Central DuPage Hospital Bariatric Center

I have met Dr Klem once and I have another appointment with him Tuesday. He knowledgable and concerned. I will have a better impression in a couple of weeks.

My first impression of Dr.Klem was, WOW is he young (not to mention, good looking). After talking with Dr. Klem I learned that he is an extremly intelligent, patient and caring surgeon. He certainly looks out for your best interets and makes sure all your questions are answered. He spends quality time with his patients and makes you feel very comfortable asking ANY question. Dr. Klem covers all the bases incuding the risks as well as the benefits of the surgery. If I had to rate Dr. Klem on a scale from 1-10 I would say he is a 15. Not only is he an excellent surgeon, but he is caring and truly is concerned about the well being of his patients.

I just got a call from Rachael at Central DuPage Bariatric Treatment Center that my initial consultation with Dr. Jorgensen has been cancelled for March 4th,but would I switch his associate Dr. Klem. I've waited sooo long for this appt that I agreed to the switch and will see how it goes on the 4th.

I was very pleased with Dr. Klem. After my post, I got several emails telling me how good Dr. Klem was and each one was very correct. I am still in the process of going through all of the tests but I am pleased with everything so far.

I am almost through the process of pre-op. I will be having my surgery in 5 short days. If anything, my impression of Dr. Klem has only gotten better. Today I sat with him for over 45 minutes. He not only went over my whole hospital stay with me from the moment I enter the hospital door through the surgery and discharge, but he also took the time to answer specific question pertaining to my case. I asked him how long the incision would be and he told me "the width of his hand." I said, "not bad the width of my hand" and corrected me that it was his hand not mine that would be operating. We both got a good laugh on that one. He was great and took the time with me to answer a full page of questions and made sure that I was comfortable before I left and told me to feel free to call if I had any more questions for him before Monday. He took the time to explain all of the risks and complications and the ways they try to prevent them. I have spoken with other patients of his and feel 100% comfortable in his hands.

Now that I am post-op my impressions of Dr. Klem have only gotten better. While in the hospital, it was a pleasure to see his smiling face each day. Each day he took the time to talk to me about how I was feeling and was patient in listening to my concerns. He made sure that I felt that I was ready to be discharged. Since being discharged I have had numerous problems and Dr. Klem (not his nurse) has been contact with me almost daily. You can tell that he is truly concerned with my problemsa and is trying to find a solution to them. In fact, the last time I had an emergency appt with him at the clinic, he helped take my vitals along with the nurses. I was told by someone that works at the Bariatric Treatment Center that it is obvious that Dr. Klem really cares about his patients and takes that time to talk with them. His surgical competence and bedside manner are GREAT! If I had to rate Dr. Klem on a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate him a 15!

My first impression was wonderful and he is very understanding, has not changed.The office and staff are just as wonderful. there is noting I didn't like about my Doctor.

Was expecting someone older. Have only met with him once in person, and have talked to him on the phone. He has reassured me that he knows what he is doing, and I hear comments from patients that have had the surgery, and from other doctors. His office staff seemed very nice, although I have not met Courtney she seems very nice, and she gave me the best news I have had in a long time that I was approved for my surgery. The least that I liked about Dr. Klem I can't say I don't know him well enough to really form an opinion, I know that he was very nice at initial meeting.

Dr. Klem and his staff are excellent. I had my appointment with him on 9/24/02. I had met him previously when he was just beginning the bariatric program in 2001. He is wonderful when it comes to taking time to answer your questions and give you hinest answers. His staff is the same way. The one main reason why I went with him is the structured program they have for before and after surgery. I have not seen another doctors program that can compare. I also like the fact that the doctors he has you see are all aflliated and on the board of the bariatric program. I give him and his team a great big thumbs up.

9/17/02 I had my first meeting with Dr. Klem today and was very impressed. The staff had sent me a packet of info on the surgery and all the forms I had to fill out. The thing that impressed me about the physical layout was the wide chairs and the wide exam tables. The staff welcoming me were very organized and very friendly. The waiting room was cozy and the staff was very much on time. The exam room had giant recliners and they left the door open when the left the room so i did not feel forgotten.
I met with the nutritionist who had a very comprehensive packet of information. She took her time and answered all my questions. She was a bit cool but proper. Now Candy the nurse practitioner was warm and friendly and i felt at home asking all the embarassing questions. Dr. Klem gave me all the time and attention i wanted and was very thorough. He has a nice way of examining without making me feel bad for being fat. In fact the whole team made me feel that I as in the right place.

My first impression of Dr. Klem was WOW!!!!!

Smart, caring, helpful, sympathetic......and cute!!! My impression only got better as time went on. He was always there for me whenever I needed him. Whether to answer questions or just ease my mind and listen.
The staff that he works with is wonderful!!
I have yet to find anything that I dislike about Dr. Klem.
The entire process takes time, and Dr. Klem and staff do the best that they can to get things done in a timely manner..Be Patient!
Everyone on the staff has been very helpful and supportive post-op.
Dr. Klem had visuals and paperwork for me to look at while we talked and more paperwork for me to take home to read on my own about possible risks. He also told me to feel free to call anytime if I had more questions or if my family had anything to ask.
I would rate Dr. Klem and staff on a scale of 1-10...9!
I would say both are great!
Where my story would turn negative is unfortunately the hospital staff. I had nurses that didn't know how to work my bed (it was a new bed that was being tried out). They should have all been trained on proper use BEFORE patients are subjected to them. The orderlies that take you for your post-op upper GI drove me into walls because they were more concerned with not interrupting there conversations with friends in the hallways then paying attention. The tech doing the Upper GI, wanted me to "Just slide over onto the table so we can do this". When I told them that there was no way, it had only been 48 hrs. since having major surgery and I was still in a lot of pain..I was told that I was being difficult. They finally 20 min. later after asking around found out that for gastric patients, we are aloud to have the test taking right from our bed so that we don't have to move to much. And last, but not least, due to not having the assistance to move once an hour...after a week in the hospital I went home with bedsore. Not one of my better hospital stays!!! However, I have been informed at the support group meetings that the hospital situation is being worked on and hopefully improved.

My first impression of Dr. Klem was that he was young and knew about the torture that obesity brings to us who have lived with it all our lives. He is sensitive and caring. My impression hasn't changed...he's still awesome. I believe his staff is very helpful; however, they are sometimes over worked. I haven't found anything that I don't like. Dr. Klem has a very structured aftercare program. That is one of the reasons why I decided on him doing my surgery. He is very open and honest about the risk factors and will answer any and all questions. I've even asked him about the complications of other patients and he's been very open about that as well. On a scale of 1-10 I rate him as a 9. For me, the surgical competence is more critical than the bedside manner.

I met Dr. Klem when I went to a seminar at Central DuPage Hospital. The seminar was sponsored by the hospital's Bariatric Treatment Center, where Dr. Klem is the Director. I found him to be very knowledgeable and when I went to my first consultation he remembered me from the conference. He treated me as a person rather than a patient who was morbidly obese.Everyone in his office is very pleasant and are genuinely concerned about the patient's well being, goals and progress. I am very fortunate to have Dr. Klem as my surgeon.