Chicago Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery Bariatric Center

Dr. Frantzides and his staff are extremely knowledgable,empathetic, and supportive. The information provided at the first appointment was extremely informative, diverse, and helpful.

The office staff is committed to helping the patient through the pre-op testing, explaining every step of the way what is to be expected.

Aftercare is a huge component stressed from the begimning that the surgery is a tool to successe and stresses that the patient's commitment to change is what makes the process successful.

Take one look at Dr. Frantzides' picture and you see him--extremely personable, professional and self assured. I liked him from my first visit. He, along with his office staff, made me feel comfortable and confident in his abilities. His credentials are extensive and well deserved. Dr. Frantzides was very thorough and cautious in reviewing my medical history and in checking out anything that seemed amiss prior to committing to perform the surgery. And I LOVE thorough when it comes to doctors! The fact that my sister was having the surgery (5 weeks prior) and had many more medical issues than I gave me the advantage of not only seeing how Dr. Frantzides dealt with me but, also, how he dealt with her and her medical problems. I could not have been more pleased and at ease when my surgery date came. Despite some unforeseen complications during surgery, I came through with flying colors. My physiology was a challenge which he met and conquered due to his superb skill. He places a strong emphasis on aftercare and explained every step of the process in detail prior to surgery. I've always been able to get a quick response to my questions, no matter how trivial, by contacting his office and/or attending the support group meetings. Overall, I would rate Dr. Frantzides as SUPERB!!!!!!!!! His surgical competence is outstanding and his bedside manner is pretty darn good, too. I would highly recommend him to anyone who's considering having the surgery.

A person who is skeptical about most things encountering Dr. F is in for a surprise. I thought Dr. F was too convinced that this surgery would change me forever. (I had not bought into it yet) What I learned about him was that although he is confident in everything he does, he is a very compassionate surgeon with a great sense of humor. I devoured everything I could find on gastric bypass and hit him with every question you could concieve of. With an exasperated sigh, he challenged me to keep researching gastric bypass and direct any questions I might have to him - he would be glad to answer them. Dr. F is definitely a competent surgeon and he also rates an "A" in communicating with patients. He takes the edge off the surgery - seeming to use what limited knowledge he has of your persona to help you heal. The rest of the team is just as professional and confident, using laughter to ease the pain and doubts that pre-ops and post-ops have about the surgical procedure and change of life occurrences (Dr. Z, Karen T. - I love ya).

What a great group to love!

Veda Joyner

Dr Frantzides is an exelent doctor. He is very knowledgable and cares about his patients and his work. He takes his work very serious! He always knows what to say to make me smile, when I'm feeling blue. He's a very honest and straight forward surgeon. He's always happy and has a smile. Dr. Frantzides went over all the risks with me prior to my surgery and said if I had any questions not to hesitate to contact him or the office. And the best thing was when he told me that I am not a difficult case and he gives me 99.99999% of success. After that I stopped worry completely.On a scale of 1 - 10 I would have to rate him a 10! Dr. Frantzides has wonderful bedside manners and his surgical skills are very competent! I would highly recommend him to anyone who is thinking about having surgery! Thank you Dr. Frantzides for helping me make my life healther and happier!

I knew Dr. Frantzides was the right surgeon for me as soon as I met him. He was warm, knowledgeable, caring, and realistic. He is very sensitive to people suffering from obesity, and everything from the office lay out, chairs, and equipment speaks to that sensitivity. He had exactly the kind of experience that I was looking for--many surgeries and an expert in lap procedures. The surgery itself went beautifully--the only complication was a mild infection of one of the incision sites. I followed instructions to a "T" and never had any problems. Dr. Frantzides had realistic expectations about how much weight I might lose (I surpassed his estimate, and am quite pleased with my results). Since my surgery, Dr. Frantzides has changed practices, so I don't know much about how the office staff is about helping with approvals, etc. I have met with the bariatric program coordinator (Karen Thomas, R.N.)--a wonderful person. She is herself a bariatric patient and so fully understands what it's like to be in our shoes. She's very knowledgeable, very helpful and very accomodating. Again, because the practice has changed, I can't say much about the after care program. I live an hour and a half away from Evanston, and so don't attend the support meetings (though there are many, and the topics always look interesting). I did see the dietitian attached to the program once shortly after the move, and while I found her to be pleasant, she was clearly new to bariatric nutrition, and was concentrating on learning about early post-op issues, so I did not find her very helpful at the time. My guess is that she has expanded her knowledge of longer-term post-ops since, but I can't really speak to support services. If I had it to do over again, I would have Dr. Frantzides perform the surgery again. I have recommended him to two coworkers (one moved out of the area before she could have surgery, the other is doing very well and is quite happy with her choice of Dr. Frantzides).

A great doctor
he did the surgary on my mother-in-law
I am having a lot of problems getting approved and he and his staff are doing all they can to help in the process.

So far his rating(and his staff) A+++++++

7/26/04 I am 5 days post opp and Dr. F did a great job I would recomend him to anyone if anyone has ANY questions about him PLEASE e mail me and I can tell you all about him and his staff.
Again Dr.F THANK YOU for saving my life
Jeff Flanzbaum

I am writing again as tomorrow I will be 2 months post op. My surgeon, Dr. Frantzides and his staff are simply awesome! They have the whole package: compassion, skill, knowledge, sincerity, and true benevolence (which is hard to find in a surgeon I think). I am down about 50 pounds with no complications from the surgery. Anyone out there who tell you that you can't have your surgery done laparascopically, I strongly suggest you go see Dr. Frantzides. I was told that also, and they couldn't have been more wrong. My RNY lap was done 5/19 and everything has been great so far. The other thing I like about Dr. Frantzides and his staff is that they push you hard.... in the hospital and after. It is nice to know the emphasize the after care and support groups. I truly belive I would not be as successful if I din't have the whole package. I wilsh all of you out there good luck!

For the first time in my life I felt like I was talking to a doctor who didn't judge me or blame me for being obese. Instead, he was excited for me and looking forward to helping me. He took his time explaining things and answering my questions including all the risks associated with the surgery, and how he, myself, and the hospital can reduce those risks. He seems knowledgable, patient and kind. I am SO GLAD I am choosing him as my surgeon, he comes so highly recommended. When people ask me "who is your surgeon?" I tell them "Dr. Frantzides." Anyone who knows anything about bariatric surgery has heard of him and can say nothing but wonderful things about him. He is considered a leader in his field.
I was told more than once I would not be able to have Laparoscopic RNY because of my high BMI. Dr. Frantzides says he is 99.999% sure I will be done LAP and not have to have a dreadful open procedure, thus allowing me to function more "normally" after surgery. i.e: quicker healing time, less time spent in the hospital, less risk of infection and hernias, and not to mention FAR less scarring.
He was willing to work within the time frame necessary to complete my surgery. My insurance may be running out come 10/1/04. After speaking with Dr. Frantzides about this, he took out his scheduling book and put me down for 5 weeks from today. I'm sure my situation is not a normal occurence and I appreciate him working with me on it.
So far I am pleased with his bedside manner and surgical confidence. He also stresses the importance of aftercare, which is VERY important to me. I will update again once I am post-op but so far it's been great.

I am a para medic so I tend to be very picky about the physicians i choose. I first went to Barix and i was unhappy with the Surgeons demeanor. When DR. Frantzides and I met the first time I was overwhelmed with how nice and staright forward he was. His staff was top notch. His nurse Karen Thomas, being a post-op patient herself, was and endless sorce of knowledge, experience and energy. The office visist's where very quick around an hour never more. You didnt feel rushed but didnt have to spend your whole day there either. One of the highlights about Dr. Frantzides is he really cares about you. You never feel like a chart or a number or a dollar sign. He gets involved in the assemment of his patients and thoroughly assesses your body style and eating habits. I had several pre-tests to help screen me for other medical problems and I found some that had been nagging me over the years. On a scale of 1-10 I would give Dr. Frantzides and his team a 50, no seriously I would. This was a well rounded supremely run office that gave me as a patient what I wanted and needed---care. From assessment to the follow-ups to the groups after op this team is with you the whole way. I honeslty couldnt pick which Dr. Frantzides is better with surgical competence or bedside manner. I was up and moving right away with minimal pain and discomfort from the laproscopic procedure. I would say his surgical skills are bar none excellent. However a surgeons skill comes only secondary to their bedside manner and that is definatly an area Dr. Frantzides' excells in. He was without a doubt to me the best doctor I have ever seen or worked with. Thank-you Dr. Frantzides and Karen you two brought back hope and happiness.

1. First impression of Dr. F was that he was extremely confident and competent. Dr. Moore, his fellow seemed friendly and competent as well.
2. My impression overtime only confirmed that I had picked the best surgeon out there. Dr. F is not only a gifted surgeon, but he genuinely cares about his patients and goes above and beyond the call of duty to provide the best care possible in every realm of the experience.
3. The staff at Rush was in a different duck pond than his new staff at Evanston Northwestern. Lets see...Rush office staff: cranky, Rush nurse Kathleen: never returned phone calls, Rush hospital nurses: most were in need of a sabatical. However Evanston is another story. Evanston office nurse Karen Thomas is THE BEST (caring, understanding, knowledgeable), Evanston fellow DR. John Zografakis: a taller, paler skinned, non-greek version of DR. Frantzides...Brilliant, caring, funny, and talented. The whole office staff and hospital staff in general are friendlier.
4. Hmmm, what did I like least? He hasn't p***ed me off yet...always returns phone calls and does everything he can to make the whole experience run smoothly. Only comment is that he is perpetually running behind schedule, but that is understandable.
5. Future patients should be prepared to alot extra time when scheduling for appointments as they usually run behind due to the high volume of patients needing care.
6. I suppose if I were a resident of Chicago, I would be able to be involved in the support group there, but as I'm out of state I attend meetings here so I can't comment on what goes on.
7. Although I was well informed before my consultation on the surgical risks due to my own research, Dr.F did take the time to address the risks involved & clearly discussed the need for patient compliance in all aspects of aftercare (i.e. following dietary recommendations, exercise program, ect.)
8. Overall rating of Dr.F is extremely positive. I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you for changing my life...I no longer wait for tomorrow to live. Thank you to Karen & to Dr. Zografakis for providing the best of care. You will never know how grateful I am for all that you've done. I don't have the words to describe...Thank you is all I can say.