Matthew French Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

Dr. French is an amazing physician. The first time my husband and I met him he spent almost 2 hours with us. I was weighing the option of revision. He performed a procedure on me and then agreed to do my revision. The second time we saw him he was also very friendly, answered all of our questions and was not rushed at all. I felt so comfortable with him. When I was in the hospital, the day after surgery, he was not the physician on call, but he called me in the evening to check on me. I cannot say enough good things about him. I will see him again in 2 weeks and I look forward to it.

Dr. French is a obviously a very knowledgable Dr. but if you want someone who is going to be there with you every step of the process, it's not him. I saw him once in the office to sign the paperwork and then a few minutes before I was knocked out prior to surgery. One of the other doctors from his group came in and saw me the following day and released me. That being said, His staff is awesome. The nurse practioners are very helpful, the nutritionist is there any time I need her or have a problem. I had very few issues the days following my surgery and the nurse's actually answered the phone and had a conversation with me. They are great. So if we were basing this on skill level Dr. French would be a 10, as for availability a 1. I really don't care though because his staff is that good.

Dr French and the entire staff at Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are awesome!! From the first time I called, I have been treated with respect and dignity by a compassionate and knowledgeable staff. Sometimes, I felt like I was bugging them, but they NEVER made me feel that way! They offer a weekly support group for those considering surgery, those post surgery and everyone in between. It has only been a week out, but I already know--they gave me the tools to save my life!!

Dr. French was very great. My first impression of him was that he was very knowledgeable and friendly. I am an ER nurse so it takes a lot to impress me. His staff and Chris Nelson CFNP are so nice, concerned, and helpful. They are so supportive and have up to date technology. I would recommend (and have several times) the whole staff (Dr. French, Chris, etc) to everyone!!! There program is so structured and they make sure that teaching you is the most important. The education given by the staff is the best! I would give the whole staff a 10!!!!!!! This is because of his surgical competence, bedside manner, and efficient staff!

I was very impressed with Dr. French upon our first meeting. He is very knowledgeable and patient. He answered every question I had, and even some that I didn't know to ask. Dr. Matthew French has an outstanding reputation and bedside manner.The entire staff of Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are very accomodating and answer all questions in a friendly and timely fashion. I would recommend him and his staff to anyone. The before and after care programs are wonderful and quite informative. Because I was paying cash, I had my surgery in Slidell at Southern Surgical Hospital and I must say, the entire staff was so accomodating to me and my friend also, who stayed with me for the two night stay. Everyone was very professional and caring. Since bariatrics is a specialty at this hospital, I was treated like a queen! I highly recommend Dr. French and would not hesitate to recommend Southern Surgical Hospital to anyone whether it be a friend of family member.

First impression was one of competence and experience. He is relatively young but was trained when laproscopic surgery was becoming possible. His staff is great . They are with you everystep of the way with critical information and support. rn I had the lap band procedure and when I have needed to have it adjusted they are very accomodating. The nurses really pull for your success. rn They were very sure to inform patients of the risks. A psychological test was mandatory.rnI rate the entire experience A Plus

SURGEON #1- Dr. Danny Scott. I worked with Dr.Scott at Tulane in the O.R. He is an excellent surgeon. That was the reason I chose him as my bariatric surgeon. His office manner was very friendly and easily made me feel comfortable. I have no complaints about him. On the other hand, his staff needs some help. His usual program coordinator is out on maternity leave, and the interim nurse is not very organized. My appeal has been sitting on her desk for the past 2 months because she forgot to call me and tell me she needed more information. I thought it was the insurance company that was taking their time. She even lied to me and told me at one point that my appeal had been sent. This in inexcusable. I have since had my records sent to another WLS program in the New Orleans area. How many other patients has he lost due to staff incompetence?

SURGEON #2- Dr. Raury O'Connell. He seems very nice and was easy to talk to. He did rush our initial visit, and I wasn't able to ask any of my questions.
After Hurricane Katrina the hospital that Dr.O'Connell worked out of was destroyed and he relocated to FLA. It took 4 months to track down his program director and find this information out. I feel sorry for his post-op patients that were just forgotten about.
Again, his program director did not send my packet to my insurance for approval when she said she had. I am so tired of the lies!

SURGEON #3- Dr. Matthew French. He was very nice and spent, what I thought, was an unusually long time with me for my pre-op visit. I felt bad, and thought he was missing his other appointments. He answered all of my questions and was very thorough. I am very impressed with his office staff and nurses. They are professional and return your calls in a timely fashion. They explain everything to you and what is expeced of you, and never leave you wondering, "what do I do next?" I have decided to forgo insurance approval and pay out-of-pocket for my surgery. I am tired of having to deal with incompetent staff and insurance companies with MBA's making my health care decisions for me.

I actually worked with Dr. French at Memorial Medical Center - Baptist Campus in New orleans, LA in 2003. I knew his proceedures and I felt that his technique for the laparascopic gastric bypass ( roux-en-Y ) was the safest and most reliable for security of the stitches and not having leakages in the abdomen after surgery.

October 7th I had my surgery and I never had any leaks at my incisions and never had difficulties after the surgery due to any of the surgery at all. I have not had any probelms at all. I am 2 weeks post op and I am now 21 pounds less than what I was when I went in to surgery.

If it hadn't been for the doctor and me knowing the inside workings of the surgeon in the operating room, I would never have had the surgery.

If anyone is thinking of having this surgery and needs lots of reasurance of the doctor doing the surgery, THIS doctor is the best..Bar None!

The doctors that work with Dr. French ( Dr.'s Moore, Lavin, Thomas and umm.. one other.. I am brain farting on this one.. sorry doc!! ) are ALL excellent and have the same technique and they all really care about the patient.

If you know about doc's, they ususally are fast and get in and out of the room because of trying to get their patens in and out.. THIS is NOT what these doc's do. They will sit there and actually talk to you and treat you like a person. Its almost like feeling like family. I know when I go there, it feels like family there. That is what makes it worth the trip from Alabama to Louisianna when they tell me to come.

When I first met Dr. French, he displayed the utmost professionalism and he had excellent bedside manner. My impression of him never wavered over the course of our Doctor/Patient relationship.

The office staff was wonderful and very helpful. They answered my questions in such a way that anyone would understand.

I would recommend Dr. French and the Surgical Specialists group to anyone considering the bariatric surgery.

I first met him at a seminar, so I decided to have my consult with him. The consult with him was not quite what I was expecting, since he didn't want me to have the surgery and be off to school 800 miles away a month later, but he gave me some options and encouraged me to keep thinking. I kind of felt shot down from my hopes of being able to have this and continue on with my life, but he was right and very nice about how he addressed it. I could tell that he didn't want me to be in a situation where I was with doctors who might not know what to do in case of complications. The staff was very nice and I actually enjoyed my visit to the office in Covington, LA.

Update: 6/4/09

Dr French has been a great surgeon. 4 years after my original surgery, I experienced a lot of weight regain and stomach pain. I went to see him in April regarding this, and Dr. French took me very seriously. I was expecting a doctor to just tell me I was crazy...which I may be, but not about this. On May 28, I was scheduled for a diagnostic laparotomy to determine the source of my abdominal pain and it was determined that I was suffering from Candy Cane Roux Syndrome and part of my original pouch was bulged out. He fixed it up and here I am, starting with a "fresh" pouch and another chance to achieve what I have set out to do.