Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program Bariatric Center

Hello Everyone, i met with Dr. Alan Schuricht at Pennsylvania Hospital today (12/4/01) for my initial consultation....I only have good things to say about him, he explained the whole procedure, all the risks, the advantages, & the compliance which is needed Post-Op....I met with Dr. Schuricht & his dietician Rachel Griehs & felt very comfortable...They offer a support group which meets once a month & will start meeting more frequently in the future...Dr. likes to keep in touch with his patients Post-Op & mentioned setting up annual get togethers like at the zoo or somewhere else to see how everyone is doing...The office staff is very nice, easy to contact whenever i would happen to have any questions....I would rate Dr. Schuricht a 10 out of 10 & would recomend anyone to at least go & meet with him, i'm sure you would have the same opinion i do....

All I can say about Dr Kirkland is that he seems to be very proficient in what he does, hes very knowledgable and no at the support meeting that he operated on had any ohter problems but what could be expected, everyone said they would it twice if they had to so thats good enough for me.

My first impression of Dr. Kirkland, was wonderful. He answered all my questions, and drew a picture of the surgery and discribed everything clearly. His office staff are extremely pleasant and very helpful. I'm in the healthcare field, and I must say his staff are very "on the ball".

DR. KIRKLAND SEEMS LIKE A VERY NICE, WELL EDUCATED SURGEON. I ATTEND HIS SUPPORT GROUP AT PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL, AND ALL OF HIS PATIENTS ONLY HAVE GOOD THINGS TO SAY ABOUT HIM. THE NURSE JODIE WHO WORKS IN HIS OFFICE IS A REAL SWEETHEART. SHE IS VERY DEDICATED TO HER WORK. DR. KIRKLAND ALSO HAS VERY BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES!

I met with Dr. Kirkland on 10/15/2001 after waiting 3 months from the time i made the appointment. I was so nervous but as soon as he walked into the room he put me at ease by jumping up on the exam table and saying I have the exam table and you have the chair this time. He spent the rest of the time telling me everything about the operation and the expected outcome. He assured me I was an excellent candidate and should have no problem being approved. So far my impression of Dr Kirkland is that he is a great person and knows what he is doing. I feel confident that everything will go just fine.

When I first met Dr. Kirkland I felt comfortable right away. He let me know that I was at risk of having problems or even deathe because of my obesity. He talked about the surgery that he would perform, and drew me a picturr of what my stomach would look like. He said that there is a risk with the surgery, but he performs surgeries all the time that are riskier. With meeting him just for the first time today(May17,2001)I felt pretty comfortable. More information to follow as I continue my journey.
September 30th: I didn't realize that I didn't update this since my surgery. My surgery went very well. I'm feeling great. if you plan on having surgery from Dr. Kirkland in the future, just know he is a very very busy man. you will hardly see him. I only seen him minutes before surgery and when I was being discharged I seen him for about 2 minutes. He checked my incision and told me my swallow test was fine. Dr. Kirkland is an excellent doctor, but if you are looking for a doctor with a great bedside manner also, this is not the doctor for you.I really respect this doctor because of his surgical competence.

I will be meeting with Dr. Kirkland for the first time today, July 9. I will let you know how it goes. I have consulted another surgeon, but he is out of my network and I don't have the stamina to fight the insurance company. I have Keystone but it is a federal plan and they do pay for bariatric surgery as long as I stay in network. But here goesssssss.......

Matt Kirkland is movie star good looking. He has the bluest eyes you have ever seen and he is wonderful! I liked Dr. Matt right off because he explained everything in detail and took the time to discuss my fears, goals and hopes. He matter of factly stated that I would be down to at least 150 by next summer. WOW????? I just couldn't get my mind around that and still have a hard time believing there is a beautiful svelte body beneath this fat.

In the hospital, I never saw Matt once, not even prior to surgery which did upset me. I still need to tell him about that and get it off my chest. However I really do understand he is a busy man and does other surgeries besides WLS.

Dr. Kirkland's staff is incredible. Not only do they schedule appointments and handle requests, they take the time to ask me how I'm doing and they mean it. Jody and Trisha are the best at what they do!!!! I've never waited longer than 10 minutes to see anyone which is awesome.

My impression of Dr. Kirkland is still great... He is an amazing Surgeon and a humanitarian. I believe he understands the miraculous impact thousands of lives.... The miracles not only happen for the patient but for all the lives around them, thier loved ones and friends.

Aftercare is empathized a great deal and all WLS patients of Dr. Kirklands attend a monthly support meeting run by a Dietician. I haven't gone yet but plan to go. I've spoken with the Dietician several times and it's very helpful. I personally utilize the bulletin board at spotlightonhealth.

I've known the risks from the beginning but yes indeed Dr. Kirkland reviewed them all. I didn't have one questions left when I left his office, I got scheduled.

I'd rate Matt Kirkland a 10. He is a great man of medicine.

I'd say surgical competence because although I enjoy bedside manner in this type of operation I want a technician, a surgeon who is well seasoned yet open minded to newer technologies.

I met with Dr. Williams for the first time today. He was very very nice as was his staff. He answered all my questions about what to expect from the surgery . before, during and after. His staf was great! I couldn't compliment them enough on how comfortable they made me feel. The one thing I will say was it was a rather long wait .. my appt was at 1:00 but I didn't get to see the Dr until about 3:00. But all in all, the wait was worth it.

I will talk for the first time to Dr. Williams next tuesday July 24'01. I will let you know about my experience with him later.
*7/24/01* Went to talk to Dr. williams and he's a very likable person. The office was full of people, had to wait about 3 hours for him to see me. Even though he is super busy, he encouraged me to ask all the questions I have and he didn't rush the appoinment at all. I don't have any bad comment to say about him or his office staff at all. On the contrary, everybody who talked to me, from his medical assistant, secretary (heather), nutricionist (allison) are super nice and very helpful. I recommend him to anyone. I will starting going to the support groups this week, hopefully. Seems that UPenn has a well structured WLS program.