John G Heller, MD - Atlanta, Georgia

Jerry Hester

Dr. Heller. One of the greatest spine doctors in the world. I should know. In 1998. I had an experimental spine operation. Only 17 in the state of Georgia. only a 135 in the world. By Dr. Heller. at EmoryHospital thank you Dr. Seller God bless you

tawnya skokos

I had C1 and C2 fused 7 months ago and L4 and L5 fused 6 months ago by Dr. Heller. I can not say enough great things about him! I was in so much pain before the surgeries that I dreaded everyday. I am now mostly pain free.. So Very Happy We Found Him!😁

Andrew Rowles

Dr. Heller performed my microdisectomy in July of 2023 and 6 months out, I have no remnants of the herniated disc symptoms. My hospital stay at EUOSH was great, the nurses were very caring and helped me through my overnight observation. He's a great surgeon and explains options well.

Evangelist Bill King

Approximately mid-June 2023, I registered my wife through Emory Hospital and scheduled her for an appointment with Dr. John Heller's office. Approximately one week later, my wife and I received a call from a nurse from Dr. Heller's office to obtain the necessary information for our appointment. After about a 20 minute phone call, we were scheduled for an appointment on Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 11 am. On the day of the appointment, we left our home in Byron, GA, and proceeded to Atlanta. Halfway there, I called Emory to ensure the location of the appointment, only to be informed they had no record of the appointment on file! Not only did the incompetence of Dr. Heller's nurse cause us not to be seen, it delayed my wife in receiving the medical treatment she so desperately needs, as well as wasting our time and money for gas. This was/is completely unacceptable and not any way to treat a new patient!

lynnette Coleman

Dr Heller is the very best back surgeon! No Dr would even operate on my husband because he had MDS , cancer that causes the platelets to be so low in his body he was constantly having transfusions. One very notable Dr in Atlanta said . I wouldn’t operate in you for any reason because you would bleed out on the table. My husband was suffering so bad with back pain it was terrible, he was confined to a wheelchair. We knew his life expectancy was limited but he wanted to enjoy as much of the time he had without being in terrible pain.
Dr. Heller operated on him and within a couple of weeks he could wAlk and the pain was gone. So I thank Dr Heller he was willing to take the chance to alleviate my husband’s pain and for 2 years before the Lord took him home. His back didn’t hurt him.
So naturally when I needed back surgery. Dr Heller operated on me a year after my husband was gone and I have been pain free since. Amazing Dr wonder person as well as all his staff. Lynnette Coleman

Jennifer Kjellgren

I cannot give enough positive feedback for Dr. Heller, his nurses, PA and staff. They are all top notch. I never felt like a number here - but I felt like a human being/patient and felt my concerns were heard. The level of communication between Dr Heller and his staff to me was extremely clear, comprehensive, and delivered candidly yet with care and a good bedside manner.

Last year I had a surgery from a different doctor at a different hospital, and it actually made me worse. During my operation here with Dr. Heller, the scar tissue from last year's operation presented complications. Thankfully he had the skill to work through this for a successful result.

My last three years have been filled with terrible pain and very limited mobility. Dr. Heller evaluated me carefully, performed additional tests that my other doctor did not, and very clearly informed me about the operation, pros/cons, and work that needed to be done by me for a successful result.

Today I am 3 weeks post-op and I am pain free (minus the surgical pain that is quickly healing) and can stand/walk without the pain I had for the past three years.

Dr. Heller and Emory Orthopedics gave me my life back and I am forever grateful.

Dorie Sokol

I saw Dr. Heller today (8/15)for a second opinion. My appt. was not until Sept. 28 but Nicolle, his MA stuck by me every week when I called to see if he had a cancellation sooner and sure enough he did. I will say that I did have to wait over an hour and a quarter to see him but he was so patient and explained all aspects of my care and possible options (only surgery) that could help me at this point as well as reviewing all the MRI's and xrays with me. He answered all the questions I had regarding my post-op course of care and what it would look like. I have not had the surgery yet but I wanted people to know about his patience and clarity in explaining my situation to me. Not all doctors take that kind of time.

Jean Peterson

After consulting with several spine surgeons
we selected Dr. Heller's for my husband's procedure; it turned out to be the worst medical decision we have made to date. Dr. Heller emphatically stated that my husband did not need a fusion and would be fine with a 3-level, lower lumbar laminectomy. Approximately 23 days post surgery my husband was overcome by excruciating nerve pain which required a trip to the ER. From there, we went straight back to Emory where Dr. Heller determined that he had "misjudged" the compression on the bottom 2 levels, so several days later he went back in to perform a laminectomy on the bottom 2 levels of his spine. Once again, approximately 23 days post op, the horrific nerve pain came back. By this time my husband was a nervous wreck, but we decided we would give Dr. Heller the benefit of the doubt, so we headed back to Emory one more time. On this occasion, he simply told us that the nerves were aggravated and that there was nothing more that he could do other than bring in another doctor to do a pain block. Now mind you, my husband couldn't even get out of the bed to go to the bathroom. We got the pain block just to get out of Emory, so we could go somewhere else and get fixed. By this time, my husband's foot had turned gray, the skin was flaking off, and I am convinced that if we had listened to Dr. Heller and not sought treatment elsewhere he would have lost his left foot. My husband ended up needing a 5-level fusion, but I am happy to say that immediately after the last procedure (performed by a neurosurgeon in another city) his foot turned pink and looked much better. I am convinced that his sciatic nerve was compressed during the first procedure and stayed that way until the 3rd procedure 64 days later. I believe that the nerve pain became apparent when the internal swelling went away post-operatively. Of course, as a permanent reminder of his time with Dr. Heller, my husband has almost no feeling in his left leg or foot, but at least it is still there! On top of all of the pain and suffering that we had to endure, we also had to put up with Dr. Heller's smug attitude and bedside manner; he had no compassion and his only concern was to make sure that we both knew he didn't do anything wrong. I am making it my personal goal to share our story on every search engine platform that I can find. I do not want anyone to experience what we went through at the hands of John Heller!