Hans Schmidt Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

4/6/01-Met with Dr. Schmidt yesterday. On a scale of 1-10 I rate him a 10. Was very busy (phone, pages, etc.) but still spent over an hour with me. As they say, if you want something done right hire a busy person. He is very confident in his ability and the results his patients have achieved after this surgery. He put me at ease as much as possible. His office staff was very friendly and accomodating. He is 35 years old and single. He says his practice is his significant other. He went through the whole procedure and discussed the risks of surgery in detail. Compared with the risks of no surgery the decision is a no-brainer. I will keep updating as I have more interaction with his office and the surgery date gets closer.

I have a consultation set for 3-29-01! I'm on my way.

Drs. office called 2-21 with cancellation for 2-22, asked if I would like to come in then. Of course I jumped at the appt., over a month sooner than expected!

3-22-01 I am very happy with Dr. Schmidt and Barbara in his office. Barbara can be pressed for time
but she is very helpful. I have put together a support group but Dr. Schmidt is getting a room
at the hospital so that he can have a support group meet there.
As far as surgical competance, a lot of people say to make sure you use a Bariatric surgeon.
I feel that if I want a procedure done laproscopically, I don't want a Bariatric surgeon,
I want a Lap specialist. If the surgeon has been trained in what needs to be done for the
procedure, I think that it is more important that he has the experience of how to perform that surgery.

My suggestion would be to start the insurance approval process yourself. You are the one person that is most
concerned with receiving your approval. Call your insurance company and ask what you can do to assist the surgeon's office and the insurance company.
They will appreciate your assistance and it just may help you in the long run.

Good luck to all and if I can help, please let me know.

My first appointment with Dr. Schmidt was rather rushed. I spent nearly two hours in the waiting room and by the time I got to see him he was so far behind schedual taht I only had about ten minutes with him. When I did meet with him he was right to the point and seemed quite professional.
The upside of the prolonged wait is that I meet several people in the waiting room that had already had the surgery. The where all so pleased with their results that I felt much more comfortable about my choice to have the procedure.
The office staff seemed to be as pressed for time as Dr. Schmidt. The person who deals with the insurance companies told me I needed a Psych. evaluation and an evaluation from a nutritionist for my Oxford Insurance. The only problem was that I was unclear as to what exactly the Psychiatrist and Nutritionist were supposed to be evaluating. When I contacted them they seemed equally confused but wrote referals anyway. Now it's up to my insurance company.

I used Dr Schmidt, 3 years ago for a Lap Nissen, not only was he a expert, he is very caring,,When I e-mailed him about the gastric
bypass, he got right back to me...See there is a problem, because of the Lap Nissen, that will have to be reversed, then he can do the bypass,,,I trust him completly, I live
in SI, Ny and I am going to NJ, because he is the only one I trust, the only problem is that he is so booked with consults, I couldm't get a appoitment till Feb 22, I can't wait, I am tired of being fat, I am a diet school drop out,

My first impression of Dr. Schmidt came from some of the women sitting in the waiting room. They sang his praises--and they were right. He was patient, caring, and educated in his field (I'm a nurse and used to working with doctors--I liked him right away--and still do!).
His staff is helpful and always call you right back when you have a question or problem.
He is trying to set up a support group of his patients all over the state of NJ. I think this is a great idea! He seems to truly care about his patients and wants them to do well.
He is a teacher--and usually has a fellow ("almost doctor") with him. These doctors are wonderful also. So you get 2 for the price of 1 (don't worry--Dr. Schmidt ALWAYS does the surgery himself). I loved having 2 doctors--someone was always there in the hospital for you!
I loved him and would rate him a 9--I am taking 1 point off for telling me he would be back one night and not coming (he had an emergency--but I was looking forward to seeing him--I had a question).
I need bedside support--I think most doctors are capable to do the surgery--but I need that bedside manner and support. Dr. Schmidt has both the competence and the great caring personality...

My first appointment for consultation is on 11/20/00. I'll let everyone know how it went.


11/20/00 I went to my first consultation with Dr. Hans Schmidt. It went very well, he was very informative and explained all information about procedure and it's pro's and con's. He answered all my questions and he also verified that I am in fact, a candidate for this surgery. I have a tentative Date January 2,2001. Hoping that the insurance Co. does not put up a fight. The office nurse stated that my insurance rearly ever gives them a hard time, so that was good news. So with any luck I will have an approval by the middle of December. I'll keep everyone informed.
12/4/00 I have insurance approval!!!!! Looks like my date is final 1/2/2001!!

My first meeting with Dr. Schmidt was great. His staff is pretty small, and his time with you isn't that long, but he's straight to the point, and he answers all of your questions as well as he possibly can. I liked the fact that he seemed pretty sure of himself (educated about his proceedures), and he takes the time to let you know all of the precautions that you need to take, and all of the things that can (and probably do sometimes) go wrong, and what you can do to help them not happen, and what can happen if they do go wrong. I, at first, believed that there was lots that could happen in the way of bad things, but Dr. Schmidt assured me that he was a good surgeon and that I was in good hands. Dr. Schmidt works closely with his patients with aftercare, and is really good about describing everything in detail that can be expected before and after surgery. All in all, so far, he's a 10 out of 10. I'm sure for some, his not being a bariatric surgeon, per say, isn't that good, but he's a laproscopic surgeon for sure, and has had plenty of surgeries done, and I feel that is good enough for me.

My first impression of Dr. Schmidt was very comforting. He is a very likable person who I immediatly trusted. My impression has not changed at all, just expect to wait at your appoinments, he likes to talk. His staff is accomodating and personable. I don't think there was anything I didn't like. Unlike many other surgeons, he does not make you go through the pre-op mental health. He is very articulate in explaining post-op care and the risks involved. I don't believe he has a stuctured after care but when I saw the nutritionist she offered to refer me. I would not have gone through with this surgery if I could not find a competent laproscopic surgeon. The process was easy, the hostpital very nice. Definately research and compare open vs. laproscopic.I only wish he had more information about support groups etc.

All answers will be on a one to ten. Ten being the highest.
First impression was a 10
Only got better. His manner made me very comfortable, and he explained everthing in detail. He did not rush, and I felt that personal touch.
Very professional Staff
NOthing to dislike
He is always there for you
Very strong with aftercare.
Good program with his neutrionest.
Compared the risks as having a C section
My rating for him is a 10
Both are equal.

10/13/00 - As most of you know, I have changed my Surgeon....My New Surgeon is Dr. Hans Schmidt..so far so good, his office staff seemed to be very nice over the phone, I have my intial office visit with him 10/23/2000, and I will give you more information then....

8/22/00 I meet with Dr. Salahi last night. The first thing that he said to me was "so you want to have surgery" I was a little taken back by it, but after a little while realized that I would not have been in that chair had I not been contemplating surgery. His nurses were wonderful and very informative, he even gave me a list of names and phone numbers of past patients, I called one last night and she really helped to put my mind at ease. I am more excited now about the surgery, before I was just scared. Next Monday I get the result from my blood work and then we go from there. I will keep you all posted, wish me luck.