Zack Vaughn, MD

Dr. Zack Vaughn is as good as it gets for an orthopaedic surgeon. He’s a Stanford «Rockstar» surgeon in my book! He repaired my right shoulder on May 22, 2015 with 2 labrum tear repairs + anchors, 1 labrum debridement, long head bicep tendon relocation, and rotator cuff decompression! wow. I was anxious about this procedure, and he was my 2^nd opinion based on a referral from a good friend who heads the chiropractic team @ Cisco Life Connections. I have no regrets at all. My shoulder is 1,000% after doing everything that was suggested to me during the recovery process, and Dr. Vaughn skillfully repaired my shoulder so that it feels better than ever. Thank you so much! He is so skilled that he was chosen to take care of the Golden State Warriors, 49ers, and San Jose Earthquakes professional athletes!!! I’m grateful for his care and the excellent outcome.

First of all, Dr. Vaughn is a great knowledgable friendly doctor. He answered all my questions very patiently. Unfortunately for the rest of the experience, it was pretty shaddy. I had complained about knee pain and a few x-​rays were taken. When I got the bill, the office charge from Dr. Vaughn is around $ 300, reasonable. However the 5 or so x-​rays were $ 1400+. When I called Stanford health care, I spoke with a representative Demario, who told me that’s the bill to the person who took the x-​rays. No offense, I thought he was the lab technician. When I asked why the bill was so high, Demario said that person is exposed to x-​rays. What a great answer. Overall, I would not recommend this place to anyone. It’s one thing to have a great doctor, it’s another to have such atrocious greed.

In my opinion Dr. Vaughn is without a doubt one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the Bay Area. I came to him with a complicated knee issue and he was able to quickly break down what was going on and suggest an appropriate surgical intervention that would fix my knee for good. I sought a second opinion for peace of mind but ended up sticking with Dr. Vaughn because I felt like he would give me the best outcome. You never feel rushed, he takes as much time as you need and shows a genuine care and concern for his patients. I am 4 months post-​op and ahead of schedule with my recovery. I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Vaughn and his team. If you need an orthopedic surgeon do not hesitate to make an appointment with Dr. Vaughn. He’s a true professional who will exceed your expectations. I worked in the operating room for 8 years so I was very picky when choosing my surgeon.

I haven’t had any surgical procedures, yet, so this review is for a few office visits regarding two injuries that were potential surgeries: Knee and shoulder.
The office staff is really awesome — I’ve actually seen another doctor here at same office and so have interacted with the staff quite a bit and they are all consistently professional, helpful and friendly.
I like Dr. Vaughn because he is a great listener and does not talk down or condescend to his patients. I think being a good listener is an excellent trait in any physician. When recommending choices of treatment to me for both my knee and my shoulder, he described all the possible options and includes the risks and benefits of each. This helped me feel like I had some say in the matter, even though I’m not a doctor. I get the sense that he favors, at least in initial stages of treatment, a conservative approach (read: not necessarily surgery), and I appreciate this. The surgical treatments we discussed have long rehab times and I appreciate Vaughn being clear and candid about that.
Would def recommend to any athlete requiring possible surgical treatment. Another doc in same office is specialist in hands and wrists.

Five stars also belong to the staff here. Thank you for making me happy like a little girl who learns to ride her bike. I felt like that last spring after he removed the 5 skrews from my knee and ankle, and today again, after realizing that I was smiling on the bike after riding for few hours and it didn’t hurt anymore.

Dr Vaughn is an absolutely amazing doctor. He did a SLAP (superior Labrum) repair surgery on February 21, 2014 for me on my left shoulder. He has been consistent with follow ups and care. I’ve always scheduled my appts earlier in the day when I see him (8−9am starting time typically) and my wait time is usually less than 15 minutes.
He takes all the time I need to review me, he has genuine focus and concern and has been instrumental in helping me work towards recovery. I would recommend him to anyone who needs an orthapedic surgeon.
As a side note, I have met with Dr Warren King back in 2011 who was very rude, cocky and barely saw me for less than 2 minutes. He gave me advice that was contradictary to what he put in his report that he produced two days later.
I also visited Dr Haber on multiple occasions. Dr Haber would not give me advice for my situation but rather asked what I felt should be done. He was incredibly difficult to deal with and when I questioned him on his advice and statements in his report, he became very angry and stormed out of the appt. I had seen him multiple times prior to Dr Vaughn.
I’ve found that a lot of orthopedic surgeons have attitude problems and are very cocky (which is very bad for reports and focus). Dr Vaughn is the ideal example of how an orthapedic surgeon should be. He relies on evidence, reports and medical knowledge to properly diagnose and treat the problem. He is very honest and direct but also very kind. I would highly recommend him to anyone who needs help from and orthapedic surgeon.
For those that are having issues with long wait times, I recommend seeing him earlier in the day to not get trapped behind his other appts. Remember that he is just one man and the benefit of having a dr take lots of time for you also means that his next patient is waiting patiently for him while he is working with you.

Dr. Vaughn assisted my surgeon, his partner-​Dr. Matthew Miller to replace my Right hip back in March 2013. He’s the BEST!, I’m back at the gym, my incision is healed completely and I have a perfect gait with NO LIMP!
Thank you Dr. Vaughn;)

LOVE this office. Came here on recommendation from a very satisfied patient of Dr. Vaughn, and so glad I did. Every aspect of the visit exceeded my expectations, from interaction with the front-​desk person and the xray technician, to the medical assistant, to Dr. Vaughn himself. All were friendly, professional, and competent. I am a healthcare professional, so am perhaps hyper-​aware when I am the patient. I felt as though I was treated with respect, as a person, not just «another patient». Dr. Vaughn was wonderful. Very professional, with a warm «bedside» manner. He spent enough time with me, going over my xrays and answered all of my questions thoroughly. I felt comfortable with him immediately, and knew I was in good hands. In my case, physical therapy should likely suffice, but if the need arises for more extensive treatment, or if ever I have another orthopedic issue… Dr. Vaughn is the man.

Great experience with this office & Dr. Vaughn. On time, professional, very kind, super helpful, nice office. I really appreciated that they went out of their way to squeeze me in early in the morning when I had a recent injury that I really needed to have looked at (despite a month long waiting list). Couldn’t have been a better experience!

I was referred to Dr. Vaughn by my friend’s Mom who works at Stanford. I’ve had persistent problems with patellar dislocations since grade school and had a previous surgery in high school to attempt to fix the problem (surgery consisted of a lateral release). That was 24 years ago. I thought my chances of ever being pain-​free and active were slim to none. Two years ago, things had gotten to the point where it hurt to even sit in a chair with my leg at a 90 degree angle. It was literally bone on bone. I saw Dr. Vaughn who explained all the issues which included a blown MPFL, osteoarthritis, and missing cartilage due to 20+ years of patellar maltracking. He was positive that he could save me from having to undergo a partial replacement which he didn’t recommend anyhow because of my age (the parts wear out and I would be in the same boat when I hit my 60s).
The surgery was done by both Dr. Vaughn and Dr. Miller and consisted of replacing my MPFL with a donor ligament, cartilage cleanup, and a microfracture to my femur which is a technique (taught at the Steadman clinic, I believe) that enables fibrous cartilage to grow. Not much could be done for the patella itself. I had worn a groove on the underneath part of the patella from where it had been gliding along the lateral side of the femur. He explained that transplantation of cartilage wouldn’t be effective since it requires good blood flow and the patella doesn’t have that. After the surgery, I heard the Stanford staff saying that it was one of the trickiest knees he’s worked on.
Recovery was HARD work because of all the work that had to be done. I had to stay straight legged for 6 weeks (non-​weight bearing for a month), used a CPM machine for 8 hours per day over those 6 weeks, and had lots of physical therapy. Dr. Vaughn sent me to Fabrice Rockich with OPTM in Saratoga:
. They were awesome, too! I ran out of physical therapy benefits under my insurance plan but Fabrice let me pay a monthly «gym membership» so that I could come and use the equipment for a longer period of time and he guided me in what to do on my own in between patients. Such a nice man! Within 6 months, I hiked to the top of the Boccardo Trail in Alum Rock Park! I am completely pain free and for the first time in my life, I trust my knee. I can walk down the stairs without holding onto the railing for dear life. Kneeling is a bit problemmatic and walking downhill at an incline is a little bothersome, but those two things don’t hold me back any.
Dr. Vaughn is AWESOME! I wouldn’t see any other ortho doctor ever again. And I’ve had several over the years, some of whom just reduced the patellar dislocation and expected me to walk out of the ER. It’s awesome that he’s younger, too, because he has learned all the latest cutting edge techniques and I figure he’ll still be around when I am 60 and my knee wears out again! I’ve recommended him to many people, including a coworker who had a complete knee replacement with Dr. Vaughn. She, too, feels great!

Dr. Vaughn is great. Went to him no a referral for a knee issue. Super thorough and will spend lots of time with you to understand your injury and your options. He is great at communicating with his patients, and obviously knows his stuff. I liked very much how he knows probabilities of success off the top of his head and can cite studies easily and fluently. He showed me all the detail in the MRI and laid out the possibilities of success and helped manage my expectations appropriately. Dr. Vaughn gave me his opinion and helped me make my own decisions. Great communicator as well via email.

I went to doctor Wong next to El Camino hospital and was treated very poorly. I waited a long time for the doctor and when he got there it was a 2 second visit. With him answering my questions as he walked trough the door.
I decided to get a second opinion and do my own research. I found Dr. Vaughn and they were able to fit me in right away. He had all the machines at his location to diagnose properly. He spent enough time with me to address all my concerns. If I ever have an ortho problem, he will be the first call.

I feel like I have two new knees! I came to Dr. Vaughn to get a second opinion and ended up enjoying his professional friendly manner. He was quick, efficient, and gave descriptive details of my problem, the procedure, and how he preformed the procedure.
I would recommend him and his friendly staff to anyone. I went in very nervous, and came out amazed.
Thank you guys for being so great!

I’ve seen Dr. Vaughn for a broken hand and an injured hip. Both times he left me with an open-​ended answer that went like this «well you could have X, but you could also have Y» and little beyond that. I was told to go get an MRI at Stanford which wouldve caused me to pay $ 1500 out of pocket. Did I mention that I was also kept waiting for 2 hours? That’s when I decided to stop going there.
After that I went to Dr. Haber down the street.

I’m a Chiropractor in Campbell and reached a point in treatment with a patient where surgery was deemed necessary for his knee. Without going into too much detail, on MRI, his knee was trashed internally. Originally, I had referred the patient to another Stanford doctor who I’d heard good things about and he referred my patient to Dr. Vaughn.
After the surgery, I spoke with my patient and he had had a great experience with Dr. Vaughn, his staff, facility and operation. The patient has had a fantastic recovery despite the previous condition of his knee.
I was able to have lunch with Dr. Vaughn shortly after the surgery to discuss the case because on MRI, a successful knee surgery was a long shot. After talking with him, he proved to be very knowledgeable and passionate about what he does. Dr. Vaughn is my «go-​to guy» if one of my patients ever needs surgical consultation and I highly recommend his services.

I have been to Dr Vaughn’s office a few times over the last year for different problems and could not be happier with the care. The staff is very friendly and helpful. There is very little wait if any at all. Dr Vaughn is extremmely nice, caring and professional.
I have no complaints and would highly recommend him and would not consider going to someone else.

The visit other than the doctor: 3 stars
Long line at the x-​ray machine which caused delay. And a mixed bag of professionalism from the staff, Michael who reminded me of all my smart-​ass friends because of the way he respond to my questions and what not, and Aubrey (?) the Xray specialist who was very friendly, very helpful and the best of the bunch in my opinion, and the other person who had an awkward demeanor– didnt introduce himself, didnt acknowledge me, and when he asked me to go to room XYZ to wait for the doctor. I had to looked around me to make sure he was talking to me. It’s just awkward.
Experience with the doctor:
Xray came up right away as digital files which can be reviewed right away. Dr Vanghn took his time to ask questions, didnt assume, checked on pain levels, asked about my exercise routine/​habits etc. Suggested first level of care which is plenty of rest, and was clear about what symptoms would mean it’s getting worse and I should alert him– and the ways to contact him. I felt very confident in the level of care I received.

The front desk staff was extremely helpful when scheduling my appointment, and when checking in on the day of the visit.
I had read other reviews of orthopedic surgeons in the Bay Area, and a common complaint was ‘feeling that the appointment was rushed’. I’ve been dealing with a nagging sports related injury and didn’t want a ‘drive-​thru’ feeling where it’s obvious the clinic is trying to push through as many patients as possible to maximize profit. Dr. Vaughn was awesome. He spent a lot of time with me, answered in great detail each of my questions, and thoroughly explained to me the various degrees of treatment options ranging from rest to surgery. I was very, very satisfied with his service, and will definitely see him again if his first level of treatment (rest + gradual return to activity) doesn’t work.

Discovered Dr Vaughn via his Stanford Sports Medicine affiliation. With the rest of the team in Redwood City, Dr Vaughn’s new practice is located in a satellite office in the South Bay. Consulted with Dr Vaughn for some sporting ailments. His assistant, Megan, was very helpful during our phone and in-​person interactions, and I appreciate being able to be squeezed in to a consultation within a week’s wait.
Dr Vaughn’s office is located on the second floor of the Knowles building.
The building seems a bit aged, but the office/​exam rooms appear recently renovated and more in line with the Sports Medicine Clinic at the Redwood City outpatient center.
I found Dr Vaughn exceedingly polite and courteous, and he generously spent almost 45 minutes with me going over issues with multiple joints — I especially appreciated this, as 1) most orthopedists will only treat/​advise you on one joint at a time, understandable given the dwindling reimbursement rates from insurance companies and 2) Dr Vaughn’s wide clinical experience enabled him to treat my multiple joints and respond to my multitude of questions about options for care.
The Los Gatos location is a bit distant given my usual travel habits, but I really appreciated Dr Vaughn’s care and bedside manner. I look forward to further consultations during my recovery.