Michael Schwartz Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

So far my contact with this surgeon's ofice has been very impersonal. I am considering going to a different surgeon and have a meeting with one next week.

My first impression of Dr. Schwartz was very pleasent. He went through all the precautions, all the benefits, and also had advise for ways to ensure sucess. He was very trusting, and very knowledgable about everything we had to ask. My wife and I went over there with 20 - 30 questions, and he would not let us leave until he answered every one of them. His staff seemed to be very prepared. In some ways, a little too prepared, but it was nice that they knew everything I needed to do, and if I had forgot anything they were there to remind me. Dr. Schwartz was very distinct on all the risks of surgery, and didn't try to hide anyhting. I would rate Dr. Schwartz, from my meeting with him, as a very knowledgable, caring, and good Doctor. I look forward o having Dr. Schwartz perform my surgery on March 11, 2003.

Will post more after the surgery!

I was told from a friend who had Dr. Schwartz for her surgery to go to him. She said she liked him, so I went to the info meeting and the journey began. When I meet him I was impressed with him. I was told when I meet him for my consultation that I could be scheduled for surgery right away, but when my blood work came back it showed that my iron was low. One of his office staff that schedules you had to call me and tell me that they could not schedule me until my blood was up to 12.5. I was upset because for the past ten years my blood has stayed at 11.5-11.8 or so. Long story short it took alot of test and time to finally get it up for surgery, about 4 months. At first I thought he was being too strict, but it was for my own health that he stood his ground on the hemoglobin increasing and I am glad he did.

Dr. Chute was actually my surgeon with De. Schwartz supervising, so it would be nice if you had Dr. Chute's name on your site. Both surgeons were absolutely wonderful in every way. I've only had one post-surgical doctor's visit. My surgery was October 15th.

I have chosen Dr. Schwartz to do my surgery, I am waiting for approval from my insurance company. As soon as that happens I will be meeting with him and scheduling my surgery.

I met his wife Judy who sets things up and she is very nice and very informative. They held an informative meeting and it lasted two hours. She went over everything. I went in to the seminar scared and left knowing that my decision was the right one.

My first impression of Dr Schwartz was that he seemed very kind and patient, but very interested in making sure that I understood exactly what he would be doing in surgery, what the possible risks were and what my responsibilities were. His office staff is very professional and kind, as well. He is possibly the busiest surgeon who does this surgery in Minnesota, but I would recommend that those interested in having Dr Scwartz perform their surgery not be put off by the length of the wait to get an appointment. He is busy because he is very good.
His offices offer an aftercare group, but it is 150miles from my home so I plugged into another group closer to home. The day of surgery I saw him very very briefly and before I was discharged from the hospital I saw him briefly, so I got the impression that he relies a great deal on the hospital staff to fill in the blanks and answer questions, however he was very clear about the fact that I could call if I needed anything, and that he would be expecting to see me, and all of his surgery patients annually for the rest of our lives. I was satisfied with the limited interaction with Dr Schwartz because
it is clear that the hospital staff, his office staff and the partners in his practice are all on the team and willing to maintain the high level of care.

Dr Schwartz knows his business. He has been doing this surgery for years, which is probably why the waiting list is so long!

He answered all of my questions before I even had a chance to ask them. He is busy and didn't really give me the impression that this was an unlimited time block. I was frustrated that it seemed that his staff had not reviewed my paperwork prior to my appt. Little bit of a problem with my psych evaluation, but all worked out in the end.

I was hoping he would suggest one procedure over the other but he left the decision up to me completely.

Office staff was a bit haried, but coridal. I got in and out in less than 90 min including lab time.

When I firt met Dr Schwartz he was very nice. He took the time to answer all of my questions and made me feel very comfortable with him as my surgeon.

He was very caring and had a sense of humor, which is important to me. I was referred to him by by internist and I trust her jusgement. I also work for spine surgeons that do surgery at the same hospital as Dr. Schwartz. They all recommeded him highly. He has also done many hundreds of surgeries and I wanted someone with much experience.

There is a very good aftercare program and a great support group for all WLS patients, pre-ops and post-ops in the Minneapolis area, no matter who your surgeon is.

My first impression of Dr. Schwartz came from his wife, nurse, and P.R. Wiz Judy Schwartz. After hearing about a new peocedure being performed in the Twin Cities on the news, I called the ofice the next day (February 2002). My heart dropped when I heard that they had received over 100 calls that day and it may take weks for someone to get back to me. Though disappointed, I continued to converse with the receptionist and we had a very pleasant conversation. I thanked her for her time and thought that that would be the end of it. Imagine my surprise that afternoon when I received a call from Judy Schwartz. Apparently, the receptionist thought that I was very nice and personable and since Judy was having a "tough" day, the receptionist told her to call me because I would be a positive contact. This just goes to show that God is Good All the Time, even when we don't realize it.

Judy informed of an informational session that would be taking place in the next couple of weeks and that she would send me some information. I attended the session, very excited, and thought that would be the start of something big. Little did I know that my insurance company would drag their feet (they, Medica, still believed the Lap Band procedure was experimental). So March became May and May became July and I was still waiting. Judy was available every step of the way and she battled the insurance company on my behalf. Finally in July, my employer changed insurance companies to Prefereed One and we were in business again.

I spoke with Judy to tell her about the insurance change and she immediately scheduled me with a consultation date with Dr. Schwartz. I also believe because I had waited so long battling with Medica, I was also called back with a surgery date prior to my consultation. October 10 was my original date. I was nervous, excited and full of questions.

When I finally had an opportunity to meet the Doctor, I was impressed with his sincerity and patience with me and all of my questions. I thought I would be having the Lap Band procedure when I went in but because it is still in the early stages of being performed here in the U.S., it could take upwards of two years to get it adjusted to the point where I could experience the weight loss experienced by those doing the Ruyin Y. Dr. Schwartz did an excellent job of explaining the differences in procedures and the risks associated. He instilled a quiet confidence in me that let me know everything would be o.k. no matter which route I took.

Because of my multiple medical problems, I chose to switch from the Lap Band to the Lap Ruyin Y. I liked the concept of the Lap Band but I didn't feel I had two years to wait for results. I was on a life saving mission and time was of the essence. After I made the switch, I was afraid that I would have to move back my date. I was quite surprised to receive a call a few days later from Christa (the surgical scheduler and another bright star in the office) moving my date up to September 24 (from October 10). I was even more surprised to receive a call later saying that due to schedule changes, they would have to do my surgery on September 3. If that date did not work for me, I would have to be moved to late October or early November. I jumped at the 3rd.

Overall, I found the whole process to be reassuring, professional and very supportive. Judy kept me engaged and on track and I will always be thankful to her. I couldn't imagine having this done anywhere else in the world.