Michael A. Snyder Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

He is great! Fun, light hearted but knows his stuff. Very honest with answers.
When I met with him I was very impressed that he came to get his patients from the waiting room himself, a nurse did not call our name, he did, and then brought us back.
Very open, sat down and listened to me.

My first impression of Dr. Snyder was fabulous. I had heard a lot about him so I had very high expectations, but after hearing his seminar and then meeting him in person soon after, I found that my standards were not only met, but exceeded. He has a wonderful upbeat personality, treats you like a real person and tells it like it is. He also seems to be very concerened with the safety of his patients which puts me the patient more at ease. He had great answers to all of my questions and was very personable. His office staff was great - Dolly was a doll and really seems to run that place:) I was able to get in quickly, but I also have to be self-pay, so I don't know how much I would have been bogged down with insurance. My surgery is in a few weeks and I have been given all the necessary tools to get ready and have had to see many specialists, pre-op etc, so I know they are taking this surgery seriously. It seems like the aftercare is great and I am looking forward to starting a support group this upcoming week. I met with another surgeon and asked other medical professionals, and everyone came back to Dr. Snyder. I know I have a long road ahead of me, but with his staff's support and his wonderful skill, I know I will be in good hands:)

I attended Dr Snyder's seminar in July of 2004 and knew from that day if I have this surgery, he will be my surgeon. He gives you straight forward information and makes sure you really ask yourself, is this I really want and ready to commit the rest of life to. He makes sure you know the complications and possible side effects but also some of the great results you will see if you follow his rules. I really know I made the right decision when my neighbor, who is a post op nurse at another hospital Dr. Synder works out of and cares for his surgical patients, said, "You had Gastric Bypass, that is fantastic. Who was your surgeon, Dr. Synder, because he is fantastic?"

His emphasize on aftercare is clear. Drink, Drink, Drink. Follow his rules and you will be successful.

Dr. Snyder is very personable and has a great bedside manner that immediately put me at ease. While researching RNY Surgery I attended his seminar. Not only did I get most of my questions answered at the seminar I got a lot of handouts to read at my leisure. At the seminar I learned a lot about the risks of surgery. Nothing was sugar coated. I was invited to support groups to learn more before making a decision and ask questions of those that had already had the surgery. I never felt pressured by anyone whether it be office staff, Dr. Snyder or support group members. I had plenty of time to search elsewhere for answers instead of only one area of town. Once I made the decision to have the surgery Dr. Snyder's staff were very helpful in answering additonal questons and those they did not know they would remind me to write them down so that I could ask them at my first appointment. Dr. Snyder is so much into aftercare and providing support for his patients (and even those that are not his patients) that he and his staff are currently setting up more support groups in different areas of Denver to fulfill the needs of his patients. Both Dr. Snyder's surgical competence and bedside manner were great. I was impressed that Dr. Snyder stopped by when I was being prepped for surgery to see how I was doing and if I had any further questions. By that time my fear level was at an all time high. Dr. Snyder showed a lot of compasion in easing my fear. Dr. Snyder gave my family members his pager number and the bariatric nurse liason stopped by and gave my family her pager number also in case we needed to contact them after the surgery. From my experience, the only thing that I would have changed is that I would have liked Dr. Snyder to come in my room and check on me a few more times. The nursing staff at Rose Medical took such good care of me and kept such excellent notes that I guess he felt I was in good hands (which I was). When my sister had her surgery I would check on her daily and would always see Dr. Snyder in the area or at the nurses station checking the nurses notes on his patients. Although he was not physically in my room he was in the area a lot checking up on myself and his other patients through the nurses notes. I always knew that if I needed to talk to Dr. Snyder that I had his pager number. Dr. Snyder stressed the importance of getting up and walking 2 to 3 hours after surgery to prevent blood clots. I not only made it out of bed and too the door to my room but made it all the way down the hall and back. It was tough going at first but the more I walked the easier it got and the more I progressed in my recovery.

At first I was a little thrown off by the requirements necessary to work with Dr Snyder. First, you have to attend a free seminar (only held once a month)before you can even schedule an appt.

Once you have attended you are handed a bunch of information, and lots of forms to fill out (incredible amts of background and health information) When you have your meeting with Dr Snyder, he goes thru it in great detail, and then makes a list of requirments that must be met prior to even submitting information to the insurance company. In my case, I had to "pass" a series of appointments with a heart specialist, a pulmonary specialist, a shrink, an esophagus specialist and a scan for blood clots in my legs. AND I HAD TO QUIT SMOKING. (this entire process took less than a month and a half)

After all of that, I started working with the Office staff for insurance purposes. And once that was approved, my surgery date was scheduled. I was also required to attend a Nurse Practioner sponsored Nutrition and planning session. We went thru all of the VERY DETAILED aftercare program, and the pre-op requirements.

The doctor went thru very carefully all of the risks of surgery.

I know that this survey is supposed to be honest and not over-emphasize the good things, but Dr Snyder, the PA (Patrick Sawyer)the Office Staff, the Hospital Staff (at Rose Hospital) and the Nursing staff, together all equal one of the best medical experiences I have ever been involved in. Everyone was warm, and really seemed to care about ME (not just the operation)Several of the members of the team have been thru the operation themselves, so they all understand what this really entails.

The aftercare programs are extensive and well worth it.

Unfortunately, other than pre-op jitters, I have nothing negative at all to report

Dr. Snyder is a very understanding and caring person. He is very up front with the ricks of surgery and the life time changes that you will be going through. I had COMPLETE trust in him and his PA, Patrick. The support and on the spot response to e-mails and phone calls is very assuring. His office help is very, very pleasant and willing to help with anything. Dr. Snyder has a very structured after care program. The program that he and Rose Medical in Denver has provided is excellant. I wish I lived closer so that I could attend support group meetings @ Rose Medical. I would rate
Dr. Snyder and his staff a 10 on a scale from 1-10. His knowledge and competance plus bedside manner is outstanding.

I really enjoyed working with Dr. Snyder, due to the fact that he is so passionate about this surgery and helping others. When I asked him why he decided to be a bariatric surgeon he stated that he wanted to alleviate problems that occur due to obesity and stop the problems instead of just putting a "band-aid" on them.

I have referred quite a few people to him. He is very caring and understanding yet firm on his beliefs about this surgery. I was very lucky and didn't have problems after surgery, and I think it is due to the pre-op instructions and following the suggestions of Dr. Snyder.

I would refer anybody to him that is interested in this surgery. He is willing to answer any questions and wants to help as many people as he can to have a better life...or be able to live longer than they would if they didn't have surgery.

Hyper, but seems sincere

Stayed like first impression

Informative

Always in a hurry

Right guy fdor the job

Aftercare as important as the surgery itself

Yes on structured aftercare program

Full disclosure of risks of surgery

First rate

Both

My first impression of Dr. Michael Snyder was WOW what energy this man has. I was so impressed with him that I decided to have my surgery with him. I had no reservations about anything that was to be done. Dr. Snyder answered all of my questions and his staff made me feel so comfortable. Dr. Snyder's bed side manner is wonderful. He came and seen me everyday. I would recommend Dr. Snyder to anyone who is looking to have this surgery. What a WONDERFUL person he is and a great surgeon.

First impression was that Dr. Snyder was very knowledgable and cares about his patience. Dr. Snyder's office staff is very professional, confidential and easy to work with.
Dr. Snyder is all about after care and he is the best there is. Yes, he has a structured after care and he will see you no matter what and he has always called back when paged.
Dr. Snyder gave the pros and cons and did not hide anything. He wants his patients to be well informed and make the correct decission for themselves.
I would rate Dr. Snyder an 11 on a scale of 1 to 10. Dr. Snyder has a great competence for his art and a great bedside manner.