This was quite a few years ago. He would not let me ask questions. Told me that it was "not the Socratic method" in his office. My brain immediately turned off. read more

been in terrible pain since my lumbar laminectomy, this man did not care, he even did surgery again, he is in it for the money not for the patient, read more

Nothing. You can't get past his office. Had neck surgery year and a half ago. I've been having pain on my arm and balance issues. Office told me he's not a Neurologist, he's a Neurosurgeon and should find a Neurologist. Front office unfriendly and not helpful. read more

This practice needs a new intake person and process. It's 2025 and there is no email? They do not answer phones. I called for weeks to during normal business hours only to hear the call disconnect without any voicemail option. A seemingly unhappy and very rude person named Kelly finally picked up at 9 a.m. today. She questioned my insurance and told me that the surgeon doesn't do diagnoses, he only does surgeries. When I explained that we hope to get a diagnosis to avoid surgery, she confirmed, "he doesn't do that..." apparently gatekeeping and diagnosing my son's spinal problems. When I asked if there was a way to send in the intake forms, her final offer was, "if you want to send the forms just so that he can tell you he doesn't take cases like yours..." which is where I decided to say goodbye. I would not bring my son to this practice. read more

I was diagnosed with a tumor inside my spinal canal pushing on my spinal cord. I got in touch with Dr. Kissel for a second opinion (the first opinion involved an unnecessary spinal fusion). Dr. Kissel did not feel a fusion was necessary. He did a laminectomy and excised the tumor. I had zero complications. Dr. Kissel explained everything very thoroughly to myself and my husband. He answered all questions honestly. The surgery was very successful and the pain management I received in the hospital was well planned. He visited me multiple times in the hospital and had several follow up calls post-surgery. He approved all the time off work that I needed as well as the physical therapy. For being such a serious and scary medical issue, Dr. Kissel made it as smooth as possible. I am so appreciative and grateful for his expertise and care. read more

I was seriously attacked in 2015, trauma to my head, my skull was breached and I had a subdural hematoma. No one could believe I was alive. I was working for the county and had heard of Dr. Kissel from co-workers who RAVED about him. So when the ambulance arrived, the doors opened and Dr. Kissel introduced himself, I was so relieved. Everyone that I knew who worked in the medical field, asked who my doctor was and expressed such relief that it was Dr. Kissel. Friends and family told me of how he was treated like a rock star in the hospital hallways. I had a complete recovery with a small titanium plate on my skull and am able to play pickleball and racquetball as well as ever. My balance... I dodged an arrow and someone said it looked like I made matrix moves! It's been 6 years and I'm grateful to God and Dr. Kissel for every day I'm alive. Haha, I still talk too much tho :) read more

Kissel Phillip, MD - About 3 weeks after the attack - Surgeons Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

My Mr. Was referred to him for surgery. They were able to get him in quickly. We had no problem finding his office his staff were very professional and kind. He was seen quickly and had his condition explained very well. Surgery was decided to be the best course of action. He was scheduled quickly and his pre-op period went smoothly. The day of surgery, everything went super smoothly. He had a 3 level Anterior Cervical Spine Decompression and Fusion. This is a pretty significant surgery, but Dr. Kissels technique was awesome! He was able to go home the very next morning. His prognosis is excellent and he is healing fast! We found Dr. Kissel to be quite warm and welcoming. He explained the pros and cons of surgery and what to expect afterwards and he's been spot on. I would feel very comfortable referring anyone I care about to him. read more

Kissel Phillip, MD - Dr. P. Kissel - Surgeons Near Me - San Luis Obispo, California

Forever thankful for this gifted surgeon. His surgical skills eliminated the debilitating back issue that had tainted the quality of my daily life. read more

Hi Dr Kissel performed a cervical fusion surgery on me in 2015.appoxamately one month after my surgery I suffered an ischemic stroke. the neuro doctor at Cottage Hospital told me it was caused by the neck surgery. MyCarotid artery was damaged during the neck surgery.i have not spoken too or heard from Dr kissels office since that time. TRUE STORY!!! read more

I'm 74, and never experienced a back problem until this past May when on a long motorcycle road trip with friends I experienced low back pain which radiated down one leg. My family doctor scheduled an MRI which identified several back issues, most of which a person might expect at this age and suggested I see Dr. Kissel for an assessment. In the meantime, at the suggestion of some friends who experience back problems, I showed the MRI to a chiropractor who is giving me traction table treatments and I am getting relief. I didn't know what to expect at my appointment with Dr. Kissel, but I am pleasantly pleased with his approach, assessment, and recommendations for changing my activities to avoid needing back surgery. He is warm and friendly, and took the time to help me understand what is happening with my spine. He agrees with the traction table treatments if they continue to relieve my discomfort. I've changed my exercise routine and ended my volunteer work with the food bank. Most of all, he didn't say I need to give up my motorcycling, my body will tell me when I would need to give up riding. read more

I am very pleased with the services provided. Very kind man. Surgery went perfect. Thank you very much.

Fantastic neurosurgeon! Great bedside manners! Great surgeon. Operated on my husband several years ago with great relief of L4-5. Now he needs it at L2-3 and scheduled for microsurgery by dr Kissel before the end of the month. I have full confidence in him. read more

I was unfortunate enough that I saw Dr Kissel 2 different times. The first time was when I had ruptured a lumbar disc. He examed me and very curtly said my body would enclose the rupture and I would be fine soon. No more explanation given... should I rest, PT or stretches? Well, I wasn't just fine at all. I went for a second opinion and guess what? I needed surgery! Years later I needed to see a neurologist for the disc above my fusion area as it too was rupturing. I don't recall why I ended up having to see this doctor again. Well, after full exam or walking and bending and increasing my pain level, I asked him what he thought. He said "I'll tell you but it's not going to be what you want to hear!" He said I didn't need any surgery and that was it! I was so insulted and infuriated at the condescending way he was speaking to me that I almost started yelling at him right there in his office! I told his office girl that he was a jerk and she just nodded her head. Some people need to stop practicing if you can't be kind to your patients!!! PS. I've been in the medical field for 20 years! When I told my referring doctor what happened, he said "Maybe he needs to retire, if he treats patients like that!" This was a few years ago! I can't believe he's still practicing. I would never refer anyone to see this very angry rude man! read more

I'd give him negative stars if I could. My life and my mom's life are completely different after she went under his knife. She had a benign brain tumor removed over a year ago. He said she'd be home about 3-4 days after surgery, and should be back to normal activities like driving in 3-4 weeks. Instead, she was in the hospital for a month, many days in the ICU, and had to have multiple other procedures and surgeries. She was so uncomfortable and disoriented that they kept her in restraints for most of her stay. After the hospital, she went to rehab for a few weeks, followed by months of home health. She's still not nearly the same person. It's been the biggest nightmare we've ever been through; going from an independent woman, to someone who can't even remember basic facts about her life and environment, let alone manage her basic bodily needs. I quit my job in order to care for her 24/7 as required after rehab. Words can't express how much anger I feel towards the whole experience. Both of us lost our independence and still don't know if/when we'll ever get it back. I know the nature of cutting into someone's brain is inherently risky, but we had no idea it could have gone this terribly. Please think twice before going to Dr. Kissel. There are many other doctors, hospitals, and treatment plans that will hopefully give you much better results. I pray your experience goes much better than ours. Life is too precious to spend it this way. We opened up an investigation with the Medical Board of California. I encourage you to do the same if you feel like you've ever been wronged by any medical professional and/or facility. God bless. read more

We saw Dr. Kissel for my hubby's back and a second opinion regarding possible surgery. He spent a lot of time with us and answered our questions thoroughly. His bedside manner was perfect and we felt he really cared about his patients. Highly recommend him. read more

He's a first-class naysayer who likely resents medicine altogether. He diagnoses over the phone, has a God-awful bedside manner, and practices medicine in a backward, elitist, non-competitive, one-horse town, and is simply too damn old to operate on anyone. I got a strong sense he was a sadist. I have some very serious stuff going on and got a second opinion after him. I need not one but two surgeries so that I don't become completely debilitated and bed-ridden. Doctors won't talk stink about each other but my current doctor couldn't look me in the eye when I asked what he thought of Dr. Kissel's final thoughts. Dr. Kissel literally told me to not ever return to his office in such a style that I felt like calling the FBI because it occurred to me we had another sinister Ted Bundy type. Why?? Senseless. Why does he have a practice? To turn people away and it took months to get seen. He gets a star for finishing medical school. For reference, everyone I spoke to in that area of the world who had a serious illness and needed surgery hightailed it out of there, opting for either LA or San Francisco. There's one surgeon notable there but it's well known that care there is severely lacking in quality. I have severe chronic thyroid disease and a doctor in San Luis Obispo told me to ignore it, that all thyroids were fine. Not to take medication or blood tests. That's enough for me. But I notified the Medical Board of California. read more

Phillip Kissel is a great doctor. If you need a neurosurgeon, I could not recommend anyone more. He did my surgery to repair a ruptured disc in my lower back 8 years ago and I was back to 100% within a couple months. Recovery was very easy, I'd say I was 90% within a month. I do many high impact sports and my previous injury has not slowed me down one bit. You should know that I really didn't want to do surgery (even though in hindsight it's a no brainer). However, when I went in for my appointment I was seen at the scheduled time with no wait. He sat and discussed my concerns with me in detail and was not in a rush at all. It's not a place where 15 PAs come and talk to you for 30 minutes then you see a doc for 2 min, it's just you and him. My first meeting was enough for me to be comfortable with the surgery and it was a huge success. The surgery itself was very smooth. His price is more than reasonable and he will work to schedule you in quickly if you need attention. I hope I don't have to see another neurosurgeon, but if I do I would go out of my way to go back to him. read more

Dr. Kissel is the real deal. He did a four level cervical decompression and then did a three level fusion. No pain drug would help me by the time I walked into his office and I was ready to be taken out back and shot. He tried to get me in the hospital that day or the next for immediate surgery but it did take three days. That was 4 years ago and I have never been happier. He saved my life, the pain was so severe it had taken over my life. Thanks Doc, your a life saver. Robert W Bell read more

Massively impressed with himself, cocky, arrogant. It hits one like a sickening wave when he enters the room. This is not the kind of doc I want to work with, nor hand my precious health over to. His receptionist seems depressed and lifeless. Very small office. Don't bother. There are better Neurologists in SLO. P.S. I used to work for a very successful group of OBGYNs in L.A. Their reviews by patients were spot on. So, evaluate and decide for yourself about this doctor, and do or don't proceed depending on how he impresses you at gut level. Cheers! read more

I've worked with Dr. Kissel, he is the genuine article. For this area, he is the only one I would trust to work on any neurological issues. The only one, period. read more

This doctors office gave me the run around for three weeks, meanwhile I could have been seeing another doctor and working towards getting out of the excruciating pain I'm constantly in. I had a referral to go see Dr. Kissel and his staff members made it impossible for me to get an appointment. Kelly was extremely unprofessional and rude to me and my father. This doctor and his staff think they are too good to help people. I wish I could give zero stars. read more

Cold arrogant. Uncaring. Sent a critically ill patient to transitional care without orders so he had to be taken by ambulance to the ER in the middle of the night. Can't recommend read more

Just left after waiting 50 minutes. Being told every 10 minutes "he'll be here in 10 minutes... he'll be here in 10 minutes... he'll be here in 10 minutes" is very frustrating! Seems to me the kind thing to do would be to call the patient and say... "He's running late in surgery can you come an hour later...?" But apparently that doesn't make sense to anybody else. read more

I want to thank Dr Kissel for acting so quickly and recognizing what was causing my pain and actually believing that I was in pain...i had been to others but he didn't minimize my pain like they did not for a minute....dr herron and Dr Kissel are my angels and my hero's. God bless u and thank u so much... read more

He doesn't want to bother w/ anything but easy cases apparently.Though he's accepting new patients, he refused to even see me based on my history of seeing 7 doctors who could not figure out what's wrong w/ me. I've been in excruciating pain from pinched nerves in legs & ruptured discs for 6 months. His cold, uncaring nurse basically told me to 'live with it.' read more

Can not begin to sing this mans praises enough. Walked into his office unable to sit, let alone stand and was told my best option was surgery. My worst nightmare was realized and he navigated me through it with insight and a strong sense of resolve. You know youre in the best hands the moment you speak with this physician. If you have the choice, hands down this is where you should be. read more