Matthew L. Carlson, MD

Dr. Carlson is an amazing surgeon! I was losing my hearing and was struggling to hear in all settings. I was scared to have the cochlear implant surgery but finally realized I had nothing to lose since my hearing was so bad. Dr. Carlson was very personable and highly skilled. The cochlear implant surgery was nothing short of a miracle! I can hear beautifully in all settings. Not only that but Dr. Carlson did the surgery in such a way that the device is completely concealed under my hair and there isn’t a trace of an incision! I’m so happy with the outcome! Dr. Carlson has truly given me my life back and I will be forever grateful. I can’t say enough for this highly skilled surgeon!

Dr. Carlson and his assistant, Dr. Bowen, both seemed unprepared for the appointment. Dr. Bowen outright admitted to not fully reviewing my case. Dr. Carlson seemed to lack common knowledge about my type of tumor and specifics related to my case. I then learned to my horror afterwards that they had the audacity to confirm in writing that they were unprepared in a way that would adversely impact their ability to make an accurate assessment of my situation. Yet, they still went through with the costly appointment instead of addressing a problem internal to Mayo Clinic that would have made a more accurate assessment possible. I can only describe this as fraud given Dr. Carlson's repeated insistence that he understood my case while also admitting to never actually reviewing critical information provided to Mayo Clinic months before the appointment. Dr. Carlson also acted aggressive, uncaring and highly unprofessional during followup calls after I pointed out the above. As a result of their… actions, I'm now stuck experiencing additional delays while dealing with life-threatening symptoms. If my negative experiences merely involved them, I would still recommend Mayo Clinic, but I have learned recently that Mayo Clinic in general and in Rochester has received a lot of negative reviews for mistreating complex case and Medicaid/Medicare patients. I highly recommend reviewing the reviews about Mayo Clinic on Consumer Affairs. As for Dr. Carlson: A person's professional skill and acclaim doesn't give them the right to behave in gross, negligent, passive aggressive ways toward another human being, especially a person who is seriously ill. It doesn't give them the right to play God either with the life of someone who came to them for help, especially if as I fear they did so to force an "undesirable" certain type of patient to go elsewhere in favor of patients who match better their target market, which some have claimed is made up of less complex and/or more profitable patients.

YOU’VE. FOUND. YOUR. DOCTOR! Exceptionally knowledgeable and thorough physician with an incredible bedside manner! Dr. Carlson explained my husband’s condition with great detail in a way that we could understand and gave us hope. We were beyond confident in his ability and traveled from Philadelphia for surgery. Dr. Carlson accurately projected realistic post-operative expectations, all of which were right on the mark. He performed a highly complex procedure flawlessly and followed up routinely to check on progress. The level of care for his patients is absolutely unmatched – he is caring, warm, funny, brilliant, and so skilled at what he does. He is prompt, efficient, responsive, polite, and very patient (answering all of our questions, never once making us feel rushed). We know for a fact my husband’s remarkable outcome would not have been possible without Dr. Carlson’s expertise and talent. Simply THE BEST DOCTOR – we feel privileged to have been under his care!

My experience at Mayo Clinic was absolutely outstanding! The patient care by Dr Carlson, Dr Von Able, and their team was incredible. My unique situation of a carotid paraganglioma and cochlear schwannona removal surgery plus cochlear implantation, was done in one procedure which resulted in a better than expected recovery. The 5.5 hour trip to Mayo is completely worth it time and time again for post op appointments, etc... This very difficult situation was made tolerable by the level of care that was shown to my family and myself. “Above and beyond” are the two words that best describe my experience with Dr Carlson and Dr Von Able.

Dr. Carlson is kind, efficient, and very knowledgeable. He took time to throughly explain everything and answered all of our questions regarding our son's surgery.