Dr. Caroline Harstroem, MD

If it were possible to give this doctor zero stars, I would. She was an hour late, hadn't reviewed my chart even though I provided the information weeks before the appointment, was disrespectful toward me, inconsiderate, cold and mean. Her intake forms asked a bunch of personal questions about mental health and very little about the injury, pain, or medical history. She yelled at me when I asked for help navigating pain management between the appointment dates saying that was a 'them' (primary care) problem. She then said she wouldn't see me again and didn't want 'another opioid client.' I believe she will bill my insurance after just yelling at me and saying she wouldn't 'take' me as a patient. This is how Dr. Haerstrom treats a combat veteran with a very serious injury who is in pain.

Terrible 6 weeks of waiting to be told to come back in 2 months. This so called professional did nothing. No physical exam, no range of motion, and no feedback from my mri that shows stenosis at 2 lumbar levels. I am very confused why this place advertised as pain management but she refused to discuss anything about my back. To justify her position and billing she diverted my visit to discuss my chemo induced neuropathy, something I asked NO HELP for. Terrible and painful waste of time and money. Proper complaints have been filed. Run don't walk away from her.

I am a disabled veteran and retired RN with bedside and leadership experience in the management of chronic pain patients. I built and implemented programs to provide whole-patient care for people with chronic pain issues; being a fellow sufferer, it was easy to empathize with my patients as they struggled. Therefore I'm in a good position to assess and critique pain management practices, and as such am a very grateful patient. Dr Harstroem has had a powerfully positive impact on my efforts to cope with degeneration associated with old military injuries and to develop a good plan for managing flare-ups. Thanks to her efforts I require less than half the pain meds, sleep a bit better, walk better, and suffer less. In my judgement Dr Harstroem is a knowledgeable, compassionate, and skilled practitioner and I would trust her with my life. I've been seeing her for two years and I think it was one of the best moves I ever made.