Abbott Northwestern Hospital Bariatric Center

When I first met Dr Schwartz he looked like a nice father person. He was very honest with me and my family. He spoke directly to my family to let them know that I may have been the one who was having the surgery but that they were also involved and it would affect them as well. I left his office knowing what I wanted to do and understanding any risks. I felt that he was direct and did not miss a thing. He ordered special testing and said that if I did not have it done I would not be able to have the surgery. He did not candy coat anything and totally expected me to do my share of the work. He told me that the true success of this surgery was within me and that I was the most important tool. He was merely giving me some type of an aide which would help me out. But he also stressed that if it worked, or did not work, hinged on me and only me. During my initial appointment he told me not to gain an ounce, but whent the actual surgery date arrived I had gained 4 pounds. He was not happy. I felt like a little kid who had let my parent down. He was not afraid to tell me that he was disappointed with me and that he thought we had had a deal. After the surgery he met with me again and we talked abou the weight gain and how I now needed to take charge and be responsible. He said that he gave me a tool to help with my weight loss and he expected me to use it carefully. He ended our discussion with a handshake and "I expect to see you forever." I felt better and promised to follow him orders to the Nth degree. He was thorough in explaining what I needed to do and he told me that I could contact him at any time with questions. He said that if he could not be reached someone in his office would be able to help me. My overall experince was good. I liked the way Dr. Schwartz was direct with me, I wouldn't want a doctor who would be anything but that! His staff were professional and have also been able to answer any of my questions. I am truly in awe with the post-op hospital staff. I cannot say enough about them. They were all great!! They explained things to me and made me feel very much at ease, even though I was a little scared and hurting. I know that 100% positive reviews aren't always true...but I cannot think of one thing I did not like. Dr. Schwartz may have been hard on one for the weight gain but I needed it. He was always honest wiht me and I like that in a person. He made me think and realize how important follow up was and will be. He understood what I neede to hear and helped me. Everything that I have said is my personal impression of Dr. Schwartz based upon my personal experience with him.

I REALLY LIKE DR.DREW. HE MADE ME FEEL REALLY COMFORTABLE ABOUT THE SURGERY. I THINK HE DID A WONDERFUL JOB WITH MY INCISIONS. I LOOK AND FEEL GREAT THANKS TO DR. DREW.

I thought Dr Drew was very good both with his sugical skills were very good. I was impressed by the after care both he his partner and the hospital provided. I was suprised by how good they were at managing my pain! I would highly recommend Dr Drew.

I had my surgery done on 5-11-05 and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. Raymond Drew is a very intellegent man. He listen to everything I had to say and gave an honest answer. He performed my Laproscopic Bypass Surgery and the only pain I felt was from my incision.I was off the pain medication one day after I was home and was driving that Saturday. I could not tell that I had even had surgery. I would recommend Dr. Drew to anybody. He was recommended to me and I cannot thank her enough for introducing me to him. Dr. Drew is above and beyond a 10 out of 10. He was there for me for everythings, even after surgery.

Thank you for my wonderful surgery outcome Dr. Drew, you are a true blessing.

Sincerely,
Kim Weizenegger

I was very impressed with Dr. Schwartz the first time I met him. The only other times I have seen him were the day of my surgery, right before being taken to surgery and a couple hours after when I was in my room. I've never seen him since! The rest of my hospital stay, Dr. Drew saw me and at all of my post op approintments, I have seen Ryan. The office staff is wonderful, always very pleasant and friendly. As for aftercare, I feel very cheated. Since I live in another state, I can't attend any of the support groups. I drive 2 hours for my appt. with Ryan (who is very pleasant), fill out a questionaire, discuss this with Ryan for approx. 10 min. and then drive 2 hrs. back home. I've never had any blood work done there. At my annual exam, they sent a lab sheet with me to give my pcp to draw blood. I don't know what lab work I should have on a regular basis or anything. I feel very frustrated at times and am now experiencing bounce back weight gain of about 20 lbs. I feel Dr. Schwartz is a very experienced surgeon and would recommend him to others, but I think they need to improve their aftercare for patients that come from out of state and have no support in their home town. I feel that surgical competence AND bedside manner are equally important. This of course has been just my own personal experience and I am not speaking for any other person.

Dr Drew and his staff are wonderfull. I was very impressed the first time that i met with Dr Drew. He was great at explaining the proceedure and at answering my questions.

Aftercare is a big part of the process at Abbott.

He took all the time I needed to answer all my questions at my consultation. I felt like I was in great hands and I was. Follow up is with his support staff, which is fine by me.

I was very pleased with my surgeon, Dr. Michael Schwartz. He was highly recommended to me and I was not disappointed. He had a wonderful bedside manner and did an excellent job explaining the surgery to me. I would definately recommend him to everyone I know.

I was really impressed by Dr. Scwartz's sincere interest in helping me become a healthier young woman. He was empathetic about some of my other medical conditions that have quickly lead me to this as the right choice for me.

His office staff were helpful and courteous. They seemed more than willing to answer all of my questions.

I did not like their presentation at the information session about weight loss surgery. The presenter did not make any attempt to hide her personal bias against certain types of individuals.

Dr. Schwartz was extremely thorough in explaining all of the risks of the RNY surgery. He also gave me a short list of what he most often sees in his practice. He also told me how much weight he thought that I could lose. He said there is a chance that I could lose more, but the only people that seem to be successful at doing that are the people that follow the dietary and exercise guidelines religiously.

I was impressed at how he stressed the fact that he wants to follow-up with me for the rest of my life. For example he said he wanted to see if my sleep apnea improves or disappears.

I will rate him after surgery.

I believe that a healthy blend of surgical competence and bedside manner are essential especially in a surgery that is as emotionally laden as WLS.

Dr. Drew appears compassionate and intelligent which I'm hoping equates to highly capable. I have only met the surgeon once. Staff appear very friendly and helpful, to date. Aftercare was highly emphasized, but did find it interesting that my first visit is 3 weeks after surgery, not the 2 that I've been accustomed to seeing on the website. Risks for very well outlined - also helped me to understand the very slight possibilty of risk, but, of course, if the .01% is me, then its 100% for me. Since I only have the 1st impression, I will not rate at this time. I feel both competence and compassion are extremely important for anyone in the health care field as well as many other areas.