Barker Bariatric Center Bariatric Center

I can't say much for his bedside manner, but he is a complete professional. I was pleasantly surprised at how smoothly everything has gone. He leaves nothing to chance and surrounds himself with a fantastic staff. I would definately recommend him to anyone cosidering WLS.

Dr. Barker is nothing short of amazing. He has gone above and beyond to help me on my journey. When my DH's company was sold, I had already been approved and scheduled for surgery. The new insurance (BCBS of TN) was not going to cover the surgery, and I found this out 10 days before the new insurance was to go into effect. Within minutes of being alerted to the monumental catastrophe now plaguing my existence, Dr. B and his staff had me rescheduled for surgery on the last day my insurance (BCBS of TX) would be valid. rnrnNow, to answer your canned questions. rnrnMy first impression of Dr. B was that he was all business. He was very thorough, and seemed competent.rnrnMy impression of him has obviously changed over time, as he has been instrumental in the success of my journey. I feel that as I proved that the investment of his time in me was vindicated, that he became more invested in my success. rnrnHis staff is a well oiled machine. They are consummately busy, and the margin for error is paper thin. rnrnIf I had to pick something that I like least about him, I would say that like all medical professionals at the top of their field, Dr. B is a bit of a perfectionist. Tardiness in his colleagues and mistakes by them is largely not tolerated. rnrnWhat you should know about Dr. B is that once you have had surgery, unless you have a serious complication, an unlikely event, you will not see him much if at all after he operates on you. rnrnAftercare is very important to him, and he provides an army of medical professionals to walk you through this portion of your journey.rnrnDr. B's program is very structured. rnrnThe risks for surgery were addressed very matter of factly. The fact is that as obese as I was, the risks were nothing when compared to my continuing to live the way I was.rnrnFor me, the rating that I would give Dr. B would be 9.9 out of 10, as there is always room for improvement.rnrnI would choose surgical competence over bedside manner any day. If you can get both then bonus, but good luck with that. The level of surgical competence that I believe that Dr. B possesses is rare. I am blessed to have an inside view into the medical field, as my DH's company dabbles in health care administration. My research in looking for a surgeon was more than comprehensive. Dr. B is the best obesity surgeon in the business.rnrnAs for negative statements regarding Dr. B, I would have to say that if he thinks that you are not 100% committed to the process of becoming healthy, he will not take you seriously. I think that he might consider someone that wants to cheat a waste of his time.rnrnrnrn

I was not interested in having surgery by someone I saw on TV. I avoided all of those that advertised and stuck with someone my doctor recomended. The referral was to someone who had done many surgeries and worked at a teaching hospital. The problem with him is that he is more interested in publishing papers than patient support. Out of desperation, I called Dr. Barker, as I met someone who had used him and she was very pleased. rnrnMy first impression was that he was caring and knowledgeable. He spent all the time I asked him to and answered all my questions. I have been \"researching\" for about 5 years and didn't have all that many questions. Or so I thought. I went in wanting a band and he told me that a band would be fine and is great for folks who aren't needing to lose much weight or who are as committed to losing weight for a lifetime. He showed me some alarming statistics on bands and failure rates at 2 and 3 years, and then he told me he does more corrective surgeries for bandsters than installing new bands. So I took all of his information, did lots more research, went to some bandster group meetings and then I was able to see what he was saying as true. rnrnI changed my mind and am now scheduled for RNY bypass. rnrnUpdate: 12/29/2008rnI saw Dr. Thompson on my one week postop and got my staples removed since Dr. Barker was in surgery that day. It was a fairly uneventful visit. rnrnI am now one month post-op and can say I have had no problems. I had some slight nausea on the morning after surgery but nothing since. I never needed pain medication after the night of surgery. I returned to work one week later and have been following the Doc's orders. rnrnI love my RNY so far. rnrnI have no problems referring folks to Dr. Barker and his team. I have referred several folks to him since surgery and I would trust a family member to his care. I will say that he will give you all the time you want and are prepared for, but as a patient, you are responsible for your care, so come prepared to ask questions. If you don't, you might not feel like you got everything you needed from the visit. rnrn

I like Dr. Barker. Although, When I went for my consultation, I had to wait 3 1/2 hours to see him - he was that busy.rnrnSecond Visit, still a long wait but I do like Dr. Barker so I'll wait. He is one of the Best and sometimes you just have to deal with it. Overall, my experience has been a good one with Dr. Barker and the lapband.

My first impression of Dr Barker; he was very nice and caring. He had very kind eyes. He seemed to really be concerned and wants what is best for you. His office staff was really nice.

Dr. Barker and his staff are excellent. They took care of everything to get my approved for the RNY. The surgery went through without any hitches. I had very little pain after the first day of course. I would recommend Dr. Barker to anyone that is wanting to have the surgery.

I don't see Dr. Barker much. In fact, I only saw him 1 time before my surgery. However, I love the office and the staff. They are all very informed and they are very thorough and make you feel very comfortable. I would recommend this office to ANYONE!

When I first went into his waiting room...i was shocked. It was so full!! But, really the wait is well worth it. Dr Barker and his staff on RNs, etc were very professional and helpful. rnI will be having my surgery on Dec 18th.

i loved everything about Dr Barker and his entire staff. he answered all of my questions that i had and i felt total comfort is his care. rnif i had to rate him and his staff on a scale 1 to 10 he would be a 11

Very nice office... understaffed... for the new flow of pts. Dr Barker was an awsome physican. His staff was excellent, answered every single question that I ask. rnrnVery Glad that I choose DR BARKER