Michael H. Wood Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

I have heard that many surgeons have a 'God" complex, and, given the number of lives Dr. Wood has saved, he could certainly be forgiven if he had one, but he doesn't. His pre-surgery talk to our group seemed to me to be a little over the heads of the people there - I worry that people who can't read well won't have the info to make a really informed decision, particularly when it comes to what you must do to get the best results. Fortunately, it looks like the doctor's integrity is such that he does everything possible to insure success results.

Dr. Wood is very thorough, and is considered to be one of the best in the country by his peers. It's too bad this surgery can't be done laparoscopically.

I am very, very unhappy about the fact that there is no structured, intensive group therapy lead by a licensed psychotherapist. This, I assume, is a failing of the management company ( CORI ). It is appalling to me that something this life-changing doesn't have adequate counseling available to post-operative patients ( and I don't mean just anybody, but someone with a real PRACTICE, not just PRACTICING with the enlightenment to know why it is necessary ).

The office staff has been pretty good overall - some have been outstanding; some show why "good help is hard to find". Mera did an incredible job in getting me what I've needed. Overall, the staff seem quite competent and well organized. None of my documents have gone lost or missing, and I get called back reliably.

THE SWAMI SEZ:
As in all things in life, though, it is ultimately our own responsibility to take care of ourselves and followup on things to make certain that the process is working smoothly.

Doctor Wood was very kind and gentle. He did everything he could to make you feel comfortable. Through the whole hospital stay he visited me everyday and made sure I had everything I needed. Doctor Wood was very informative on the different types of surgery for weight loss there were and the risks for them all. The only downfall is doctor Wood is good and does his best so everyone wants him to be their doctor. Doctor visits are an all day affair and the staff don't get back to you right away.

Dr. Wood was very nice and very helpful. He showed a lot of concern about his patients over all health and not just the overweight side of it. He was truly concerned about my high blood pressure and anemia and even had a few of his collegues to talk to me about it. It was refreshing to know I could be free from blood pressure pills for life. His staff were just as welcoming.

Dr. Wood is very informative and down to earth. My husband and I felt instantly comfortable with him. We still feel the same way today.

His office staff was very helpful when I began my journey, and they were very nice at my first appointment. But after my stitches were out and I went to my second appointment, I was made to feel less than welcome. Almost as if I was done with them because I had my surgery already...and they had no reason to be nice to me anymore. :)

I never had to deal with my insurance company, they did it all and they were great! I had no out of pocket expenses at all and that was great!! Like I said, before my surgery, they were the best and I would recommend the CORI Center to anyone looking to have this surgery.

All the aspects of the surgery were explained to us, and I was especially impressed with Dr. Wood's success average.. over 2500 with zero revisions in a row is pretty good!!

Dr. Wood is soft spoken and very kind. He is very thorough and willingly answers your questions. My impression of him is that he is the very best. The office staff is very knowledgeable and just plain nice. I liked them very much. I would highly recommend Dr. Wood to anyone. Aftercare is stressed very much. They stress that the surgery is only a tool and it is up to the patient to use the tool to gain the desired result. Dr Wood's patients are required to see Dr. Wood for at least 1 year post op. I rate Dr. Wood and his staff as excellent. He is very competent and his bedside manner is great. I think that he is wonderful and that you are in good hands with him and his staff.

He was very good at expalining the procedure and it purpose and effects.
I think he is very busy but still tries to meet the needs of his patient.

The staff are professional, friendly, but slow in taking care of sick leave papers. I faxed them to the office the night before my surgery, and they did nothing with them until 3 weeks after my surgery. This created a financial strain.
I wasn't told what time my surgery was for, and only to be at he hospital at 6am. I guess I should have asked, but it did not occur to me.
After care includes the removal of any excess skin that develops due to weight loss.
The risks were discussed very well.
Over all I think he is a very good surgeon.
His bedside manner is so-so. I was too sick to notice, but I don't think he really addressed the nausea except to sayu it would get better after the tube came out. The medical doctor finally prescribed meds for the nausea and a bolus of fluids for the light-headedness.

good

no

fair, I have problems with his assistant returning my calls


I have done ok and would recommend him to others.
yes

yes

yes

good

both

I initially started all my processing through BTC but have been shuffled around since December of 2002. Then I was told that they no longer accepted BCBS of MI. So I started researching again and found Dr Wood. Wow!! What a discovery! He is a very warm and understanding man. He is VERY knowledgeable. My husband and I felt very relaxed and comfortable with him. He explains everything in layman terms so that you can fully understand everything he is talking about. Has a wonderful sense of humor. The girls in the office are VERY warm and make you feel like family. I really enjoyed them and was happy that because they had to stay very late at the office that day, they did not seem put out or upset. They turly enjoy their jobs and the people they come in contact with. Amy~Thanks for keeping us entertained while Dr Wood was taking care of a patient at the hospital! To all the other patients there that night~Good Luck and God Bless!
On a scale of 1-10 I give Dr Wood and his office a 10! :)

Well, BTC doesn't take BC/BS anymore so I switched to Cori Center and Dr. Wood. I will see Dr. Wood on 5/6/03. I first met Dr. Wood's partner, Dr. Sapala in the mid 80's when he had a practice in East Lansing, Mi. He was very informative and great. He and his partner developed the "Micropouch" RNY surgery technique and the more I read about it, the more it appears to be far superior then the Regular or Lap RNY. I will update more after I meet with him again.

Still waiting on a consultation, I haven't met Dr Wood yet.