John Ratliff's Online Review Report Card

I am seriously disappointed in Dr. Ratliff and the Stanford neurosurgery clinic. I have serious pain, numbness and tingling in both hands and have lost strength. I can no longer sleep because of these symptoms. I moved to the SF area and had my previous neurosurgeon send a referral for an appointment. For weeks I tried to find out what was happening with the referral. Once I finally got through I was told that no provider would take me - “they could do nothing further for me. REALLY? I’ve had two previous neck surgeries and have recently had two renowned neurosurgeons describe the surgery I currently need. I would never refer anyone to Stanford neurosurgery with the experience I’ve had. Frankly, I’m surprised, as they are suppose to be a top provider. Well, treating people with respect should be a part of the rating.

I am seriously disappointed in Dr. Ratliff and the Stanford neurosurgery clinic. I have serious pain, numbness and tingling in both hands and have lost strength. I can no longer sleep because of these symptoms. I moved to the SF area and had my previous neurosurgeon send a referral for an appointment. For weeks I tried to find out what was happening with the referral. Once I finally got through I was told that no provider would take me - “they could do nothing further for me. REALLY? I’ve had two previous neck surgeries and have recently had two renowned neurosurgeons describe the surgery I currently need. I would never refer anyone to Stanford neurosurgery with the experience I’ve had. Frankly, I’m surprised, as they are suppose to be a top provider. Well, treating people with respect should be a part of the rating.

Ratliff is a butcher the messed me up. Caused me to have permanent nerve damage which caused me to get severe muscle atrophy. My surgery had to be redone by other doctors. My fusion done by Ratliff was so poorly done the all my hardware was loose. Do your research on this guy and you will find the he is consistently getting bad reviews. Save yourself some pain and avoid him.

Dr. John Ratliff and his team at Stanford did a fantastic job curing my low back pain! I had unstable spondylolisthesis and a bulging disc, causing constant low back pain and frequent tingling down my left leg. Dr. Ratliff compared x-rays and realized that my condition was worsening, and explained surgery was my best option to improve my quality of life. I was reassured that he does nerve monitoring to ensure all is OK during the operation. The operation went smoothly, and the nurses at Stanford knew just what to do on the post-op neurosurgery unit. I was examined frequently by the physicians also, and all my questions were answered, my fears were eased. I walked around the nurse’s station on the evening of surgery, and the Physical Therapist helped me go up and down stairwells before discharge. Dr. Ratliff and his entire team were very professional and caring. Now at 3 months post-op, I am very happy that I had back surgery and look forward to an active lifestyle again! I can do exercises now in PT, with no back pain, that caused me agony before surgery. I am thrilled with the outcome! Thank you Dr. Ratliff!

If you require spinal surgery I highly recommend Dr. Ratliff. He and his staff were extremely knowledgeable, courteous, and did a great job with my surgery. I had a very fast recovery and I owe that all to Dr. Ratliff.

Dr. Ratliff, his nurse Vania, and the ENTIRE staff at Stanford University - that includes valet, info desk folks, admin assistants, PA's, nurses and, of course, Dr. Ratliff - are all extremely professional, kind, compassionate people. My entire experience was handled with such care and I was treated with respect. My questions were always answered (and I ask a lot of questions). People smiled at me. Best of all, Dr. Ratliff was able to take care of my L5S1 herniated disc (discectomy) and I am now in significantly less pain than before. I am still recovering, but my life is dramatically different, and I owe him a debt of gratitude. Thank you to everyone at Stanford who participated in this. I feel so lucky to have been referred to him and hope this helps you feel comfortable giving him a try. The man is an expert and you will be in wonderful hands!

Dr. Ratliff is an amazing surgeon. He has a wealth of knowledge, he's courteous, confident, and extremely skilled. His staff is wonderful, kind, and knowledgable. We (my family & I)travelled two hours to have him as my surgeon. He has been a blessing.

After searching the Northeast for a surgeon who I felt comfortable with. Dr. Ratliff was my match. He has an excellent bedside manner, Is extremely intelligent,competent,experienced and well respected. I am 6 weeks post-op and doing fantastic!

Dr Ratliff is an excellent doctor. I would recommend him for spine surgery.

Dr Ratliff was very careful to get a re-order on a very bad (from another Dr)MRI..for anyone who may not know,the MRI can and does make a difference, you are better off getting a good one from an enclosed MRI so that they can read it clearly..saw 5 Dr's before we went to Ratliff, Ratliff was the only one who pinpointed the issue in the neck, and used a conservative approach regarding the need for surgery..in this case no surgery.Dr's are getting scarce in Pennsylvania, but it is good to know there are still some.I would give him a 5 , and he was apologetic regarding tardiness, so that should be a perfect 5, hey you can't always help for traffic and we were his first appt!