Surgical Group of Johnson City Bariatric Center

My big problem with Dr. Watson is with his after care, and because of this, I would not recommend him to my worst enemy. Sure, he’s personable, friendly, and very interested in you and your upcoming surgery, but once he has done the cutting, you might not ever see him again. I never did, even though I tried repeatedly.

Even when I was in the hospital for my surgery, I only saw him twice. Once the morning of the surgery, and I think that maybe he came by when I first woke up. The only doc I remember seeing was his junior partner and not my surgeon.

There is no structured after-care program, only a liaison named Pat who will *sometimes* call you back if you have questions. Pat is not, however, a medical, psychological, or nutritional professional. She is just a lady who was Dr. Watson’s very first gastric bypass patient. (Apparently she had a number of problems and has enjoyed additional surgery or surgeries. Perhaps it was safer to put her on the payroll than to risk a lawsuit. That’s my suspicion, anyway.)

Pat dispenses advice and frequently forgets that she is not a medical or psychological professional. Want to know the very best part about my experience with Pat? My husband talked to her when he had concerns about my libido three months after the surgery. I was still easily exhausted and just not interested. Anyway, Pat told him to consider the possibility that maybe I was getting “it” somewhere else, as it wasn’t uncommon for bariatric patients to lose a lot of weight and go crazy. ^&%*&%^~!!!! Do you have ANY idea how long it took me to calm my husband back down? (I am not making this up, I swear.)
Follow-up eight months later: I've haven't seen my surgeon since my surgery, although I've been back three times. The first time I got a nurse who removed my jp-drain, and doc wasn't even in the building. The second time I got a nurse that I didn't exactly trust and the third time he was called out for emergency surgery and canceled everyone's appointments. (It doesn’t help at all that I drove for an hour and a half to get there, and no one from his office even bothered to call and tell me.) It's a day from work each time I go and a drive of almost three hours. If I try this again, then I am definitely taking my big notebook full of questions and refusing to leave until he sees me. Now I can't even talk to the nurse I didn't trust because he fired her or she went to work somewhere else. (sigh)

Follow-up TEN months later: Guess what? I STILL haven't seen my surgeon!! I did make another trip over the Christmas season, and he was never even in the office. No, his staff did not call me and let me know, either. I found out not when I arrived but when I refused to hand over my copay until I actually, really, truly saw my surgeon. Then the girl looked startled and informed me that he wasn't even there - again. I took my notebook with me - you know, the one full of questions that I never get answers to. We even asked the office manager if he could *call* and bill me for an appointment, just so I could have answers. She said no, he doesn't do that. What a $#&$&#& joke.

Fast forward five years: I’ve done fairly well in several respects, but I’ve had a couple of persistent problems that I have had to rely on my GP for. Since I am still having those issues, I am considering trying to persuade Dr. Boyce in Knoxville to see me.

I recommend him to anyone who is wanting to have surgery.

Great team : Doc Watson Rocks

My first impression of Dr. Watson's office was it was clean and new. His office staff was very friendly and knowledgable. They took there time to look over all of my packet and answer all concerns that I had. They took the time needed to explain all of the surgery and the importance of aftercare. They addressed all of the risks and gave statistics for each one. They gave both overall stats and stats in their office. The only negative thing that I can think of was the wait. My appointment was at 3:00 and I didn't get in 5:30 6:00. I would most certainly recommend him to someone else.

It was fairly easy to get an appointment with Dr. Hodge and the staff seemed friendly and well informed about my insurance. My surgery date was about 45 days after my first consult. Dr. Hodge appeared bright and compassionate. He gave me material to read and a week to consider my WLS options. Dr. Hodge was very honest and informed me of the risk of gastric bypass and made sure I understood that it is a tool to help me in my weight loss and I must make a lifetime committment to change for it to be truly successful. It is wonderful to have a surgeon who is experienced and personable.rn rn

Dr. Watson was wonderful. The office staff was helpful and friendly.

To be honest, I wasn't very impressed. After my 2nd visit, Dr. Hodge was pretty nice. I think they want to see how serious we are about having this surgery. Dr. Hodge's staff has alway's been super nice. Alway's helpful & kind. Dr. Hodge stresses the aftercare you will need, & also let's you know how IMPORTANT it is. He told me up front how careful I would have to be. On a scale of 1-10, Dr. Hodge is an 8. I have done so well, I think his surgical competence is WONDERFUL!!

Dr. Hodge was great! He made me feel extremely comfortable about a very difficult subject. Overall, my first impression of Dr. Hodge is that he is serious about his profession and wants only the best for his patients both before and after surgury.rnrnUpdate: While the before care was good, his office aftercare left something to be desired. I live over an hour and a half away from his office and twice his staff scheduled me an appointment only for me to drive down there and have them say, \"there's been a mistake\". Both times, I had appointment cards that they had filled out with the exact time and dates to which they said, \"Sorry, we must have looked at the calendar wrong.\" The second time, I asked the office staff if there was anyway that Dr. Hodge could go ahead and see me since this was just a quick followup. They said that Dr. Hodge was not there that he was in surgery. At that moment, Dr. Hodge walked down the hallway and into his office. I called there attention to this and they ignored me. Unfortunately, after two visits similar to this, I dismissed myself from his care and have since had to rely on my PCP for any followup issues. I did speak with Dr. Hodge, however nothing was ever really resolved. Please understand that this was really an office staff and office procedures issue more than a surgical performance issue.

My surgeon was wonderful. We did not think that our insurance would approve so i went thorugh it as just in case. The day it got approved i was scared. I asked him a bunch of questions and he was honest about everythign. I asked him about dying and he said \"if it is your time to go God will take you\" - right then i knew i was dealing with a Christian man and I felt so much better.I actually did not see him after teh surgery but i saw his partner. tHey gave me aa book on all the things to eat or drink and when. (But I lost it) Anyway I could not be happier witht eh docotrs that i encountered.

'MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF DR WATSON WAS HE WAS STRAIGHT FORWARD