Essentia Health-Ashland Clinic

"They have many excellent doctors here and if they can't help you with something, they will refer you to other doctors who can help you. I am grateful that most of my experiences have been very positive with excellent doctors. I had a stomach condition, undiagnosed, for many years and I saw many doctors in sourthern WI about it. Here at Essentia my doctor referred me to a GI doctor in Duluth and he was the absolute best. He ordered the right tests and right away we figured out the problem. In addition to the great doctors, the receptionists are all super friendly and helpful and if you need blood drawn, they are really fast and do a great job there too. I really appreciate having a decent place for medical care in this region. Their endocrinology clinic and doctors are also excellent. It's extremely hard to find endocrinologists who are experienced with a wide range of thyroid-related issues, and who are open-minded and up on the research. And around this area, it was hard for me to find a doctor to prescribe a natural thyroid medication, instead of synthetic. But, they have helped me with all of that here. They are extremely knowledgeable. If you have a complicated health issue - for example: chronic fatigue, thyroid problems, Lyme, hormone issues, pain, etc. and you have not been helped properly, please ask for a consultation to see an integrative health doctor. These doctors are in Duluth but you can do a video visit and they are top-notch. These are the types of doctors that we all wish we had - they care about their patients, they work on figuring out the root cause and they work with you on a plan you are comfortable with. I cannot recommend them enough. Lastly, I had a foot surgery through Essentia and my surgeon was excellent. The only negative thing I have to say is that after my foot surgery, I had a follow-up appointment. I was in a lot of pain and discomfort by sitting in the waiting area with no way to elevate my foot. In follow-up surgery appointments, I believe they should bring the patient back to a room immediately, so they can just get their foot or limb elevated, and wait there until the doctor or nurse is ready. That would make a massive difference. I have had a couple negative experiences and one of them was quite a problem, but the majority of my experiences have been very positive and I definitely recommend Essentia."

"This morning I called the Essential Health Heart clinic in Ashland to make an appointment with a cardiologist. Having just moved here from Minneapolis I have never been to an Essential clinic, nor have I had any dealings with Essentia. Making the appointment was difficult as I was put on hold and transferred no less the six times. I finally made the appointment for the end of October. That was three hours ago. Now I see that Essentia is already billing me. They want me to PREPAY $280.00 before the appointment. No one asked if I had insurance, no one knows what services if any would have been performed at the appointment. I called Essentia Heart Clinic in Ashland to ask about this and again, I was transferred from person to person to person. This is not a good first impression at all. I have never been required or asked to PREPAY for medical services. Medicare is billed. Try billing my insurance BEFORE AN APPOINTMENT and see what they say.. I have cancelled my appointment with Dr. Smalley. Terrible customer service and billing practices.. Mike Williams I see the response from 'the owner.' It's the standard type of response to all unfavorable reviews. I'm not wasting my time with a bad business. You only get one chance to make a favorable first impression. Your clinic and its employees blew it.."

"Dr.Matson is an awesome Dr... Very understanding the recovery of certain individuals and their needs to maintain sobriety.. iam speaking of Opiate recovery . This fall I will have five years sober thanks to doctors like Kristine Matson.. an honest to God...in helping many small communitys in northern Wisconsin treat people from all walks of life in substance abuse and addiction recovery..thank you so much Dr..."

"Why is Essentia Health so consistently bad, whether Duluth or Ashland? I was put on a year-long hold for cataract surgery, despite increasing risks. I decided to get a second opinion, and there was a completely different opinion, and no questions as to insurance coverage, as the Essentia doctor cited. My insurance decides whether or not to cover surgical costs according to vision changes. Since I didn't have a vision exam, the medical opinion was invalid and a waste of hours of time as the clinic always seems to run way behind schedule. A five-minute exam meant almost a two-hour wait. And as said, not even a visual exam, which dictates insurance coverage. I avoid Essentia wherever possible, and now that Essentia recently absorbed this clinic, problems and substandard care will be de rigeuer."

"An urgent appointment opening was found for my mom which was greatly appreciated. No signs from the roadway showed Orthopedic office location. Perhaps this is from the new move. Nevertheless, several extra stops to find out the exact location caused Mom to be late for the appointment. Staff was friendly, helpful, courteous, efficient. Dr. O is great!"