Karl K. Johsens, MD

When my wife and I moved back to Santa Cruz CA after living in Honolulu for 35 years, we struggled to find an Internist who was taking on new patients. I was especially disturbed as my father had been a Radiologist here for many decades. Things had changed a lot in the interim. We felt blessed we could afford Concierge medical service, and Dr. Johsens has been a "lifesaver" for us.

A quality doctor who genuinely has a heart for those whom he serves. Highly recommend him!

Dr. Johsens is very knowledgeable about health practices and medication's relating to my health situation. I highly recommend his services.

Dr. Johsens is excellent, can't say enough about MDVIP!

I am very happy and satisfied with the presence, care, availability, and responsiveness of you and your staff. I appreciate the intimate, family, "we are in this together" energy. Thank you!

An overly-friendly encounter with a Tibetan Mastiff in the mountains of Bhutan ended with the dog suddenly sticking its tongue in my ear. Most dogs in Bhutan are not vaccinated, especially those guarding ranches in the mountains, where I was at the time. Rabies is endemic, I remembered too late, and treatment would have required an emergency evacuation to China. Despite a ten hour time difference, Dr. Johsens immediately called in response to my text and assured me that my ear drum effectively blocks external nasties. Now THAT'S responsiveness! I did not get rabies, but I did get a great photo.

I have always found Dr. Johsens to be very helpful and willing to listen. Some of the 'problems' I've thrown at him have been a puzzle to both of us, but I've never felt that he was losing interest in the 'problems' even without a solution or possible cause. I feel that he gives me good care that comes from his knowledge and understanding and that he will do personal research into personal puzzles. He is a good doctor and a good person.

Dr. Johsens is a very caring and kind physician. He is easy to talk to and is interested in helping his patients keep well. I like him very much. What I don't care for is the MDVIP program that he is affiliated with. If it helps him to practice good medicine then I guess it's OK, but I think he would be just fine without it.

Dr. Johsens is very patient oriented. He listens to your concerns and works to address them in the most appropriate way. He does not push for you to take medications over other possible alternatives and is great at referring you to a specialist if necessary.

Dr. Johsens and staff are caring and professional in the treatment of their patients .
Rapid response to patients and referrals.Excellent coordination of care if needed. Dr Johsens, is also a researcher .I would cut back in other areas of life in order to maintain my patient status with Dr. Johsens. For many reasons, medical care is frustrating, and lacks coordination. I do not experience that at all!!
A great big thank you to Dr. Johsens and staff.

On an evening before Christmas, Dr Karl Johsens was able to get us a prescription for a life-saving antibiotic. When the first pharmacy stated they could have the antibiotic by the next day, Dr Johsens got another pharmacy who filled the prescription that evening. Dr Karl Johsens diagnosis and immediate action saved my Mother's life.

Terrific doctor, cares about us, knowledgeable, acknowledges his limitations, gives great referrals, listens to my concerns, knows me, takes my preferences into account, communicates well. Highly recommend him.

Excellent doctor

Always thorough and takes a holistic approach to health. Highly recommend him.

My husband and I have been patients of Dr. Johsens' for 20+ years and admire his integrity and loyalty to his patients. He has always been very caring, approachable and available. He has seen us through our ups and downs and I can't imagine better care from another doctor. His office staff is awesome and uplifting! Love my doctor!

I am a physician with multiple chronic medical problems who has experienced serious medical errors in previous care. Dr. Johsens has increased my confidence. Now I can forget my own medical care and leave it to him.

Dr. Johsens is blessed with the perfect combination of being very bright and knowledgeable---he is Board-certified in Internal Medicine---plus having an excellent bedside manner. Moreover, his referrals have always been to very high quality specialists. His staff is cheerful and attentive.

When I first and or the office everybody or that I should say the staff always says hello with a smile very patient with me they take their time and answer my questions and then I see Dr. Karl Johsens. He is very patient with me and asked me if I have any concerns today I tell him what is going on with me and we proceed from there he takes his time and is always very nice and very smart I trust him

I contacted Dr Johsens by text for a medical problem and he was able to see me that day, schedule and complete tests and discuss treatment . This personal medical service can not be duplicated (in my opinion) in any other hospitals or Dr. offices in our area.

Dr. Karl Johsens has been my personal physician for approximately 20 years, long before he became affiliated with MDVIP. He is not only a superb diagnostician, but a kind, thoughtful man who is always generous with his time and truly listens to everything I say to him. He knows me well and responds to my emotional needs as well as my physical. His staff is always warm and welcoming, as well as very knowledgable. I highly recommend Dr. Johsens to any person, of any age, as the most competent physician I have ever known.

Dr. Johsens is personable, smart, prompt, and experienced. Great to have him as my doctor.

When I visit Dr. Johsens office, I feel like I am the most important person in the world. Terrific health care and wonderful customer service.
Thank you

After having the same FABULOUS MDVIP doctor for 36 years (Dr. Ronald Mcgee - in San Clemente, CA) - he retired and I moved to Northern California. I "interviewed" several doctors and was getting really frustrated, not finding the medical approach i was so used to.
I was incredibly happy to find Dr. Johsens, in Santa Cruz, CA.

He is smart and soft spoken...he also is OK with the way I choose to approach illness (he is super open-minded)...and the fact that I am a meditating, vegetarian yogini - didn't phase him at all...(some doctors think it's nonsense).
Dr. J is always willing to listen to my suggestions - no matter how far out they may seem.

SO, all that being said, Dr. Karl Kohsens is awesome. He has had some GIANT shoes to fill in my book, and is doing a great job...Way to go Doc!

I was given an appointment without any questions about insurance or fee. When I arrived I was told that I would have to pay an $1800 fee for “concierge” service. They should tell you it’s a for-profit business before an appointment is made!!

Dr. Johsens is a highly competent professional who listens. He and his staff ALWAYS take are of me. I feel safe in their hands. I feel blessed to have them and their knowlede i my court.

I was a past patient of Dr Minkner’s in a previous clinic. I lost contact with him. And would like to thank him sooo much! He is a wonderful man and a good doctor, he listens to and understands where you are coming from with empathy and compassion. I once brought a nurse social worker along on an appt with me, and she said she was”surprisingly impressed” , as her opinion of the clinic he worked with at the time was not a very good one...and also “he’s a great doctor” , and” your lucky to have him”. I recommend him quite highly!!

TERRIBLE new GP. Rude and belligerent to a nightmarish extent. Story:

I went in to obtain medical records for college, and needed the GPs signature on some of my forms.

He took the papers I needed him to sign, and immediately got angry that I hadn't filled anything out yet. I apologized and politely told him I wanted to wait for his consultation before marking the paper, and he got angrier. He proceeded to Berate me for a total of 20 minutes that I "have an attitude," and that "when I mess up in the real world, people like [him] won't be here to help."

I kept apologizing and then tried to tell him politely that I didn't see the need for disagreement. He cut me off and said loudly "you aren't apologizing, you're just being defensive" At this point I gave up on trying to share my thoughts. I just looked at my feet and kept repeating that I was sorry. Although I was trying to seem sincerely ashamed, he just assumed I was angry and continued on about how I had an attitude problem. (It's worth mentioning that I pride myself on my politeness and composure in a professional setting)

He finally ran out of steam and started to work on the paperwork, before looking at me and saying "you seem miffed." I told him I didn't know how to show it, but that I wasn't upset, and he went off again about how I'd have to learn in college how not to mess up (I'm in my 20s and have lived independently for many years).

I got out of there ASAP but the final thing that really ticked me off was that he told me that my parents needed to not mollycoddle me. They've been dead for 6 years, and not only does it clearly say this at the top of the very forms that HE was looking at; I had specifically told him last time we had met, as both causes of death had strong health implications for me.

He had shown himself to be professionally negligent earlier, too.

When I first came in, I told him that I needed my medical records, to which he asked why I didn't have them. I said I thought my GP would have them, but that I would call my family to see if they knew anything about this. While I was on the phone, his assistant came in and tried to secretively hand him the records, and then he continued as if he hadn't just confronted me.

That creeps me out. Not only that he didn't even know of the records I had come for, but that he would turn it around on me, as if suddenly it's the norm for the client to bring medical records to the doctor. And then once the receptionist brought them in, to try to hide it from me.
I mean what sort of toxic denial do you have to be drowning in, where that's how you handle your oversights.

I later learned that he hadn't spoken to his staff at all and didn't know what patient I was until she handed him those records. I specifically told them twice when scheduling that I was coming in to check in about vaccinations and medical history.

I understand that people have bad days, and he seems to have subconsciously demonized me. But this isn't a "People shouldn't do that!" scenario; this is a "People don't do that."
It's a depraved situation when an entire building of subordinates is listening to a doctor humiliate a client.
Last time I went to see him, he kept me waiting while on a particularly sleazy phone-call with his friend about hooking up, and I could hear the entire conversation through the walls.

I'm not so much angry as baffled that such a medically irresponsible, disrespectful, and hostile person could overtake an otherwise pleasant clinic.

I heard afterward that he's leaving soon (this is right after Dr. Johsens; I don't care to know his name).
I expect that my review will be nothing more than a story soon.