Greater Colombia Bariatric Surgeons Bariatric Center

1/28/01-haven't had the pleasure of meeting my miracle worker yet...I've heard nothing but "praise" from all my friends he performed the WLS on...I'll definately post MY personal oppinion after my consultation on 1/31/01!

1/31/01
My first impression of Dr. Fox was, he looks tired. Not old, but he is pretty "up there", but just tired...
He was very soft spoken, and had a great sense of humor, and I totally believe he was compassionate towards "our kind". He spoke with deep sincerety about all the discrimination we go through with insurance companies, society, and even our own doctors. The patient advocates that was there was sincere, and very frank about the doctor, his practice, and his expectations, and she was very encouraging and compassionate towards us. I can't think of one negative thing about the experience I had attending Dr. Fox's group meeting(except that I got hungry!!!:), it was informative, and straight to the point, and he gave everyone in the room a new sense of hope. I'm most definate He's the best surgeon for me!

I first met Dr. Fox when my friend was scheduled for her surgery in 1998. I was thin at the time but went with her to Tacoma to support her. I was impressed with his compassion for overweight people and how he explained what happens to us because of our genes. Now he is my hero. I never thought at the moment I met him that I would gain 100+ pounds and be seeing him myself in 2 years. I never got to know his staff very well but I do know that the patient advocate that I have is wonderful. We have to touch bases with them by phone and have consults with our advocate at least once a month. He stressed the risks of the surgery but also the risks of not having the surgery. He is a 10+ in my book and he always will be. Both surgical competence and bedside manner were great!

I liked him. I could tell he really cared.







I do not like the fact that you never see him until right before you go into surgery.







He told you everything that could go wrong and even told about the one's that didn't make it since the start of his practice over 30 years ago.

Dr. Fox is a man who really cares about "heavy people." He truly cares about you and remembers everything you tell him. He really wants you to be healthy and after care is required. He has a large support group.He lets you know the risks. He is a gentle man. When he told me that there was a tiny person inside of me he made me believe it too.I believe he has a gift in this surgery is it.I liked the way he held my hand anr talked to me.

I liked Dr. Fox right away. He had sent a video previously, so I had an idea of his demeanor. I met him at his seminar in Tacoma. I have had my pre-op visit with his staff and found them to be very helpful and very thorough. I like the fact that he has a very structured after care program. WLS is a MAJOR thing, not to be taken lightly. I feel the after care program must be followed to the letter for a person to achieve success. Every question I had about risks was answered as well as questions I didn't think to ask. I am looking forward to a new and better life.

Dr.Fox was very, very good. He was very professional and wanted everyone to succeed

After meeting with Dr. Fox, Dr. Shricamp, and their office staff I have nothing but positive things to say. Dr. Fox actually did my surgery with Dr. Shricamp assisting. Dr. Fox was the most supportive and caring person I'd ever hope to encounter. Dr. Shricamp has found an excellent office to work in as he also was very caring.

The office staff was friendly and interested. They were very willing to help out with any of my questions.

I was educated at length of the risks and possible complications of the surgery but also of the risks and complications of being overweight.

My first impression of Dr. Fox was his attitude.
He is very relaxed and easy to talk to. Dr. Fox's
knowlegde of Bariatrics is vast. His sympathy
towards the obeise and his desire to help them
become *normal* is wonderful.

My impression of Dr. Fox hasn't changed, and can
honestly say there is nothing I don't like about
him.

The staff at his office is knowledgeable and always
willing to help.

You can trust him to know what needs to be done and
be truthful with you at all times. He's got a great
sense of humor.

Dr. Fox's aftercare program is strict and well
structured. 4 weeks liquids to start - 1 to 1-1/2
ounces of food 3 to 6 time daily until the weight
is off - vitamins and protein supplements. NO SUGAR!
Excercise.

Dr. Fox was very straight forward when he addressed
the risks of the surgery.

Of course these are my own personal opinions and
someone else

On a scale of 1 to 10, I would definitely give Dr.
Fox an 11. His sugical competence and bedside manner
are great. He explains everything and makes sure you
understand it.

My first impression of Dr. Fox was he is very warm and genuine. My impression has not changed over time. His office staff were very supportive. There was nothing I didn't like about Dr. Fox. Future patients should know that he honestly cares about his patients as people and understands what it's like to be obese. He very much emphasizes aftercare. There is a very structured aftercare program. He went over all of the risks of surgery and then went over all of the risks of being obese and told us to decide for ourselves which risks to take. Overall I would rate him 10/10. Surgical competence and bedside manner are both great. I would highly recommend Dr. Fox as a surgeon and caregiver.

I have not met Dr. Fox yet, in fact I am at the bottom step of starting the ball rolling. I am planning on attending his mandatory discussion group on 1-12-00. His office staff is very patient as I called them about 3 times inside of 15 minutes because I kept coming up with questions I wanted answered. I will update this as time goes on.

1.21.00 I felt the discussion group was satisfactory. I have done research on Dr. Fox, and found some things I have to talk to him about one on one before I put myself in his care.

He said I could probably get into a size 8 after weight loss. Sure hope he is right. I was hoping for a 5-6, but I have a medium to largish frame, so he is probably right. I have yet to meet with him one on one.

2.21.00 I am still waiting for 3 out of 9 doctors to send in my records. This has been a frustrating month. I want everything to move ahead yesterday. I will call Dr. Fox's office again on the 23rd if they don't call me first. They have been great at talking to me, and returning my calls. This is really important, as i know I am going to need their support if and when I have surgery.

5-28-00 Well, I had my consult with Dr. Fox, and found him to be compassionate and personable. He seemed to feel sorry that I have to use a cane, and that my knees are in such bad condition. I feel he is competent to do my surgery, and I am very impressed with the coordination of things when the ball finally gets rolling. His aftercare program is impressive, and I signed a paper stating I was his for life. He has had many years experience and is constantly reviewing and updating his program. I have met many of his patients at Michelle Curran's support group, and the one thing I noticed about them is thier glow of health and their wonderful color. He is a stickler for taking a lot of protein in drinks, and vitamins. His main concern for you is your success, and that is reiterated to me on numerous occasions. If something isn't going right, or feeling right, they want to know. They have many alternative ways in which you can go that works best for you as an individual. You can say I am impressed with Dr. Fox and his Staff. I'll write more after my surgery which is coming up in 2 days.
Sept.25,2000
Well, I filled this out, and darned if AOL didn't knock me off and destroy everything I typed. GRRR!!!

I obviously had my surgery, and am very happy with the results. My first big problem arose when I recieved my first bill from Dr. Fox's office. $175.00 for an appt with a PA!!! First, I was not told that there was a 90 day cut off on the aftercare, nor was i told I would be "on the clock"..paying in 10 minute increments. Since I am self-pay, my insurance will not pay for this, and I am stuck with a bill that is going to take me awhile to pay off. Glad I "caught on" as no one was about to tell me of the policies of this office. It's hard to get answers for things when you don't know the questions!! I found the office staff unyielding and unwilling to "work with me" on this problem. After much questioning on my part...I found that I cannot even call a nurse in the office without paying a minimum of $80.00 for the phone call!!! I am very sad that my relationship with Dr. Fox must end like this on such a negative note. They will not deal with you on an individual basis, and I see now why Dr. Fox will not discuss financial matters with you..as his office is inflexible on these matters. Had I known of the 90 day cut off, my last appt could have easily been made within this period of time. I mean, who is going to knowingly throw away $175.00 and not even talk to the doctor himself? I must say I am extremely disappointed that they will not work with their patients that don't have good insurance. My surgery was very successful, and as a surgeon, I have nothing but praise. But I can no longer afford to see him. I will be dealing through my PCP from here on out, and am wondering if they are going to charge her if she calls for information. I said a lot more in my "lost" message, but guess this all about covers my disappointment. Any preops that are considering Dr. Fox to do their surgery, and are self pay....Please ask this question....how long does my aftercare last, and how much will I be charged for visits and phone calls after this time period has elapsed! Now you have the questions that I didn't have going into this. Hope they are more flexible with you than they were with me.