Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program Bariatric Center

He was great, and the whole team in his office was as well. The system they have in place may take a while, but it was worth the wait. And I feel I benefited from this. Other than post op appointments and the meeting once a month at the hospital, (which is great) not much else in the way of aftercare structure. I will rate him 100% great. And as I look back even from the first week, it was much easier than I ever thought it would be. But everyone is different, and I know other people with different experiences. With other surgeons and hospitals etc. I am glad it is over, and I am still the same "fat person" on the inside, and I am having a hard time getting myself to exercise and still am tempted to eat the wrong things, just like the old me..and it scares me A LOT....

I feel safe in his surgical hands.

My first impression of Dr. Korus at our first meeting in Sept was that he was very business and lacked bedside manner. Even at our next meeting I tried to joke, but aparently he wasn't in the laughing mood. However, as I approach surgery I am comforted by the fact that he is all business.
Jan2306- Well post op I have a completely different impression of Dr. Korus. He's great! He has a fine bedside manner and he is caring and concerned...he's also very business like. I highly recommend him to anyone thinking about bariatric surgery in the Philly area.

His receptioned Debbie is a hoot! Full of energy- talks fast. She's helpful though not terribly informative. She'll point you in the right direction. You just have to be willing to search for the information you need.

Karen Busby is Dr. Korus's nutritionist. She's very nice in a quiet way. She has a lot of information, but I can't help wondering how much she knows beyond what is written down. I really haven't had to test her knowledge...let's hope I never do.

Dr. Wernsing is a wonderful person! He thoroughly explained all aspects of surgery and answered my questions completely and honestly. His staff is unbelieveable! The program coordinator (Carrie Buckley) is wonderful. She walks you through start to finish and is always there to answer your questions. His assistant (Cindy) is great! She too was available to assist with insurance problems, making appointments for pre-tests, etc. Finally, his nutritionist (Jim Henry) - let me tell you that Jim rocks! He's young and he understands everything. He can tell you what vitamins not to take with others, how to make your protein shakes better, what supplements are better than others and much, much more.

Dr. Wernsing has a very structured program. If you follow through everything they instruct you to do, you will have a pleasant experience before, during and after surgery. This is a wonderful program and I would recommend it to anyone out there who is considering surgery. You will not be disappointed with this program - it's top notch and worth the trip over the bridge!

Overall, I'm extrememly pleased with Dr. Wernsing and his entire staff! I would give them a billion stars and recommend them to everyone out there!!!

I was immediately impressed with Dr. Kirkland at the first group meeting and he alleviated many of my fears. I actually did not have much personal contact with him as I was approved quickly and my surgery was scheduled fairly quick. I met with Kim in his office before and after surgery and saw the doctor each day in the hospital. I suppose his reputation preceeded him and I was quite content with the job he did and his expertice made my end of the deal that much easier. Hopefully I won't need to have much contact with him as I have had not one complication. Dr. Kirkland's staff hold a monthly support group meeting and we can contact the office staff at any time and they are all very helpful. We have a nutritionist who is avaiable with all stupid and serious questions and I give all his staff an A+.
Dr. Kirkland only does Open RNY surgery. I recovered quickly and was back to work 9 days after my surgery. I believe the key to a fast recovery is to get off the pain medicaiton as soon as you can.

From the first meeting with Dr. Schuricht and his staff, I felt very comfortable. He has great bedside manner, spends time talking to you, and he truly cares about his patients. He gave me my new life and I think he is awesome!!

I HAD MY FIRST VISIT WITH DR.WILLIAMS IN AUGUST 2005. THE OFFICE STAFF WAS VERY FRIENDLY, AND I ONLY HAD TO WAIT ABOUT 20 MINUTES TO BE CALLED. ALL TOGETHER MY OFFICE VISIT WAS ABOUT 1 HOUR. I GOT TO MEET WITH THE NURSE, NUTRITIONIST, THEN DR.WILLIAMS. HE WAS VERY RIGHT TO THE POINT WHICH I LIKED, HE MADE SURE TO ASK ANY CONCERNS OR QUESTIONS THAT I HAD ABOUT THE SURGERY. I WOULD RECOMMEND HIM TO OTHERS THAT ARE PLANNING TO HAVE BARIATRIC SURGEY. HE DEFINATELY PRESENTED HIMSELF WELL AND GAVE ME A FIRST GOOD IMPRESSION.

I don't have anything bad to say about my surgeon, or his staff. I have 2 small toddlers, and they come with me everywhere since I am a stay at home mother, but his staff is great, when I need to have a seriouse discussion, or listen with no interuptions, someone else form the staff comes in and distracts the children, so I can get the best experience from my visit. My doctor has gone over the risks of surgery everytime I meet with him, and no matter what questions I have he answers them confidently. My doctor has it all, surgical competence, and bedside manner. I am very pleased with Dr. Korus.
The nutritionist is anouther matter, but I belive there is a different page for that!

I can't imagine having a better surgeon than Dr. Korus. From the beginning I felt good about him- I've been to some other "hot shot doctors" who were inaccesible, and frankly, arrogant, but not him. He's very clear and honest, and open to any questions. He took the time to return calls to me personally, which really meant a lot. Aftercare is emphasized from the initial appointment, and along with meeting with Dr K you meet with his nutritionist Karen Buzby, who's also great. Risks were explained in frank detail, along with my personal chances of complications. He came to see me frequently in my hospital room, and called me the sunday after my friday release to see how I was feeling at home and what i was consuming, doing, etc. I had a scare about a week after my surgery- I had a lot of right shoulder pain, and he wanted me to come to the ER of his hospital. He prepared the ER doctor for me and came to see me in the waiting room- after running 7 hours worth of tests it turned out to be just muscular pain, and even though it was a long day in the ER, it's reassuring that he takes all precautions. As far as my experience goes he seems to be a wonderfully skilled surgeon, as I've had no complications or extraordinary pain, and almost all foods are tolerated. I would reccomend Dr Korus to any future bariatric patient.
The only negative I have to mention is the sometimes disorganization of his office, which my mother and I have both experienced. Incorrect scripts, unsent files/paperwork, forgotten appointments, incorrect appointments with other departments of the hospital for testing, and incorrect pre-testing instructions are some of the problems we've run into.

My first impression of Dr. Kirkland was: WHAT A CUTIE! I chose Dr. Kirkland initially because he specializes in other GI surgerical procedures and because I've had many abdominal surgeries, felt he was the one for me. I had my initial consult with 6 other patients, which surprised me a bit. Three days after my consultation, I received a call from his office with an approval from my insurance! I was ecstatic, as I was expecting this to be one of my first major hurdles. His staff is very friendly and accessible when needed. I was very confident with Dr. Kirkland doing the surgery and now that I am 3 and a half weeks post-op am glad he is my doctor. In addition to the GB, he removed adhesions (left from previous surgery). He is a kind person and has good bedside manner. You can tell thet he really cares about his patients.