Joseph Colella Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

My first impression of Dr. Colella was that he was pretty young and attractive (I kind of expected this from my research). He was very approachable and immediately set myself and my overprotective, paranoid mother at ease. He tolerated us plummeting him with question after question, some of which were very direct and could be uncomfortable (i.e. his medical record, number of fatalities, client references, complications, etc.) He listened to our concerns with diligent patience, and responded directly, but in a very kind manner. My mother (who drove to this appointment all the way from central Ohio) arrived with many concerns and anxiety beyond belief. She left the appointment feeling very satisfied with the answers she recieved, content with my choice in surgeon, and actually EXCITED for me and the relief I will be recieving from all my ailments after surgery. EXCITED FOR ME!!!! WOW! I thought his staff was very nice and kind. The nurse was great... and Brenda... FORGET ABOUT IT!!!! She is AWESOME! Direct, kind, honest, everything you could ask for. Brenda is the super insurance pro. THREE DAYS after she recieved my paperwork she called me with an approval and surgery date... she could have scheduled the surgery as soon as TWO WEEKS from that phone call... She is certainly a very diligent and competent employee of the good doc. Dr. Colella ephasizes and offers adequate aftercare and considers you a "patient for life". He addressed possible complications honestly and directly. I would say the only complaint I could possibly make is that we were in the waiting room for quite awhile, however, this does not upset me, because I know how patient and tolerant he was with me- never once glancing at his watch. I am glad to know that he is this diligent and dedicated to all his patients.

I have changed my surgeon information to Dr Joseph Colella. Dr Williams who did my initial surgery is no longer in Pittsburgh, he has relocated to Florida. Dr. Colella has actually performed several surgeries on me, beginning with the corrective revision that I had after my first gastric bypass and just recently he revised my entire surgery and repaired a blockage.
Dr Colella is an amazing doctor as well as person. He has always taken a personal interest in me and in my fiance.
He is very understanding and caring and I have the utmost faith in his abilities. In my opinion, having a personal relationship with the doctor who does this type of surgery is very important as is the follow up care. I see Dr Colella every few months for follow up and if I ever have any problems, he is always available to help.
I would rate Dr Colella as one of the best doctors-his surgical skill and bedside manner are incomparable and I would recommend him to anyone who is considering having this surgery.
Thanks Dr Joe for all that you have done for me!

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12/13/01---Just would like to update here about how please I am to have Dr.Williams as my surgeon.He is very caring & compassionate
I had a few complications with my surgery but thru it all Dr Williams was wonderful. I have not had any problems at all with Dr Williams or his office staff..everyone is really wonderful!!
8/6/01
I met Dr. Williams and Brenda today and they were both really great. Brenda is very easy and pleasant to talk to and she went over the basics on what steps need to be taken as far as getting the information to the insurance company and getting everything approved. she also went over all the paperwork. I must say that she was really terrific!! Dr. Williams was also very nice and he went over some of the surgical procedures and answered questions...he never made me feel rushed and really took his time with me. I definately think that he is the surgeon for me and I will be having the open rny procedure. The office does require you to attend a 4 hour class on the surgery and what to expect afterwards...etc...this class is not covered by insurance but sounds like it is worth it.
I also met with the nutritionist today. She was also very informative and went over a healthy diet.
I had to reschedule my psych consult since I ran over at Dr. William's office...I suggest if you make all 3 appts at the same time that you allow at least 3 hours between the surgeon and the psych consult just to be on the safe side.
Based on my experience today, I would recommend this office to anyone looking for a surgeon...everyone was really wonderful!!

3-12-03 First appointment May 10, 2003

First impression of Dr. Colella was very positve. He put me at ease was friendly and knowlegable. Dr. also gave me input as to the necessity of this procedure. He also game me stitisics on complications. He was very open with his experence and issues he had faced in his career as a surgion.

Brenda is great with an awsome personality. She handled everything from greetings to papper work with the insurance company. It is very obiouse she has extensive experence and ephithy to handle patients.

My first impression of Dr. Colella was awesome. He is one of the nicest doctors I have ever met. He is very sincere and seems to really care about his patients. His office staff is really nice, especially Brenda. She is extremely organized and keeps you up to date. I work with 2 people who have had the WLS with Dr. Colella and they love him, and I feel very confident with him doing my surgery.

He's a hottie! But also very experienced. He's been doing the Lap and open bypasses for several years and has over 500 under his belt. He says he hasn't lost anyone yet from complications. The office manager Brenda is a good force for the insurance companies to work with. She's knows just what needs to be done and gets it done. Dr. Colella is doing 4 to five lap surgeries a day and has it down to one hour and a half. I feel confident with him and his staff that all will go well in March for me.

I am very happy with Dr. Colella. The hardest thing was the waiting for my consult appointment. There was a 3 month waiting list. The office staff are all wonderful. Lets see Brenda got me approved by my insurance in less than 4 days. Dr. Colella was very caring and very informative. I understood what he was saying, he did not talk above me. Step by step instructions were given for every process.

I changed from Dr Courcoulas to Dr Colella, this was a personal choice, nothing wrong with the first doctor just felt more comfortable with Dr. Colella and his staff. Dr Courcoulas made me feel like just another number and another surgery and the personal touch wasn't there as it was with Dr Colella and his staff. The one great thing about Dr. Colella is he made you go to a seminar before schedules surgery. You meet with the staff and they go over everything what to expect and they answer questions, then Dr Colella comes in and draws on a board what he will be doing and answeres any questions. I highly recommend him. a 10 in rating

In February 2003 when my Orthopedist suggested WLS at AGH, he recommended two doctors. One did the RNY procedure which was Dr. Colella and the other did the VBG. After researching both procedures I felt the RNY was better because I am extremly resistant to weight loss. It had better results initially and patients did not seem to gain it all back in a year or two. I called his office in March and Brenda gave me a date for consultation of June 3, 2003. It was changed to May 29th and I finally met both Brenda and Dr. Colella. I had a lot of questions and they were answered very well by the Doctor. He addressed some of the risks and what steps he takes to treat them. I have a lot of confidence in him and his staff. I had my initial operation on August 20th and a revision on October 16th. Was hopitalized four times in two months. Glad that I had Dr. Colella who was able to treat all my complications. Please read my journal.

Other than waiting waiting 1/2 in the waiting room and 1 hour in the exam room.... Dr Colella was very nice. He apologized for my wait and expressed appreciation for me waiting. (When does a Dr thank you for waiting?) Younger than I thought. Very gentle and genuinely concerned about me. He explained very clearly and compassionately the risks that are associated with my obesity. He explained to me the risks involved with surgery and put to ease any apprehensions that I had. Brenda was very helpful, and with the possibility of my insurance changing soon, they appear to be working diligently to get me scheduled before I lose my insurance. He is a very kind man that has a genuine concern for his patients. Both surgical competance and bedside manor or equally important. You feel much more at ease with a Dr that can talk to you about his competance!

The first time I met Dr. Colella was four years ago when I had my Gall Bladder taken out. My first impression was...."WOW"! His bedside manner was impecable, as was his care.

My impression did change over time- only for the better. When I went to him over a year ago for a consultation, he was extremely knowledgeable and courteous. He discussed my options very clearly, in just plain english.

His office staff is very helpful. Brenda is perfect for her position, and does her job very well. Dotti is fabulous, and was very helpful to me through the entire process.

What do I like least about Dr. Colella? The fact that he IS married! (LOL)

Future patients should know that there is not a better doctor than Dr. Colella. He is not only professional, but he is empathetic and caring as well. He takes great pride in his work, and will answer any questions you may have to point you in the right direction.

Dr. Colella strongly emphasizes aftercare. He will require you to have lab work done prior to post op appointments. At those appointments, he will review your lab work with you, and go over your progress. He is very thorough.

Dr. Colella does indeed address the risks of surgery. He even will advise you to try other options, prior to considering the gastric bypass.

I rate him overall, as Exceptional. I've had eight surgeries in the past ten years- and Dr. Colella has performed the last three.
I honestly believe that if I would have had him on my first surgery- I never would have had to have the rest that followed. He is that good.

Surgical competence and bedside manner.......both great. I highly recommend Dr. Colella. Plus if your'e female- he's the hottest doctor you'll ever meet!