Menu
Login
supremely bad customer service... poor doctor review all the way around, this is a bad review starting with Dr. Michael Jakobsen, he never listens, he just does his own thing, i told him exactly what was wrong because i had been seeing and talking with another doctor about my issue weekly for about 3 months prior, a problem i've had for many years as well, i had been referred by another doctor and had a scan of my nasal passages and the other doctor conferred that my right nasal passage was narrow, so which one does the doctor check? he doesn't even read the report (even though i had it faxed ahead of time from the radiologist and put in a personal request with his head nurse to go over it before i had arrived, she managed to talk with me before i made the appointment which lead me to believe she was a good communicator - that couldn't be further from the truth i found out, watch this-> ) Dr. Jakobsen didn't even read it when i was sitting in his office! he scans it like a tabloid at the grocery counter and also he washes his equipment that he puts up your nose and recycles it? the nurse told me that after she put something in my nose, how gross! no i don't mean the scopic, i mean a sinus cone, a throw away cheap little 2 inch rubbery nasal washer to open your nasal passages at night, his staff are very pushy and don't get back to you at all about anything. the doctor's voicemail is extremely unfriendly and so is his head nurse, they tell you how it is and that's all you get believe me! good luck trying to contact the nurse or doctor before or after your appointments to ask them something, it's not going to happen! then their front desk just keeps pushing you to leave messages, and round and round you go...and going back to Dr. Michael Jakobsen, so he doesn't even read the report, doesn't confer on any of the things the doctor who referred me to him was thinking as the cause of my illness, and then he tells me he wants to do a surgery and doesn't explain how it will help me. I go home kind of baffled, I call the head nurse and leave a message for her to please let me get in touch with Doctor Michael Jakobsen for my complaint because I didn't agree with his recommendation and I wanted to ask before my next appointment if he could reread the radiology report and think of other solultions. The nurse didn't get back to me that day. I called again the next day and left a message to speak with the doctor right away. No answer. Then the next day she calls me and says "your voicemail is really long, make an appointment if you want to speak with the doctor, click. on my answering machine" (even though her voice message is twice as long as mine - and I did manage to point that out to her on my following message to her - on her voicemail of course, no one is ever in Dr. Jakobsen's back office to handle phone calls if you actually need anything, and the desk operator is in the other room and the front desk appointment setter just transfers you to the operator) so then i reschedule and see him again without getting to talk with him beforehand, at the new appointment with Dr. Michael Jakobsen of Head and Neck Surgery Adult and Pediatric Otolaryngology currently at 26726 Crown Valley Parkway Suite 200 Mission Viejo, CA 92653, [protected] i explain to him how he didn't really view the nasal passage that was narrow according to the radiology scan last time and so he just takes a one second peak then puts me in an mri machine in his office and comes back with the same explanation about a surgery that doesn't sound right for my illness and i told him that but he didn't seem listen and he did not offer any other suggestions. He puts me on a form of medication and leaves the room. Then I had two last questions about 3 minutes after he left because a nurse walked in to explain the medication, so i ask the head nurse right after the explanation to please have Dr. Michael Jacobsen in Otolaryngology (spelled incorrect on purpose - i want everyone to know about my love for you buddy :) before I i leave, the nurse says she will try, i sit in the office and wait a half an hour, i see the doctor walking 5 feet from my office back and forth into the rooms next to me, the nurse keeps coming over and closing my door, how rude is that? i kept having to open it, like 3 times she did that. anyways, the nurse refuses to get him and finally after 30 minutes of me sitting there she says if you want to see him you'll have to wait for his next 4 appointments, it will be about 1 hour, i say, i only have 2 questions, it will take about 30 seconds, she says sorry! The woman's name is Clara. well... here's your christmas present Clara, no need to apologize for your poor neglect, here you are, and you're sooooooooo welcome, DON'T SEE DOCTOR MICHAEL JAKOBSEN. WORST DOCTOR IN CALIFORNIA!
But that's not even the half of it, dr jakobsen's office was the worst, but then... that was until they stooped even lower! which is what landed me here...
so i go to the pharmacy...
i got the message, she doesn't give a rip about my time, i decide to leave, doctor jakobsen's Otolaryngology office in Mission Viejo then i take my prescription and go see the pharmacist, walgreens, they inform me that they'll have to notify the doctor to get authorization for the prescription dosage, which they did, then i come back to walgreens a couple days later and find out my prescription is not covered by my insurance so i ask walgreens pharmacy staff to put in a new request from the doctor to have the generic form prescribed to me, which walgreens had in their supply and was the same medicine, so i wait a few days and call walgreens, they sent two faxes to Doctor Jakobsen and no response, i call and leave a message with the head nurse the next day and get guess who? no response. then a day later i call back and get in touch with a different nurse who transfers me to someone in the back who apparently handles prescriptions, long story short, 3 weeks later=no response.
Do not get confused over this guy's inability to speak with you and to understand what pain and treatment you need. This is one of the worst doctor experiences i've ever had. Do not see Dr. Michael Jakobsen!
I recently had a throat surgery by another doctor in the same group. After the surgery, they told me that I should call 911 for emergency cases, and call their office for everything else. I called the office at night, and Dr. Jakobsen turned out to be the doctor on call. As soon as I told him that I couldn't breath through my nose, and asked for help on what I could do without hurting the surgery, he told me that I should use this line for only life threatening emergency calls and hung up the phone on my face. I've never seen such an abusive doctor insulting patients during their most vulnerable times. If you're a patient stay away from him.
Sharing our experiences with other patients on websites like this is very helpful for everyone involved. However, it sounds like we're all gathered here to gossip behind someone who cannot defend himself. Besides, it's not sufficient to change the doctor's behavior either. Therefore, I wrote an official letter of complaint about this doctor, and sent a copy of it to each of the following places. If anyone else has similar experiences with any doctor, they can follow a similar approach.
Medical Board of California (submit your complaint online, the easiest and most effective way)
http://www.mbc.ca.gov/Breeze/Complaints.aspx
Attention: Mavis Edusei
Michael Wall
Executive Director
Head & Neck Associates of Orange County
26726 Crown Valley Parkway, Suite 200
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Mary Delos Reyes
Risk Managament
Mission Hospital
27700 Medical Center Rd.
Mission Viejo, CA 92691
Attention: Ellen Waller
Dr. Patricia Turner
American College of Surgeons
633 N Saint Clair Street
Chicago, IL [protected]
I am so glad I took the time to read all these reviews on Dr. Jacobsen. He was referred by my regular doctor. I am going to show him the reviews because he should not refer any of his patients tonDr. J. Come to think of it this is the 2nd referral he's given me . The first doctor was an an opthomologist surgeon and she messed up my eyes so bad. I should have learned my lesson the first time. Shame on me.
To the concerned patient and others that have complainted about him. Dr. Jacokobsen and his office staff have earned his reputation as a bad doctor. He is unethical, uneducated and outdated in the medical field. My mother was diagnosed with a rare cancer in her skull. A cancer that in not-curable and has a high recurrence rate. I know this because our family DID the research...Dr. Jakobson did NOT. Without doing any research, he recommended only 1 option- radical surgery - a rhinotomy, orbitotomy/orbit exenteration removing nose/eye. In other words he wanted to cut half her face off (I won't even go into the medical terms). So, we didnt go to him for surgery but we did seek educated doctors and experts in the field who could not believe what Dr. Jakobsen had recommended. They called his technique "mutilation" and "ill-advised". Unfortunately, Dr. Jakobsen's referral would not allow the insurance to move forward with the proper treatment my mother needed. My family then met again with him to educate and ask him to change his recommendation based on valid research and 5 other expert referrals that mentioned that surgery should not be an option (or) that at the least my mother should seek those that were informed of her cancer of which Dr. Jakobsen was not (nor did he seek knowledge of). Dr. Jakobsen refused to change his referral and would not support us in getting insurance approval for suggested by the experts. He said that if we didnt have an "HMO this would not have happened". He blamed the "Obama administration". He said it would be a "$600, 000 expense" to the medical group (of which he had made that mistake once before). Those were his reasons. Eventually, we appealed his decision with our insurance and we did receive the proper care at 1 of the best facilites in the nation; keeping in mind that Blue Cross/Blue Shield approve this type of treatment - we're not talking about experimental treatments. My mother wakes up everyday now and doesnt have to put on a nose, eye or teeth in the morning as Dr. J suggested. Oh, and about his bed-side manner. When he told my mother about what he would do to her based on his ONLY option, she said she was "about to get sick" in the room...he then walked out of the room and left her alone. He doesnt deserve to be practicing. That is what I find most troublesome! Oh and Dr. Jakobsen, if you're reading this, feel free to contact me her daughter; Pascale. We'll review the tape together.
I find it troublesome that so many people would make these types of comments. There isn't one comment about a bad medical procedure. These complaints seem like they come from one person who just did not like the doctor for personal rather than medical reasons. It is NOT helpful to other patients, such as myself, to read unfounded comments like these. It only causes distress. Petty comments about money, bedside manor, and unfound personal knowledge are not the purpose of this venue. If you have some medical procedure that went wrong that is what you can put here. Leave your other comments at home. The anonymous remarks carry little weight. If they were legit then the person behind them should stand up.
I have found the doctor and staff friendly. When I showed up at the office without an appointment and expressed concern over my upcoming surgery, they squeezed me in quickly to speak to the doctor. That was very helpful. Prior to my decision to have an operation Dr. Jakobsen encouraged me to try another round of antibiotic to see if that would help and prevent me from undergoing surgery and assist me in my decision process. Dr. Jakobsen came recommended to me by my doctor who I respect highly.
I am glad I did not read these comment before my surgery. I had my sinus procedure last Thursday and it has been a painless experience. I have had NO pain at all. I have been pleasantly surprised on how well things have gone so far. I am steal healing up, and I am confident of a full recovery.
Whoa.
So very glad I read the above. I know doctor Jakobson on a personal level, he is going through a very ugly divorce, and sounds like he is not leaving his problems at the door.
When I have been out with him, he drinks to much, eats to much and drives his Porsche while intoxicated. He is in his mid 40"s, spends most of his free time at Javier's in CDM, picking up on 20 year old's.
His best friend, Artie runs a medical marajuna shop in Laguna, I know he smokes pot off the clock, but now I am wondering if he also does while in the office.
I had the worst experience with Dr. Jakobson as well. It was my first visit there and I arrived 20 minutes early to complete the new patient packet which took me 5 minutes to complete. I then waited in the reception room for and hour and a half and was finally brought back to a room where I then waited another hours and a half before Dr Jakobson came in. I told him what I was experiencing which was what felt like liquid sloshing in the back of my ear as if it was trapped in there by a wax dam. I could clearly tilt my head from side to side and feel the liquid go back and forth. He barely looked at me and he had a terrible attitude like I was taking up his time even though I had been waiting 3 hours for him altogether and I was still being friendly to him hoping it would make him be nicer. He rolled his chair over looked in my ear and said I had a thin layer of wax over the ear canal which I found hard to believe because I could feel liquid moving around in my ear and he said it only “felt that way” um..ok. He then began to prod something with a vacuum on it in my ear which you’d think wouldn’t hurt and I have a high pain threshold but he was not gentle in any way and he said he was just going to suck that piece of wax out but he poked something instead and it felt like I was being stabbed inside my ear. He then stood up after stopping because I think I screamed out in pain. Who’d think a tiny vacuum would feel like being stabbed in the inside of my ear. He didn’t say anything more about it except that he’d prescribe me with something to loosen the ear wax that he couldn’t remove that was supposedly the source of my extreme discomfort. He then said I needed some type of surgery for the loss of hearing that I was having in my ear. I have no idea what he said because he didn’t explain it to me. He just said that and took off out the door. Then some lady came in and gave me a prescription and I was out the door. To top it off, after they made me wait for 3 hours even though I arrived at my appointment on time and had to wait that long on the doctor whom I know was there because I could hear him in the next room...anyhow, after the long wait they told me they don’t validate parking. What a complete waste of time and to make matters worse when I went to the pharmacy I learned the prescription was for ear infections but when he left the room he said I would get a prescription to loosen the “supposed stuck think layer of wax.” Of course symptoms did not clear with the $100 prescription and I suffered for another 2 weeks and ended up paying Dr. Jakobson $300 for him to spend 4 minutes with me and not even help me in any way. It was the worst experience I ever had in any situation and I would NEVER EVER go back there. It doesn’t take much to please me and I don’t complain much but that visit warranted a major complaint. Do not go to Dr. Jakobson in Mission Viejo. You will absolutely regret it. He’s not nice and he doesn’t listen and he doesn’t remedy the situation you might be having.
Dr. Jakobsen is sexual pervert who strokes off to people with sore throats.. STAY AWAY!
I would not ever go to Dr. Jakobsen again. I was referred to him by my primary care doctor, and I have since returned to her and advise that she NOT recommend him to any of her other patients.
He does not review your medical files, will not listen to your symptoms, does not have any bedside manner, and comes across as supremely arrogant. He is pursuing his own agenda, wanting to do procedures on you that he can charge for, and referring you to doctors that are "friends" of his.
His nurse also lacks bedside manner and is extremely argumentative. I was at their office 5 days ago and can honestly say I feel violated. It was the worst experience I have ever had in a medical office.
If you want your records reviewed, and if you want to be listened to regarding your symptoms, do not go here.
go to dr. wohlgemuth instead! Dr. Jakobsen is a JERK but I switched to Dr. Wohlgemutha nd he is the best doctor I have ever encountered!
We went to see the doctor a couple of weeks ago for the fist time, he struck me as caring, but the staff rubbed me wrong. My son is 3 years old and walked towards a cabinet that holds some medical equipment/tools, there was a black plastic siphon hanging on the open door of the cabinet, the nurse made a comment about not touching it because his parents would have to pay $20,000.00 if he broke it. We ended up deciding to go ahead and have the doctor perform a tonsillectomy on my son, but today we received a letter asking for a "deposit" Both my wife and I have very good health insurance plans through our jobs and have excellent credit, I found it unorthodox for a doctor to ask for a deposit on a surgery. We decided that this office is too money hungry and will be taking our son to another doctor. All businesses exist to make a profit, but there is a fine line between wanting to make a profit and showing a customer that all you care is about the money.
This leads me to some questions. 1) If you believe he is a bad doctor, why are you even seeing him? In fact if he ignored me like that on the first day I would have said "I am so sorry, I must leave immediately due to your poor service." If that didn't get to him, then I don't know what would.
2) Obviously, not wanting to talk to you directly means either a) he is very shy, b) he doesn't care about his patiences, and/or c) he's only there for the money.
Therefore: Go to another doctor of similar stature. He seems to not address your needs. Therefore, why pay for something that doesn't work? Why spend all your time knowing he doesn't care or he doesn't want to read/listen to what you have to say?
Pablo.