Abbott Northwestern Hospital Bariatric Center

I really liked Dr. Schwartz. He is wonderful! He made sure that all of my questions were answered, before he let me leave. He made sure to explain all the things that could go wrong and how we handle them, but then made sure that I understood the good things too! He was very informative and saw to it that I understood everything that he was telling me. He didn't sugarcoat a thing!
I feel like I have been on the waiting list from hell, but meeting Dr. Schwartz really made it worth the wait!
His staff was wonderful. All the gals were really nice. Some were very funny and made me feel right at home.
They send you upstairs for blood work and that was the only bad part. The person who drew my blood was not very good at at all. She actually hurt me. I have never had blood hurt before. The bruise on my arm is huge. She really shouldn't be drawing blood!!!
Overall, I feel I have the best surgeon!

Dr. Schwartz and his staff were very helpful and seem to genuinely care about their patients. I was treated with respect and given clear detailed answers to all my questions. He informed me of all my options, their risks and what my possible outcome would be if I followed the rules. He then let me help decide what procedure was best for me.

My surgery went very well and I have had no complications. After my surgery he would not let me leave the hospital until he was positive that I was ready to go home. I ended up staying an extra day due to a reaction to the anti-nausea meds causing me to sleep instead of bein alert and able to drink and walk enough.

I have gone in for 3 week, 3 month and 6 month follow ups with a physician's assistant so far. I would prefer to see him but I am told this is common practice. I will have yearly visits for life. I have not been billed for any of my follow up visits.

General & Vascular Surgery consultants sponsers a support group that has both evening and daytime meetings.

Dr Drew is a very nice man. My friends also used him so I know he does very good work.Since I had my surgery Dr Drew also did lap RNY on my mother on 11/28/02 and an open rny on my brother 4/12/03 my older brother is also on the waiting list this man will never know what a huge gift he has given my family

My husband Jerry and I met with Dr Drew in March. He was great! Very kind and supportive. He listened very well and answered every question and made sure we understood everything. He looks a little like Harrison Ford! He spent about an hour with us which really impressed me. I am used to my PCP rushing in and out in 2-3 minutes. I thought of a few things after we left. I did call the office and all the staff were great. Got my questions answered right away and have always felt welcome and never a bother.

Post-Op (surgery 06/23/03. I am so thankful that I had a great surgeon. If not, I wouldn't be here today. I have Osteogenisis Imprefecta. It's an inherrited condition that makes your bones break easy. It also makes all your tissues thin and weak. As it turns out my organ tissues are REALLY bad (didn't have any trouble with any other surgeries including 2 C-sections). Dr Drew had a very difficult time. My surgery took 4 1/2 hours instead of 2. Every time he moved something around it ripped or tore. I lost 2 quarts (yes quarts not pints) of blood. When he made my pouch he put air into it to check for leaks. The stitches/staples he put in ripped right through! He had to sew me up a different way. He really really worked hard on me and his experence of doing more than 1800 by-passes really paid off. He did put in tension sutures and kept me in the hospital a couple of days. Despite all the surgery difficulties, I have had NO problems of any kind. Needless to say I think he is the greatest surgeon and has a great bed-side manner.

dr. drew is a very knowledgeable doctor. he has a very kind face and he puts you at ease. he answered all my and my daughter's questions. he has a beautiful sense of humor.(dr. drew you miss your calling). he staff was very helpful. judy shwartz is a god send. the office did seem a little fast pace. but i was impress with how quickly i was seen. he was very adamate about me my aftercare program. we even talked about managing my diabetes. he was very thourough about the risks and complications of surgery. he didn'tleave out a thing. he was very surprised that a had a little knowledge in medical terminology (i'm a nursing assistant). on a scale of 1 to 10 i'd give dr.drew an 11!!! i think both bedside and surgical competence is a plus because patients are nervous to begin with and doctors should put that person at ease. these thoughts are my personal opinions. maybe other people will have a different experience.

I had my consultation with Dr. Drew and it was very thorough and enjoyable. It was like having a conversation with a teacher or older friend. My first impression was that he was exactly what I expected -- professional, knowledgeable and caring but not exceptionally personable. He went through all the pros and cons of surgery and talked about all my options -- mostly in regards to keeping my gallbladder. The office staff has been nothing but nice. They are busy, but always positive. Aftercare is structured and follow-up visits are mandatory. I'm very glad that I stuck it out and stayed with the clinic that has the best reputation and the most experience. Timing was a big factor, and I am waiting a year longer than I expected, but now I know that this is the best choice for me.

My first impression of him, was that he was very experienced and a very knowledgable man. I have only met with him one time,and I really liked him. His staff seems to be very busy, but they get the job done. If you ever a patience of his, make sure that you call a stay on top of everything. They seem very good, but very busy.

My first impression of Dr. Drew was, "gee he's so sweet" and that's the one that stuck too. Dr. Drew is a wonderful man as far as I can tell. He reminded me a lot of my old Pastor, but lots wittier! :)
Dr. Drew took the time to explain EVERYTHING about the surgery to me. He made sure that I knew exactly what I was getting myself into by having it. His consultation office was extremely comfortable, and his staff are sweet-hearts.

i think dr.schwartz is a miracle worker. my life has changed my life. he is an excellent surgeon. after surgery i was never nauseated, and never once had diarreah. my recovery was so quick that i was back to work in three weeks. i am a nurse on a surgical unit which requires alot of lifting and i never felt a thing wrong with my incision. i know from working with doctors that bedside manners don't make a good surgeon, so i don't judge a doctor by his personality. dr schwartz is
a nice man though, but i picked him do to the fact he had done excellent work on people i had met and talk to about it. dr.schwartz also came highly recommended by one of the surgeons i work with. now as far as the hospital, thats a different story. abbottnorthwestern hospital has to be one of the worst experiences in my life. the nursing staff is less than helpful, the nursing assistant is about the only person you see, and she barely spoke english. for my discharge instruction, nothing was discussed with me, i just asked questions and gone minimal information. a dr. whom had never done a gastric bypass in his life, was my discharging dr. he had no answers to any of my questions, and his best advise was "don't eat to much, your stomach is small now". if it weren't for the fact that i do post surgical teaching at my job, i would have been sol. if we treated our patients the way i was treated at the hospital were i work,we would be fired. i would never have surgery at that hospital again. i think abbott needs to require more from there nursing staff, like person touch and caring adittued.

My first impression:

Dr Schwartz seemed like a very nice and caring guy. I'm not used to meeting with a surgeon only once pre-operatively but I feel comfortable moving forward. It helps that everyone on this site has been so forthcoming in details about him.

He was pretty hands off after the surgery. In fact, I never saw him again after the surgery, not even post op. However, he did a helluva job on me and recovery was a cinch!