The Denver Center for Bariatric Surgery Bariatric Center

Dr. Snyder was very encouraging, professional and available. Immediately, he made sure that as a patient, I was totally aware of any risks as well as benefits of having my gastric bypass surgery. Dr. Snyder and his team were incredibly helpful and the education didn't stop after my surgery was over. He has a structured aftercare program for all types of patients in place. He strives to have a long term relationship with each patient to ensure our success. I know that I can ask for help in any area. Overall, I would rate Dr. Snyder of the highest quality possible. He has a proven record of surgical competence and also has an incredible bedside manner.

I would personally be priviledged to recommend Dr. Snyder to anyone who is considering weight loss surgery.

Dr. Snyder is an anomaly in the world of surgeons. From the seminar to the office time, I feel like he genuinely cares about the people he treats. Post-operatively, he updated my family and sat with my 7 year old daughter while she asked him questions about being a surgeon. He was so engaged, that he even asked her a few questions about herself. Dr. Snyder takes quality and environment of care seriously. I knew I would be in the best hands, and I was.

I just have to shout it from the rooftops - "Dr. Frank Chae is the most amazing surgeon!" He is in Lone Tree, CO at the Sky Ridge Medical Center (http://www.nationalbariatrics.com/). He is so kind, understanding, and not judgmental at all. I was completely comfortable with him about a subject (my weight) that I was not comfortable talking to anyone about. I went in there for a consultation about the different options for weight loss surgery. I was scared and knew there was no way I was going to go under a knife. He did not push me at all and explained the different surgeries and the pros and cons to all of them. He didn't even push me to make a follow up visit. He just told me that if I chose to continue what my next steps would be (by the way - they handled all of the back and forth with the insurance company - all I had to do was provide medical records which was a huge relief to me.)

He also has more experience with sleeve surgery than any other surgeon I researched (and, trust me, I researched A LOT!). That alone would be reason enough to go to him but there is more. His goal is not to just do the surgery - but that you are successful in your goals for weight loss. He does this by having assembled an incredible team to help his patients. He has a psychologist as well as a nutritionist and a fitness consultant. His fitness consultant (Taralyn Jensen-Jones at TJ Life Fitness http://tjlifefitness.com/) is amazing and works with you to slowly incorporate exercise into your life. She does not push or nag but tries to understand what makes you avoid exercise and then finds fun ways to overcome those things. I HATE exercise and usually rebel against anyone who tries to push me but she got me moving (which in itself is an amazing feat).

His nutritionist (Kelly Elliot at Bariatric Nutrition Resources, LLC http://www.bnrllc.com/) is incredible. She dedicates herself to helping you understand about your body, the food you eat, and the why of it all. She really cares about her patients and enjoys her work. She goes so far as trying the things she tells you to do (for example, they recommend that you start cutting out soda so she stopped drinking soda for a month to see what it was like). She won't tell you to do something she hasn't done herself (now that is dedication if you ask me). She has a depth of understanding about weight issues that I didn't think was possible from someone who hasn't had weight issues. She is as much psychologist as nutritionist. It is refreshing and puts you at ease.

He also offers a support group once a month. This is run by Kelly Elliot and is FREE of charge for the rest of your life if you like. Who else does that? The groups are great in that you get to talk to people taking the same journey as you and Kelly brings in speakers to help answer questions you may have about an assortment of different topics.

I cannot express enough about the kindness, understanding and expertise Dr. Frank Chae and his team.

p.s. Just so you know, I am not affiliated with Dr. Chae or anyone on his team. I just want everyone to have as amazing an experience with this as I have had!

Also, in case you are curious - I have lost 75 pounds in 5 months. I started out at 260 and, as of today, am 185.

Dr. Chae is amazing very detailed and excited for you also. After surgery I had a question I called the number and HE ANSWERED THE PHONE HIS SELF I was shocked I hung up but then called right back hehe He made this experience so comfortable

Dr. Chae is amazing. Very caring, gentle and my overall experience was FANTASTIC!!

This man saved my life!

I had Gastric bypass on June 2nd, 2009 with Dr. Chae. He is one of the most caring people I have evey met. He went through all my concerns and fears about the surgery and address each one. When I went in to the O. R. I was completely at ease.
I have lost 142 lbs. so far. ( I started out at 307) I can't say enough good things about before surgery care and the great after care. I have spoke to several of my friends and a few have had the surgery. Two of them had other Doctors do their surgery,1 had Dr. Chae. do hers. My friends that didn't have him now wish they did.
I have to say this is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I feel great I look pretty good too.
My health is over all the best it's been in years, I roller skate, ride bikes, swim with my grandchildren and they can't get over the new grandma they have.
Thank you, Dr. Chae & his staff for giving me my life back.

I work in a Denver hospital and first met Dr. Metz when he was in checking on another patient of his. When he was finished making notes in the other patient's chart I started a casual, inquisitive conversation with him and he was very willing to talk to me. We didn't have long to chat, so he left me his contact information.

When I called the next day it was actually Dr. Metz that answered the phone. This impressed me because most surgeons would let the phone go to voicemail if their office staff couldn't get to it; "We all help each other around here," was his comment.

My first appointment was two days after that phone call and on that day I met with Dr. Metz, Allyson (his Nurse Practitioner), Lindsey (his Dietitian), Justin (his consulting Psychologist) and Jo (his Office Coordinator). Aimee has since taken over the psycho-social position on the staff. All of the staff ... every time ... has been super-easy to work with.

So far as bedside manner, he's one of the best you could hope for. He starts with observing and listening instead of theorizing and lecturing. He doesn't "sugar-coat" anything, but he's very thorough and will not leave a subject until he's sure that you understand what's going on.

I'm not very far into aftercare, but it is very structured and I know that the answer to any question that I have is only a phone call away.

In conclusion I most highly recommend Dr. Metz & his staff for anyone who is considering bariatric surgery of any kind, even if you have to make a significant drive to get to them.


Troy Roberts,
RNY - 12/20/2010

Update 1/2/11

I had my sleeve converted to an RNY on 12/13/10. I am not quite three weeks out and am down about thirty pounds. I have felt really good from the beginning and am excited about my future. Thanks again Dr. Snyder!

I attended Dr. Snyder’s seminar in October 2007, his energy was incredible, along with a great sense of humor. I felt he truly understood obesity was more than eating and recognized it as a disease. Watching his face as one patient after another stood to talk about their experience told me a lot about how deeply he cares for his patients and how much he believes in what he is doing.

I can tell you Dr. Snyder will stick with you when things just aren’t going as you expect. I showed up for my first appointment and we all agreed I would have the gastric by-pass surgery. Life being what it is, we found I wasn’t strong enough for the by-pass surgery and talked about the lapband. I knew this was going to work! I had the surgery, and just to keep Dr. Snyder on his toes and life throwing another curve ball, I have an extra artery that did not allow for the placement of the lapband.

Needless to say, I pretty much figured I would be where I was for the rest of my life with no other alternatives. However, Dr. Snyder came in all upbeat and excited about a new surgery called the gastric sleeve. I started researching everything I could find on the gastric sleeve and felt like this was pretty much where I needed to go next. On June 9, 2008 at 10:00 a.m., I had the gastric sleeve procedure performed at Rose Hospital. I am not quite a week out and I feel better every day. The one down side is, there isn’t really a support group for the sleeve at this time, probably because I am his first gastric sleeve...lol.

I am very happy with Dr. Snyder and his staff. They are terrific people who are full of smiles. The only complaint I had was a delay in communication at times. It’s hard to keep in mind the staff needs to do research as well on a new procedure, it’s just hard to wait when it’s you and if that’s my biggest complaint they are doing something very right. Special Thanks to Dr. Snyder, Dolly, Carl, Kim, and Amanda for all of your support, I’m sure we will get to know each other much better over the coming months!

Hope it's ok to add to this post. I am 5 weeks out from my surgery and I feel GREAT! My blood pressure is way down, off of one medication, and my breathing is awesome! Went on vacation and didn't have to use oxygen to walk...woohoo!!! I am down about 46 pounds and have energy I haven't had in a very long time.

I have started a blog at www.obesityhelp.com/member/jagracer/

Dr. Chae was fantastic and so was all of the office staff. They were extremely knowledgeable about the entire process and very comforting. There is no judgement cast and they all just make you feel so comfortable with making such a big decision. I would and have rocommended them to anyone seeking weight loss surgery. The Hospital is the nicest I've been in and the staff there was great as well. The overall experience was amazing and one year later, 120 pounds healthier, it has been a turning point in my life, and the best thing I could have done!

I had VSG/Sleeve Surgery in November 2010. <P>I selected Dr. Chae based on his location and reputation and first attended an information seminar in early 2008. After finishing about 1/2 of the 6 month qualification process for my health insurer, Cigna, I dropped out.

I was slated to have the Lapband and has misgivings about it. In early 2010 I contact Dr. Chae again and restarted the qualification process.

I completed my steps (nutritional consults for 6 months, nutritional class, psych evaluation, physical and questionnaire) in August 2010.

It took Dr. Chae's office about two months to get me approved and initially they made a mistake and got me approved for Gastric Bypass when in fact I had decided to have the VSG/Sleeve. That caused a lot of unneeded stress because it wasn't discovered until about ten days before my scheduled surgery.

They got back in touch with the insurer and eventually got the VSG/Sleeve approved. The outcome was positive (I had the surgery) but the process was more stressful than it needed to be.

While I found everyone in Dr. Chae's office to be friendly, I constantly felt that *I* needed to be on top of every step of the process because if I wasn't, it felt that it wouldn't have gotten done.

While I am happy with Dr. Chae and the outcome (so far) of my surgery, his office staff/processes leave a lot to be desired.

In the end I would do it all over again, I just wish there was a little bit more attention and communication.

Update 12/26/2010: My weight loss has continued to progress and I'm now down about 70lbs in about a month and three weeks.

Also I have been told that when the mistake was made that caused me to be approved for the wrong procedure (Gastric Bypass instead of VSG) that Connie (Dr. Chae's office manager) stepped up to the plate and called Cigna daily. Thanks Connie!