Gordon J Siegel, MD, FACS

Dr. Siegel is very unusual, but in very good ways. He cares about his patients and takes the time to figure out how to best help them. He involves his patients in the decision process. The waits can be substantial but, if you have a long lasting problem that other docs can’t figure out, give him a try. He has been extremely helpful to me and solved a number of minor problems (mainly with sinuses and allergies) and in monitoring for a possible recurrence of an oral cancer. He and his staff have been highly careful during the pandemic, and the office cleanliness has greatly improved. The clocks are fun to see. Bring something to read while waiting, or have a visit on a Saturday if your workday is tightly timed.

By far the worst experience I have ever had at a physician’s office. I failed to read the Unilocal reviews prior to making/​going to the appointment, so it is partially my fault for not thoroughly doing my homework first. Like so many others have reported, I also waited nearly an hour and a half to be seen by the doctor. My appt was at 9:00am on a Saturday morning, and (unfortunately) I had a funeral mass I needed to be at by 10:30am. I thought I might be cutting things a little close, but I thought surely the appt wouldn’t take more than an hour, leaving me with a good thirty minutes to make it to the funeral. Little did I know at that point that Dr. Siegel is notoriously late for appointments. It was not until I had been waiting to see the doctor for an hour and pulled out my phone in his office that I saw all the Unilocal reviews and found out that my excessive waiting was more typical than not for Dr. Siegel’s patients. At that point I called my husband and we decided that I should just ask the receptionist if I would be charged for leaving. To her credit, she was very polite and assured me that I would not be charged if I left, since I had not seen the doctor yet. So, after wasting 80 minutes waiting for the illusive Dr. Siegel, I left the office without ever even meeting him, and was late to my co-worker’s mother’s funeral :(There was a sign on the office door (as referenced in other posts) that said something to the effect of Dr. Siegel is respectful of his patient’s time, but also wants to make sure each patient is given appropriate attention from him during an office visit, so thank you for your understanding. I couldn’t help but think that if he REALLY wanted to be respectful of his patient’s time AND give them their due attention (as the sign claimed) he wouldn’t schedule so many patients throughout the course of the day. Maybe he should only schedule 8 – 10 patients a day instead of the apparent 20 he currently schedules (according to a previous review). This would allow ample time for each patient, since clearly most of his appointments tend to run on the longer end of things. If the appointment ended up not taking the whole time, Dr. Siegel could take a snack/​coffee break, read a book/​journal/​magazine, take a brisk healthy walk around the block, etc. At least this way he wouldn’t have a number of patients (or potential patients, as in my case) scathingly mad at him. I am quite certain that he is probably an excellent physician. I am also quite certain, however, that there are other excellent physicians out there in Chicago who will deliver the same high level of care, and who won’t be completely dismissive of my time and prior commitments.

Upon a revisit, the waiting time was minimal. Dr. Siegel was very personable and professional. He was assuring and paid careful attention to my concerns.

Always late. Does not call people back and generally didn’t seem like he was interested in spending the time in figuring out why I get constant ear infections. I also thought he was rather rude until he accidentally pushed too hard in my ear causing excruciating pain and it to bleed profusely. He was a lot nicer after that but immediately wrapped up the appointment and bandaged by ear according to him not because I need it but «because it looks bad to have bleeding people leaving my office».

I was referred to Dr. Gordon Siegel on ⁸⁄₃₁ for breathing problems. I went to his office and was directed to Northwestern for lung capacity testing. The tech gave me a print out of the results, but guess what, you have to be a DOCTOR to interpret it. I called Dr. Siegel’s office four times over the last 3 ½ weeks (because I AM HAVING BREATHING PROBLEMS), but apparently Dr. Siegel doesn’t care enough to call me back. I care enough about me, if you are in the medical profession, shouldn’t you care enough too.

Dr. Siegel is amazing. I am a believer that he saved my husbands life. I don’t care what his office looks like or how long we had to wait, what matters is my husband had cancer on his parotid gland and after 2 doctors Dr. Siegel was the one who diagnosed him and performed 2 surgeries on him. His bedside manner was phenomenal and he truly cared for my husband and I. We now go back for checkups every 6 months. Dr. Siegel cares about his patients and is a brilliant brilliant man. We drive from the IL/​WI border to our ENT Dr. Siegel. The wait may be longer bc Dr. Siegel is giving the person ahead of you the same time and care that he will give you.

Terrible experience. After waiting and watching my appointment time pass by, I went to front desk to inquire when the doctor would be seeing me. I was nonchalantly informed that it would be at least an hour more wait time. Apparently this is standard for this doctor and office. When I suggested that the front desk should inform patients that their appointment time would not actually be at the time that was scheduled, the response I received was that the doctor sees 20 patients a day and she has other things to do than tell patients that. Seriously!!! I took my paperwork and left. Will find another doctor and staff who respects my time.

There are lots of things I don’t like about this guy and his office, but in the end, he’s a good doctor and I’m going to judge him on that.
Cons: He is a kooky, leftover hippie. SO MANY CLOCKS and it’s unnerving. He’s never been on time, even for a 8:15am appointment.
Pros: He solved an issue I’ve been dealing with my entire life and treated me the way I want my doctors to treat me.
I have never been able to breathe through my nose. He diagnosed my issue immediately, and suggested we try about a month of other treatments (nose sprays, salt washes, etc.). When none of them worked, he recommended surgery. We discussed all kinds of options, and he was very patient with my thousands of questions, and was very realistic. I had the surgery with very low concern, and now I can breathe for the first time in my life. So yeah, I’m on board, even with all the cons.

I know he runs late. I’ve been here three times. Always hours of waiting with zero explanation. My time with him is always brief, so I’m confused when I’m told he runs late because he spends time with patients. Today I scheduled one of the earliest available time slots to prevent getting caught in a major delay. I arrived at the office at the same time dr Siegel arrived. Been here 1hour 45 minutes. What is causing the delay? Is he really spending 2 hours with the one patient scheduled before me? I can’t continue to come here because I can’t afford to take off a whole day of work for a 10 minute appointment.
To add, I don’t think they hire a cleaning service to clean the office. The lobby and exam rooms are covered in dust and the floors are stained and dirty. Looks like there hasn’t been a sweep or wipe in over a month.
The doctor who performs the hearing tests is very timely and professional. Her space smells clean and looks sanitary. She gets 5 stars.

Before meeting Dr. Siegel, one «experiences» his office and examining room. Full of clocks, stained class, Beatles calendars — the examiining room tapped memories of The Modonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, CA! Interesting, delightful and intriguing while waiting to meet Dr. Seigel. To avoid a long wait to be seen, I followed my referring physician’s advice to request the first appointment of the day. I found Dr. Seigel to be very personable, thorough in the exam and patient in answering questions. He was the second ENT I had visited for the same complaint; Dr. Seigel performed different procedures from those of the initial ENT which added to my satisfaction with the visit. Following Dr. Seigel’s exam, his audiologist completed a brief eval. I give high recommendations to Dr. Seigle, his audiologist and office staff. (Anyone apprehensive about the wait to see Dr. Siegel, per « Unilocal» complaints, bring reading material and ENJOY the cacophy of examining room sounds while waiting for Dr. Seigel!)

Dr. Siegel is an excellent doctor. You might have to wait to see him, but you will be endlessly entertained by the clocks and vintage ephemera in his waiting room and office. He was thorough and I left with no unanswered questions or that feeling some doctors give you when it seems as though they didn’t take you seriously enough. I’m sure this is the reason for the long wait. He took such excellent care of me that I will now completely trust him for all of my ENT needs. He also does cosmetic work and I plan on switching from my regular plastic surgeon to him because I was just so happy with his thoroughness, insight and bedside manner.

I was referred to Dr. Siegel by my primary care physician through Northwestern. She told me he’s a little goofy, but is by far the best ENT in Chicago. I was seen right away and quickly learned I had a mess of things wrong with me that caused me to have strep throat often.
After my first appointment we scheduled a date to have my tonsils and adenoids removed. The office was so sweet and helpful to answer all of my questions before and after the procedure. Dr. Siegel happily talked me through any concerns I had or that my mother visiting could thing of (I have an over cautious mother who called almost everyday)
I’m healing wonderfully and can’t wait to go back to the fun clock office to get my consultation.
Thank you Dr. Siegel!

Yesterday’s trip to Dr. Sielgel’s office was my third and last visit to this disorganized office. Between my 3 different visits I have waited a total of 3 hours and 45 minutes past my scheduled appointment time. Not once did the doctor or office staff show any remorse for making me wait an obscene amount of time.
There is signage in the rooms and in the lobby saying that you might be waiting a while but that is no excuse for having a busy office with one person to see patients. I think the part that turned me totally sour to this office was the fact that someone sitting next to me was seen before me that had an 11:30 job interview with the doctor. My appointment was scheduled at 11 and I waited way after 11:30 until I saw the doctor. The appointment itself was 10 minutes long and not helpful at all.
Really man? If that is not a slap in my face than I do not know what is. Guess what Doctor? You can go ahead and cancel my appointment for July 12^th because I am going to a functional doctors office.
Sincerely,
Under appreciated patient

after experiencing pain in and around my left ear and feeling a slight lump near my ear i explored several options through dentists, x rays, oral surgeons and had originally seen doctor siegel who said it was probably tmj and i should see a dentist. $ 300 and 3 doctors appointments later, he won’t even refer me to follow up with the specialist the oral surgeon recommended (for a ct scan) without seeing me again in his prehistoric office.
needless to say, i have asked to discuss with him personally (as he is the doctor) on the appropriate next steps given the oral surgeon and him don’t see eye to eye, but julie (the office manager) either won’t give him my countless messages to please return my call, or he is simply ignoring my request for a call back.
I have never dealt with anyone in the medical profession who takes an oath to care for patients that apparently cares so little they can’t even return a call… especially for weeks on end.
an unbelievable disappointment and lack of integrity going on in this office. if you care about your own health, don’t waste your time with this doctor, because he and his staff certainly don’t.

I once had a uvula but now it is gone. I used to wake up every day and clear my throat till I pulled it down into my throat and I choked. I had several docs look into my throat for cancer and such but DR. Siegel is the one who saw the issue. Although I miss my uvula I do not miss the gagging in the morning after a night of drinking.
I recommend this doc if you snore, gag and cant figure out what it is and if you want to know what time it is.

I was referred to this office through the Northwestern Physician referral service, as the specialists they initially referred were booked for over two months out. This office was available the next week, which I jumped on, but probably should have just waited. There was confusion about my appointment, as I received emails and calls confirming two appointments, one for the morning and one for the afternoon. I was baffled as I had not made two appointments, so I called and the receptionist told me that the afternoon appointment was in fact just a placeholder, as once I saw Dr. Siegel and per his recommendation, I would then see the audiologist right after.
I arrived knowing that there were time issues because I had prepared myself in advance via Unilocal.Fortunately I did not wait long. I could deal with the cuckoo clocks and trinkets fine, however yes, the room I was led into had a massive, vintage ‘Surgery’ sign above the door which was a little disconcerting.
The physician’s assistant was very nice and seemed helpful. She told me that Dr. Siegel would come in and do a maneuver to help with my dizziness. He did come in, spent a few minutes with me, typed some notes, then told me I’d have to see the audiologist. I went to the waiting room, expecting to wait to see the next doctor, when the front desk told me that no, the audiologist did not come in today, I had no appointment, and I would have to schedule one for next week. I had specifically blocked time off from work so I could hash this out in one day. They then printed some papers out and handed them to me as I left. Once I left the office, I looked thru the paperwork, and noted that one sheet had a ‘diagnosis’ section, where it was written that apparently I have a ‘deviated septum’! Did anyone tell me this while I was in the doctor’s office? No. Did the doctor even say deviated? Nope. How curious! One day soon maybe I’ll visit another ENT to explore my may-​or-​may-​not-​be-​deviated-​septum.

As someone who has had breathing difficulties for years and has been to multiple ENT’s, my first diagnosis from Dr. Siegel was different from all the others.
He took the time to explain to me what was wrong and what would continue to happen if I left the problems untreated. He is also the first ENT to require me to get a CT Scan, which I have coming up this week. He wants to ensure that we take care of every possible issue with my nose (as for now I have a really bad deviated septum and enlarged adenoids).
He agreed that surgery would have to take place and I am super excited for him to complete my surgery!

from the moment i stepped in i had the feeling i was in the TIME museum, all the walls are covered by cookoo cloks. I guess the owner is also cooko cookoo. I decided to have an open mind and wait. I was a bit concern about the machinery from the 1 st world war that i assume he uses to examine their patients, some people do MOVE in TIME and get HIGH TECH.
After waiting 3 hours. I decided to leave the premises. I guess the doctor was way to busy oiling the clocks and he forgot about me.
He even had the nerve to send me an invoice of 400 dollars. I guess his waiting time is very expensive. I AM SPEECHLESS.
I am sure a vet in Angola would have more mercy on their patients

I loved that he took his time and really listened to me! He has a great bedside manner!

After weeks of mysterious dizziness, I went to my doctor and he said I had fluid in my ears and it was vertigo and gave me meds and said to go to an ENT just to be safe. No big deal. I called the guy (Dr. Siegel) he recommended, who was a block away and could get me in right away.
I enter the office, to discover: clocks. Everywhere. Hundreds and hundreds of ticking clocks. It struck 3:00 while I was waiting, and I was subjected to the deafening clamor of one thousand cuckoos, church bells, and chimes. AT AN EAR DOCTOR’S OFFICE.
The assistant led me down a dark hallway to the exam room. Imagine something between The Others’ medical office in Lost and a collectors’ storage shed; me in a giant leather chair and the wall behind me covered in yet more clocks. A model airplane hanging from the ceiling, dirty Navajo wall hangings, a swinging-​hips Elvis clock, mysterious, aged medical equipment, and miscellaneous boxes under the exam table.
The doctor came in – an aging hippie, with wooden clogs, a faded blue labcoat, and a flashlight strapped to his head. He is chewing gum and there is a piece of string cheese in his shirt pocket next to his tongue depressors. He is carrying an early model IBM thinkpad.
He asks me a series of relevant, then irrelevant questions (how many siblings do I have, what do my parents do for a living, etc.), recording them in his ancient device, with long pauses in between.
(please do not forget the symphony of ticking clocks in the background as I sit, hands folded in my lap, waiting for his reaction)
Finally, he looks in my ears, declares that they are normal, says not to follow my doctor’s advice, and that he would like me to schedule a 3-​hour ‘dizziness test,’ which involves goggles, rapid movement, and hot and cold air blown into my ears.
I believe I was Punked.
(I called my mom and cried in frustration, then left a strongly-​worded message in my doctor’s voicemail (Dude. You warn a sister before you refer her to a place like that. «he’s kind of unconventional, but keep an open mind…» «you don’t have an aversion to ticking clocks, do you…»), then filled my prescription. Perhaps I shall solicit a third opinion.)

I was referred to Dr. Siegel by a co-​worker who had undergone surgery under Dr. Siegel’s care.
I was warned early on that because of the time spent with each patient that they run behind. The solution to this is to call to check the status of the appointment before you head over there. I was able to save my time by not having to wait in the office. Plan on spending time extra time in there as you aren’t rushed in and out, but that is why is he such an amazing doctor.
I had been to my fair share of doctors over the years for my sinus issues only to be prescribed medicine for the symptoms. At my first visit with Dr. Siegel he was able to tell me what was wrong with my sinuses and discuss my options. It was a good feeling to know that I wasn’t crazy and that I did have an issue. After consulting with Dr. Siegel it seemed as though surgery was the best option for me.
It has been just over a year since my sinus surgery and I feel like a new person. I only wish I would have taken care of this earlier.
If you are in need of a true ENT expert look no further.
P.S — He is a clock collector so his office is full of them. Don’t let this weird you out as you will be missing out on a great doctor if you do.