Northside Hospital of Atlanta Bariatric Center
So far, I'm very impressed with the staff. Everybody in the office is very knowledgeable and kind. Dr. Williams is an affable fellow who had lots of good information for me and answered my questions in a very matter of fact way. He explained all the risks clearly. The office is HUGE on aftercare! Once a member of the practice, a patient is a member for life with no more fees etc.
I met with Dr. Hart on July 12th. It took about 3 weeks to get the appointment and in the meantime, I scheduled my psych eval with Dr. Santavicca so that it would be complete along with starting my nutrition evals with Rachel in Dr. Hart's office so that the nutrition requirements would be in the works. I also put together my three year (actually more) diet history and obtained copies of all of my medical records and provided all of this information to him at the initial meeting. The book he wants you to read is A Complete Guide to Obesity Surgery by Bryan Woodward. I was unable to find it prior to my consultation but Dr. Hart's office has them available for $30 so I bought it from them. At the initial consultation you can expect a warm and friendly attitude from the staff and a very caring attitude from Dr. Hart. He doesn't pull any punches and he doesn't sugar coat. He is here to help those who are willing to make the necessary commitments. You will have a group presentation by Dr. Hart with group questions and answers and then you will be examined individually and given a chance to meet and ask any personal questions you may have. He truly makes you feel as if you are the only patient he has. He doesn't rush you and will answer ALL of your questions! You will leave his office with orders for pre-op testing that must be done prior to submitting for approval. You can expect the full range of testing. Everyone is different but there are some standard tests as I understand it. I was required to have a full panel of blood work, EKG, Upper GI, Gallbladder ultrasound, Dubotamine Echo Stress Test, Arterial Blood Gases test and Pulmonary Function Testing. It takes two days at Emory Dunwoody or you can get the orders and have the tests run somewhere close to you. But beware, not all hospitals run all of the tests so if this is something you're going to think of doing make sure you know ahead of time what tests the hospital can and cannot complete for you. I am very comfortable with Dr. Hart and am looking forward to my new life thanks to him!
I had decided to go to Dr. Procter (his partner) at first. To get the surgery date I wanted, I had to use Dr Richard. Boy, I'm glad I did! He is very nice, took time to answer all my questions, and has a great sense of humor.
My first impression was that he was too military. When I became his patient, my opinion changed drastically. He is great, sympathetic and doesn't mind when you hug him!
I love the office staff at Obesity Solutions! Many of them are former patients and actually understand all your problems. They are encouraging and friendly.
I can't think of anything I don't like about Dr. Richard.
If you are thinking of Dr Richard, don't let the first impression put you off.
The whole Obesity Solutions team encourage aftercare. We are to see them for the rest of our lives. They have a support group and informational meetings as well as a website for support.
The risks of surgery are educated until you know them by heart. Dr Richard taylors them to your own current medical condition and previous surgery history.
I would give Dr Richard and Obesity Solutions an A++ overall.
I couldn't see him operate, but my mother is a surgical nurse (retired) and felt he was great in his competence. I love his bedside manner. He's very warm and actually listens!
My first impression of Dr. Richard was and still is WONDERFUL. The office staff is so very nice and knowledgeable. He totally put me at ease and answered all of my questions very well and also educated me a little more. Future patients will fall in love with his bedside manner... he is very soft-spoken and looks you in the eye, not at your belly and treats you like you are the only person in the world while he is talking to you. He addressed the risks of surgery in detail and made sure I understood every last risk and what could happen, and ended with "But we're not expecting that, nor are we going to think about it unless it's necessary." He is very confident about the outcome of each patient, he's not "Oh, everyone will be fine." There is no "everyone" when it's just you and him. It's only you. He is completely focused on you and nothing else. I am completely at rest with him and not worried about anything. He exudes self-confidence and the beside manner is very confident and very caring. I look forward to getting to know him better. This is my own personal experience with him and my opinion of him has not changed.
I have changed my profile to Dr Hart and will update once I have had my appoinment.
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My 1st surgeon I consulted was Dr John Daly in Atlanta, Georgia. My impression of Dr Daly was unfavorable. I waited 1 1/2hours to see him. He was in with a patient before me for about 30 minutes talking about his problem and joking around. When he came out of the room he state how tired he was and needed to go to the bank before 3pm and it was already 2:30. He said well my next patient is only a gastric bypass and should not take long. Once he came into the room he started to explain the surgery and why he did it lap. He said he does it lap because he is tired of holding up people's heavy belly. I was totally shocked. He spent the last 10 minutes eating his words. My appointment with him one on one lasted about 10-12minutes. Obviously I won't be going back to him. No tact or compassion for me, a gastric bypass patient.
THIS WAS MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WITH THIS PHYSICIAN. I AM MAKING NO STATEMENTS ABOUT WHAT OTHER PEOPLE MAY EXPERIENCE.
My first impression is that he was highly skilled, and cared about me, and i still feel this way. His office staff is outstanding, Tami is an angel. Be prepared to wait when you go for an appointment with him, and I cannot get upset over that because it is because he is taking care of a patient concern.
Dr. Daly has the rare trait of incredible surgical competence and bedside manner. Most of his female patients seem to fall in love with him, and I think that is because of his smile. He has an amazing smile, and gives you a look that most overweight people are not used to seeing.
I met Dr. Williams today for the first time and I was very impressed. As a long time RN I found him to have excellent beside manner and very imformative. When I went to the hospital for my pre-op everyone had nothing but nice things to say about him. This really helps the mind support and faith in the person you are placing your life in his hands!
~impression, was good!
~impression over time, hasn't changed!
~office staff, great!
~like best, great reputation!
~emphasize in aftercare, great deal!
~structured aftercare program, yes!
~risks addressed, yes greatly- oppourtunity to ask anything you can possible think of!
~rating overall, 9!
~I am a person who had complications because I got the flu 5 weeks post-op. I have found that among advising the office of how sick I was, they did not follow up with me, as I thought they would have, that is just my personal assessment.