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

Very informative and very accessible (phone, e-mail, etc.)Competent and friendly office staff. Heavy emphasis on aftercare. Has enthusiastic support group with lots of activity. There is a structured aftercare program. Addresses risks of surgery in his personal talks and on his website. I consider Dr. Pleatman an excellent practitioner and will recommend him to several of my friends who are struggling with obesity. Dr. Pleatman performed the vertical sleeve procedure for me last week. During the surgery he also cleaned up some abdominal adhesions that were a result of a past gall bladder operation. I've experienced no post-surgical pain from the sleeve procedure! Dr. Pleatman is very direct. Surgical competence trumps bedside manner.

I was recommended to Dr. Pleatman by my sister-in-law. My first impression was that he reminded me of my son. He's no nonsense and all about business. I LOVE my doctor! Over time my impression of Dr. Pleatman has UNCHANGED. I would like to see him smile a little more...I have accomplished to get a smile or two out of him. I wanted a doctor that would help me understand the procedure (vertical sleeve) including all of the risks, side affects, medications required and lifestyle changes necessary for this to work. His staff was excellent & quite informative. I had surgery scheduled and canceled within a couple of days of surgery date due to some insurance issues. I was devastated...but the staff worked and made it happen 5 days later at a different facility. I can always go in to weigh or buy vitamins and get immediate responses to questions and e-mail. He religiously emphasizes the aftercare (support group meetings, excercise, swim therapy, even talking to the nutritionist frequently. I rate Dr Pleatman an A++. I feel that surgical competence is more important than bedside manner. I need a doctor to take care of business not to be my friend! rnJ. Crouch

Overall I was happy with Dr. Pleatman. I do believe he's a very skilled surgeon and that always makes it just a bit easier when you're going in for major surgery. He has a fantastic office staff who went out of their way to make sure I was taken care of. This is good since the doctor himself isn't the most personable guy in the world. You may interpret him as being somewhat on the rude side, or maybe just bluntly honest. I don't know, but his skills as a surgeon and the self-pay VSG price were both more important to me. If anyone is curious about the procedures you go through, you go in for a consultation with him, and then maybe a month later you can have surgery (if a self-pay). A few days before surgery, you will be brought in for a last consultation with him and a nutritional class with his nutritionist, following by pre-op testing at the hospital.

I was very impressed with the fact that Dr Pleatman never once made me feel rushed or tried to hurry and get me out of his office. He answered all my questions and didn't try to sell me on the VSG, just gave it to me the way it is. His quick response to the emails I sent to him was amazing - I don't know many doctors that are so in touch with their patients!

His staff seems friendly and his office is very clean. Dr Pleatman offers monthly meetings after surgery for his patients, however I will be coming long distance so I won't be going to those meetings. But the fact that he has them is nice!

***Update since surgery***
My surgery didn't go as well as Dr Pleatman expected and I ended up with a rather large leak (I am not suprised since I knew I had a TON of scar tissue around my esophegus and upper stomach). I also ended up developing a large abcess and got extremely ill and spent 10 days in the ICU after surgery and an additional 4 days on the regular hospital floor. I feel Dr Pleatman did everything he could to help me recover as quickly as possible. He has also been extremely available for anything I have needed and even wants daily reports from me as I recover to make sure things are going well (since I am home now). Despite how badly things turned out I feel Dr Pleatman has done a good job doing what he could to help me get better quickly.

I just had my VSG performed by Dr. Pleatman. I was out-of-state, self-pay. His practice is very accommodating for us out-of-towners. His staff are very well informed and helpful. Download the package on his website that has a lot of info; Dr. Pleatman's staff will send you another package when you call to set up surgery. They are also available by phone or e-mail to answer any questions you may have.rnNow as to Dr. Pleatman himself -- I am impressed! He is a rather quiet, unassuming person who seems to truly be concerned for his patients' welfare. He does not waste time, but I never felt rushed while talking with him, and he answeered all my questions fully and honestly. And he is available around the clock if you have any problems or concerns following surgery. I met 3 of his post-op patients while at his practice the day before my surgery. All of them seemed very happy with Dr. Pleatman. And if I or a friend or family member needed surgery -- I'd see Dr. Pleatman!rn4 out of 4 stars!rn

Initial contact with Dr. Pleatman's office staff very helpful and answered all questions. My initial email to Dr. Pleatman was answered quickly, and the scheduling process for self pay was very smooth. Dr. Pleatman has now performed over 200 VSG surgeries so he is one of the most experienced in this country, and has some of the most reasonable rates for self pay.
The office is very well set up for out of state self pay. My experience there was very good. Dr Pleatman was very personable and took as much time as I wanted to answer questions.

I have had excellent results from my VSG surgery. No complications and an excellent recovery. I am losing weight at a steady pace and am very happy with my experience with Dr. Pleatman. Highly recommended.

I think Dr. Pleatman is an OUTSTANDING surgeon. I never once felt anything but completely confident in his ability and under his care.rnrnHe is very no-nonsense, and he seems to have a very dry sense of humor. Nice but not overwhelmingly friendly... overall, though, there is no question in my mind that he takes his job extremely seriously and is an EXCELLENT surgeon. rnrnHis office staff is GREAT! Jo, Sue, Deb, Adele, and Jennie are so helpful and friendly. One could say that they make up where Dr. Pleatman lacks in the sunshiney-disposition department. =) rnrnMy experience has been fantastic and I would recommend his services to anyone. Thank you SO SO much Dr. Pleatman. rnrn

What Can I say, but that I am very pleased with Doctor Pleatman and his staff!! I am happy with how my surgery turned out and will be referring him to anyone that wants to have the surgery.rnTHANKS AGAIN DR. PLEATMAN!!rnrnrnrnI found Dr. Pleatman very upfront and honest and he answered all of my husbands and I's questions very throughly. I am looking forward to having him do my sugery. Jo in his office has been very nice and helpful everytime I call.rnThanks Jo!

Very impressed with Dr. Pleatman. Did VSG on me for $11,700 ($11,200 in Mar., 09), including hospital, anesthesiologist, and everything, in Sept., 2008.rnrnThank you, doctor, for making this surgery available at a reasonable cost for self pays!rnrnHe doesn't volunteer a tremendous amount of info. He does go over all the necessary info, tho. rnrnI do wish I had been weighed the morning of my surgery so I'd know my exact pre-surgery weight. That might be more of a hospital thing rather than a doctor thing, maybe?rnrnI had a question that I emailed to Dr. Pleatman 6 days after the surgery, and he emailed me back with an answer within about an hour, that was nice.rnrnHis website:rnhttp://www.laparoscopy.com/pleatman/index.htm

My first impression of Dr. Pleatman was very favorable. I had read in a post that he was very prompt in responding to e-mails. I tested this out and sent him an e-mail question late at night. By the next am before 9:00am I had a personal response. Throughout my pre-surgical time he was equally responsive if not better. I called his office one night after 6:00pm (thought he was in a different time zone than me) and he was there late and answered the phone, taking the time for a lengthy conversation. Upon meeting him my impression continued to be favorable. While Dr. Pleatman does not volunteer a great deal beyond the basic information he answered all of my questions in great detail. I think he tests your knowledge level and gears his presentation accordingly. At first, when he could tell I had not spent a great deal of research time he answered in greater detail and encouraged me to review the available online VSG literature with specific references. Later, after I had did my home work I was asking more focused questions and he answered these all in good detail. He did not attempt to \"over sell\" the VSG procedure, making sure to note that there were no guarantees, that the VSG was a tool, that exercise and sticking with the nutrition program were keys to success. He also showed me statistics from his VSG surgeries, the many, many good and a few not quite as good weight loss results. I previously worked in association with the medical field and spent mucch of my time meeting with physicians, nurses and allied medical professionals. I was impressed with Dr. Pleatman's professional attitude and demeanor. I would feel comfortable referring friends and family to him. My surgery went off without a hitch. I was discharged after an overnight stay. I was off the pain meds in the am the next day. While there was some abdominal pain (like your first workout with situps in a while) I was amazed by the lack of pain otherwise. It was almost like nothing was done to your stomach, aside from the obviously decreased volume. My worst part was the dry mouth while NPO the first day. Dr. Pleatman gets a 10 from me for bedside manner and for his surgical competence. He called me at 6:30 pm on the Saturday post op to check on my status. Pretty good follow up !