Dr. Carrie Eckstam, DO

I have had Dr Eckstam as my primary physician for about 6 yrs. As others have said she has a calm and quiet demeanor and is not super chatty or animated, which I really appreciate.I have severe medical anxiety due to trauma, so she takes extra steps to make certain that I am comfortable and have what I need. One time she even went and got me a cold bottle of water as I was having a panic attack. She always takes time to make sure that all of my questions are answered and will refer me to any specialists needed. If you want a Patch Adams clown nose, this isn't your doc. But if you want a no nonsense exam, diagnosis, prescription or referral from a calm, thorough and experienced doctor, she's a good one.

I've had two visits with Dr. Eckstam, one 10 years ago and one this year. 10 years ago I went in for a sprained ankle, it was my 4th sprain within a year. She printed some ankle exercises from the internet and sent me on my way. She did not inspect my ankle, she didn't refer me to a physical therapist, and she wasn't able to answer any of my questions. She was pleasant enough, just unhelpful. I figured, hey, maybe not her area, whatever I'll give her another shot. This year I went for a rash on my scalp. She checked one spot and declared it gone. Turns out it was not only still there, it was now over my entire scalp. The worst part though is I was very stressed, and she didn't come off as having any empathy for my situation. It just felt like she could tell I was stressed, and wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. She also began prescribing stuff without talking it through with me or telling me the mechanism of action. Found out later one of them was useless for my condition.

My experience with Dr.Eckstam was a few years ago (2016) and was mostly positive. She has a gentle manner and seems like a genuinely kind person. I noticed that while I was talking she would say a sort of closed-mouth "uh-huh. uh-huh. uh-huh." that was more of a rhythmic nod than an actual response to what was said. This made me feel a little rushed. I don't remember if she was on time or not, but overall she seems like a very nice doc, I just didn't have a great connection with her.

Very easy going. You can tell she loves her job and she genuinely cares about you as a patient and a person.

Dr. Eckstam is great at really listening to whatever you have going on and is very thorough in her treatment approach.

She left in the middle of my appointment & returned after 30 minutes. Only then was I able to talk about experiencing nightmares. She didn't listen at all. She looked up my patient history to make her "diagnosis." She saw I had previously been diagnosed with PTSD (victim of stalking & abuse) & said that was the issue. She prescribed pills, told me to make a psych appt. & pushed me out the door. Turns out the migraine medication I was on is notorious for causing nightmares. Nice work doc. Nope.

I am Physician myself and had a major MI in the past. I saw Dr. Eckstam for a pre-op physical. I was very impressed. She was thorough, caring and had a excellent bed side manner. She also was not afraid to refer me to my cardiologist for a further evaluation. As a physician with over 25 years experience I was very comfortable with her care and I knew that I was in good hands. I will continue to see her as my primary doctor and will refer her to my friends. I do not work for Health Partners,

Dr. Eckstam was 50 minutes late to my appt! I realize that this is an issue with the doctor's office and not necessarily the doctor, but either way I did not appreciate it. After waiting, Dr. Eckstam talked to me for about 10 minutes or less. I came in for a rash on my face. She asked me a very small amount of questions, didn't examine the rash, and sent me away with medication and no answers. I kept asking questions and would get half answers or she would start mumbling. Not worth my $216 appt.