Terry Simpson-Phoenix-Need Feedback about doc and hospital

  Please let me know if you have any insight into either Simpson or Surgical Specialty Hospital of Arizona.  Thanks.

Dr. Simpson has hundreds and hundreds of very loyal and happy post-op patients.  I guess that tells something about him!.....As for Az Surgical........We have our Body Lift patient's stay there for one night and they have all been very pleased..  I used to attend support meetings there and I think it is very nice, clean, very good security and the staff all seemed very helpful. But....if it doesn't click for you then there are options!  Maybe you should postpone while you  research.  We should all feel secure, safe and satisfied with our surgical choice! Good luck!

I have  had these feeling myself and had to make a change. Its better to put it off till u know forsure. I myself would only go to a Center of Excellence. My 1st choice would be: Hilario Juarez M.D. (Center of Excellence)  ( the hospital is old but I did like my stay and Dr. J is in the top of his field) 525 N 18th Street Fl 3, Ste 306 Phoenix, AZ 85006 Phone: (602) 252-1510 Fax: (602) 256-9488 If I couldnt go to Dr. j  I would have hired Dr. S: ( I have met him personally and would have trusted him with my WLS if I didnt have Dr. J Eric S. Schlesinger, M.D., F.A.C.S ( will be or is a Center of Excellence ) 20950 N. Tatum Blvd., Suite 380 Phoenix, AZ 85050 Phone: (480) 419-2280 Fax: (480) 991-6615 Hope this helps!

Thanks for your replies.  I did find out that SSHA got accreditation from the Joint Commision last summer, which is a good indicator for the place.  Not sure why I'm hearing otherwise...

Let me start off by saying I love Dr. Simpson... I had a very rough start. Basically my stomach got very swollen after surgery and I had to get an IV for 5 days because I couldn't keep anything down. Dr.S was right on top of it. I never felt like he ignored me or just thought of me like another surgery down. He is very personal and was very concerned about me.

I also like the fact that Dr. Simpson is available at all times during the day. All you have to do is email him and he will respond back I usually leave my number and he calls me. If he is away on vacation he still respond to my questions and even calls me if I leave my number in the email.

He has his support meetings twice a month. Which are great to attend? He has is pod cast that he updates monthly on new information or reminders. His office staff is great. I love walking in there and having them know my name without even looking at my file. I've never had any problems with them.
If you have any questions about your nutrition just ask Darcy and Christine. Make an appointment with them and they will sit down and figure out what is best for you. Nancy the nutritionist has her own classes and attends the support group meetings too.
My only suggestion is follow Dr. Simpson guidelines. Understand what he means my restriction and when a fill is needed.
I've never had to wait a long period for my appointments with him.

I thought the hospital was great. The staff was nice and so was the nurses. We became very close because they saw me for a couple of days. They even gave me the TV remote since I was there 4 hours at a time. LOL! There was only 1 TV in the pre op room.
I was home the same night the day of surgery. I was his last surgery of the day. I think I went in at 12 or 12:30. I was discharged by 3:30. The only thing I didn't like is I felt like I was being rushed out by the recovery nurses when I was leaving. I think because it took me longer to wake up. I'm a baby when it comes to that kind of stuff.

Best of luck,

Joint Commission Accreditation may be misleading you a bit.  I worked as a liason for them once upon a time with hospitals in the process of being examined for their annual accreditation.  Accreditation means the hospital has met a minimum set of standards in all areas from physician with board certifications to laundry cleanliness standards.  Since you are specifically looking for wls, I would strongly suggest you put your emphasis on finding a hospital with a designation as a Center of Excellence in Bariatric Surgery.  The criteria for that is much more reflective of exactly how well qualified a hospital is to provide the care you will need.  Again that certification covers everything from the physicians (they must perform a certain number of wls to be considered) to the advanced training for the nurses, availability of appropriate surgical instruments and even the bed you are provided.  Good luck in your journey.

Dr Simpson is the best.  I can only agree with what all the others have said.  As for Surgical Spec. hospital they were fantastic.  Always friendly, helpful and professional.  You have to know that Dr. Simpson does SO many bands there that he has his own hand picked team of nurses.  They know his every move, and need.  I wouldn't hesitate in the slightest to use Dr. S and Surgical Spec. Hospital.  Good luck to you

I had a GREAT experience with that hospital. I had a lbl and breast lift with Dr Gitt and they took EXCELLENT care of me. The nurses were very attentive, very professional. The food was good too!!! I know for WLS you can't eat much, but I could after the plastics and I was pleasantly surprised.  The hospital doesn't look like much from outside, that kinda scared me a little. It just looked so rinky dink. But you can't judge a book by its cover!!! If that's where Dr Simpson does his surgery, I'm sure he did his research to make sure that his patients get the best care possible.