Jonathan Schoen Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS and Medical Director

Dr. Schoen was wonderful. Took a lot of time, great follow up on returning phone calls, etc. I felt I received excellent care. I moved 6 weeks after my surgery so can not comment on long term care. Dr. Schoen is a 10!

I met with Dr. Schoen and his staff today for my intake appointment. Everyone was wonderful!! The entire staff made feel welcome and important. They all took the time to explain everything to me about Gastric Bypass surgery before, during, and after.

The only complaint I have is with their website directions link. There is no such street as E. Dakota. The street you need to turn on is Dakota.

My first impression of Dr Schoen was WOW! He is way to young to be doing this and what A babe!! They were all extremely nice and helpful there and went way beyond there normal duties! DR Schoen came to the hospitals on his days off when I had to be put back in and has made personal calls himself to see how I was feeling! I have worked with many doctors offices and have never had one as personal and nice as all of them at his office!! They all went way beyond any expectations and I would recommend him to anyone!!! I rate Dr Schoen a 20(10 being the highest)! He is fantastic!!!

My first impression of Dr. Schoen was that he was too young to be doing this, and as time wore on I felt that he was actually sincere in helping me. His office staff is very nice and all very thin. I at first did not like his youth, I thought that he might be inexperienced. Future patients should know that he is very dedicated and will be frank with you and aid you in your success. Dr. Schoen really emphasizes nutrition, excercise, and support with no EXCUSES. Dr. Schoen has a structured program after surgery. Dr. Schoen is a very good doctor over all, when he talks to you he is really talking to you, and anyone who is obese knows that most doctors almost wish you were not even in their office. Both his surgical competence, and bedside manner was great, he came and visited me every evening and truly concerned on how I was feeling. I am blessed to have had Dr. Schoen as my surgeon.

My first impression of Dr. Schoen was that he knew what he was doing and was a very nice, personable physician. I don't think any surgeon has even given me the kind of first impression he did. Dr. Schoen and his staff truly care about their patients. They all take the time to explain anything and everything involved in the proceedure as well as aftercare requirements. I would highly recommend this surgeon to anyone seriously considering weight loss surgery.

I had my first appointment with Dr. Johnell on July 11, 2005. My first impression of him was kinda like he wasn't that interested in me or what I said but just scamming over the paperwork and asking me if I understood. And then that was it. It did not get personal or anything like that. When I tried to tell him something personal he just looked at his paper and proceeded with his work. I found him to be a very nice Doctor but out of touch with me on a personal level. It seemed as though he was in a hurry and needed to dismiss me right away. But like I said....he was very nice. I have not had another appointment with him since then, so I can not tell you that my impression of him has changed. His office staff is very sweet and kind. I like them a lot. Except...trying to get a call back from them is nearly impossible. I called with a question and left it on the answering machine the day before and did not get a call back. I had to call them. Also..I the first time I had an appointment with their office, I showed up for my appointment and they told me that they where not sure if they were going to be able to see me because they were not sure if they took my insurance any longer. They had a whole month to call me before my appointment and tell me that. Their office is 2 hours away from me. They could have even called me that morning! But they waited until I got to their office and walked up to the front desk to tell me! Needless to say..I was seen anyway. And I still don't know if they are going to take my insurance! LOL But......the office staff was really nice! Their nurse Carol is really nice but kinda cold until you break through her wall.
But other then that.....everyone was really nice and considerate!! There was a few times after my appointment that they called me with questions that I had already answered on all the paperwork I filled out. I told them that they should already have that and that I put it all in the paperwork and they said that they didn't have it! That irritated me!! So I had to go through all the work of getting that information to them all over again! geesh!! As far as I have read I hear that they have a good after program. I am not to that step yet, so we will see. I will keep you all updated. I had my Behavioural Evaluation on August 2, 2005, almost a month ago...with Dr. Howard. I had to pay $375.00 out of my own pocket. He told me that after the evaluation that day he was going to send a letter in the mail to me, stating whether or not if he approves of me going through the surgery and if he requests me seeing him again after the surgery. Well it is now going on a month and I have not received that letter. It says in the office paperwork that they give you, not to call them to see about the progress of the insurance but they will call you. So here I sit about a month later and have not received a call. I kinda feel as though I have been left out in the wind with no info on what is going on! So I called them! And they said that my letter of approval has been sent in to my insurance. I tell ya, my insurance is giving me headaches on this! They are asking me to just through many loops! And I have been! And they still have not answered the letter of approval! I would overall rate Dr. Johnell's office.......on a scale of 1-10.......Ten being the highest....a 6 for now. I will rate them later after I have had the chance to deal with them more. The 6 is for their kindness. I can not rate Dr. Johnell's surgical competence or bedside manner yet. I will let you know when I get to that point.

September 8th, 2005.....2 months after I seen Dr. Johnell I spoke with Joey, one of his staff memebers that deals with the insurance. she told me that Dr. Johnell does not take my insurance and she does not know how I slipped through the cracks and that I would have to find another Doctor. So I am back to square one!! Here I go again!! So I called Dr. Jonathan A. Shoen's office and they told me that in order to make an appointment with them I would have to get a refferal from my insurance. So, I called my insurance and they told me that I have to get a referal from my primary doctor and have them submitted to them (the insurance company) and then they would know within 48 hours if I have a referal. So........ I called my primary Doctor and requested for a referal to be sent to my insurance company so the can you me a referal to see Doctor Schoen!! Talk about jumping through hoops!! geesh!! All I can say is.........here we go again!! Dr. Johnell's office had two months to tell me this news!!

I now have a new Surgeon!! I have picked Dr. Schoen!! I had an consult appointment with Dr. Schoen's office yesterday September 29, 2005 and I love them all!! I did not get to meet with Dr. Schoen because he was in an emergancy surgery! But I did get to meet Abby, Wendy, Kelly and Christine!! They are all just angels!! I love them all so much!! What wonderful people they are!! I look forward to seeing them again!! Abby was a doll!! Wendy was just way too kewl!! Kelly is a gift sent from up above!! and Christine is very kind!! Anyway.........the good news is that they went through all of my records and seen that I had been seeing Dr. Johnell for a while and everything was done that needed to get done except for the nutrition class! So they went ahead and scheduled my surgery!! WHOO HOO!! I am so excited!! I go to my nutrition class (that Kelly runs) on October the 16th at 12:00 pm - 4:45 pm!! I am so excited about this class!! Then I have my pre-op appointment on Nov. 1st, 2005! My surgery is NOVEMBER 14, 2005 @ 10:30am!! Please keep me in your prays! I know that God granted this to happen!! Thank you Lord!! I will be back here to update after my Nutrition class and the everything else!!

I can not truly express in words how thankful I am to Dr. Schoen and his team at the University of Colorado Hospital Surgical Weight Loss Center. They are absolutely a world class group of medical professionals who are committed to helping obese individuals, like me, regain their lives. In addition to Dr. Schoen, I would also like to personally thank Wendy Mazursky, a tremendous physician’s assistant and Kelly Elliot, a nutritionist extraordinaire.

My first impression of the team as a whole was they were much more interested in providing a quality service than in rapidly growing the practice. A little over two years ago, I had an experience with Denver’s “high volume” bariatric surgical practice which somewhat jaded me on weight loss surgery (WLS). My perception was there was lot’s of marketing hype but little factual data being communicated. I dropped the thought of WLS until a year later when my wife pointed out an article in the Denver Post about Dr. Schoen. I was impressed by Dr. Schoen’s honest comments about the medical risks associated with the surgery as well as the overall commitment required by the patients. I regained my interest in WLS after my initial consult with Dr. Schoen. In the very thorough consult, he educated me on all aspects of the surgery. In addition, he communicated what he expected of me prior to and subsequent to the surgery. His direct, factual, reality based message was very effective. This education based, no nonsense style permeates the practice and is, in my opinion, what sets this team apart from the other WLS practices.

The surgery went very well and I have had no complications to date or for that matter, much pain. Based upon my experience, I would have to say nothing less than Dr. Schoen is a brilliant surgeon. I also appreciate the fact he took the time to ease my fears prior to surgery and he checked on me regularly during my stay at the hospital. Brilliant surgeon with a great bedside matter! What more could you ask for?

The University of Colorado Hospital Surgical Weight Loss Center has a very structured aftercare program. Dr. Schoen and Wendy have kept close tabs on my physical condition post surgery. Kelly leads monthly post-surgery support group meetings. I have not yet attended one since I am only three weeks post-op, although I plan to attend my first meeting later this month. The weight loss center also has several physical therapists that run a fitness center which is specifically designed for WLS patients. I have met once with a physical therapist and have an appointment later this month to develop an individualized fitness plan.

In summary - am I glad I selected Dr. Schoen and his team perform the surgery? Absolutely!

My first impression of Dr. Schoen was that he was super hott!! I kept wondering why on earth did this good looking man sit over fat people all day long?? Then I thought if I made that much money doing it I would do the same thing! Besides, that though, he is very nice and sweet. You can tell he really cares about his patients! His office staff is just as awsome as he is. They all greet you with smiles, and actually carry on conversations with you. I love them all!! They really follow up with you on aftercare witch is awsome. He lets you know all the risks, but trust me it's worth taking the risk. I rate him a perfect 10!!

Great, and made sure that I knew the risks, and how the surgery worked. He also told me of his concerns. I am impressed with his level of care and expertise. He is honest and upfront with everything. Having never had surgery before or actually spent time in the hospital, this man made me feel at ease and I had complete trust in his ability. His office staff is fantastic and very helpful. Christine had me approved the first time out.

He is very strong on aftercare and continues to express real concern about my progress and how I am feeling. Kelly Elliot, the nutritionist is fantastic and a wealth of knowledge and alone she is a great support system.

All in all I think he is pretty great and so far that have been no post surgery problems that I am aware of.

My first impression was that he was a quiet guy, and seemed reserved. He is really nice and seems really genuine.

My impression never really changed. I am glad he is my surgeon, he is thorough and he covered a lot in a short time.

The office staff were really nice, and open.

Dr. Schoen greatly emphasized aftercare. They are now looking at starting an exercise room as well as already having a support group. He has a great nutritionist that he works with. All in all he emphasizes exercise everyday to form the best habits as well as not having children for 2 years.

Dr. Schoen sat down and walked me through not only the lapband but also the duodenal switch. He told me the risks of both of those surgeries and the reason why he only does RNY. He showed a diagram of what the RNY surgery would look like and the risks involved including the stomach leaking and other complications and risks associated with the surgery. He goes through how everything would look like after the surgery.

I would give him a high rating. He knows what he is doing, and I believe he is better than the other doctors/surgeons I saw in England. I also like the fact that he is civilian rather than a military doctor.

I really like both surgical competence and bedside manner to be present in a doctor. I do get the impression that Dr. Schoen has a better surgical competence than a bedside manner, but this is after one visit. I am sure once I get to know him better, as well as his staff, my first impressions may change.

Updated 05/19/2012
Through it all, I believe I had the best doctor with Dr. Shoen. I have had two babies post op. I am in the best shape of my life. I am working on my Bachelors Degree in Justice Administration and working towards a career in Law Enforcement. Dr. Schoen is a great doc and would highly recommend him to everyone!!

Ultimately our last conversation was when I got pregnant with my first child. Through it all, I am healthy, stronger, and have two special gifts that I wouldn't have had if I hadn't gon through surgery. Dr. Schoen looks out for the best well being of his patients, and I highly recommend him :)