Hennepin County Medical Center Bariatric Center

Dr Krook was very young, but very confidant and kind.I only met him twice before surgery but scared as I was he reassured me and in the end this dr was nothing short of amazing!!!From my surgery to how well it was done with 0 complications minimal scarring minimal pain. He is very good at what he does, he has a gift for helping people like us! Dr Krook usually only does surgery laprascopicaly. I stongly recommend this ,within 1 week I took my kids to the water park and we were bike riding, The bariatric center in unity hospital is far superior to most others ive heard about! They are stict and very stuctured but its all well worth it.As far as surgery risks he was upfront and real,he told me all the surgical and medical problems that could happen,he also assured me he is very determined to have his patients have one of the best ucess rates so we all have minimal problems.overall I give him 9.5 I feel so blessed to have had such great access to amazing health care!

I go to the Bariatric Center at Unity Hospital in Fridely, MN. The staff there is unbelievably nice, frindly and moderately socialable. The insurance lady there and I believe her name is Jen ( I will double check that), is an angel. My surgeon who I just met recently is extremely informative, reassuring and confident in himself. He is alos not afraid to throw a little humor in to make sure moods stay calm and light hearted. He makes sure that you understand how important after care is, and that is is ok to come in and call him for ABSOLUTELY ANY reason that may have you concerned. He was very thorough with the risks, the rates that they happen, how they may be able to fix them, and the very scary aspects of the surgery that could occur. He was also very thorough in explaining all of the positive aspects as well. I would rate Dr. Krook a definite 11 on a 1-10 scale. I will come back at a later date, after I have had the surgery since I really do not know bedside manner, but I am assuming they will be just fine!

MY FIRST INPRESSION WAS A VERY STRAIGHT TO THE POINT DR. JUST WHAT I WANTED. HE WAS GREAT TAKING TIME WITH ME AND EXPAINING EVERTHING THAT I NEEDED TO KNOW, AND ANSWERING ALL MY QUESTIONS THAT I HAD. HE TOLD ME TO TAKE 3 WEEKS OFF WORK AND LEARN HOW TO LIVE MY NEW LIFE. I LEFT HIS OFFICE ON SUCH AN EMOTIONAL HIGH I DIDN'T SLEEP FOR A WEEK. I AM SO GREATFUL I WENT TO HIS SEMINAR TO MEET AND CHOOSE HIM AS A DR.

My first impression of him was that he was confident and knowledgable. All of the risk were relayed to me seriously but with a bit of humor too. After surgery, and because of it, I have more confidence in him. All staff were great, with the exception of a gossipy nurse in post-op.

I think that Dr Krook is a great surgeon. the fact that he is the only one in Dr Bakers office who does the procedure (RNY) laproscopically (sp?) is a great reason why I would refer others to him. I feel almost "normal" (given the obvious changes) after only 5 days of surgery. I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone.

I just want to let everyone know, that I think Dr. Lederer is awesome! He was incredible before and after my surgery, he really cares. Does tell you the risks and benefits of the surgery. Everyone was and continues to be wonderful when I am in his office.

I would HIGHLY recommend him.

Lisa Schindler

I met with Dr. Lederer today and found him very thorough, upbeat and positive. I really liked him. He went over the Lap RNY and Lap Band procedures, explaining the risks and complications of both. I've decided to go with the Lap Band option.

I thought he was awfully young. I changed my mind when I talked with him, he is quite knowledgeable. His staff was great. There wasn't anything I didn't like about him. His future patients should know that he is a caring physician and should have no fear that he is competent. Aftercare is important, and he is there to make sure you do it. Yes, there is an aftercare program. He was very upfront about the risks of surgery. I would rate him at a 10 ++++. Both his surgical competence and bedside manner were great.

Very high enegy and positive ,yet tells it like it is. Doesn't gloss over the possible side effects and freely gives you his rates for complications. He is adament that this surgery is only a tool and that YOU determine how well it works for you. The only bad thing is he seemed so pressed for time that I felt he was a little rushed, yet in his defense, I was added on late. They keep very close tabs on you for the first 18 months and then you can choose how much support you need.I have worked for HP for years , but his office ALWAYS calls me back when they say they will and I get a real person on the phone when I call. I will update this after my surgery!

I have a lot to say about Howard Lederer. I first met with Howard (Dr. Lederer) back in February of '04 when I went with my boyfriend to HIS surgery consultation with him. So, I've known Howard for almost a year. I'm one of the more memorable people he's met because during the presentation he gives to his patients, I started to have a hypoglycemic reaction. He looked over and saw how pale I was and knew something was up and asked if I was okay and I told him no so he rushed me out of the room we were in and took me to 2 of his nurses who helped me out (that's the day I found out I had hypoglycemia, so I had no idea what was happening to me). Anyhow, from that day on I have been very fond of Howard and I had no worries about him, I knew he'd take good care of my boyfriend. And he did. Then my father had surgery last month in November with him and he rememberd me and also I was going through the process at the same time so by now everything was routine. When we my dad told my boyfriend and I that he was thinking about surgery we told him we would only let him go to Howard, there wasn't any other option, and the same went for me. It was a no-brainer. He is absolutely wonderful! Howards staff is just incredible too. Everyone is so helpfull and willing to go the extra mile for you. Everyone is very good at returning calls promptly too which was a huge plus because I hate putting my days on hold when waiting for a doctor to call back and they take forever. These people are so prompt, you'll usually hear back in an hour or two after leaving a message...sometime's sooner. Future patient's of Howard when they first meet him shouldn't let his size (he is shorter than me and I'm 5'4"!) be an indicator of his work and him in general. You'll soon find that out. He is straight forward with you, which I really like, and tells you like it is, no sugar coating. He has a very structured aftercare program. You see him 1 to 2 weeks after surgery, then a month, and so on, along with meeting with the dietician every so often also. He addresses all risks of surgery in his presentation and also gives you what his own statistics are as well as national statistics. I would have to rate Howard as a 5 star doctor. You're all gonna love him! I can't say enough good things about him!

I met with Dr. Lederer about 2 weeks ago. I attended the seminar others have written about. It was informative but also repetitive of the informational seminar that Dr. Hartley had presented.

The doctor seems passionate about his profession. I like his background and his reasons for performing bariatric surgeries. I think this helps make it believable that he cares. He did a very good, informative presentation. Another fact I like a lot is what another wrote - he will tell you the national stats but he also states his own stats, including the fact that he has had one patient die from a clot about 4 weeks after surgery.

I met with him individually after the presentation. There was some question about whether insurance would approve me due to BMI at 38.2 and not much in the was of "approved" co-morbilities except high LDL. Our meeting was fast, he felt my stomach and pretty much stated he would be willing to perform the surgery for me. Sometimes I feel like because I am a "small overweight" person I am not taken as serious as those with 100-200# to lose.

My surgery date is 12/21. I hope I will find him to be as compassionate as others have stated he is. What I do rate very high at this point is the program offered at HCMC and the nurses, Jen, Dr. Bartley who have all been tremendously helpful and showed patience.