Madison F Richardson, MD, FACS

I must say, having things shoved up anyone’s nose is not a party, but Dr. Richardson saved my sanity.
I had been suffering from chronic sinusitis practicality all my life. I couldn’t dust my furniture without feeling inflammation and sneezing relentlessly. Even the AC in the car was a problem. Worse was when I couldn’t breath from one side of my nose when I went to sleep.
First off, general doctors don’t know crap about allergies. FIVE different doctors just gave me Flonase and sent me away. Not once did they think to send me to a specialist. One sent me to an allergist to see what I was allergic to, only to pay a boatload of money to find out I’m allergic to mold and grass. No duh!!! Who isnt?!!
I finally had enough and found Dr R. through my insurance 24 hour nurse hotline. A NURSE recommended him to me. She had more common sense than a doctor.
On my first visit with Dr. R., I instantly fell in love with his honesty and humor. I didn’t hesitate to schedule surgery and my life did a 360. I’m not the greatest at maintenance and got infections because of that so you must do as he says! No joke! He’s great with follow up and ensures to send you for tests that are to your benefit. He’s always given me great and helpful advice. Been going to him for almost 4 years and will continue as long as I can. He’s the best!
Tip, park at the meters on the street if you can find one because his office doesn’t validate. No one does anymore.

I wanted to write a review because some of the other reviews had me really scared. Honestly, if it wasn’t urgent, I would’ve waited for another available doctor. The very good news is that Dr Richardson was great!
Yes, I did have to wait, but that was after getting a same-​day appointment. He and his staff were very friendly –they had a laid back cheerful vibe. Dr Richardson looked in my ear and immediately knew what was wrong (the Urgent Care I went to days before got it wrong). He did several things through my nose and into my ear (flushing and vacuuming) — everything was skillful and not at all painful.
He explained everything he was doing and what he thought was going on in my ear and why. I’m OK with waiting for a doctor who takes the time to do a thorough job and talk with patients.
I felt better by the time I walked out of his office yesterday and have improved on the medications he prescribed to the point of feeling nearly back to normal day. (It felt like I was passing a kidney stone in my ear!).
It really was a very good experience and I wanted to make sure the word got out there — the only that would have made my office visit better was if I had not been so anxious from those reviews. I get the feeling Dr Richardson must’ve listened and made changes (eg. there’s a sign explaining you may have to wait in the waiting room b/​c he’s taking time with patients)

I needed nasal surgery badly, but after hearing from my first doctor that there was a danger in him accidentally punching my brain, I cowardly took the easy and sure way out by opting to forget surgery altogether! However, following a series of bouts with repeated nasal cavity infections that really threatened by brain, I was blessed to one day locate Dr. Richardson. Wow, was I blessed! Not only did he perform the surgery expertly, but I came through with NO PAINS and healed in half the time than other patients. Even taking out the gauge bandages didn’t hurt because I followed all of Dr. Richardson instructions to the «T.» Now, I breathe through both nostrils as free as ever — no more blockage and need for nasal drainage! Dr. Richardson is not CHIEF in his department for nothing. He is the very best!!!

Dr. Richardson is so patient, and is one of the few doctors who really takes the time to listen! He never seems rushed and truly cares about getting to the root cause of problems. THANKS!

I may chg my review for now but if my appt is at specific time then i don’t expect people late to get in before me because they want updates paperwork from me The girls in the office really didn’t care that I had to wait and took in others who were late not good young ladies. Dr Richardson is still wonderful knowledgable and fantastic but those girls at front office need to learn their job and how to communicate im going to see how long it takes them to schedule my ct and X-​ray after my appt smdh dr Richardson 5 stars always another thing he numbs you before sticking that instrument down your throat Smh

I’ve seen Dr. Richardson a couple of times now and I’m not thrilled with the care I’ve received. I thought my expectations were too high and that I just needed to suck it up, but after reading others on here complain about similar issues, I’m thinking I’ll try a different ENT.
Like many others, I was startled and displeased when the doctor shoved some gauzy strips up my nose without prior warning. It was uncomfortable/​painful, and he was unsympathetic when I expressed this. He had more of a don’t-be-a-baby attitude, which I think is very inappropriate in a doctor. He also shoved a long q-​tip thing up my nose, which he would’ve done without warning if I hadn’t leaned away and put out my hands to stop him, demanding to know what he was going to do first.
He scared me into believing I need surgery on my deviated septum, but now I’m thinking I’ll get another opinion. I may very well need surgery, but I’d like to see a doctor with better bedside manner who’ll take my concerns more seriously.
Though Dr. Richardson seemed knowledgable, I wouldn’t recommend him, especially if you’re at all squeamish like me.

I wish I could give zero or negative stars. This guy is no good and it’s unfortunate that he’s affiliated with Cedars Sinai, whose doctors I have otherwise found to be above-​and-​beyond professional, caring and helpful.
Like the other reviewers, I experienced:
— Richardson being extremely late for my appointment
— having pipe cleaner strips shoved up my nose painfully with no warning
— incredibly brusque and unhelpful manner
— no diagnosis or treatment recommendations without additional labs and tests outside of the office (I went in for a really basic issue and passed on the other stuff)
— receiving a surprisingly large bill later with expensive «surgery» procedures coded. I can only assume the pipe cleaner nasal assault was the alleged surgery since he did absolutely nothing else but talk to me during the appointment. Nice racket he’s got going there.
I was referred by a friend who raved about him, and my pet theory is he’s super nice to every other patient so he gets referrals that he can mistreat and overbill without repercussions since they’re all so surprised because he came highly recommended. Sure, that sounds crazy, but this experience was kind of crazy-​making. As were all the photos of him with celebs and politicians in the office.

To start off, they don’t validate parking so be prepared for that. I found street parking (no meter fee) about 3 blocks away. It’s la, we can walk outside, it’s cool.
Dr. Richardson was great. I waited about 15ish minutes to see him, the walls were full of cool awards and pictures. He’s a very calm, friendly guy, I didn’t feel rushed at all. Definitely going back!

I was referred to Dr. Madison Richardson after surgery as patient of Dr. Madison Richardson I have to say he cold and unprofessional. During my 1^st visit he numbed my nose by shoving extra large q-​tips up my nose, then he rammed a ‘hose’ down my nose. 3 months later and my 4^th visit he did not bother to numb my nose he just shoved the «hose’ down my nose. After several expensive medications a costly pillow and unclear communication I really wish i had not wasted my time with this doctor. I will start over with a new otolaryngologist, but you better believe i did my homework FIRST this time. and i suggest you do your too.

I went to see Dr. Richardson because I wanted to check in on my vocal nodules. I don’t have health insurance and Dr. Richardson agreed to charge me a nominal fee of $ 100. I was skeptical at such a low price, as a throat scope usually runs in the range of $ 250-​$ 800 and, unfortunately, my fears were validated as soon as I stepped into the examination room. The equipment in his office is VERY old technology. I went in to see my cords and left without a picture or even an intelligent explanation of what he saw other than «yeah, well you definitely have nodules…».
Dr. Richardson treated me more like a lab rat than a human being; He began by shoving some incredibly uncomfortable strips of paper up my nose without any warning about how it would feel. If he has empathy toward his patients, it was completely lost on me. It felt as if he’d burned out on his job long ago and is now bored by the inconvenience of human interaction.
My eyes started welling up as he told me without a trace of empathy that my nodes looked really bad. He went on talking for a while, completely ignoring the fact that I had just been crushed by his words. Did I mention I left without even a clear picture of what was going on??? He seemed more interested in my «case» than in my well-​being as a patient or as a person.
After I handed the receptionist my credit card, he called me back into the exam room to tell me he’d forgotten that he wanted to get a culture of some enlarged tissue along my nasal passage. After an incredibly painful swab of my nasal passages, he sent me along my way without explaining anything about what or why he was doing what he was doing. Maybe I was supposed to ask, but I believe the mark of a good doctor is that they WANT you to be well and to feel well. Dr. Richardson simple does not care. I felt miserable leaving that office.
My misery was only fanned when I got a bill in the mail for a $ 296 nasal culture. Serously? I could have gotten that same culture at the clinic for free. He knew I had no insurance and was low on cash, and he couldn’t have cared less.
To sum it up, I bet a non-​consensual $ 396 on this guy and lost… a little money and a lotta faith.

BEWARE! I went here because I got water in my ear swimming and had a minor case of swimmers ear, needed an antibotic.
When I arrived the front desk office asked me to complete the proper paper work to move forward with a consult. The doctor checked my nose, my ear and my eyes briefly. He told me I had MANY issues; a deviated septum, i was not breathing well (my dog was problem), and then my ear (the problem) i indeed had an ear ache and needed a cleaning and antibotic… which was done.
4-​prescriptions and an appointment to another lab for blood work later I walked out of the consult needing LOTS of prodcedures! I never returned as it didn’t feel like he had my best interest at heart.
Two months later I recieved an insurance claim that he had charged my insurance over $ 1600.00 in surgeries he claims had been completed on me.
Office manager Eloisa when I tried to call and discuss the issue with her was rude, not helpful and hung up on me.
I don’t mean to sound unreasonable as I would have happily paid for my ear issue but the rest is a little crazy.
IF YOU MUST GO HERE, DO NOT SIGN ANY OF THE PRELIMINARY PAPER WORK. GET IN WRITING ALL COSTS FOR YOUR FIRST VISIT AND TREATMENT PLAN UPFRONT IN WRITING SO THEY’RE ARE NO SURPRISES AS TO WHAT THEY PLAN TO CHARGE YOU AND YOUR INSURANCE.

The whole experience ranging from when you first step into Dr Richardson’s office, all the way through sinus surgery and recovery was unpleasant.
Office environment and equipment: Old, depressing and out dated.
Office staff: Curt, slightly disorganized.
Dr Richardson: Definitely not the friendly, caring or communicative type. Mostly late (appointments and my surgery!) Even the ombudsman that I spoke to at Cedars Sinai Hospital conceded (in an apologetic tone) that Dr Richardson is «old school» and plays by his own rules.
Several months after my surgery I went to a different ENT Dr. to address the sinus issues that we’re not corrected by Dr. Richardson, and I was told by the new doctor that Dr Richardson had made a not-​so-​wise decision to perform my sinus surgery during the height of flu season.
So be sure to read the very few 5 star reviews about him closely, those patients might not be the best people to take advice from when it comes to finding a competent, doctor to perform a costly, delicate, potentially dangerous surgery.

Dr Richardson has helped me with a persistent and challenging problem. Appointments are convenient, and while he isn’t a discount MD, if he is paneled with your insurance company, you pay no more than you would for any other specialist and he is a very gifted and principled surgeon.

I recommend him to all my friends, who include professional singers and actors.

I agree – this doctor was cold, the carpet was moldy and this guy is just plain mean. Doesn’t warn you about procedures, had me get an CTscan in Inglewood, now I owe like $ 1200 to them for not helping ANYTHING with me because their insurance contract lapsed and NO ONE told me.
Livid.

I have to agree with the other one-​star people. Dr. Richardson is an arrogant snob. He doesn’t listen to you and he doesn’t answer questions. I hate that any time you go in, he shoves something up your nose without your permission. I actually had surgery for a deviated septum and had to spend the night in the hospital. The next day, Dr. Richardson did not visit me — one of his colleagues came by. Fortunately, his colleague was very nice and responsive.
He has lots and lots of celebrity pictures in his office and I’m guessing that he is friendly and responsive to them. Gotta be famous I guess.
His staff is dreadful.

Dr. Richardson is, quite simply, the most amazing surgeon you will ever encounter. His medical knowledge and skill are unmatched by any other.

I’m not sure how anyone is giving Dr Richardson or his staff 5 stars.
I found him to be impatient, distant, cold, and most concerning of all… potentially a bit «behind the times» in his methodologies.
The first time I saw him he stuck giant Q tips up my nose (to numb it) without any warning whatsoever… I had no idea what he was doing until after he was done. It was painful and shocking. That’s not how you treat a patient. The other Dr I saw after him used a gentler method with lidocaine or something blowing in to your nose. HUGE DIFFERENCE.
As Dr Richardson recommended certain procedures, I am asked him a ton of questions because it was a very serious recommendation. He treated me like a moron that shouldn’t question him. Again, this is no way to treat a patient.
I also found his front staff to reflect his cold manner. They were unfriendly generally and not as efficient as other dr’s offices i’ve been to.
Did the doc «do his job»? Was he professional? Yes, he did and yes, he was. But, in today’s market for doctors that’s just not enough. As a patient, you deserve to be treated better.
Sorry Doc… just being honest.
JNP

I went there and was not impressed at all. The staff didn’t listen to me, it took the doctor an hour to see me and it didn’t seem like he was interested in my concerns.

I agree, I cannot believe there is only 1 review of Dr. Richardson on Unilocal.Dr. Richardson is an amazing doctor who I truly believe healed years and years of sinus issues I have had. I had surgery two previous occasions with a different doctor that did not go so well. Dr. Richardson came highly recommended to me and I am truly grateful. He is extremely thorough and competent beyond measure. I trust he truly has his patients best interest in mind. The office staff is wonderful as well, very friendly and always willing to help.

I find it really hard to believe that no one has reviewed Dr. Richardson’s practice. He’s wonderful! I’ve been a patient for a long time, so long that I’m not even going to try to be clever with this review.
He’s an amazing otolaryngologist (ENT). I’ve had chronic sinusitis since I was knee-​high to a bullfrog, and he’s the only person in history to offer me any true relief. When I go into his office with my sinuses feeling like they’re about to explode out of my nasal cavity, he immediately soaks some gauze in some sort of cooling, anti-​swelling solution and stuffs it up my nose. This. truly. feels. better. than. sex. Sex with a capital «S». Hot, sticky, August 4^th sex. This is better than that.
My only gripe with Dr. Richardson is far from a deal-​breaker: he prescribes expensive meds with no generic options. But they work; that’s for sure, and for anyone who’s suffered from any ENT issues, you know it’s hard to put a price on relief from that kind of pain. I’ve actually gone more of the homeopathic route in the past couple of years with much success, but it was Dr. Richardson who gave me the relief that led to the freedom to try new things. I can breathe again and I have him to thank!