Emerson Hospital Center for Weight Loss Bariatric Center

My original appointment was scheduled for Friday, April 4, 2003. I received a call on Tuesday, April 1st saying that Dr. Lautz was going to be out of town and I would have to reschedule. My first response was “You’ve got to be joking”. It was, April Fool’s Day after all and my birthday so I guess you could say I’m a little sensitive. It wasn’t a joke, so the appointment was rescheduled for May 2nd.

It was a 7:30am appointment. I found Eileen (Office Manager?) to initially be a little cold. However, the fact that my chart was screwed up and that Dr. Lautz was running late is what I put it off too.

We waited 45 minutes and Sara, his PA, brought me into an exam room. We talked about the surgery, my questions and then she listened to my heart, lungs, etc. I found her to be very nice, willing to listen, very informative and she seemed to have all the time in the world for me. I did not feel rushed.

Sara then went and got Dr. Lautz and the 3 of us met. He was very nice, straight forward in all his answers, and even though I knew he’d already had a crazy morning and the day probably wasn’t going to get any better, he was willing to sit and answer as many questions as I wanted. Both Dr. Lautz and Sara covered the potential risks of the surgery. They were very straight forward about all the potential problems.

I find their office extremely busy. After everything was straightened out with my chart I found Eileen to be much nicer. I still think she is a little curt but it seems to me that she has to keep everything moving along. She scheduled my surgery and my nutrition appointment but the appointment program was down for the EKG. Eileen said she would mail me the date as soon as it was fixed. I received the appointment the next day! She is on top of it.

I have not experienced any of the after care so I will update later.

Im scheduled for the surgery on Sept 9 at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA with Dr. Lautz.

I found his office to be very friendly but as many have said on this web site ...quite busy. Took over 3 months for my first appointment (although that is typical and many Dr. were even a longer wait). I was given a date for surgery after my first visit. The women in the office are wonderful about making all the appointments.

I was VERY concerned my insurance would not cover the operation. The office told me not to worry about it that they would take care of it later...but I did follow up on my own after the first appointment and the insurance said no. Fortunately I own my own business so I just switched to another insurance that does cover the operation.

I have already done my appointment with the Nutritionist (Natalie Egan) who was very pleasant and informative. Im going to do the ultra sound and psychiatry appointments next week then I get to wait till August till pre-op starts.

My overall experience has been very positive and I feel that I have picked a good Doctor who has done many of these operations.

I met Dr. Lautz on April 11. I was nervous going there. I figured I would get the run around and have to jump through hoops to get a date. It was nothing like that. My boyfriend and I met with his assistant first but the doctor came in soon after. He was quiet but interested in what we had to say. He went over the procedure and the risks again and asked if we had any questions. Then he gave me an estimated date right there! After that I talked to his secretary to make the pre-op appts. Eileen was awsome, she tried to schedule as many appts on one day as she could and gave me my exact date-July 16! I never had a problem getting a call back, Eileen fixed any problems with referrals immediately and sent out all paperwork to me right away. So far I've had a very positive experience.

My impression of Dr.lautz was a good one. I thought he was very softspoken. Made me feel very comfortable. His PA answered all my questions and believe me I had a lot. I was satisfied with the answers she gave me. I was told by another surgeon at a different hospital that he is very good. That he try's his best to make his patients happy. Just one thing make sure that you get all the testing done. If there's a test you think you should be having done for this surgery and havent had it yet, dont be afraid to request it. I'm so confident about Dr. lautz that I'm not even nervous about the surgury.
(yet)

dr. Lautz was a wonderful surgeon. in the consult, he didn't look down at you because of your weight. He answered all of my questions professionally and medically correst which I liked since I am an R.N.. His P.A. Gina was also very good. I asked Dr. Lautz to take out my gallbladder at the same time because I knew one complication is gallstones. He agreed. The medical staff in the hospital was superb, the nursing care left alot to be desired. If I ever took care of my patients that way i would be fired from my job
I definitely would reccomend him as a surgeon.David comes across as quiet but is actually very shy. I had no complication from the surgery but sometimes when i eat I DO GET NAUSEOUS so I take some compazine.

I think that he was really nice. He answered all my questions and seemed to generally care about what he was doing. It was a welcomed pleasure from other doctors who think that your weight is the answer to every ailments and thus, whatever goes wrong with your body is entirely your fault.

I had my consult with Dr. Latuz on 12/15 and it went great. His staff as well has him could not have been nicer. I got a date for a Lap RNY for 04/10/03. 4 months away but at least I have a date.


Kim

Dr. Lautz is the second surgeon I met. I was really disappointed with the first one(Dr. Robinson), although i know many people love him. I didnt get a surgery date and was told to lose 25-30lbs by oct 03. I didnt want to wait that long. I wanted to get the surgery in the summer(becuase of insurence and school). Then I met Dr. Lautz and i loved him. He was so much nicer and seemed very understanding of my situation. When i realized he was going to give me a date, i got really emotional and i started to cry right then and there! He was so awesome. He put his hand on my arm and told me it's alright and nodded he's head. He told me he was going to do it for me. I was very jumpy, very excited, and very emotional. Everyone in the office was nice too. The PA and the woman who schedules appointments was very funny and comforting. It was the best day of my life. These people really made it special. I didnt spend a whole lot of time with the Doctor... but it was enough to get a good first impresssion. I knew he cared. He also seemed busy.. I wasnt rushed or anythihg.. but he sees a lot of people so that makes sense.

Dr. Lautz is a very personable Doctor. He is very nice and sensitive to my feelings. I would highly recommend him. His office staff is also very nice.

Great Doctor and staff so far I would reccomend him to anyone looking for a surgeon in my area.