University of Chicago Center for the Surgical Treatment of Obesity Bariatric Center

I was very impressed by Dr. Prachand his name is very well known in wls feild. He was very professional and he looked me in the eye when he talked to me. I've delt mostly with June, she is very good she returns my calls answeres all my questions even the dumb ones. The nurses are also very polite I've not had any problem with other staff, even those outside the clinic area, have been helpful. Appointments have been made easily and prompt. I did a lot of the foot work before I even went in as far as my chart from the clinic I came from so it made things much quicker because I brought in a lot of my latest records with me. I was completly imformed of importance of follow up appointments and group meeting. I was given imformation on risk and we discused it again. I would rate him on a scale of 1-10 as a 9 only because no one is a 10. I'm still waiting for approval of my insurance so I can't coment on any surgery aspect.
Doris Miller Griffith/ In.

I was quite impressed with Dr. Alverdy. He answered my questions with confidence and asked me questions without me feeling like a dumba$$.
I don't quite care for his staff. The need to step up their professionalism a bit. One person made a comment that I look to young to try this "last ditch effort". The program coordinator who probably goes over her speill 15 times a week sounded unconfident and couldn't answer questions. She read to us like we were 3. I'm not sure if is to make you feel more comfortable about being there, but 1/2 the staff is overweight. You know how you go to Lane Bryant and most of the saleswomen are heavy-set. Well that didn't make me comfortable, it made me leery....i thought to myself, she works here, she should be a patient also. Maybe my expectations are unrealistic, but I was not impressed. I don't feel excited. I just feel neutral. I go to see the nutritionist and the psycologist on September 1st. I am not planning on having the surgery until May 2005. I chose to have the Duodenal Switch.

I am very satisfied with Dr. Alverdy. My scars are very small and were painless. The surgical team was very open with me and took the time to explain all my questions and concerns. I am still not that far out from surgery, so I am still recovering and have a few discomforts, but the team at the University of Chicago still answers all my questions in a timely fasion. I honestly don't have any complaints about his staff. The team does emphasize aftercare and even a support group. Dr. Alverdy lays everything out in the open before surgery. He lists off the small amount of people who have died from the surgery (a total of 10 - mainly when the surgery was new) and informs you of what was the reason of their death (most of the people were diabetic and or severly overweight 600+ lbs.) But still, even with this information, I was still confident in him and his team. I rate him and his team very high.

Dr. Prachand and the entire staff at both UofC center for advanced medicine and hospital were absolutely wonderful. All of my before,during and after care issues were addressed completely. I felt incredibly well cared for and would recommend both this surgeon as well as the hospital to anyone and seeking bariatric surgery.

I had been to another surgeon from a different hospital whom I won't give his name, he was very blunt and scared me out of his office in less than 5 minutes and made me think very hard about this surgery. I then when into the internet to learn as much more as I could and somehow I found Dr. Alverdy. The first time that I met with him, he was very kind and asked me if I had any questions, he did not appear to rush me out like most doctors do, although he is a very busy man. He has a nurse working with him Kim Nevens - she is very, very, understanding, she is very patient and helpful. She is very good and clear on asnwering any and all of your questions. And when you have her paged, like I have a few times, she does not get upset with you, she is always very kind and willing to help.

What did I like least about Dr. Alverdy - Nothing ! I recommend him 200% He is a great surgeon, while in the hospital I walked thru the floor and almost every surgery there had been done by him. No one I have spoken to has had anything bad to say about him. After my surgery he would come to my room and made sure that everything was ok and always asked if I had any questions or concerns.

He lets you know of all the risks of the surgery and gives you an idea of what your chances are depending on your overall health.

Surgical competence and bedside manner are both important and Dr. Alverdy and Kim Nevens are rated #1 in book.

I also met someone else there from a different state that came out to have Dr. Alverdy perform surgery on her as well but her surgery was a little different and she came out of her surgery perfect, we keep in touch, we call each other a few times a week to see how the other is progressing and she has nothing but good things to say about Dr. Alverdy and his staff.

I could not have been happier, University of Chicago is a good hospital. They have all the equipment necessary in case of >>>>> a lot of things. Most hospitals do not have the equipment and doctors that this hospital does. They are very professional and are very people friendly. They treat you like you should be treated, not like other hospitals where you are just another patient id #. Even the people at registration and secretaries, everyone is very professional and very friendly.

Couldn't have been happier.

My first impression of Dr. Alverdy was that he was a kind person, that really cared about his patients. He never changer over time, if anything he only got better.He has a great staff working for him, now he has two new staff members Kim and kelly who I have found to be very helpful.Dr. Alverdy has always been there for me no matter what my concerns were. I think that Dr. Alverdy's bedside manners and surgical competence makes him a great doctor.

Dr. Alverdy is a superb surgeon. I was very impressed by his honesty . He gave me a choice of surgery either the d/s or the RNY I had to do research on the D/S before I made my decision. But I am now glad that I had a surgeon that gave me a choice in what I thought would be best for me.(he also suggested the D/S since my BMI was greater than 50. He explains the risk that the surgery involves and his final pre-op visit is done ina group setting. He is a top notch surgeon. This is what eased my mind a little.

Dr. Prachand and his staff are very open, honest, caring, humerous. I met and talked with the doctor and he answered all of my questions. He thoroughly reviewed my medical history and answered all of my questions. He explained the process at the University of Chicago and what to expect. He also explained the surgery in detail, the Duodenal Switch and Roux-en-Y. He explained to me the differences in the surgeries and why I would be a good candidate. We also talked about the reasons why people gain weight back and the process for keeping it off. Follow-up appointments are made at 1, 2, 3weeks, 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, 1 year and annually thereafter. The doctor has a great bedside manner and seemed very non-judgemental, but very interested in my needs and thoughts and education. Overall I would rate the Doctor and staff 9 of 10. Only because no one is perfect.

I feel very comfortable with my choice of Dr. Prachand. He seemed to be a warm and caring person. His number one concern is for the safety and well being of his patients. He stresses aftercare and requires approx. 7 post-op visits within the first year.

He's great. I have seen 2 other doctors and he's the best one. I first saw Dr. Santiago Horgan about the lap-band, but I ultimatley found that it wasn't for me. Dr. Horgan was awesome as well, but not like Dr. Alverdy. Then I saw Dr. James Oliphant; he's a tool. The only good thing he did was to reccommend the duodenal switch. His staff is half ignorant and not very nice, and Dr. Oliphant is not the caring person I was lead to believe he was. As for Dr. Alverdy, I haven't seen anyone so caring about his patients. He'll really make you feel great about yourself and about the possibilities you can accomplish with him.