David C. Voellinger Bariatric Surgeon MD,FACS, FASMBS

Dr. Voellinger has a reputation as an excellent WLS surgeon, particularly if the prospective patient is a complicated or high risk case.

Most of your post-surgical follow-up and support is conducted with the P.A., the nurses and various others on staff.

My first impression of Dr. V was that he is funny but takes obesity seriously. That impression stuck with me and he never changed. He is very personable. The office staff is excellent as well. Any question I had before or after surgery was answered promptly even though 10 questions may come in 10 emails they answered them all. The program they have seems very long and drawn out and I am very impatient but in the end I realized that all that work that I put in to the exercises they had me doing is helping me deal with all that I went through before and now after surgery. Dr. V has both, surgical competence and a great bedside manner. If I had to do this all over I would pick Southeast Bariatrics again!!

Great surgeon! He cares about people with weight issues and has developed a team that supports nutritional, physical, and psychological aspects of losing weight. I highly recommend using this program because it will help you along your journey to the new you. For me, I have a emotional connection to food. The team at Southeast Bariatics provides the support needed to deal with this food-mind connection.

I attended Dr. Voellinger's seminar a week ago and was so motivated that I completed the 26+ pages of paperwork and got it mailed off right away. He has a wicked sense of humor and a very calm and reassuring demeanor. He has also performed many surgeries (1600+) with only two fatalities. rnrnI will update this information after the consultation and as the process progresses.

I first Dr Voellinger at a seminar. He was down to earth and funny. I could tell he had a good bedside manner. He also seemed very knowledgeable about weight loss surgery. My impression of Dr Voellinger has not changed. His staff is caring and warm and very personable. They get to know you by your name or at least by your face. I cant say there is anything that I like about him or his staff. They are very knowledgeable and they will see you through the entire process and after. Dr. Voellinger emphasize aftercare as very important. After all, this is a lifestyle change, not a quick fix. His office has a very structured aftercare program. You visit with him as well as with the nutritionist and the excercise physiologist. The risks were addressed so extensively, I got tired of hearing about the risks. What can I say, I picked the best doctor. Both were excellent.

Dr. V. is great! When I first met him, I thought he was a perfect fit to me. He was well mannered and you just felt comfortable talking to him about your weight issues. He is very attentive to the needs of his patients both before and after surgery. His off has a wonderfully support system after the surgery. You meet with the nutritionist and the exercise therapist for many months after the surgery so they can help you get to where you want to be. In the hospital he came to check on me every day and asked me how I was feeling and make sure I was comfortable at all times. After the wounds healed, the scars were so small I could not believe he had even cut me open. He is just great! I wish there were more doctors out there that care about their patients like Dr. V.

My first impression of Dr V is that he seems nice enough.

Not to happy with the staff, seems to be to many cooks in the kitchen with no head chef. Having an issue with any one person knowing what is going on with my file. Which leaves me confused and frustrated? The whole process is a bit stressful and having an unorganized staff isn't helpful at all.

Not to clear on the aftercare, assuming that they have some but there is pretty much no communication or updates unless I call the official multiple times.

I could also be a bit "confused" on how the process goes. I am not a person that sees a doctor more than once a year and since Dec 08, I have a slew of doctors and they all are pretty on top of things calling me about blood work, setting up any appointments with other specialist. Perhaps a bariatric office works much differently.

So in the beginning I wasn't sure what to expect from Dr. Voellinger. Working at the hospital I have heard both positive and negative things about him. My personal opinion is that he is great! His office staff is wonderful, most have had WLS or been overweight before so they really understand the struggle. Dr V himself is very patient and laid back. He never makes me feel rushed or like I'm over reacting due to being a bit controlling. LOL He did a wonderful job on my surgery! The office wait times can be horrible but as long as you come prepared it's well worth it!

He is very personable and has a great bedside manner. The staff at the hospital had all good things to say about him. So far I would rate him as excellent.

Dr V is wonderful! He takes so much time with me to make sure I am comfortable and understand everything that is going on. He is very sympathetic to my previous bad experience with the lap band leak and reversal. He took extra precautions with me to avoid another leak as he said I was high risk since I had a leak before. His staff is wonderful. They put so much of themselves into this for the patients. Creating guide books, pamplets, support groups, etc.rnI am very pleased with my choice.rn