I have his complete attention and does it appear that he is focusing the entirety of his experience and knowledge on my clinical condition? The nature of the practice makes periodic telephone interruptions an unavoidable reality, but I expect that during my treatment those calls are kept to a minimum. 3. Am I offered appropriate and helpful treatment options? Of course there are other concerns. I prefer a physician with a good "bedside manner". Someone who is intelligent and appears to possess a sense of humor is a plus. When you consider why most of us chronic pain sufferers are seeing a pain management specialist, there's usually nothing humorous about it. So I like it when my doctor can add some levity. Dr. Hattori is clearly exceptionally intelligent and does have a nice bedside manner. I have even seen periodic evidence of his sense of humor, although it appears that he prefers to keep the appointments mostly professional. In any case, he continues to excel in all the criteria I use when evaluating a healthcare provider. I have been seeing Dr. Hattori for a few years and have found him to be helpful, empathetic, and knowledgeable. I've been surprised at how flexible Dr. Hattori has been. Flexibility is a trait I have found to be in very rare supply in the pain management treatment delivery environment. You know I can leave a five star review and give all the reasons why I think Dr. Hattori is a fine physician, but I think the best way to show you that it's not just talk is to add that I drive six hours every time I come to see Dr. Hattori. If you look at my information, you'll see that I live in Fresno. Dr. Hattori's office is in San Francisco, about 180 miles from my house. So if that doesn't demonstrate the satisfaction I have in the care that I receive from him and his clinical staff, then nothing I say will. read more

I've been a patient of Dr. Hattori for quite a few years and agree with many of the other assessments. He's a fine doctor and a good and thoughtful person, but his office staff is not of the same quality. Some of them, especially my old friend Lou, are great at seeing to things, but there are far too many times when it is unclear which of his staff are responsible for which tasks, and things just drop through the gaps. I have constant problems with my prescriptions (mostly due to Walgreens), and need assistance from Hattori's staff to help resolve them, yet they don't get back to me promptly or efficiently. I don't think the individual people are the problem. If you finally get the attention of someone they are great.. They just need to be better trained and reorganized so problems get the attention they deserve. Phone calls need to be dealt with by the people who are there, not shunted off into the voicemail of someone who's out for a week. read more

5 stars is for Dr.Hattori, his staff can sometimes be less then 5 stars, but they have had a lot of turn over and some of the problems I previously had are no longer an issue. I have seen Dr. Hattori for 5 years. In two different offices, and many different staff. Reasons Dr. Hattori is awesome. 1. He really listens to you, and never makes me feel rushed or like he has better things to do. Even though he is very busy. He always returns my emails or calls. 2. He has helped my figure out a pain regimen that has been life changing, and made my quality of like 100 times better. 3. He has never once made me feel judged or like I was doing something wrong. (Those in pain management programs will understand this. It can be a demoralizing experience having to sign contracts, and test often. I have no problem doing these things, just a lot of previous dr. offices treated me badly. These things are required but Dr. Hattori's office never makes me feel like its a bad thing.) 4. I feel like a person, and not just a number. This past year has been extra difficult due to my mom becoming ill with Cancer, having to fly to Michigan often, sometimes the timing with my meds didn't work out and I had to call/ email to move appointments, and really be a pain in the ass patient. Dr. Hattori, and Dr. Peterson really went above and beyond to make this all work for me. My insurance will not cover my meds, Dr. Hattori is working to help me draft letters, & a pain management plan to get them covered. For all the reviewers commenting on how bad his staff can be, I have experienced, lost appointments, occasional long waits, and huge confusion with the billing department, which caused me to have to carry an envelope with all my insurance info and letters of approval from my hmo doctor. That said, these problems have all seemed to have been sorted. This happened after a very bad mishap, Dr. Hattori Showed up to my appointment, even though it was with patrice at the time, and apologized for his staff and asked exactly what happened and let me explain. After that those problems were all addressed and have not happened since. So those readers wondering if they should see Dr. Hattori. YES, 100 times yes, because even though there were issues with the staff, they have been worked out, and I would gladly take all those problems for what a great, patient and kind Dr., Dr. Hattori is. read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Hattori's for two years. .I find Dr. Hattori to be kind, friendly, compassionate, concerned, caring and highly skilled. Dr. Hattori has always taken the time to address my concerns and to be fully present when meeting with me. I see Dr. Hattori at his St. Mary's office. I have found his office staff to be helpful and kind. I have not experienced any difficulties in scheduling appointments or having messages go unanswered. There are times when I am kept waiting past my appointment time but I feel having to wait a little is a small price to pay for being under Dr. Hattori's care. I highly recommend Dr. Hattori. read more

Doctor Hattori saw me a couple weeks ago shortly after a double cervical fusion due to me not being able to get pain relief without an allergic reaction with the prescription prescribed for my procedure. This rash versus pain dilemma has been an issue for me for years in post op states until Doctor Hattori came to the rescue and took a thourogh look into my case and after some trial med prescriptions finally unlocked the mystery and got me on board with some itch free pain relief. The extra mile taken came after many pharmacies were out of the medication and between himself and his support staff they finally made it all come together and I am having what feels thus far as successful of a post op situation as i can have with my recovery. Hats off to his office staff and of course Doctor Hattori. read more

I started seeing Dr. Hattori when my previous doctor stopped prescribing the meds I was taking. Dr. Hattori is compassionate, patient-focused and a great listener. Most of the negative reviews are probably from bad patients who were addicted and didn't follow Hattori's policies, which I find totally reasonable. If you are a good patient, I can't see why you wouldn't love Dr. Hattori. It's obvious to me he really cares and does what's best for his patients. read more

Dr. Hattori has been treating me since 2009 for severe neck pain, lower back pain and Fibromyalgia. I had seen at least 4 other pain management Doctors that did help me at all, before I found Dr. Hattori. Dr. Hattori has been the only Doctor that has been able to help me live w/ my pain, surgery is not an option for me. He is nice, pleasant, listens to you! His office staff is always very helpful, but it is a very busy office at times. Patrice his NP is wonderful as well, I don't mind seeing just Patrice on my follow up visits. I highly recommend Dr. Hattori!! read more

There has to be something wrong when Dr. Hattori gets either a 5 star or a 1 star rating with nothing in between. I would give him 0 stars if Yelp would let me. I had been referred to Dr Hattori by Dr. Kondrashav, the fine spinal surgeon who was treating me at St. Mary's. This is how my important appt with Dr. Hattori began: He was over 30 minutes late seeing me, his last appt of the day, Feb 13, but did not bother apologize for this. He was rude, disrespectful and accusatory in his first sentences to me and took up more than 5 minutes of precious appt time with business, which was the front desk responsibility: I did not bring in my paperwork. Why? Because I filled it out 2 weeks before when I saw Dr. Hattori for an injection test and I did not have any new paper work to give. I was upset with the front desk over this. Any patient in severe pain who travels over 1 hour to get to the appt. and who needs to ask for a bed immediately knows how frustrating it is to be asked to complete even MORE paper work. I began this important consult with Hattori for a surgery which I was terrified to have, by having to defend myself about a clerical error from the front desk and all this caustic beginning wasted over 5 minutes of precious appt time. Also, I had known Dr. Hattori since his Fellowship days at UCSF, and he still could not pronounce my first name correctly. After reprimanding he then said "You have always been a difficult patient to treat." How did he know? I do not believe that he even took the time, or had the time to read my chart and learn to of my recent, serious, new injury since he knew me 10 years ago! We never did get to the reason for the appt. and I could see that with all this insult and negativity that things would never go right in our new Patient/Physician relationship. Was there something he thought I knew about his past that was embarrassing to him, or had he been inappropriate to me when he was a fellow and continued to carry this guilt? We will never know. He hid behind the protection of his being in charge of the appt and I saw clearly that this man could NEVER help me. And my husband and I walked out, never talking about the reason for my referral. I am disappointed that Dr. Dimitry Kondrashov, who gets such fine ratings, would refer his patients to Dr Hattori, and I am going to tell him about this in my next appt. Also for any of you who have had a similar experience with Hattori, you do not have to take this. I complained to St. Mary's Manager of Patient Experience and Patient Relations (Tae Abate 415- 750-5881), a compassionate, concerned and very competent person. Based upon my serious complaints of Dr. Hattori she will initiate A Peer Review of Dr. Hattori and she encouraged me to take my complaints to the Medical Board of CA (800-633-2322). We do not have to be treated in a rude, disrespectful, and incompetent manner, by anyone, especially those who took the high oath "To do no harm." Dr. Hattori harmed me in many ways. Maybe he needs to take some time off to catch up on sleep, meditation, and to learn more about kindness and compassion. And finally, maybe I upset his mood at the end of a long day and I got in the way of getting his wife a Valentine's gift and coming home with romantic feelings! read more

I was referred to Dr. Hatori by my orthopedic doctor. I have had 2 herniated discs in my neck for 2 decades. He did not listen to me at all. He failed to note on my chart that I was extremely allergic to adhesives and wrote a prescription for pain medicine which was delivered topically and via a patch with adhesive. Hence this was unusable. He was annoyed when I told him that I was extremely allergic to Vicodin and that I had tried most of the other medications on the market like naprosen and they were not effective for me and his demeanor suggested that I was just being "difficult." Hey, I have been dealing with sometimes extreme and chronic pain for a long time so I have tried many things. I was trying to find something that would not make me feel drowsy so that I could work. BTW, yes I have done tons of PT, acupuncture, pilates, spinal block, etc....and BTW I am my proper weight. I used to take codein but wanted to find an alternative. I took another medication but they took it off the market. I found him arrogant and unhelpful. The medications he suggested and prescribed were horrible. read more

I give Dr. Hattori 5 stars as a pain management doctor. However, I give his rude, unprofessional office staff 0 stars. I can't even get in to see him anymore due to the staff not answering the phone, not returning calls and telling me there's a 3 week wait to see him when I was a current patient. Dr. Hattori needs a better staff or he will continue to receive poor ratings. It's too bad because I really like Dr. Hattori. read more

I just recently had the pleasure of a consult with Dr. Hattori. In all honesty, I thought he was warm, kind insightful, he clearly knows his field very well and was very thorough and thoughtful about a complicated case. He spent almost an hour with me, offering many solutions and going over risk vs benefits based on my options. I had seen him at the St. Mary's location and thought the staff was courteous and very welcoming. I have to say as a whole St. Mary's has some of the most knowledgable and most importantly easily accessible physicians. I have been to many other higher profile institutions and almost always end up seeing a student or a resident who looks like a 12 -year old, or a deer in the headlights. Ironically at some of the best or well known hospitals or medical groups you hardly ever see the famous physician that has the huge ego...I mean huge accolades--they are off getting famous--instead you almost always see a junior doc or NP and often end up with questionable or less quality care. That's what I love about St Mary's, like Dr. Hattori, every doctor I have seen there has been senior and extremely personable, effective offering thoughtful, quick feedback and follow through, if I could give him 6 stars I would. Thank you Dr Hattori, I wish there were more physicians like you! read more

Dr. Hattori is not like other m.d.s I have seen. I believe he cares. He is also full of good ideas to help. I think when people get to him, they are pretty desperate. I know I was. He treated me with great respect, spent a lot of time with me and helped me with my pain. read more

I just met up with Dr. Hattori in July of 2012. Not only did he spend so much time with me on our first visit, he really listens. He doesn't make you feel bad that you have needs for pain abatement. He's engaging, personable and competent. I just got back from the Surgical Specialty Center at 450 Sutter after a lumbar spinal block. The staff there are really awesome. They explain everything that's going to happen, Dr. Hattori comes in and talks to you about your procedure, what he's going to do, what to expect. I am so impressed by both Dr. Hattori, his office staff and the staff at the Surgical Specialty Center... read more

Dr hattori is one of the best doctors I've seen since I hurt my back . He isn't a jerk doctor who doesn't listen he actully takes his time and hears your words. And follows through. I'm glad I found him!!! Hehas a great positive attitude read more

I just concluded my first visit with Dr Hattori and could not have been more impressed. So many of his reviews are way off course. After spine surgery by one of SF's best Neurosurgeons I still have pain. Dr. Hattori carefully explained all my options in our 45 minute visit. While I opted for immediate test injections he recommended I continue with PT and consider acupuncture - something his office doesn't do, hence no revenue. His focus is on solving the problem and joins my list of one of SF's great physicians. I would highly recommend consulting Dr. Hattori if you are seriously looking to resolve your pain issues. Paul read more

Very compassionate and thoughtful doctor. He listens carefully to see how pain affects in complex aspects of my life. Highly recommended.

I had a carotid body paraganglioma removed from the left side of my neck! When I woke up I had never had pain like that! I would compare it to getting my neck cut wide open! He stopped the pain so I could heal in the Hospital for the next 5 days! I don't know what I would have done without him!! As far as I'm concerned St. Marys has him there for the worst of the worst cases! read more

Dr. Hattori is an anesthesiologist - not a spine care pain management doctor. He has limited knowledge of the spine so if this is what the problem is, it is best to stay clear of him. He does not listen; he is arrogant and difficult to talk to. A number of key people have left his practice and this speaks to both his professional and people skills. He should not be used even as a last resort - he is that bad. read more