Abbott Northwestern Hospital Bariatric Center

I liked him alot, He was upfront and serious he wanted to make sure all my questions were answered, and that I understood the surgery. he also ended by promising to do his very best for me. And encouraged me to go to a suport group meeting.

5-9-01
I LOVE MY SURGEON!!! I awoke groggy and desperately hoping that he was able to do it lap, he was patting my hand and telling me,"Joanie, I did a beautiful job it went great" and I believed him, and went peacefully to sleep. He was right 6 tiny tiny poke marks that healed quickly, I have so far had NO PROBLEMS with anything. His confidence put me at ease from the begining. I would recomend him to anyone.

August 2000
My first, and so far only meeting with Dr. Schwartz was wonderful. I am totally at ease and have complete confidence in him.

Judy, the coordinator for the surgical program is great. She's VERY busy and might be slow at returning your call but it's because when you do talk to her, she gives you her all. She'll take as much time as you need, answer any questions, is supportive and extremely knowledgeable. I'd rather wait for a phone call and get that kind of service than be rushed off.

I am looking forward to my future interactions with both of them.

April 2001 (7 months post-op)
Dr. Schwartz was wonderful the day of my surgery. When I saw him at one of my post-op visits, he was even more wonderful. This man really cares about his patients. He is enthusiastic, warm, genuine and so kind. There is no question that he knows his stuff! All he wants is for everyone to be happy and successful--whatever their own personal definition of those things may be as related to gastric bypass surgery. I would recommend him to anyone in a heartbeat--especially if you want the laparoscopic procedure. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments.

I had my surgery at Abbot with Dr.Drew Oct 4th , ( Lap) everything went well, until Dec I caught H-Pylorie? spelling that ulcered my stomach off and had to have a second surgery Jan 3, that was a open .I feel they treated me wonderful BOTH times~ The second time in the hospital I did meet Dr.Schwartz and I thought he was very nice! I see why they are the number one team in MN~ and his office staff, they are WONDERFUL!
KEEP UP THE GREAT SERVICE THAT YOU ARE PROVIDING~

YOUR FAN
Jen

I had my consultation with Dr. Drew yesterday, and I am happy to say that all the glowing comments about him are true! This was my pre-op consultation, and despite a busy office, an emergency, and a beeping pager (in fairness, it was an unusually busy day, even for that office), Dr. Drew not only took the time to go over the surgical and post-op procedures, but to answer the long list of questions I had brought with me. I was particularly impressed with Dr. Drew's emphasis on aftercare and his candor as to what a patient can do to make the surgery work for him/her vs. what to do that might sabotage the goals of the surgery. I was also pleased to learn that there is a support group that meets in the Dr.'s office on the first and third Tuesday of every month.
Finally, I can't say enough about the office staff--all of them are friendly, helpful, and supportive. I would recommend Dr. Drew to anyone contemplating this surgery in Minnesota!

Dr Drew was very open and honest about the procedure told my husband and myself all the details and all complications he's come across with his patients. He spent over a hour with us. We drove 7 hours for this meeting and he made well worth the drive. I do feel comfortable with him as a surgeon.

He is board certified and comes highly recomended by my personal physician. His staff is extremely helpful and they always take time to answer your questions.after care is manditory so is meeting with a nutrtitionist. Before you can be considered as a candidate you must attend a 4 hour class that explains the risk of surgery.

I met my surgeon and was very pleased. He has a great sense-of-humor. He spent one hour with me explaining everything that would be done and answered all my questions. I also really liked the two nurses that roomed me. Both were very nice and easy to talk to.

The whole experience with Dr. Drew and his staff was great. He is a wonderful doctor, patient, caring and truly helpful. With the exception of one person, all of his office staff were quite helpful and pleasant.

On Monday, Feb. 19, 2001, I went to an informational meeting at Dr. Drew's office's office. The session was facilitated by Judy Schwart, RN. Judy was very informative and friendly.

The session focused on the pre-op, post-op (aftercare) and the two different types of surgeries. Judy had guest speakers who have had the surgery -- one LAP and one Open -- tell us their story and share their successes. She focused most of her discussion on the pros and cons of the surgery and potential complications.

She also spent time discussing insurance and the process for getting a letter of approval from the insurance company. She talked about what we need to do to get the process going and what her role is in the process. I was happy to hear that Judy would write and submit the letter for approval to the insurance company. This is helpful considering she is the expert and knows what the insurance companies want.

Overall, the experience was good. I felt there were too many people at the session, which made the session last longer than the original two hours.

The office staff was nice and helpful. I have not met Dr. Drew yet. I cannot schedule a meeting with him until after I have received my letter of approval from the insurance company. When I do I'll let you know what I think of him.

1-16-00
Dr. Drew and Dr. Schwartz are both part of the same practice. I choose Dr. Schwartz just for the fact that he had a quicker date to get the surgery done than Dr. Drew. My understanding is that both Dr's are able to do the surgery Lap and Open. 70% of the surgeries are done Lap but if complications or because of size the Open has to be done.

The 2 hour informational meeting went very well yesterday. It helped to answer several questions I had. Judy Schwartz RN is the one who speaks at the meeting, she is Dr. Schwartz's wife. She was very informative and seemed to want to help with things as best as she could. This meeting is a must before you can even meet the surgeon. Once I attended the meeting the insurance info is sent off.

The office worked with me to be able to schedule ASAP because we will be taking out COBRA and it is very expensive. So the sooner we can get the surgery the sooner I can get rid of COBRA. She was very sweet and understanding.

I am meeting with the surgeon for my consult on 2/22/00 ( my b-day). She also explained that everyone has to have a gall bladder x-ray before surgery. With this surgery there is a chance to develop gall stones..if in the x-ray it shows you already have gall stones they will remove the gall stones while having the gastric bypass. If you have a healthy gall bladder and want it removed so that you will not develop gall stones (30% chance that you will) you would have to pay out of pocket as insurance will not pay for removing healthy organs approx cost $900.

I will update again after I meet with my Dr.

2/24/01
Met Dr. Michael Schwartz on 2-22-01, he is a very caring and indepth man. He will make sure everything is in place before he operates on you. I feel confident in is hands.