David Denning Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I had heard that Dr. Denning was an excellent surgeon, but his bedside manner was lacking. I felt that his skill as a surgeon was more important and I made the appointment with him. When I met him for the first time, I was surprised. I did not see anything wrong with the way he interacted with me. He was nice, answered all of my questions, smiled and laughed. I've seen him a total of 4 times, plus once in the hallway of the hospital. He was nice each time I've seen him. In other words, I'm impressed with him. If you think his bedside manner isn't the best in the world, maybe its because you aren't being friendly in turn. Remember, a smile, brings a smile.

During my appointments with him he has explained to me the risks, and my committment to the surgery. He has arranged for pre-op information from the Dietician and his nurse Pam. I'm impressed with his staff, they are all nice and professional. They are always willing to answer all of my questions, no matter how dumb they are.

I would recommend Dr. David Denning for gastric by-pass surgery or any other type of surgery that you need.

I really liked him. He answered my questions and didn't rush me. He took the time to explain what he would do and how it I should respond after surgery. At first I was uneasy, but after the first visit I feel that this is the best choice for me. I am what they call a "re-do". I had the small bowel by-pass in 1982, but it had to be reversed in 1984 due to complications. I have my second appointment Monday to find out if or when surgery will be done.

Dr. D has told me that in order for this to be a success, I must follow his instructions, recovery plan and follow-up care so I don't end up the same as before.

I can't say yet about surgery or bedside manner or aftercare just yet, but will get back later.

My first impression of Dr. Denning was good other than the staff at this teaching hospital. My first day in I had to raise a stink over an insurance issue. I'm on a PPO plan and the billing clerk said I couldn't see the Doctor after waiting 8 months because they didn't have a confirmation number. I offered to pay the bill for the day myself and they advised me they couldn't do that so I said a few choice words because my Family Doctor had made the actual appointment 8 months earlier and they were the ones who had set it back. After some pressure by me they agreed to let me go through and get the number later. When Dr. Denning came in he opened my file and well guess what? Yeah right there on the first page is my confirmation number. This was my first lesson in a long line of lessons. Dr Denning did apologize for this so I let it go. It was only the first one though. I was given the general consultation and told all the things I had to do.

Dietician
Psycological eval
more consultations..etc etc

2 months later I get a call from an insurance assistant who asked me a few questions about things I had done in the past. 3 weeks later I get a letter from my insurance company that I was approved. I got a call the next day saying my surgery was scheduled for May 8th, 2002.

I had done none of the pre op things I was told I had to do. So I called the office back and tried to explain this and all they had to say was Dr Denning was busy and delaying would cause problems. So after more cursing we settled on June 5th, 2002. This gave me time to get my ok for my time off work and at least get two dietician consultations in.

The final battle:

From the time the date was set to the day my surgery I think I called the office everyday asking questions, but no one seemed to catch on that I didn't have a clue about what I was supposed to be doing. I'm not dumb and I knew something wasn't right. I got a letter of confirmation of my surgery and all it stated was register with the hospital a week prior to surgery and call the day before surgery to find out what time to be at the Hospital. Notice anything missing here? yeah pre-operitive testing. I followed the instructions and when I called on June 4th to check my time, the nurse informed me they didn't have any pre-op blood work and I couldn't have surgery the next day. <side note> I bet she has hearing loss after I stopped screaming due to their ignorance. I told her I'd be at the hospital in the morning and surgery would go on or things were going to get worse from me. She asked me if I could come in right then and I agree'd to do so. Well I'm going to let my anger over this matter go at this point, but this has helped to type it out and let everyone know. By the way my trouble didn't end at that phone call I had to fight the whole day to get through the system.

Ok Dr Denning. As a surgeon he was great. My surgery went flawless with out a hitch. I only saw the guy 3 times so I can't say much about his bed side manner which is my biggest gripe with him as a DR. The system to get to me in. Very Poor. To wrap it all up my best advice and this is probably true with any surgeon. Stay on your toes and demand answers. As I told Dr Denning's nurse, "I'm the customer and I can take my insurance money and go some where else." I just kind of felt like I was rushed through especially once my insurance company agree'd to the surgery. It was more about the money and less about my health and future. On a side note I meet a wonderful nurse through the dietician and she has helped me greatly with my post-op follow-ups.

What was your first impression of Dr. Denning?

Dr Denning is a very nice but not outgoing. He knows what he is doing and is well respected by the nurses at Cabell Huntington Hospital. I use to work there as a nurse so I know. I have also heard nurses talking that if they ever needed a surgeon he would be the one they would choose. He answers all your questions, takes time to do it and doesn't rush.
How did your impression change over time?
I have always liked Dr. Denning and still do. He would be my surgeon again if the need ever arises.
How would you describe his office staff?
His office staff is very professional and nice. They were very helpful and answered my calls in a timely manner.
What did you like least about him?
The only thing I didn't like about Dr. Denning is that he is dry and not such a wonderful bedside matter but he is an excellent surgeon and this is what matters.
What should future patients know about him?
If you want an excellent surgeon, someone you can trust and talk to, and someone who does not hold back anything then Dr. Denning is the surgeon you need. I trust him with my life.
How much does he emphasize aftercare?
Does he have a structured aftercare program?
Your after care is thoroughly explained and you are seen by a number of different departments to aid you in your recover such as resp therapy, a nutritionist, physical therapy and the nursing staff. There is also someone on call 24 hrs 7 days if any problems or questions arise.

How did he address the risks of surgery?
Dr Denning tells you like it is, he holds nothing back and I have a lot of respect for a doctor that does this.
How would you rate him overall? On a scale of 1-10, I would rate him a 10.
Which is better, surgical competence, bedside
manner, or both great? Both would be great but surgical competence is the most important and Dr. Denning is an excellent surgeon.

First Impression--American Doctor, could understand all that he said, step by step of what the surgery would be like.

Office staff acted like the surgery was no big deal--like they are used to the doctor doing it.

Aftercare is up to me....doctor said this is my new start....it is up to me to take care of my body.

I don't know about his bedside manner yet, my surgery is scheduled for March 6th! (Praise the Lord)

Have a consultation appt. date of 3/22/01...can't wait!
3/25/01 Impression:
Dr. Denning is not the most personable "person" I have ever met but he is direct and to the point which I find to be very useful in communication.
He is also Chief of Surgery and is well thought of in the medical community.
Explained what surgery he performed and let me ask my LONG list of questions.
His one and only hesitation was my insurance Medicare/Medicaid and not requiring preapproval. He requested letters from my PCP and Psychiatrist.
Next appt. 4/26/01

Surgery process on hold!!

02-01-02
Have seen Dr. Denning for 2nd. appointment and he was in such a "cheerful" mood. Scheduled sleep studies and after study using the C-PAP will see him to schedule surgery probably end of March!

I WOULD LOVE FOR THE EXAM ROOMS TO HAVE LARGER CHAIRS! I sat on the stool and let Dr. D. sit in the chair w/arms :0)

Dr. Denning seems to be a bit reserved, but my impression is he is very capable. I walked in with numerous pages (6 to be exact) of questions and he didn't think twice about answering them. I would recommend to future patients having a list of questions. He doesn't give a lot of information out, but does answer all your inquires. His staff were friendly and helpful. I am pleased with my first visit.

My first impression of Dr Denning was that he was very reserved and dry did not give much information. He did however answer any questions that I had, and I had a lot. He does not sugarcoat anything he tells it like it is. I had done some research on him and he had a reputation as a fine surgeon. So i decided to go with him instead of a couple of closer Dr.s. Surgical competence is far morre important than bedside manner any day. Please do not chose your surgeon because he has a great personality. research the Dr. and read the profile of some of his patients. If many of them say I had this problem or that problem but Dr. so and so was wonderful, please chose another surgeon. Dr. Denning turned out to be just as good as I had heard.My surgery went with out a hitch and my recovery so far has been good. My impression of Dr. Denning has not changed he still is not much of a talker but he takes care of business and that is fine with me.

I have met Dr Denning twice now. He is a nice guy. He seems very busy and gets straight to the point. He will answer any questions that you might have but does not volunteer a lot of information. This suits me quite well because I have done a lot of research and only had a couple questions. My meetings with him have been brief and pleasant.

On my second vist to his office Dr Denning scheduled my surgery.

--UPDATE--

I still maintain my first impression of Dr Denning. But now I know that he is a skilled surgeon because of first hand experience. I have no complaints about Dr Denning at all.