Atrium Health Bariatric Center

I had researched Dr. Gersin for months before having my surgery, reading all of the reviews. As a surgeon, he is very informative, answering any concerns you might have. He is always prompt and on time for his procedures/surgeries/appointments. He is a little quiet and withdrawn, but this was okay with me, as I am the same way. He is very confident in his ability and has an excellent track record at the Cleveland Clinic and now Carolinas Weight Management Clinic in Charlotte, NC.

I would have liked to have seen him after my surgery, but he had to fly out of town. His fellow, took wonderful care of me and left me in good hands, and Dr. Gersin was reachable when I had excrutiating pains on the day after surgery. Unfortunately, the hospital staff was unable to order the pain control that I needed in a timely fashion leaving me in pain for hours. Other than that, the nurses took great care of me at the hospital. The office staff of Carolina Weight Loss Clinic was.....okay. Some of the ladies seemed to not want to be bothered with patients at times, although no one was down right rude. My submission to the insurance company was timely....my insurance took about 3 weeks to review the paperwork, but after I was approved, they immediately faxed the paperwork to the surgery scheduler and she called me the same day to schedule my surgery. Nothing/No one is perfect, but my experience was very good. I look forward to following up with this clinic for the years to come.

I am nearly 4yrs out and have lost a great deal of weight so the surgery itself went well. (BUT I give credit to that from my dedication to the gym, following the diet that I looked up, and the support of my family and friends.) In the beginning the office staff seems less then friendly which is frustrating with the amount of money it costs to go in and be seen. I know that when I had mine done there was no aftercare group at his office for me to join and when was formed I was told "if you dont know how to do it right by now you wont ever figure it out" So I was left to trial and error. For the most part Kuwada was a nice person (when I actually got to see him, most visits were conducted by PA) The last visit I was having issues with my band and as much as I didn't want it, i was very aware I needed a total unfill so the band could rest (I have a slight slip). I went in and a strange Dr came into the room and started talking to me, asking me questions that MY Dr should know (why did u get the band? how long have it? kind of band?) When I became leery about this person and asked him isn't all this in my chart? His answer to me, "sigh, we see alot of patients and if I read every chart we would never get done." I informed him he could leave now, he could go find Dr Kuwada and send him in. I wasn't letting anyone touch me that didnt even have the decency to look at my chart. Dr Kuwada came in, I told him about the issues I was having and the need for an unfill.....HE REFUSED.... saying needed to see it next week under fluro....(oh I'm throwing up everything I eat btw, everything).... So I go in for the fluro after a week suffering and guess what? its a slip...small slip he says. He refuses to take out 2cc because there is so little in my band atm (4.5cc) when I ask him why...he says..well we don't want you getting fat do we? we might as well let it do what we can until we have to take it out. When I asked him what he was talking about, there were things we could do to try to fix it. He said there is no fix, only removal. I have been suffering ever since, hoping it would actually fix it but it hasn't so now after months of gathering the courage to find a new Dr I am in the process of getting my medical information from them (harder than sounds) and setting up an appt. I can eat some things but many cause me to be sick or hurt and I have little restriction sometimes. I am successful with my band, my surgery was good, my aftercare......AWEFUL! Oh, and to make things worse, remember the visit they sent in some random person and then refused to take fluid out? I actually got charged for that visit too...bye bye $200 and hten the $800 for fluro :( $1000 gone and still not right....June 2012

ADDED JULY 13, 2013
As my time increases having my band I have figured out how to best take care of me, and it....mostly on my own, with very little consistent information from my Dr office. When I talked about my aftercare not being good...I was being honest, my band got tighter and tighter as time went on, and I was eating less and less. It got to the point that all I could eat were sliders and then ones full of sugar honestly seemed to go down better...The acid got worse in my throat and tasted aweful but I remembered what he said about "not wanting me to get fat..." what if I did? I mean what if I work up one morning and every pound was back? (Dont act like you never thought or worried about it, because you either have or you will....in time). Stopped sleeping at night, proped body straight up in bed to help prevent acid reflux (it was HORRIBLE at this point....I suffered through the first of hte year, but found myself having to plan my lessons so that I could dash out to the hall bathroom to throw up in between groups (even if all was having was water)...I finally got brave (guess I worried that they would tell me the same and want to simply take it out) but I got brave and went in....they had fluro in the office and there is no extra charge for appts that need it....what? AND I dont get a bill after I pay the $70 copay? wha? After seeing my poor stomach and band under floro I thought the PA was gonna cry....she just kept looking at it and looking at me....she pointed to the screen, see that pouch? Ya that's not suppose to be there...THATS why you have so much acid reflux at night. We ended up draining the band and giving it a break.....I cried all the way home... I just KNEW I would wake up fat in the morning...to my surprise it took several weeks before I noticed any difference, once the acid was no longer an issue I actually began to enjoy food again...but I waited to get a fill...I wanted to be sure the band had time to go back like it was suppose to be..... so it wasn't until 3 weeks ago I had any fluid put back in my band and while restriction is not at 100% at least I am not throwing up everything I eat. REALITY CHECK: Did I gain weight? I have an eating disorder like so many. But I can get myself back on track and start making the right choices for me and my band. Oh...if you are reading this and you are looking for a Dr ....NOT Kuwada.... I use Southeast Bariatrics....very nice group. :)

It has been five years this December and I am still 100 lbs. down from my surgery and feeling great!

Dr.Kuwada is awsome very very nice doctor. He explains everything.

Wonderful surgeon, felt confident in him doing the surgery and aftercare! Being a Christian, I knew that I had the Great Physician on my side and guiding my surgeon's hands!

I'm a patient of Dr. Kuwada's and he is an amazing doctor who is passionate about what he does. I'm up for surgery w/ him on this coming Monday, 3 days away!!!! And I can't wait for the first day of the rest of my life 8/22/11 and am thankful to have found Dr. Kuwada to lead me there. He is a kind man, he wants you to feel well informed about what you are doing and why, and he is personable enough to talk to you on your level. I get disappointed when its his assistants and not him, not because they aren't just as good, but because he is just THE BEST! I'm so glad that when I went to my 2nd info session (3 yrs apart) that Dr. Kuwada was there and that God included him in this journey to changing my life, I admire his word and appreciate how he gives of himself to others and to the profession that he serves.

I had RNY on March 22, 2011. Dr. Keith Gersin did my surgery. What impressed me the most was his attention to details. He was not in a rush to go to surgery until I had full medical clearance. I had the most complete physical exam I had ever had before he'd take me to surgery because I and he wanted me to have the best outcome possible. And he doesn't fool around. If he's willing to put himself out there and do surgery with all the risks involved then he expects you to do your part in the preparation and post operatively. But he doesn't work alone. It's a whole team effort that got me through the pre op, operative and now the post op phase of my journey. The office works like clockwork. Very organized. From the physician's assistant, surgical nurse, psychologist, dietician, fitness trainer, laboratory staff, front desk staff, insurance coordinators, by the time I walked into CMC-Mercy on March 22 I felt totally prepared as to what was waiting ahead of me. As for the hospital...excellent care. I am now 5 months post op. Having great weight loss results. I am following the aftercare program as I was instructed. I continue to attend the monthly support group meetings at the hospital which I consider is an essential part of my program. I follow up with the dietician, fitness trainer in the office. Next month I am scheduled to have my first post op bloodwork testing. I am feeling great. Dr. Gersin is also a general surgeon. He did the endoscopy and a colonoscopy that I needed pre op which was very convenient. If I ever need a surgical procedure in the future I will call him first to see if it's something he can do. I recommend the group to everyone I talk to. If I had to do it all over again the only thing I would change is that I would have done it sooner.

Met with Dr. Bauman last Wednesday and I was very pleased! He explained things so well and really seemed to have my best interest at heart. I like his no nonsense style!

Doc Bauman was great! Little on the serious side but when it came to my healthcare he was A+. 2 days after leaving the hospital i had an issue with tarry stool and the doctor had me go to the ER for some test. Doctor Bauman kept in contact through the whole time with me and the hospital until i was done.

This man is the best!!!! I had gastric bypass with a Fobi pouch. I was out of the hospital, and off of pain meds in 2 days. After one week, I was back at work. He is incredible!!!! He knows what he is doing and he does it very well!!!!
First impression: Nothing to really complain about. He was very thorough. I have read where some people thought he was kind of dry, but I like that.
His office staff: They can be pleasant. They always answer the phone, and the nurses always return calls.
Know this: He is very good at what he does. There is not a staff member in that part of the hospital who doesn't respect him, and all of them know that they better be on it when it comes to his patients!!
Aftercare: He is very thorough about aftercare. He even has a nutritionist in his office that I will see for the next year as part of his plan.
The risks of surgery are discussed at length in a video seen prior to meeting with Dr. Bauman. He will also discuss these in the room with you.
Surgical competence means 100x more to me than bedside manner any day!!!!! I would much rather have a competent doctor with no complications than one who is buttering me up after ruining the rest of my life!!!!!!!!
I would recommend Dr Bauman to any one considering this surgery. For me, I had to drive three hours to get to him when I could have driven 30 minutes to a surgeon here, but it was worth it!!