DMC Harper Bariatric Medicine Institute Bariatric Center

My first impression of Dr. Wood remains the same, he seems very kind, competent, and caring. He also seems a bit shy, which gives him a human touch. His staff, especially Amy, is great. My peeve with Dr. Wood and his office is that when I went for my initial consult before Thanksgiving, we were not told that as of January 2003, he would no longer be with the Liv-Lite Corp., but I'm over it. Other than that, I really can't come up with anything I dislike about him. He stresses aftercare big time, and he used to have a aftercare program, but since he broke away from Lite-Lite, I'm not sure what kind of program they'll have. That's something we'll have to discuss when I see him before my surgery. He was very thorough in addressing surgery risks, both at his seminar and his consultation. However, he also stresses what the risks are if we choose to remain MO. So far, I'd have to rate him a 10. For me, surgical competence is by far most important. The fact that Dr. Wood seems to have a wonderful bedside manner is definitely a bonus.

My first impression of Dr. Wood is that was very through My impressions of him have not changed. his office staff is excellent. In the beginning when I was bugggin them every minute, they were very patient with me. I don't have any complaints with the doctor or his staff. If I have a complaint it is with the discharge planning of the hospital. It could have been better. Future patients should know that he is meticilous and will take you through this slowly after the surgery. He emphasizes aftercare greatly and the program is very structured. He addresses all the risks of surgery with during your private consultation when he decides if surgery is right for you. My rating for this doctor is excellent. Both his surgical competence and his bedside manner is great. Dr Wood was recommended to me and I glad I waited 2 years until I could research and get everything in place.

I met with Dr. Wood on 12/28/02 and he seems extremely confident and knowledgeable. One of Dr. Wood's staff is Amy and she is the absolute best person to have on your side. She helped smooth everything along for me. Dr. Wood described all the aspects of the operation. He made sure to state all the risks that may occur and what the likelyhood of these risks occuring. My surgery is scheduled for 1/2/03 so I will let everyone know later how everything went.

Dr. Wood is a cool guy. He's intelligent, friendly, and seems competent. (Though I haven't had surgery yet so I can't say.) He's striving to make the Detroit Medical Center one of the top bariatric centers in the country. I'm very honored to be one of his patients. He formerly operated out of Bi-County Hospital in Warren, MI. I'm glad to say I'll be having my surgery at Harper Hospital instead. I haven't heard really great things about patient treatment at Bi-County.
Dr. Wood greatly stresses aftercare, and says that you are a patient for life. He doesn't like patients to deviate from the strict dietary guidelines he's set up. He was willing to answer all of my questions, and treated me as if I were a person, not just a patient. I did feel slightly rushed, but that's the treatment I usually get from doctors.
I felt mislead at first because one of his staff said that Dr. Wood was on my insurance company's list of doctors. That turned to be untrue. Currently, he only accepts three insurers. Of course mine wasn't one of them.
Additionally, some of his staff are young, boistrous and unprofessional, but they do seem willing and able. Perhaps that's all that matters.
So far I've been surprisingly happy with my trip through the bariatric world. I was expecting people to be a lot less helpful. We'll see what I have to say once I'm on the other side.

Dr. Michael H. Wood is one of the nicest surgeons I've ever met. He really cares about his patients and he loves what he does. I rate Dr. Wood as the best in his field!!!!!!

I thought of him as one that cared for his patients and was very experienced in his field.




I was a little frustrated because I was ready for the surgery and he told me I had to lose a hundred pounds first. I now see that it was for my safety and his piece of mind.

His office staff was always very helpful, courteous, and understanding.

I have absolutely no qualms about him or the relationship I have with him.

When you meet him know that the surgery is what you want and be ready to do whatever he asks of you.

He tells you that you have to follow the diet and instructions to the letter or you went through the surgery for nothing.

You will receive a whole packet of information and diet to follow.

Dr wood came out and told us all the risks, aside from having seminars, in which he touched base on some of the risks. He came out and told my wife and I that I had to lose the weight in order to have the surgery to eliminate some of those risks.

He is top-notch.

He is highly skilled and after surgery he would come in and make me feel great.

Dr. Wood is a wonderful man and a great surgeon. He has quiet strength and intellect. My impressions of him have not changed over time. The office staff is friendly, knowlegeable, and supportive. Dr Wood is honest and realistic about the surgery and what it can do to help you win the battle with fat. However, he quickly reminds and teaches us that the surgery is a "tool" which we must learn to use along with other behavioral and lifestyle changes. Aftercare is stressed by
Dr. Wood and his entire staff. I don't know what a structured aftercare program looks like and how it functions. There are monthly support group meetings and the websites. Dr. Wood is clear about the risks of surgery and does all the necessary prelimnary testing before performing the bypass. In fact, I got impatient with the diagnostic tests [colonoscopy and END] that had t be done to rule out any bleeding because my hematacrit and blood were low. Dr Wood is a great surgeon. Both his surgical competence and bedside manner are good. My experience has been nothing but positive. I had no pain after the surgery; and I had the epidermal anesthesia. I was able to sit up in bed and dangle my feet the night of surgery. I highly recommend this form of anethesia and pain management. The day the epidermal was removed I had some discomfort and a little pain but after a few hours I felt fine.

Dr. Wood came across as a very nice caring person. He explained everything in great detail.

His staff on the other hand are not the friendliest people you want to meet. They don't call you back after you leave messages. The patient rep I had never called me to update me or anything. Any contact I had with her I had to call.

I think future patients should know that this paticular surgery he does which is the Sapala-Wood Micropouch gastric bypass was co-created by him. And that was a big part in my decision to have him as my surgeon. How can you go wrong with the doctor that co-created it?

He does emphasize the aftercare. He wants to see you two weeks after, and they have their own vitamins and supplements that they want you to use.

He didn't pretend there were no risks. He explained them fully, but he also gives his and his other surgeons track records. All the statistics and everything.

My surgery is on Nov. 26, 2002, but so far I rate him a 10 on a scale of 1-10.

well i am so excited, i finally met with dr. wood, and he seems to be everything that i have heard about him. he is a wonderful man and if i had any fears before i met him, they are gone now. he was very knowledgable about his surgery which he should be because he invented the micro pouch, and he is very confident and very kind. he told us all the statistics regarding any complications during and after surgery, his success rate is VERY high and his percent of complications is almost none. so i feel very confident as to my choice of surgeon.
Dr. Wood will also follow my progress throughout the rest of my life, he is very adamant about follow up care.
dr. wood was awesome throughout my surgery stay, he is an incredible doctor, and surgery went with flying colors.

He is wonderful. Very knowledgable. Easy to talk to.
No change.

The absolute best.

No dislikes at all. My contact went out of her way to help.
She does her best for everyone.

She tells everyone not to hesitate to call if you have any questions.
Great packets with info. Groups sessions were a little too large for me.

Addressed all questions with complete and honest answers on terms I could understand.
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Surgical competence is most important. But, he is outstanding in both.