Center for Obesity Surgery Bariatric Center

He is wonderful. Very energetic. Has an incredible memory for small details and remembers every patient. My first impression is that this man is not human! The staff is a little overworked - they seem to be experiencing growing pains - but they are very competent and friendly. He has very thourogh pre and post op requirements. He has wonderful surgical competence as well as a bedside manner you will not find in most surgeons (very personable).

Have only spoke with him on the phone and by e-mail. Seems very upfront and knowledgeable.
He is very organized with a web-site and pre-op requirements that must be completed before
a surgery date is set. My first face to face will be may 5th. Staff helpful but seem over-worked...many new patients hearing about Dr. R's procedure and outcomes. Pre-op
information, mandatory steps to complete,
videos of patient interviews and the procedure itself all located on his web-site: close.net
5/14/00 Dr. Rutlege was brief, to the point, and moved on to the next patient...however, he always stopped to listen and teach when
needed. Almost every question was answered in the pre-op preparation package and on clinic day. Only had brief personal time with him...but I am sure I could have had more time if I had more questions. I Spent less than 24 hours in the hospital. Daily calls to Dr. R's office for check-in were done the first week post-op, staff took the calls and were polite and brief. 7 page post-op instruction sheet has so far covered all my questions and lists 4 different ways to reach Dr. R should I need him. Be prepared to do your homework before he even allows you to set a surgery date! I recomend
Dr. Rutledge for WLS.

I was extremely impressed with his compassion and caring for the obese. The more I learned about him, the more impressed I was. His office staff is nice, but overwhelmed with the recent influx of patient applications. He is trying to enlarge his staff. His practice is growing beyond all his expectations are the word is spread about him and his surgery.

There wasn't anything I did not like about him. Everything his future patients should know about him is on his web site clos.net. All his patients are listed and are willing to talk to future patients about anything concerning the surgery.

The aftercare is greatly emphasized!!!!! His whole approach is one of complete education of his patients. He makes becoming a patient so difficult that one must learn everything about the procedure before he will consider accepting you as a patient. This includes written assignments and making contacts with his patients.

Yes, his aftercare is completely structured and you sign an agreement prior to surgery that you will stay in contact with him over the years on a regular basis and have regular checkups that will be reported to him.

He emphasized the risks of surgery, almost to the point of scaring some folks away. His material goes into great lengths about all kinds of risks.

I would rate him a 12 on a scale lf 1-10.

Both are great, but I feel that compassion is his greatest asset.

The only negative is that he has become so busy that he cannot return all calls and e-mails as he gets dozens to hundreds a day! He started off giving lots of personal attention before and after, but that has dwindled as the practice has grown. He needs some physician assistants to help in these areas.

He is the greatest and there should be many more doctors like him!!!!!

He is wonderful!!! I did not meet him until 2
days before my surgery because he's in NC and
I live in MI. The patient education material
is very impressive - you know what you're
doing and all the risks. And you know how
this surgery is different from the traditional
RNY.

Overall, I am very happy that I had Dr. R
as my surgeon, and with the results of the
surgery. He is a very warm and caring person
and really takes time to explain the
proceedure. I have sent e-mails to him
since the surgery, and he always sends a
reply promptly.

Dr. Rutledge was thorough. The office visit was great because I met pre and post op patients. I got a chance to discuss at length their complications and post op hints. He addressed the risks and showed the group the video of the surgery and explained in detail the surgery. My one on one appointment was short because he answered most of my questions. Afterwards, I had questions and I got the answers. Just waiting for insurance approval and surgery date.

Dr. Rutledge's office has been very helpful
in getting my surgery approved through Tricare,
which is military insurance. His web site, patient
manuel and the 12 steps a patient must complete are
excellent. I was just approved for surger
y this Tues , 3/28/00 and I am very excited.
Ms. Williams, who is Dr. R's secretary is efficient
and kind. I feel like Dr. R is truly interested in the patient's physical and emotional well-being and

Very committed surgeon who really enjoys helping people, upbeat and chipper bedside manner. His office staff is overworked and somewhat curt. He emphasizes aftercare strongly and wants you to followup with him daily after surgery. His preop education program makes sure you understand all the risks of surgery, and have realistic expectations of what surgery can do. Overall rating = excellent. A real class act.

Dr. Rutledge is the most kind, caring and talented surgeon I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. As a registered nurse, I have met many surgeons, and none of them even come close to being in Dr. Rutledge's league. My first impression of him was that he truly is concerned with your obesity and knows that it is not some moral deficit that you have, rather a medical problem that can be surgically treated with great success. My impression of him only improved with each time I talked with him. His office staff is very busy and can be short with you at times, but don't let something like that keep you from considering this wonderful surgery. There absolutely nothing I dislike about him. He has very strict criteria and a very thorough teaching program to involve you in all the benefits and risks involved and your part to help make this a success. Aftercare is very structured and is explained thoroughly in the patient education manual you receive. This manual goes over the procedure, the risks, and the expected outcomes. I like the fact that with over 300 of the laparoscopic Mini Gastric Bypass surgeries he has done, Dr. Rutledge has never had a death. On a scale of 1-10, I would certainly have to rate Dr. Rutledge at least a 20. His bedside manner and his surgical competence are both phenomenal. I have never regretted for one moment choosing him for my surgeon. I will always thank him for giving my life back to me.

I have only spoke to Dr R on-line. He has been very helpful and informative. He wants to make sure you fully understand the risks and benefits.

I met Dr. Rutledge on February 26, 2000 at my first clinic visit and he is a very caring and knowledgable person. He is truely concerned for people who are morbidly obese. His staff is also very nice (and very overworked!). They keep their sense of humor even when it is very busy!

I liked Dr. Ruteledge, he is a very smart man, He is calm and sensetive towards the problems obese man & woman .
I have not had the surgury yet as of this date. So I am not sure what his hospital manners will be like. I will have ever keep you updated.
From what I do know I can tell you
Dr. Rutelege is very strong on patients haveing full knowledge of what to expect.
So read your manual! It is very inportant, Dr. Rutelege takes his work, {this surgery}very serously and expects you to also.
DR. Rutelege will go over with you the inportance of taking your vitiams serveral times. He has a patient manaul book out that goes over everthing you will need to know before and during your after care.

Once again as I said Dr, Rutledge does not take this precedure lightly, Heis very strong about what you will need to have done pre-op and how you should take care of your self post -op.
His office workers are very busy but reliable, They too will expect you to have your papper work in order. They are no longer accepting faxs. So Do not fax your medical records. I'll give you some adivce and tell you to hold on to them and just bring them in when you vist.
The Patient Education Manual booklet he gives you will contain everthing you need to know. HE & His staff expect you to follow what it says. I did notice that they tend to get annoyed when a patient doesn't seem to follow the booklet.
As I said I haven't had mine done yet but other patients of his say that He keeps him self always availabe to his patients. I have heard him say several times to call him when ever needed the he and his staff do indeed return all phone calls.
Over all I would rate him as a good doctor.