I was referred to Dr. Arash Esmailzadegan by both my primary care physician and my orthopedist, and I was eager to establish care with him. Dr. Esmailzadegan has an outstanding bedside manner; he was genuinely attentive, kind, and took the time to understand my medical history. I deeply appreciated his commitment to finding proactive pain management solutions. The left femoral nerve block he performed under live X-ray guidance provided nearly immediate relief, for which I am incredibly grateful. Unfortunately, my overall experience was significantly hindered by severe administrative and communication issues. Securing my initial appointment required leaving multiple messages over several weeks due to difficulty reaching the office by phone. Additionally, there appeared to be a lack of internal coordination; four days after completing a thorough medical history with Dr. Esmailzadegan, I was asked to duplicate the entire process for a new PA-C. Most concerning, however, was the handling of my updated prescriptions. Dr. Esmailzadegan made immediate medication changes, yet the pharmacy never received the orders. Resolving this required a week of unanswered calls and two in-person office visits. This lack of administrative follow-through delayed my care and caused unnecessary stress, which is particularly challenging when managing chronic pain. While I believe Dr. Esmailzadegan is an exceptional and talented physician, the operational support at Westside Pain Management fell short of the expected standard of care. Accurate communication and clinical coordination are vital in this field. I am willing to give the practice the benefit of the doubt and hope these operational shortcomings were an isolated occurrence that will improve in future visits. read more

This place ignores phone calls and voicemails like it's office policy. They simply do NOT answer phones or provide callbacks, ever. They also completely ignore calls from CVS and or messages, forcing you to chase them down like it's your full-time job. For example, I started called them to request a refill since they refused to answer CVS, left a few voicemails and got a new prescription pop up in my cvs app after literally a full week, only to get shorted my meds. I then spent the next 2 weeks leaving voicemails with total radio silence. No medication, no relief, absolutely nothing. Till this day, I still never received the shorted meds. This office is medical negligence at its worst. Stay away. Far away. Got a referral from your primary? Demand a different place immediately. Don't believe me? Try it or just have a hard look at the other reviews. read more

The doctor I was given was pleasant and had good manners and listened to my concerns . The bad review is for the front office and staff . I went to another network and it has taken over 4 weeks to get them to fax over my records to my new provider. They gave me one fax number , said they got the request , a week later they said to send it to another fax number and it would take 3 weeks to reply . 4 weeks and 2 phone numbers to send 1 fax . Complete failure at patient support . read more

This place is a joke no one ever calls back you can leave message after message and they never give a call back! the communication in office wasn't the best either my mother got called the wrong name by the provider who walks in and didn't bother to introduce herself all I know is she's was nurse practitioner who Lacks confidence and compassion. Days later and meds were never sent to pharmacy. Again communication but this office lacks that!! Don't waste your time!! read more

My husband has been at patient at the new Laguna Woods location since Jan. He's had two Nerve Blocks and yesterday he had a radio frequency ablation for severe back pain. Dr. Arash Esmailzadegan is top notch, very knowledgeable, kind and gracious. I wish I knew all the names of the front desk, ops manager and surgical staff before every single person treats us wonderfully. Highly recommend this facility which is super clean and beautiful. One day out and he's already feeling much better. read more

Good pain management doctors are hard to find. Yes, it is true that it is difficult to reach the office sometimes, however this is because the doctor has taken over so many patients, who are no longer covered for their former doctors which - was how I ended up here. Dr. E is the most helpful pain doctor I've ever been to; he truly listens to how I'm feeling and makes adjustments to my medications when needed. I've had doctors in the past whose only goal was to get me off pain meds, while Dr. E's goal is to safely and effectively treat your pain - he didn't waste my time with another round of failed nerve blocks where other doctors had insisted it would work this time. When I was in the hospital, Dr. E insisted the hospitalist stop treating me like I was drug seeking, and start really treating my pain. He's also part of the reason they gave me the blood transfusion I so badly needed. Moral of the story: they are worth the wait. read more

I am a new patient and have left a total of 5 voicemails to try to book an appointment and no one has called me back or answered the phone.... read more

I should have believed the reviews and avoided this place at all costs. My experience with them started out poorly and got progressively worse. To start, they didn't return multiple calls requesting an appointment. It wasn't until I called my PCP and requested a new referral that they were able to get someone on the phone for me. Fast forward a couple months because their Laguna Hills office was still under construction, and I was finally able to schedule my epidural shots! The office is sparse. I don't know if it's because they're still getting settled, but there is nothing on the walls, no decorations or anything. It's stark white. Very clinical, which I guess is okay for a pain clinic. I checked in at the same time another woman did, and discovered we had appointments with the same doctor at the same time (Dr. E.). So that was my first clue that they overbooked. We were both there 15 minutes early. I sat for 30 mins past my appointment time in the waiting room, and then was put into an 80+ degree patient room with an exam table where the paper hadn't been changed. You could still see the previous person's butt imprint. Gross. Thankfully there was another seating option in the room. After waiting another 30 minutes in the sauna-like room, I finally went out and asked if I was going to be seen any time soon. It was now an hour past my appointment time. I got a nonchalant "he should be very soon" from an apathetic employee, and when I mentioned how hot the room was, they told me to just leave the door open. Um, okay. A few minutes later, they finally walk me to the OR. Squeaky wheel gets the oil? Now we finally get to the operating room! Yay, right? So much no. I'm on the table and the doc finally comes in with a half-assed apology for the wait. The first needle goes into my spine....and I feel EVERYTHING. Every prod, every movement of the needle. I jerked a bit and told him that it hurt and he dismissed me, saying it should just be pressure. The 2nd needle goes in and I start crying and sweating, and yelled, "OMG are you not using a local or anything?!" At which point he finally listens to me and stops. He tells me they gave me local, but I feel another little pinch in my back at that point (that I didn't feel when they started), and finally there's relief! I'm 99.9% they forgot to give me the local anesthetic before the doctor started. For spinal injections. The doctor is out the door of the operating room before they even sit me up. I didn't see his face once during the procedure. I'm still shaking and sweating, and thankfully one of the surgery assistants was sweet and said some kind words and rubbed my back for a few seconds. I was in pain, kind of dazed from the experience, and just wanted to get the hell out of there, but they told me I had to wait 10 minutes. Initially they tried to put me back into the sauna room, but I told them I would just wait in the front waiting room. Once I was able to leave, I sat in my car and cried for a couple minutes just from the stress of the whole experience. I've never had an experience like this with a medical office. I've had spinal stenosis for years and have been through a number of epidural shots by an orthopedic surgeon before without feeling a thing. If this is what a pain management clinic is like, I will avoid them like the plague. Regardless, I will not go back to this place. I hope your experience is better than mine. read more

TERRIBLE ~ STAY AWAY !! I was referred to this medical group as the ONLY practice that accepts Medicare patients in Orange County. They have a brand new office in Laguna Hills and it falls far short of a professional medical practice. You walk into a bright white room with 30 - 40 black chairs lined up against the walls... first impression is that you are entering a factory. The front desk staff is less than friendly and are not professional. I was the first patient of the day and I waited over thirty minutes to see the PA. She (Wanda) was also not personable. There was very little effort to connect in a caring manner ~ barely made any eye contact while she (robotically) typed on her laptop. At the end of my visit I was instructed to coordinate an injection with the front desk. They apparently don't communicate with the PA, because I was told to expect the injection in about two weeks. The front desk told me I would receive a call within about two weeks and that I was on a list... injection date 4 - 6 weeks (maybe?) PATHETIC! The exam rooms are slapped together with a low quality exam table and a cheap Home Depot bathroom vanity and one cheap upper Home Depot cabinet. Additionally, one glance at the 'injection room' depicts something even worse... a lone table in the middle of a stark white room with a couple of pieces of equipment. NOT UP TO A PROFESSIONAL STANDARD! None of this experience conveys competence. The worst part of this situation is that they apparently have a monopoly on Optum/Medicare patients, which is DEPLORABLE! I would rather live in pain than lower myself to seek care from this establishment. I encourage any Optum/Medicare patient to share your experience with your primary care physician. Additionally, consider contacting United Healthcare to express your dissatisfaction. I have no idea how this medical group obtained the sole contract with Optum. Simply horrific substandard medical environment. Maybe they paid off somebody? I've had a lifetime of medical care, including residing in Seattle and San Francisco and this is far below a reasonable standard of care. PLEASE take action and insist on an alternative (professional) pain management facility. read more

Westside Pain Management - Go to the Ocean instead of dealing with these losers!!! - Anesthesiologists Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

No chairs, people standing out in the hall in pain, one doctor, 20 people waiting. One lady said she's been waiting an hour. Office confirmed 9 deep and he always schedules like this. Dr. Arash at the long Beach location is terrible. I had to beg him submit 2 referrals he was putting in one and told me to go to my primary care to put a referral to the other pain causing one, making no sense at all there. I had to beg him for a while. Also every time you try talking he interrupts you, he doesn't listen to full sentences of anything you have to say pretty much, any time you open your mouth. and he was bossy like go back to the room. Someone was smoking in their room and they sprayed some nasty air freshener in all of the rooms, so there was like no air. It's been a week, and they still have not submitted any referrals. I keep calling to try to get them on it. Hello, this is pain, this isn't psychiatry. And also, their staff was terrible. I had to call, like 6 times, one of them just arguing, arguing, arguing, can't even comprehend basic job of checking on an appointment like you don't understand what that question means, wow. June 2 still not submitted referrals since the 12th. read more

Westside Pain Management - One chair someone left, took a picture quickly.. 15 people waiting in the hall some standing. - Anesthesiologists Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

Extremely Disappointing and Painful Experience It took several months just to get an appointment, and even then, my first visit was only with a PA, not the doctor. On the day of the actual procedure, the doctor was 45 minutes late--even though mine was the first appointment of the afternoon. There was no conversation or explanation before starting the treatment, which made me feel rushed and uninformed. The doctor immediately injected the painkiller and then the medication without giving the anesthetic time to work. His injection caused excruciating pain radiating down my leg--a pain I never had before this treatment. After the procedure, there was no discussion, no guidance, and no reassurance--just a feeling of being processed through a system rather than cared for as a patient. The severe pain continued the next day. Most doctors performing this type of treatment follow up promptly to check on their patients, but not this one. There was no follow-up scheduled. I called the office asking for the doctor to return my call for advice on how to manage the pain. No response. Since it was a Friday, I was left to suffer through the entire weekend with no support. I doubt I'll even hear back on Monday. This experience was unprofessional, careless, and has left me in worse condition than before. I would strongly caution others to consider these factors before choosing this provider. read more

I took my dad here because he has bad sciatica pain. It's a beautiful facility, and the staff were very inviting and welcoming. Dr Esmail saw us on time, was very attentive and knowledgeable. He took care of my dad's pain and now he's able to walk with less pain than before. read more

This place is a scam, set up to get insurance money, without providing services. I wish that the DOJ would shut them down for fraud. For 6 weeks, they kept postponing my visit. Finally, yesterday, I got an injection. He said he was going to send my pharmacy an Rx for pain pills, but nothing happened. Do Not Go to this place, it's a scam. read more

I have issues with degenerative disc disease and herniated discs in my lumbar spine. I have seen many pain management doctors, and many have tried unsuccessfully to treat me with epidurals with no success. I recently reherniated my disc and was in extreme pain. Dr. Arash Esmailzadegan was very empathetic with me during my visit. He saw how much pain I was in and told me he would stay late to schedule me for an epidural the very same day, without having to wait. Again, my experience in the past with other doctors and epidurals has not been very successful, so I was initially hesitant. Still, Dr. Esmailzadegan assured me that his epidurals were different. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, and shortly after my epidural, my pain level immediately went down from a level 10 to a 5. Not zero, but for someone with chronic pain for 10 years, walking into his office and at a 10, and being able to walk out with a level 5 shortly after that, I was definitely very, very grateful. Not all pain doctors are the same. I know from having to see many of them in the past with no success, so it was nice to find someone caring, empathetic, and capable of offering me a solution to same day get from a level 10 to a level 5 in pain. Thank you Dr. Esmailzadegan read more

I am very happy with my care at Westside Pain in Laguna Hills. Wanda has been the most knowledgeable and caring pain specialist that I have seen in years........Years. Wanda has kept track of my entire pain history and always takes the time to listen and answer my questions. Though what I appreciate the most, is that she helps me understand and learn more about what works and what doesn't work for my particular type of pain. This helps me make the best decisions possible. Every visit has been a great experience. Pain is beyond frustrating, so I am very grateful to Wanda and the other staff at Westside for all their continuing help. - Thank you. read more

Stay away from this place at all costs. They do not answer phone calls nor return them, the place itself is rundown, not clean and if you ask me, there's some shady things going on. Above all they do not care about their patients and do not return phone calls under any circumstances. I had to go to a whole new doctor and get approval through my insurance which was not easy because these people never ordered an MRI when I asked and left him probably over 20 voicemails after the doctor told me he would and he never did. They do not care about people at all so don't even go and don't even bother you are wasting your time and just prolonging your pain. Stay far away! read more

Cold unprofessional staff. Don't worry about arriving early this is the waiting room and it still took 1hr and 13minutes to be seen after checking in. Skip this pain clinic. read more

Westside Pain Management - Empty office - Anesthesiologists Near Me - Huntington Beach, California

I'm a severely disabled I have two knee replacements work and have to wear knee and I have a sciatic nerve with pain running down my buttocks and I have drop foot because of it and I got a pinched cervical spine I explained the doctor I needed severe of my knees back and and cervical spine the doctor wanted to give me anti-inflammatory. I told him that is not enough yet. This clinic would not provide narcotic or severe pain. All they want to do is give you shots and charge the insurance thousands of dollars. read more

I have been treated by Wanda for well over a year now. She is kind, compassionate, and knowledgeable. She takes the time to speak with me about my concerns, and never placates me. I've been dealing with back issues for twenty years now. Among all of the medial professionals who I have come in contact with, Wanda is at the top of the list. read more

Dr E and his staff are always amazing! Dr E will sit there and listen to you and never rush your appointment with him. He helps you in the most carrying ways and does all he can to get your pain to a tolerable number. Highly Recommend Dr.E, Dr. Chona Sweet, Dr Ryan etc.... read more

Lousy doctor terrible service does not listen to patients doesn't care about patient. Doctor asked for swab oral test came back positive for Meth. I said I do not use meth but i use Bupropion which according to The National Library of Medicine Bupropion is the prescription drug most linked to false Positive for Meth. Will Wanda do a confirmation test No! she said suffer for 30 days come back & test if it is clean then 2 more test over the next 60 days. You can suffer for 90 days as punishment for using a drug I didn'y prescribe. The place is a pig sty read more

DO NOT COME HERE!!! The absolute worst provider ever! The staff is forever changing. A bunch of kids trying to run the practice. They are rude and just dont give a Fu*k about patient care. They do not answer the phones nor do they return your call. Super rude when you get one on the phone! I filed a grievance through medical group and insurance. The grievance letter commented they are unable to get ahold of anyone and they sent out letters for a reply. DO NOT COME HERE!!! I have gone with no pain medication and treatment for over a month ! read more

Dr. E is wonderful! They really listen, take time explain everything, and truly care about there patients. My health has improved so much thanks to there thoughtful care. read more

It is a pain clinic I have been their patient since I am paralyzed and have several other major complications which causes chronic pain. They treated me with respect and have been a.great support. I am a patient at the long beach location. I have spoken to some of their other locations and they are just conpasionate I highly recommend Westside Pain clinic read more

No one calls me back to help me make an appointment after several phone calls and messages left. The one time I did get a call back was at 7:10 AM.....if this how they run their clinic I will find another place to work with read more

Just the most amazing doctor, PA and Staff. You are seen on time and the PA is great. read more

The worst patient care I have ever experienced. Due to the exact same issues as the other posters. Avoid this place at all costs. I'd give many negative stars if I could. I needed 2 MRI's. They apparently ordered them, after 4 weeks of waiting for the approval letter from my insurance I found an out from my insurance that this office had still not put in the orders. (This is how this office treats patients in pain). So I called and called and left messages, zero response. Suddenly, an approval came in. Ah, looks like they check their voicemails but don't call people back or own up to their negligence. So, I call the imaging center. Well they can't make the appointment without the referral letter from this office. So they call, and fax this office for that information. No response. An imaging center can't even get a response. Even if they did respond to the request from the imaging center, i am certain that my MRI results would be stuck at this office and I will never hear from them. I will absolutely be filing grievances. This place needs to be shut down immediately so that people in pain can go to a place that cares about them. This place is a joke, and it's really dirty inside too. read more

You can't ever get a hold of anyone. My parents have delayed care because of their lack of response to voicemails, calls and emails. It's upsetting and frustrating, to say the least. Two grievances have been filed through the insurance. read more

No one ever picks up the phone. No exaggeration when I say I've called for 3 hours straight in 2 consecutive days before and zero response. The same issue next week. No one calls back even after leaving a voicemail. Ridiculous. read more

I did have to wait about 30 minutes to see the nurse practitioner and another 15 minutes to see Dr. E. But it was worth the wait. They both had great bedside manners and showed genuine concern for me and listened to me. I was given two shots in my right knee and hopefully they will help the pain I have had for the last 5 years. We shall see. I would definitely go back to Dr E even if I need to drive 45-60 minutes to his office and have to wait a bit longer to see him. Will update again later. read more

It's level of caring has definitely gone down over the years. There ARE still a COUPLE good souls there, unfortunately that's it, just a couple. I've had 14 surgeries so far and more to come. I need someone I can trust with my pain management. However, I'm constantly scared I won't get the help I need for one reason or another. They are supposed to help with pain, but instead they cause it. They cause it through stress and fear, it's cruel to have that much power over someone. To not only leave someone to suffer with pain, but make them sick without meds as well. Spoke with insurance company formally. One last visit and I'm out! Sorry Dr. E read more

Extremely greatfull for Wanda and her quality of care and her office experience and her attentiveness to my needs and what was going to work for me. Dr. E who gave me the steroid epidural was extremely patient thorough he made me feel very comfortable in his office explained to me everything he was doing. They were completely honest with me and transparent. I was not expecting to have such a good experience and how much better I feel I couldn't thank them enough. I highly recommend both of these doctors read more

Sadly I must remove several stars. I have been seeing Dr. E for several months now. My opinion of him as a physician has not changed, he is caring, knowledgeable, experienced, patient, a good listener. All the things you want in a doctor. When his office is backlogged you don't want to feel rushed like he is making up for lost time. He always gives you all the time you need to discuss whatever you need to discuss. His answers are always concise, on point, and compassionate. Even when delivering news you would rather not hear, he has a way of making it seem not so bad. However, somewhere between the caring doctor and the over burdened, perhaps not so well trained under paid office staff are the cracks that YOU the patient fall through. While you are in the office face to face you get exactly what you need, the minute you exit the office you are forgotten until your next appointment. Trying to get through to anyone in the office on the phone is an impossibility, if you do get through and ask for something, it is forgotten as soon as the call is disconnected. I had the misfortune of having to undergo opiate withdrawal twice because my needed medications were never called in to the pharmacy. It took major threats to get my required medications, it was truly a nightmare. There is no pre information prior to steroid injections with information on what to do before your procedure. I happened to be in the lobby when an elderly lady was confused and upset as to why they were rescheduling her procedure because they had heard her talking about taking aspirin the night before when no one had told her she couldn't take it. There is also no after care information. No information given on what to expect. That the pain would likely increase over the next 3 days and that it is normal, that you should use ice to help alleviate pain. No one from the office calls to check on you, all you have is your next appointment which is scheduled for 30 days from the last. Good luck to you if your pain gets worse, if you have unfamiliar symptoms or you require additional pain medication. Your only recourse is the emergency room, where they of course automatically suspect you of drug seeking, and they put you through the ringer before turning loose of an extra strength Tylenol. read more

On a Thursday, 8/24/2025, at closing time, I was the last patient. It was a bit past 6:00pm and I had already seen Dr. E for a consultation in the past for severe back pain and went through a series of epidurals but none had relieved the pain. During our conversation, that day, I mentioned chiropractic or acupuncture as other possibilities. He said I will see about that but you should see a neurologist to get another opinion. I agreed, but the tone of our relationship changed. He headed for the door and said I will get you some referrals for you and closed the door. He never returned. I could hear the office staff saying their good-byes and have a good evening but I stayed in the exam room as I was told and waited. After 45 minutes, I got up and went into the office and was met by a nice young man in blue scrubs and curly black hair. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE ?", he exclaimed. "DR. E told me to wait for him to bring back some referrals", I said. "I think he's gone, but wait" as he sprinted out the door. My daughter-in-law was waiting in the parking lot for me and saw the young man approach Dr. E's car, after a quick exchange, Dr. E drove away and the young man came back into the office. "He will get you the referrals on tomorow." So, I hope you all understand that I was left alone in Dr. E's office at evening with the doors being locked......Like many of you I have tried to call the office, left messages with no call backs. I only received one from Wanda his assistant saying, "I will call you back with referrals tomorrow." No call back! I have called and left over 60 polite messages to the Laguna Woods office and no return calls. Since Westside Pain Management is the only pain doctor in South Orange County under the Optum umbrella, Dr. E seems to have it sewed up. He was very nice during the first couple of visits and I liked him right away. He even referred to me as his "home boy", it all changed for some reason. Maybe I wasn't an easy fix and there are plenty of fish(patients) in the barrel. I think my episode of being left behind in the exam room as he sped off for the weekend, should be filmed and shown at a doctor's convention for comic relief, only it wasn't funny. There was NO apology or reference to my unbelievable experience. read more

If there was an option for zero stars I would give them this 'care facility' doesn't give two shits about their patients they have consistently not refilled my mothers' pain medication to the point she has gone through withdraws multiple times. She'll cry and beg them to call in a refill but they'll just throw up their hands and say 'there's nothing we can do' and make her schedule an appointment. Plus, with the current shortage of certain medication instead of actually trying to help and manage her pain they're essentially telling her to tough it out!! I'm trying to get her to leave this place they're awful don't go here. read more

when you make an appointment to go in and see the doctor, he promised to change your his general practice doctor a failure medication with something different that may work when you have 3 foot rods in your back that are broke and a colostomy, a new straight cat the pain is severe in your back and you cannot handle it. I promises to take care of you and the nurses won't even pass you through I do not recommend this doctor in any way shape or form. They never follow through and I have excellent insurance. They can build with sky zone limit on my insuranceand they still won't take care of my needs that extreme if you ever read more

Had an appointment for 2:30pm ... after an hour waiting was told there was still three people ahead of me and it may be another hour until I am seen DO NOT Come to this Location.. read more

The Staff is absolutely horrendous, there complete lack of communication skills is unacceptable. If it wasn't for the actual Doctor Being so amazing the staff would definitely be in the unemployment line. read more

The other posters are correct. The office staff are completely incompetent. I went in August and filled out all the necessary paperwork and they took a photo copy of my insurance card. The doctor was great. The treatment needs to be approved through my insurance however.The office has called a few times to tell me my insurance isn't active. They keep submitting it TO MY PRIMARY CARE office and not my insurance. I have left several messages and emails trying to clear it up, which I shouldn't have to because they have all my information. I was able to finally talk to one of the staff and explain that to her and then I never heard back. I called again and had to again leave a message. When they called me back, she said the same thing as before. So now here I am in excruciating pain because the staff can't understand insurance. read more

Just wrote a complete review and yelp posted it to another business. This will be short. First visit with Dr. E was painless and easy despite lack of sedation for spine epidural. He took time to explain and put me at ease regarding procedure. If pain doesn't return, I will consider this procedure a success. The doc has a great bedside manner. Recommended. read more