Alan Newhoff Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

I first met Dr. Newhoff in his small office seminar on Feb. 20, 2001. I liked him right away, and his description of the surgery was excellent. He answered all of my questions very well. I also liked the fact that he had never had a death of a patient. I also liked the doctor's staff very much.
My insurance forms were faxed to Weight for Life in CA. I waited a couple of months to hear from Weight for Life about insurance approval, so I finally called them. They said they didn't have my paperwork. I told them to look again, and then they said they just got them in. I didn't believe them, but was nice and said, to please submit them. I called them every week until they had heard back from my insurance company. Once the forms were submitted, it took two weeks. So finally on April 22, 2001, my insurance approved the surgery on the first try!
I got the necessary psychological exam done and attended a meeting of the post-op support group by June. Then I waited for a surgical date. I finally was scheduled for surgery in July for surgery on August 22, 2001.
My surgery went very well with no complications. My incision is healing beautifully without any infection! I don't expect much of a scar either. Dr. Newhoff has a very good bedside manner. I am continuing to enjoy his advice on the phone and in his office. I highly recommend him to do bariatric surgery!

October 14,2002

As of October 10th I have reached my goal weight! I have gone from 305 pounds preop to 148 pounds post op. I have decided to maintain at the 145-150 range. I am so happily thin and I feel so much better!

Actually, my surgeon's name is Steven Simons and he recently joined Dr. Newhoff's practice here in Phoenix, Arizona. Dr. Simons is thoughtful and kind and he made no attempt to rush through my consultation. He answered all of my questions in detail.

Of course they have an awesome office staff and they work with a group at Good Sam to get insurance approvals.

I got to meet Dr. Newhoff for the first time at the smaller group consult on 11/1/01. I was impressed with his matter of fact knowledge and his approach..very sure of himself --and he expects you to follow his instructions to a "T"....a lot of walking :)I am very happy with my choice as I feel he is one of the best surgeons in my area..he has done over 3000 and his complication rate is way below the average/norm.

8/14/02
Dr Newhoff is the BEST!! He is so much more personable one on one--saw me himself every day I was in the hospital and is funny--you can talk to him and not feel like he is "THE DOCTOR" AND he remembered me which is more then I can say about some other Docs in the same area from what I've heard from their patients. Was definetly worth the wait--he has saved my life, for which I am eternally gratefull.

Very knowledgable.


My impression did not change.

His staff is helpful.




When it comes to the actual scheduling of the surgery, however, you do have to be very persistant, as he is a very busy doctor.

Yes, and he insists that his patients go to his support group both before and after surgery.
He did not deny that with any surgery there are risks, but said that usually there is a very low risk of problems.

I would give him an 8 on a scale of 1-10, 10 being high.

Both were good, in my experience.

Dr. Newhoff is the picture of professionalism. He is a Trauma surgeon as well as a bariatric surgeon. He is affiliated with Good Samaritan Hospital and St. Joseph's in Phoenix, Arizona.

I was sure of my decision from the moment I met him. He is is complete in his descriptions of the life that will be created from the surgery and does not mince words. There is no doubt in your mind what your role in the process will be. He can come off kind of gruff at first but that is because he wants you to understand the procedure and be confident in yourself that you can proceed. He has rules about prospective patient health and will not preform the surgery unless is is sure that you are a good candidate from a health standpoint.

He offers free consultations in which he demonstrates visually how the surgery is done, and describes the risks involved. He also uses an open incision that does create a scar, however; if he goes in and finds anything else that needs corrected (gall bladder and a hernia in my case) he will take care of that as well.

After surgery, he does not charge for aftercare for the first two years after surgery. He requires regular visits after surgery and takes photo records and measurments as well as charting your loss. His manner after surgery is one of support and pride. He takes your progress or lack there of seriously and expects you to keep up your end of the deal. He has a support group resource for your use after surgery to help in the psychological implications that come along with surgery. He is a great Doctor and very comprehensive. If you have a thin skin or tend to make excuses, then he is probaly not the best doctor for you. His no nonsense manner is not for everyone.

I would easily call him the greatest doctor that I have ever met. He is Surgically superior and easily the best bariatric surgeon in Phoenix.

Dr Newhoff seems very nice. He is very informative and answers every question with great knowledge and detail. His office staff is also wonderful and helpful. His office is very prepared for large people. The furniture is big/heavy and roomy. He emphasizes aftercare as being very important and after surgery follow ups are no charge. He wants to see you and your success. I felt that I was given all of the information I needed to make my decision. He has done over 3000 of these surgeries and I have total confidence. He seems to really truly want to help all of the obese patients!!

I was very impressed after meeting Dr. Newhoff for the first time. I had read several other comments about him so I wasn't sure what to expect. I found him to be very straight-forward, not saying what you want to hear but saying what you need to hear. I also found him to have a comical sense of humor. I am really looking forward to completing my surgery, especially knowing that I have chosen the right Doctor for the job.
Now that my surgery is over I can confirm the positive aspects I have above. Dr. Newhoff is absolutely the BEST!! My surgery went flawless, almost painless and I really enjoyed his morning visits at the hospital. If you are undecided upon a surgeon to use. Choose DR. NEWHOFF! You won't regret it...

very cut and dry and to the point , i still like him very much and have heard from the grapevine that he is the best of his profession here in az.
they are very nice and helpful
nothing really only thing is i had a problem with weight for life they had a rep in there that messed up my paperwork and it took me 9 months to get approved cause of her i was even denied after i was approved cause it was taking so long for my paperwork she lost her job and it only took 2 months after that to be reapproved and get my surgery date.
everything i just said he and his staffa nd weight for life are all on track again
he really enphasizes aftercare and walking and exercising to be completely succesful you need to do what he says.
i am not afraid of the surgery just put it that way
will be able to answer more thourouly after the surgery for the last 2 questions

I was very impressed with Dr. Newhoff when I first met him in Oct 2000. My granddaughter had had the surgery in Nov 2000. She was only 17 and had been heavy all of her life. She has had so many changes in her life..some not so good. She had never had a date..Therefore when the guys started looking at her, she was unable to handle it. Anyway, I am still impressed with Dr. Newhoff, 32 days after my surgery. His office staff is very accomodating and pleasant. If I disliked anything about Dr. it would be his bedside manner,however he is very very knowledgeable and performs the surgery in an excellent manner. I would recommend Dr Newhoff without hesitation.
He puts very much empasizes on aftercare, and is willing to answer any questions.
I would say he has a very structured aftercare program if one follows it.I would rate him E for excellent. Surgical competence.

DR. NEWHOFF WAS AWESOME! I REALLY LIKED HIM. HE WAS BOTH FUNNY AND VERY SERIOUS ABOUT WHAT HE DOES. HE LET EVERYONE KNOW WHAT WAS TO BE EXPECTED OF THEM, WITH NO EXCEPTIONS TO HIS RULES. HE WAS VERY STRAIGHT FORWARD AND HONEST. HE DIDN'T PULL ANY PUNCHES OR TRY TO SPARE FEELINGS (NO, HE WASN'T MEAN OR HARSH), JUST VERY CONCERNED TO SEE THAT WHOEVER GETS THE OPERATION IS FULLY AWARE OF ALL ASPECTS AND OPTIONS. HE HAD A GREAT KNOWLEDGE OF THE OBESITY PROBLEMS PEOPLE FACE AND APPEARRED VERY CONCERNED TO BE OF HELP TO ALL WHO ARE JUST AS SERIOUS AS HE IS. HE NEVER TRIED TO SUGAR COAT THE REALITIES OF WHAT WAS TO COME. I APPRECIATED THAT. I HATE LAST MINUTE SURPRISES :-). IT CAME OF NO SURPRISE THAT THERE WOULD BE SOME MAJOR PAIN FOR A FEW DAYS OR SO. AFTER ALL, THIS IS A MAJOR OPERATION. I AM VERY OPTIMISTIC OF THE FUTURE NOW AND CAN HARDLY WAIT TO GET THIS DONE. THE STAFF HAS BEEN GREAT SO FAR TOO.