Mark D. Kligman Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

July 27, 2005
My first time meeting Dr. Kligman was at his seminar in June at the Pikesville Hilton. I was quit impressed with him from this first meeting. Everyone in the room was asking questions and there was not one he did not answer with great detail and confidence. He seems to be very straight forward and to the point, while still seeming to be compassionate about his patients. I could find no doctor in our area that I felt completely confident with and was capable of Laparoscopic RNY surgery. As of June Dr. Kligman has done greater than 450 Lap surgeries with a very small complication rate. My second meeting with Dr. Kligman only confirmed my first impressions. Due to several health issues I have feared having WLS and have been considering surgery for sometime. Dr. Kligman has addressed all the risks involved with WLS and has requested reports and test results from all my doctors. Any test he feels he needs and have not been done recently he has requested that I have these done.I have complete confidence in Dr. Kligman's surgical competence and I feel he has my best interest in mind.
Until later. . .

8/15/05 ~ Well it is later and my insurance has denied me for Lap surgery. They cover open but not laproscopic. I have been researching this surgery for quit sometime and had finally decided to move forward if I could have laprodscopic RNY. I guess I will start the appeal process as soon as I get the ok for surgery from my cardilogist. Once I get his ok I have all the referrals I need.
Later. . .

Dr. Kligman calls me his problem child. I think it is because I tend to talk a million miles a minutes and I end up making us both dizzy lol. I did research him before I was 100% sure to have the surgery (I recommend everyone who is thinking of having this done do their homework)I was very impressed with his success rate and the reviews from his past patients in OH. His staff was very kind and understanding, I was a tad on the "chatty" side each time I called and I did call often even though I was approved a day after the request went to BC/BC PPO.

Dr. Kligman is very business like when he needs to be and he makes sure you truly know what you are getting yourself into. It is a tool not to be abused. I wanted to also say how impressed I was with my scars even all of the nurses who looked after me was saying how clean and prefect they looked, they have healed beautifully and look like prefect little lines on my tummy.

I was very impressed with his intern and all of the Medical students who checked in with me daily. His intern was literally running around to be with me when I had to get things checked out. He made me smile alot.

I also have Sleep Apnea and they took extra care of me because they know how critical it is with such a small airway. He is used to dealing with Sleep Apnea cases so I must say I was taken very seriously by everyone involved.

My mom and I went to one of the WLS seminars in June 2005. We were both impressed with how honest and upfront he was. He doesn't "pull any punches" and his ultimate concern is for your good health. I just had my first consulation with him (7/21/05) and it went great. I'm very confident with his skills and knowledge. I've spoken on the phone with Janice and Samantha, and they both have been very helpful and seem to actually care about me. I also met with Mary B at the first consultation. She is the nutritionist who will be working with me through this journey. She's another one that I'm very impressed with. I had my appointment at the Shipley's Choice center. I've been there before and was always impressed with the level of care provided, which was one of the reasons I chose Dr. Kligman.

Dr. Kligman is a great doctor....with a very dry sense of humor. I liked him immediately. I also like the fact that he answers your questions honestly and directly and does not beat around the bush on anything. I also think that he genuinely cares about his patients. His current office staff (Janice) is amazing and makes you feel like you are special, an individual and not just another number. Dr. K is also a big fan of aftercare and that impressed me. Since his program is new in the area the support groups are just being formed but I have found that his patient group has now become something like a new set of family members to me. I met most of them through this site. I would definately recommend this doctor to anyone considering this surgery.

My surgeon was the best in my book.I liked Dr, Kligman the moment I met him. I couldn't of asked for a more skilled and caring, professional individual. His office manager Lynn was terrific and they always returned my phone calls the same day. Once you attend his seminar (which is very informative), you have a consultation with him, from there his office handled every thing from pre-op testing to psychological evaluation to insurance etc. If I hadn't found Dr. Kligman I would probably be pondering about even having the surgery. Dr. Kligman personally took me on my first walk after surgery. He is very serious about what he does and expects for his patients to follow his advice and pre-op and post-op rules. Dr. Kligman is very pleasant but direct. I love the fact that he speaks his mind and he is stern in what he says. His pre-op evaluation was very exstensive, he leaves no stones unturned. He puts a lot of emphasize on aftercare. His demeanor gives off a since of confidence and competence and this is not to be confused with arrogance because I thought he had a great bedside manner and a sense of humor. There's nothing about him or my expierence with him thus far that I would change.

Carefirst would not let me see Dr. Schweitzer with my policy. I switched over to Dr. Mark Kligman. He recently moved to the Baltmore area from Ohio to head up the University of Maryland Medical Center Bariatric Program. He has done over 450 LAP RNY procedures. He and his program coorindator, Lynn, are top notch. She has made this transfer from the Hopkins program painless. His seminar is mandatory and you will learn a wealth of information including information on the types of WLS, why he only does the LAP RNY, his statistics, and more! The inital consult is very good as well. He did a nice job on the history and phsyical. It wasn't just a quick review and I didn't feel rushed. He really took the time to ask me a lot of questions as well as answer all of my questions. His RD, Mary Beth, also will spend some time with you after you see him.
She is in the same office.

See my profile for more details about why I like Dr. Kligman. If you choose to have the LAP RNY in our area, this is the surgeon you want doing your procedure. Don't take my word for it.. just do your research, attend his seminar, even go to other seminars for surgeons in our area. DO YOUR HOMEWORK!! This is a serious decision.
Compare the stats, ask around,
and make sure that you find the whole package like I did. You want to find (and deserve) a great program manager, organized office staff, experienced surgeon with good stats (ie- over 450 lap procedures is a fantastic number) and great rep, personality/bedside manner is a bonus, a structured follow up program and excellent hospital is a must. Dr. Kligman has all of these qualities and that is why I picked him. Make sure you are happy with the surgeon you pick to partner with you in this journey. Feel free to email me or call me if you have any questions at all.

DR KLIGMAN NOW RESIDES IN MD AND IS THE HEAD OF THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED BARIATRIC CENTER FOR UMD. HE SEEMS EXTREMELY KNWLEDGABLE AS WELL AS PULLS NO PUNCHES AND STRAIGHT FORWARD. HE ASKED ME TO DROP 65 LBS PRIOR TO SURGERY AND BEING 5 WEEKS AWAY IM HALFWAY THERE.

I was impressed with him and continue to be impressed by his knowledge and directness. The most difficult thing I found with Dr. Kligman is that he's a typical surgeon...a bit detached. He is more likely to be focused on how I can slip up than commending me for my achievements. But then again he's not a psychologist nor my best friend :) GREAT knowledge and competence...beside manner is lacking. I'm very pleased with him overall. And of the two I would pick surgical competence over bedside manner.

Office Staff is and was helpful and friendly.

Aftercare is very much emphasized and he sponsors a support group once a month. However he's about to move to Maryland and aftercare is a bit up in the air at the moment.

Dr. Kligman is a gift from God. He is a caring, and skilled surgeon, who puts the safety and well-being of his patients first. He attends monthly support group meetings, truly cares about the success of his patients.

My first impression of Doctor K. was hes up front and to the point he doesnt BS he tells ya how it is from the get go. He does have a sensitive side and is very dedicated to what he does. His office staff is very good and nice. There really wasnt anything i didnt like about him because he is the type of Doctor i like no Bull Crap. All i can say is be ready for the strait up truth about wether he can do your surgery rite away or not. His aftercare program is great he truely cares about his patients. He tells you up front that its not a walk in the park surgery that there are some serious risks involved. Over all he is a wonderful doctor great bedside manner he is one of the best at what he does and he is also a Trauma surgin so he knows what to do if a patient gets in trouble on the table. I glad i stuck with him for as long as i have.