John M. Price Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I have my surgery date, August 18th. I'm nervousness, but ready to start the journey to a healthier life.

Dr Price's office has been fantastic from start to finish. They completely understood what was needed to get insurance approval. I was approved only 8 days after everything was submitted. The medical assistant Carla is wonderful- always pleasant and very helpful with my leave of absence/disability paperwork. The bariatric nurse Melissa, nutritionist Lindsey, and exercise physiologist Renee are also fantastic. Very helpful in answering questions and helping to set and achieve goals. Dr Price is very informative and enures you have a good understanding of what will happen during all phases of the surgery process. Sandy is a miracle worker when dealing with insurances and had the RNY herself years ago. Adrian ran the support group I attended and was very knowledgeable. She used to be the bariatric nurse but now has a new position. Again, just can't say enough good things about this team - they have given me something I thought I would never have...HOPE!

I am a year out from surgery now and have lost a total of 163 lbs. (about 20lb with the 2 week liquid diet the rest post-up)

Dr. Price is great! I have not done a as good a job as I could at following the exercise rules requirements (suggestions) but I am more than pleased with my success and more to come. I have kept all of my follow-up appointments. The staff at St. Lukes Surgical Specialists are wonderful and very supportive and helpful. This has been a life changing experience and I wouldn't have wanted to do it with any other health care team.

Dr. Price is a pleasant person, but not real good at answering questions. I had made an additional appointment with him to have some questions answered as I would have a revisionary surgery. For the 8 months that I was meeting the requirements there was very little communication. The dietician was a joke. Most of the time they didn't have one so the nurse " filled in". There was no exercise person until about a month ago. The current dietician is very snippy and concerned with making sure that no one blames her for the poor follow up. I would also like to add that there was never in 8 months any book with the diet given out, but plenty of excuses as to why they didn't have one. How can you follow a diet when you don't know what it is? On my last visit there to tell them that I had made other arrangements for surgery, the dietician grabbed a book out of my hands threw it down and told me to find one elsewhere. BE WARE!!

What was your first impression of him?

Dr. Price is very forward. He doesn't like to sugar coat things and will tell you how it is. I like that in a surgeon because with a persons health nothing should ever be held back or lightly put. If you have a question and stop him in the hall to ask, he's never "too busy" to stop and talk to you about it. He has a great personality and can talk about Louisiana football all day long!

How would you describe his office staff?

Staffing changed while I was in the middle of my program so I actually saw three different people for dietician visits and two different people for my exercise visits. However, I do believe the changes were for the best. Lindsey, the new registered dietician made sure to thoroughly go over what I discussed with the previous dieticians and ask if I had any questions. She also made sure I was fully knowledgeable what her expectations were during my pre op liquid diet as well as my post op diet. The RN, Adrienne, is great about returning phone calls in a timely manner, especially if you are having any types of complications.

Does he have a structured aftercare program?

First off, there are NO PROGRAM fees with Dr. Price's clinic like there are with most. The dietician and exercise physiologist are included with the program FOR LIFE. You will see them every time you come in for a post op visit at no additional charge. They are also available for questions over the phone in between visits if needed.

How did he address the risks of surgery?

During my last appointment before surgery both my husband and I were able to sit down one on one with the doctor and ask any questions we may have about the surgery. He discussed the risks of the surgery and ways to help avoid complications. We also signed the surgery consent forms at that time which helped reduce the amount of paperwork when we checked in the day of surgery.

My Surgeon and his staff are very nice helpful and knowledgeable. Your first appointment is made at the informational meeting and when you get there you meet with Sandy the Coordinator and then the surgeon. You are able to ask what you need to ask. Dr. Price is a huge LSU Fan.

I just found out that I am approved and know I am just waiting for the scheduled date.

Dr. Price was our host for the seminar on October 6th. He, so far, to me seemed genuine, caring, and realistic! I can't wait to meet with him and the staff more. I'm so happy I chose to drive an hour away from my home for his care. I look forward to a long relationship with Saint Luke's Center for Surgical Weight Loss. <edit> I had my first office consult to meet personally with Dr. Price and Sandy on October 12th. Although I was informed that my insurance won't cover the procedure I had initially wanted, I was thrilled to meet with them both and they were both great to help me decide on the procedure that is covered.

NO ONE WOULD HELP ME IN THE BEGINNING, THEY ALL SAID I WEIGHED TOO MUCH, 467 LBS IS A LOT BUT ISNT THAT THE POINT OF WLS? WELL DR PRICE SAID HED HELP ME FROM DAY ONE! AND HE DID. DR PRICE WAS SINCERE AND HONEST ABOUT WHAT WAS IN FRONT OF ME AND THE WORK I HAD TO DO AND HAS REMAINED SINCERE AND HONEST THROUGH IT ALL. HIS STAFF ARE THE SAME WAY AND WILLING TO ANSWER ANY QUESTION THAT WILL HELP YOU SUCCEED IN YOUR WEIGHT LOSS QUEST. AFTER CARE IS A BIG PART OF YOUR SUCCESS, AND SUPPORT GROUPS REALLY ARE ENCOURAGED. THE AFTERCARE PROGRAM IS AMAZING AND DESIGNED TO MAXIMIZE YOUR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY SUCCESS. THE RISKS WERE OUTLINED TO ME VERY CLEARLY AND I DECIDED THE REWARDS OUTWEIGHED THE RISKS. OVERALL EVERYTHING ABOUT HIS PROGRAM WAS PERFECT FOR ME AND IF YOU ARE WILLING TO PUT IN THE WORK, IT WILL BE PERFECT FOR YOU AS WELL!

When talking with my PCP about the possibility of me having WLS, she commented about what a great surgeon Dr. Price was. In fact, she said she had heard great things from several of the Anesthesiologists at our hospital. So, I felt very good about meeting him and discussing my options. Over time, I've come to really appreciate him even more. He's very personable and sincerely cares about his patients. He makes time to talk to me and it's not just about clinical things. He truly understands the emotional and social changes a WLS patient goes through. Because of his leadership, the program and staff have the same philosophy. The are super friendly, very responsive and always encouraging. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this program to anyone.

seemed nice .rnit didnt he is very nice and caring.rnvery friendly.rnnothing yet.rnrnrnrnrnyes he stressed the risk of surgery.rnfrom 1-10 ten being best a 9rnboth are good.