I am surprised by all of the negative reviews. Dr. Mahdavi has been my ENT for many years. Often, I don't need to go. But he has excellent equipment and makes procedures very easy. I had a cauterization of a ruptured vessel and it did not hurt at all (more afterwards as the numbing wore off and I felt the burn). Usually I do not have to return for a follow up and the problem is solved after the first visit. Hoping I don't have to return now - and won't have to go again for a few years. If people are surprised he is limiting taking new patients, it may be because he's nearing retirement and doesn't want to be working 40 hours. But I'm so happy he has not retired yet. He's an extremely nice man, a great doctor and a very proud father (he has copies of his daughter's books in exam rooms to read). I hope he will still be working the next time I have a problem! read more

Leaving this review because I genuinely had a great experience with Dr. Mahdavi and his staff. From my first appointment to my post opt he has been understanding & did well explaining everything while not pressuring me into anything. I got my deviated septum corrected and had turbinate reduction done by him as well. Everything before, during the procedure and after has gone great. His nurses are friendly and also great at explaining things. They we very supportive after surgery as well by answering any extra questions I had after my post opt. Highly recommend!! *yes they do charge $75 per visit but that is told to you beforehand. To me it was just an expected co pay read more

I should've listened to the other reviews. I can basically only echo the same experiences as the previous reviewers. I went in for a deviated septum and chronic sinus infections. He recommended septoplasty and turbinate reduction. I had 3 separate bills from the procedure and after multiple follow up visits he continues to use a "scope" for about 10 seconds and charges me $300 each visit. Each question I ask seems to have the same answer of "deal with it". Allergy and Asthma recommend this doctor, but I need to have a talk with them. read more

I saw this doctor because I had a chronic bloody nose. While he did fix the problem, he insisted on using a new fancy camera each time he saw me (initial appointment and the follow up) and charged me $150 each time. My insurance covered the actual procedure and appointment time, but not the cost of his new camera. I would not have had a problem with this if he would have given me the option of using a different tool or his new fancy camera that he obviously has not paid off yet. Based on the way he runs his practice and charges patients without giving them options, I would NEVER recommend his services. read more

I agree with the other reviewers. I was charged $800 out of pocket (after insurance) for procedures this doctor deemed "surgical." And, all he did was give me a sheet of paper with stupid exercises for my vertigo. He also completed ignored the fact that I had a very persistent cough, which I believe falls under "throat"??? See someone else. read more

I was referred to Dr Mahdavi. I am an RN. Dr Mahdavi's examined me and assumed a facial expression of the Grim Reaper. Indeed, it was a challenging diagnosis. I felt such despair. I sought out treatment with MDs. It was far from hopeless. I am 100% now. Dr. Mahdavi should confine treatment to more basic can conditions. Had I not gone to other qualified doctors I would have given up read more

Dr. Mahdavi has been my ENT for over a decade. I was having constant sinus infections--each cold would turn into a sinus infection. So, he recommended surgery to correct a deviated septum and enlarge the spaces for drainage. After a history of chronic sinus infections, I've never had another sinus infection. A huge success. I then had a problem with polyps in my nose and he removed those. I can't recall which surgery I had first. I have always been very comfortable with him as my physician and with his surgical skill. He solved both of my problems completely. I understand what others say about getting a bill for a "surgical office procedure" but my recollection is that my insurance covered a portion of that bill. I referred my friend to him for surgery as well, and she loves him too. I trust Dr. Mahdavi, and I have received great care over the years. read more

Consider the sound that a duck makes and you'll have a good idea of what I think of Dr. Mahdavi. I went to see Dr. Mahdavi as a 33 year old with mild hearing loss. Upon my arrival, I was presented with a stack of paperwork that took me a good 30 minutes to complete. I was then taken to an exam room by a medical assistant who proceeded to ask me the answers to the same questions on the forms I had just spent so much time completing. She presented me with a form to sign that would allow Dr. Mahdavi to use a laryngoscope during my exam. I was uncomfortable signing this form primarily because its use and purpose had not been explained to me, and the form mentioned that my insurance might view it as a surgical procedure. Huh? In any case, I was highly pressured into signing the form before Dr. Mahdavi would even see me. During my exam, Dr. Mahdavi (who barely so much as introduced himself as he walked in) did use his laryngoscope for all of about 30 seconds to shine a high powered light down my throat. He waved off any theories that my other long-time doctors had about the cause of my hearing loss. He told me that my hearing loss wasn't a big deal, telling me that he has 85 year old patients with worse hearing loss who don't even want to wear hearing aids. (Ummm... that's nice, but I have more than 50 years to go until I'm 85.) Ultimately, I was sent off with the advice to go get another hearing test and with two bottles of "hearing vitamins". These hearing vitamins were not FDA approved, proven in any scientific way to improve my hearing, and suspiciously needed to be taken 3 times a day to be effective. Sounded like a good way for a vitamin company to make money to me. A few weeks later I received a $600 bill for my visit. If you want quality care, a compassionate and understanding manner, and legitimate medical treatment for hearing loss, I would highly advise you to choose an ENT other than Dr. Mahdavi. read more

Caution - (this is from my mothers experience) I went to Dr. Mahdavi at the San Diego Ear Head Neck Surgery Medical Clinic with an earache. I told him I thought it was a fungal ear infection and that I had no other symptoms; no sore throat, no congestion, no runny nose, eyes clear, no cough. He charged $227.00 for new patient set up. He looked in my ears and confirmed I had a fungal ear infection. He looked in my nose and throat. I left after paying a $20.00 co-pay and when the ear drops did not work I went back to the specialist in Orange County. I received a bill for what my insurance company said was a surgery procedure. Since I did not have surgery I called the office. Staff was prepared for questions and had an answer ready for me. Apparently Dr. Mandavi had a tool used by surgeons to look up my nose. He charged $302.00. This kind of practice is why medical costs are so high. When a doctor puts financial gain before ethical practice I would caution you to ask questions and check and double check your bills for hidden costs. I am guessing deceptive practices are nothing new to him or his office staff. A bogus excuse to charge money. Be careful. read more

Let me tell you about this doctor!!!!! I drove down to see him from Laguna Beach, i had a massive congestion followed by terrible headaches, i did all he told me to do, with no resoults. To make it short he just said we gonna watch it, My wife suggested some home remedy that helped me a lot. Each appointments i was billed about $150.00 for less then 10 minutes consultation and going over test resoults. The nice parts is that he knew that i was in pain and he never prescribed me anything to help me out, i was told about my test resoult by his nurse, which makes me belive that he did not even look at my XRAY because the socond appointment that i had with another specialist up in Laguna Beach he noticed that i had something different that what Mahdavi had told me. This place was an unpleasent experience for me, it's all about the money for this people, never again back there. read more

When you ever visit his office, make sure you ask the doctor, nurse, or anyone if that operation/treatment is necessary. And how much it costs if performed... FOR EVERY QUESTION THEY ASK, AND FOR EVERY TIME THEY TRY TO TOUCH YOU. I was recommended to Dr. Mahdavi by my physician when I had constant dizziness. At his office, besides the treatment for dizziness (some QAs, a piece of paper showing physical exercises to train inner ears for balance), I was asked if it's okay to inspect my nose holes for possible infections. The nurse said she has to ask every patient because it's considered "INVASIVE" on paperwork... I just laughed and agreed, not knowing the outcome. She didn't tell me how much it costs to insert a flash light 1/4 an inch into my nose hole. Then I went to the office again a few weeks later for follow-ups and the doctor sticked the flash light into my nose again. Next month I received an insurance claim saying that those "INVASIVE" operations cost me more than $300 each and my out-of-pocket expense ended up over $300 for each visit. It's funny that they reported such operations as "SURGERIES" on claims. Perhaps they did so to make it look justifiable. Performing unnecessary nose examination for profit... they deserve zero or negative stars, but I gave a star for healing my dizziness by introducing me to the inner-ear exercise. read more

Dr. Mahdavi has been a blessing to me. I have had two serious surgeries done by him, both very skillfully and successfully. Moments before my second surgery, all on their own, the surgical staff kept telling me how much they respect Dr. Mahdavi, and as professionals, if they need medical treatment, they go to Dr. Mahdavi. I highly recommend him! read more

I am revising a previous rating for Dr. Mahdavi due to my misunderstanding of the billing from a recent surgery. Dr. Mahdavi performed surgery on my sinuses a few months ago. That was the third time for him to perform that kind of surgery on me. I confused Dr. Mahdavi's charges with those of Scripps Hospital in La Jolla. Dr. Mahdavi's only left me owning about $365 as a copay with my insurance. Dr. Mahdavi does do a nasal scoping procedure in his office and charges it as a surgical procedure. My copays for his office visits has always been less than $70. I have no doubt that the information he learns from those procedures is extremely helpful and worth the extra cost. Never before have I been to a more knowledgeable, gentle, kind, pleasant or more skilled physician. Each surgery he performed on me produced results that were better than I expected. The office staff is wonderful. They are highly efficient and always pleasant. Over the years, I have suffered from very serious sinus infection and allergies. I have worked with many other ENT physicians. None of them compared in their level of expertise to Dr. Mahdavi. Dr. Mahdavi is creme of the crop. read more

Dr. Mahdavi is a wonderful surgeon who operated when I needed part of my thyroid removed. He has a calming presence, many years of experience and is technically excellent in surgery. He patiently and calmly prepared me for my surgery by making sure all my questions were answered. My recovery was quick and easy. He did a beautiful job stitching the incision and after just four weeks post-op my scar is barely noticeable. I recommend him without reservation. read more

Is he expensive- yes. Is he the best- yes. You get what you pay for. I had cancer in my sinuses which another ENT doc missed. I had it removed but it was huge so I have some ongoing issues from it (had to do radiation, chemo, etc so it was extensive). I have had 3 surgeries from Dr. Mahdavi and they have all been top notch. I have gotten second opinions twice to make sure I'm on the right track and all the docs have said that Mahdavi is the best and they would recommend continuing to see him. His office is run extremely efficiently as well so I have never waited more than 10 min to see him....compared to waiting hours for other docs sometimes. I get it, it SUCKS to get random bills and it's frustrating....that part annoys me too. But to me, having a doctor that is compassionate, skilled, knowledgeable, efficient and precise is worth the extra money even though I don't have a lot extra. I'd rather spend it on getting good care than extra clothes or a fancy car. read more

He's an excellent doctor. Highly educated, knows his stuff. I wouldn't go anywhere else.

Dr. Mahdavi is a great doctor. He was very good with listening and getting a plan set up with my care. Great staff also.

The Doc Rocks..... Love this man! Compassionate and good!

I really can't review the doctor's performance because after reading the very mixed reviews; deciding to make an appointment anyway, which ended up being a difficult thing from the get-go because according to the person I spoke with "the doctor was not seeing new patients for earwax removal only" - something my husband and I have done every year as we were advised to do by our former and sorely missed ENT and finally; receiving paperwork with a "disclaimer" requiring signature about the almost assured procedure that can be charged as a "surgical" one because of what they call "coding issues" and warranted for most, if not all reasons that may bring you into that medical office so, more likely than not, you will be charged and your insurance carrier will not allow that charge and you will be responsible for it out-of-pocket -- I decided to cancel the appointments for both me and my husband and look elsewhere. It seems suspect that a reputable doctor would claim to be seeing new patients but only for "serious" conditions or those that warrant more billing. And even more suspect is the fact that no matter what you see this doctor for, you will be submitted to a procedure that will cost you out of pocket because most insurance plans do not allow/pay for it as it is coded as "surgical"-- This seems very convenient for the provider since insurers would probably discount it, if they did allow it -- so this way, the provider is assured full payment for the procedure from patients (you have to sign off on that before you even see him) - and this procedure is done at each and every visit, in some cases. This is gouging at it's best or getting around the system for the benefit of the provider. This provider was recommended by my trusted and long-known physician, but I felt there were too many red flags upon just trying to procure an appointment -- the reviews speak for themselves and it's not just one or two, there are numerous occasions dating back a few years in which patients have complained about this. It's a pity that medicine has become what it has become for some physicians - all about trying to get around the system and making as much money as possible and nothing about treating patients for what ails them. It's also a pity that as a patient, one actually fears seeing a physician/specialist because one cannot be sure if one's being treated as a patient or as a cash cow. read more

Yeah, I've got to say, when he sticks the flexible laryngoscope literally 1/2 inch up your nose instead of the little flashlight thing most doctors use as part of the office visit to look up your nose, and then charges your insurance $300 for a separate procedure in addition to the office visit, that takes some nerve. I know they have a little blurb about the layrngoscope for new patients warning them about the charge, but I at least expected him to use it inspect my innards. On the plus side, he was honest when he said he couldn't do much for me. read more

I saved enough money to get some insurance coverage and ended up being referred to this quack! If I could give this guy a negative (10) I would. My insurance clearly said that the fee for a "specialist" would be $60. So I pay the $60 co-pay. I had all the paper work already filled out to bring in to save time. I'm having an issue with dizziness. I'm not kidding this guy didn't spend 10minutes with me and all he did was look in my mouth and ears with a small flash light! no scope of any kind. He then made me sign a paper stating he would do a treatment that would cost $150 that insurance might not cover. I was desperate for help and thought he would be doing something to help. This is what he did. He laid me back in the chair to one side and then had me sit up quickly. Yup, that was it... at best an entire 10 minutes. Then right before Christmas I get his bill. The insurance had already paid him $400 plus dollars and my balance was $290!!!!!!!!!!! not including the $60 I already gave him. So I write him a letter telling him of how I've been laid off, how he's ruining my holiday etc. I ask him if the $500 he's already been paid might be enough and if he could forgive the balance. I got no response to my letter other than a notice saying if I didn't pay the bill in full they will send to collections. I wrote them another letter telling them I can only pay $10 a month, they sent me back a notice saying they would except $10 but only if I give them a debit or credit card because they don't trust me to send a check. Talk about getting raped! How this guy and his staff can sleep at night is beyond me...he is as low as low can be. I will be writing Ralph Nader and anyone else I can think of about this scum of the earth. read more

I would not recommend Dr. Mahdavi. I was recommended to him by my primary physician for nose cautery due to persistent nosebleeds. I feel like I was robbed, to be honest. Dr. Mahdavi recommended a "two-step" procedure which was then billed as two completely separate procedures. These procedures amounted to swabbing the inside of my nose with a Q-Tip of silver nitrate. These two 5-minute "surgeries," as he billed them, ended up costing me approximately $800 out of pocket (after insurance was billed). Not only do I feel taken advantage of by unethical overcharging but it turns out Dr. Mahdavi's medical competence may be in question as well. While I was suffering horribly following my first swabbing in which Dr. Mahdavi swabbed both sides of my septum with silver nitrate, I read in repeated respected online medical sources that it is NEVER recommended to treat both sides of a patient's septum with silver nitrate as it can lead to a perforated septum. I can only assume Dr. Mahdavi's practice is full of one-time customers like me and the very wealthy who do not have to factor in cost. My letter to the doctor addressing my shock at the charges was totally ignored. The only response I received from Dr. Mahdavi was another bill. I only wish there was a zero-star option; I am loath to reward him with even one star. DO NOT USE THIS DOCTOR! read more

Had my deviated septum and sinusitis surgery a little more than a year ago. Results were great, I could smell & breathe a lot better, until a few months ago. My symptoms all came back but it may be my allergies so I want to wait out and see. Dr. Mahdavi recommended to resume using the saline wash which I haven't done yet.. No real complaint medically - BUT there has been a cosmetic issue, and I'm pretty frustrated. Immediately after the surgery when the swelling went down, I noticed an indentation on the bridge of my nose. When I expressed my concern, Dr. Mahdavi advised to wait 1-2 years for my nose to heal completely; he informed me of possible ways to fix the issue, which I was under the impression that he would take the responsibility. So come this year, the indentation hasn't improved at all. So I call again. I ask for the office visit fee to be waived since it isn't really a post-op, or a check-up and I wouldn't have had to see the doctor if it weren't for the indentation caused by Dr. Mahdavi. The lady on the phone isn't too nice and treats me like I'm some kind of a cheapskate trying to freeload. Because I'm persistent, she offers me to transfer me to the nurse, who turns out to be really nice and understanding. She relays my issue to Dr. Mahdavi and he calls me back the next day. He says that the indentation is one of the side effects/complications with the sinus surgery which are all explained to me before the surgery. He also adds that my weak bone caused the indentation. I'm still not sure as to why an internal surgery would cause an external indentation, and why he didn't leave the plastic support in my nose a little longer to avoid problems like this. He then mentions that we never had photos taken at the office before the surgery, and I wonder why he is saying this... Is he basically saying that there's no evidence? Idk. Maybe I'm overthinking out of frustration. The phone convo with him seems not too hopeful at this point, and finally he offers me to provide a surgery to straighten my nose! But there's a catch. I would be responsible for the operating room fees, which if I remember correctly, are thousands of dollars. I ask if he could just do a filler injection to help the nose temporarily since I have a modeling gig coming up. He agrees but he would also need to do that in the op room. Huh????? I don't get it. I've done many different fillers and never once I had to go to the op room for an injection. I ask to do that at his office like all other places, and he says that he would need to check if he could and if he could even get the filler to his office. Honestly I don't get what's so complicated but I'm no expert. Overall I can't say much yet since I'm still waiting for the doctor's call about the filler. I'm, however, pleased with their prompt response, the initial surgery results (internal results), and the Dr's offer. I will edit/update this review when the doctor calls me back! read more

Dr. Mahdavi has taken care of our family for years and is kind, compassionate and skilled physician and surgeon. When one of my daughters had her tonsils out, the surgery nurse told her that all the nurses thought Dr. Mahdavi was the best and they loved working with him. read more

Dr Mahdavi & his staff are great! Helped me with my ear issues right away. Would recommend them to anyone.

stay away from this guy - totally old school, doesn't listen, does what he wants, discounts what i say and feel, totally messed me up. sinus surgery was terrible, and when i had pain after, he called me a complainer. that pain turned into an even worse infection, and he had the nerve to say, he needed to go back in. NO WAY JOSE. i'm looking for a new ENT. read more

I am so thankful to have been referred to Dr. Mahdavi and his staff. After years of allergy attacks and trouble breathing I finally decided to see a specialist. We ultimately decided surgery to fix my sinuses and deviated septum would be my best bet. Although insurance sure doesn't make it easy on the patient, Dr. Mahdavi's staff were so helpful, sending me as much info about cost approximation as possible and answered my many questions/concerns regarding both billing and pre and post op recovery. Dr. Mahdavi spent as much time as I needed with me, and I always left feeling positive and in control of my health. Going into the surgery I felt confident, and now that it's over, I can say it was worth all the trouble. San Diego is an expensive place for any kind of medical procedure, and health insurance doesn't always help you obtain your best health at the best price. But for what it's worth I'll never be able to say thank you enough! Great staff and great doctor! read more