Alaska Bariatric Center Bariatric Center

My first appointment with Dr. Todd seemed to go by fairly quickly and I've probably gotten to know some of his staff better than him at this point. My first impression I guess is that he is very concerned about his patients and interacts quite a bit. His office staff has been pretty great. This whole process to getting to the surgery date has only taken me about...well not quite 2 months and if it wasn't for his staff putting up with my repeated phone calls...well who knows how long I would've been waiting. I've heard Dr. Todd go as far as to say, in a new patient orientation, if you aren't planning on attending support group meetings, plan on finding someone else to do the surgery. I'd say that's pretty straight forward. I don't know a whole lot about the after care program just yet since I'm not quite there. So far, I feel confident that I have the right surgeon for the job.

I'm a Registered Nurse. The first time I saw Dr. Todd I was working on the surgical floor taking care of one of his patients. He was professional and courteous to me and extremely positive and caring with his post-op patient. I was extremely impressed. I continued to watch from a distance his interactions with patients and hospital staff, he never changed. Always positive in his interactions. He's thoughtful of the littlest details for each patient. The standards of care he provides are the highest for all.

I've been considering wls for a couple of years. When I made the decision to pursue surgical options I knew Dr. Todd was the physician for me.

I had been reading the message/support board of Dr Todd's practice before meeting him. Everyone had mostly good things to say about him, so I was expecting someone who would listen to me and actually hear me; someone who would respect my feelings and opinions. I was not disappointed in Dr. Todd. He is very adamant that you follow his aftercare program and continue to showup for followup appointments. He also stresses that a majority of our support will come from each other through support meetings (he holds them twice weekly in Anchorage and also travels north to Fairbanks and south to the Kenai Peninsula for monthly meetings for those of us not living in Anchorage) and the message board. He is also very active on the message board. Overall, I rate Dr Todd very highly, though there is always room for improvement in all of us! He is a very competent surgeon and his caring for his patients is off the scale!

My first impression of Dr. Todd was very relaxed and comforting. Yes, I was nervous, but he made me feel at ease right away. The staff has been very helpful and friendly.

3/13/03 - I had my first office visit with Dr. Todd today. I was nervous, but excited too! I felt very comfortable and at ease while speaking with Dr. Todd for the first time. I had already attended a few group meetings, so I felt as though I knew him already. Going through this change is going to be a lot easier if you have a good doctor/patient relationship. :)

Dr. Todd has been great but I should add he would be greatly diminished if not for his staff. I have had more face time with staff than I have Dr. Todd as that is how it should be. However, he is the face and the soul of Alaska Bariatric Center and I would recommend him to anyone seeking his services. Dr. Todd is a gentle professional. He keeps his diagnosis short and sweet but will not hesitate to give you a hug of longer duration than your actual office visit! He makes no bones of the risks involved in the procedure, yet strongly expresses his confidence in his abilities. I have not heard him address this to me, but I am sure that when he works he acknowledges his hand is guided by angels. Aftercare is a huge deal with his entire office, this is the primary reason for selecting Dr. Todd. He takes a personal approach to his work as it is also strongly delegated to his staff to provide such close-up care. It is evident as each day draws nearer to my surgery date.

Dr Todd and his staff are very caring, candid, and genuinely interested in their patients--before and after surgery. They hold 2 support groups per week and have a web site for their patients to keep in touch.

As a over weight individule I have been subjected to many doctors over the years. I have to say that Dr. Todd is the nicest man I have ever met, and the most caring doctor. From the moment that you meet the "Todd Squad" you will soon realize why the family is joined at the hip! Not only for medical reason's, but for the support and the friendships. Dr. Todd and his team are the most carismatic and supportive people that I have ever had the privilage of being around. I haven't had my surgery yet but I know that I am in good hands. I have known a few people that he has performed on and I have never heard anything bad about him. I haven't been left wondering one thing about my journey, Dr. Todd and his staff are very thorough, leaving no stone unturned. Dr. Todd has a saying that once we have the surgery we are married to him. He is very concerend with aftercare and staying active in all of his patients life. He is honest about all of the risks that there are out there involved in the surgery. He wants to make sure that we are compitent in our choice. I thank god I met Dr. Todd and his staff.

Over all very impressed with Dr Todd. It seems that this operation is so successful and Dr Todd wants to help so many people that the personal aspect that I know he wants is suffering. I am at a bit of a dissadvantage being from out of town that there is not the support base that I hope for. But as Dr Todd is coming to Fairbanks to do support means alot to me.

The greatest piece to Dr. Todd is his office staff and his after-care program. His on-going support groups and posting board, which he attends and is a weekly part of, are an important part of the healing journey. Dr. Todd is a gentle, spiritual man with a great knowledge of his chosen skill and I trust him as my surgeon. I have watched him interact with other patients and his office staff, but recently I got to see how he interacts with his adopted children, and that sealed it for me. This is a good man.

I am trying to think of what I could say that would be for improvement and so here goes. I believe that Dr. Todd's office would benefit from a Social Worker type individual that could handle concerns that surround such emotional issues as required tests, insurance issues, and medical complications. I also would like to see at least one of the support meetings be a psycho-educational meeting around issues of food. He is the best doctor in our state.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am now 4 months post-op and have seen a different side of Dr. Todd. I started experiencing pain from the surgery and have not gotten any help from Dr. Todd. I was admitted to the hospital at one point and Dr. Todd didn't even examine me, instead, ordered a psychological evaluation without discussing it with me. He did not call to ask how I was doing after my release, no follow-up, no referral to another doctor. I have lost trust in this doctor and would not recommend seeing him for any post-op issues. Since he is only one of two surgeons in town, having him do the surgery can not be avoided but do get another doctor involved for follow-up care. I am seeing another surgeon to figure out why I am having so much pain. At this point, Dr. Todd has done under 400 surgeries and has had 5 deaths, although these may not have been directly his fault, the number is much higher than the national average, and especially from one doctor.