Neil Hutcher Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

Excellent, So glad that he was my surgeon. His office staff is excellent as well, everyone seems genuinely concerned and helpful. Future patients should know that you don't see Hutcher a lot. Basically the initial consultation and then for surgery.

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I have had several friends and coworkers recommend Dr. Hutcher very highly. Everyone I've come into contact with at his practice has been friendly and helpful.<br>
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My first consultation was on June 20, 2001. He is very personable and I have no doubts regarding his surgical abililty. One of the things that has impressed me the most is his emphasis on aftercare and participation in the local support group.<br>
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I received my insurance approval on July 25th, called my surgeon's office and scheduled my surgery for October 4th. I'm having an open RNY done at St. Mary's hospital in Richmond, VA.<br>
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(9/20/01) I completed my preoperative tests and physical exam today. Everyone at Dr. Hutcher's office and the staff I have come into contact with at St. Mary's Hospital have been great. My surgery date is two weeks from today.<br>
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(10/9/01) The nursing staff at St. Mary's was fantastic. I could not be more pleased with the care I received there, and would recommend them very highly.

Dr. Hutcher is the second man of my dreams!Next to my husband, of course. All my life I have been looking for the answer to my chronic weight problem and he had it all along.
My sister in law had gastric-bypass surgery by Dr H just a little over a year ago. I found him just as competant and reassuring as she did. She looks and feels great just as I am looking forward to experiencing the same.
We both think that Dr. H and staff are the best we could find. We are very grateful that they happen to practice in our city.
Dr. H and staff have take time in presenting this option to those that are contemplating such a major, life-altering procedure. They do not take their job lightly and reinforce the same attitude to their patients. They are in this with you forever, as you will have to be committed to this forever.
Check out the support group on the 2nd Thursday of each month at St. Mary's. The energy and support in that auditorium is something to be experienced,especially if you are still unsure. It took me 3 yrs to get to this place. My surgery is July 27,2001. Wish me luck!

Dr. Hutcher is a kind and warm person and not only understands what you are going through but he cares what happens to you. His office staff is very efficent and open to your needs and questions. The office is always a buz due to the number of patients to see Dr. Hutcher, dont let that discourage you because everyone is their for the same reason. He focuses greatly on before and aftercare programs so you can learn to help yourself along with the surgury, to join together and fight as a team. He was very frank about the risks and worked with me to weigh my risks of staying like I am and having the surgury. I rate Dr. Hutcher the best that I have looked at in the Richmond area and probably the entire state of Virginia.

Dr. Hutcher was a very nice man and made me feel completely relaxed. He answered all my questions and helped with convincing my mom that this was a good choice for me. I was made aware of the complications that could be involved. I was lucky that I was in good health to be so overweight. My only problem was knee and back pain. I know that I will continue with doctor visits and taking my vitamins.

The staff in the doctor's office are very helpful and friendly. The nurses and hospital staff at St. Marys were terrific.
They really took care of me and my family.

I have had no complications and am so glad that I had the courage to make this life changing decision. I felt like my life was just begining. I rode a bike for the first time (since I was a little girl) just three months after my surgery. I went sucba diving in Cancun eleven months after my surgery.

Dr. Hutcher was very nice and explained most everything to me. Answered all my questions and put me to ease. Good sense of humor also. I feel very comfortable having him do my surgery. He seems to be a very busy man but genuinely concerned.

I immediately liked Dr. Hutcher, I told him I wanted to loose weight and learn Ballroom & Swing Dancing. He said he would help me all that he could.
I am a binge eater, and chocolate is one of my favorite binges, Dr. Hutcher said he would
"put out the fire" and I would learn new ways to eat my way to a healthier new me.

I only met with the doctor once so far.

The office staff is very efficient.

I liked the doctor very much so I have no
negative comments.
Highly reccommend, takes a while to get an appointmnet.
There is a lot of before and aftercare that I will be
going through which I am glad , I don't want to be
operated on and then sent home with instructions.
He said I would always be a patient and they would always be there for my concerns
There are risks to any type of surgery and yes they
were explained to me in great detail.

I would rate Dr. Hutcher A+ overall as he seems to
be intelligent about the procedure, and has a
warm bedside manner alsol

I was able to get a glimspe of Dr. Hutcher when I first looked at the vidio that was mailed to my home when I called Dr. Hutcher's office to set up my first appointment. I was so impressed with the vidio and how he was able to explain the pros/cons, the surgery, etc. in such a way that I could understand it. I later saw "my doctor" at my first WLS support meeting which is held once a month. I learned there that Dr. Hutcher was, and still is a a key person working with insurance companies to get them to approve the surgery. What a pioneer in his field.

My doctor's visit was very pleasing and so relaxing. He asked good questions and allowed me to ask them as well. We spent at least 1 full hour because I did have questions and they all were answered. Dr. H has the best program in the East, with these requirement: 1. Attend a free nutrition class that details what you can and can not do during the first 2 weeks. Other instructions are provided at your 2 week post op appt. 2. Attend a free behavior modification class that details the changes you will be making in your life, as well as setting goals, getting thur obstacles, understanding things you will experience as you change, etc. 3. Attend a free nurses'informational class. In this one they should you all of the tubes, ext that you will have during recovery and post op for a few days. This is really good so family members are not frighten when they see you in recovery! 4. Have a psycological exam with one that focuses on obesity - just to learn more of your eating habits, etc. 5- Pre admission and physical 2 weeks before surgery. Now tell me, don't these requirements indicate that this doctor is the BEST and wants to make sure he OFFERS IT ALL.... for his patients to be well informed BEFORE they make their decision. I am extremely pleased and feel I am in excellent hands. I also like the fact that he mentioned that he thought one's spiritual "beliefs" were very helpful in ones recovery. So between God and Dr Hutcher, I am looking forward to my ride to the other side.

I met my soon-to-be-surgeon on Feb. 12, 2001. He was pleasant and personable but quickly got down to business. He explained the procedure in detail and described the steps that will be taken up to the time of surgery. He didn't go into a lot of detail about testing, protein and vitamin amounts, etc., at this point because all this will be covered in future classes prior to surgery. I do feel quite knowledgeable however, due to this website and the www.spotlighthealth/morbidobesity/ website. These two sites are invaluable in helping to mentally prepare for this life changing event.

I have heard that Dr. Hutcher is one of the best on the East coast. I'm sure these people are prejudiced, but I do take comfort knowing he has performed bariatric surgeries over 2,500 times and that his death rate is less than 1/2%.

Dr. Hutcher is a warm and caring physician. My first impression was that he truly cares about his patients and the quality of life they have. I was denied after my first letter and Dr. Hutcher immediately took care of the appeal for me. I met with him at the beginning of the whole process and he explained to me everything that I could expect, he also answered my list of questions with the utmost patience. The office staff, especially Dr. Hutcher's Bariatric Program Coordinator (Hillarie), are extremely courteous and informative.
Dr. Hutcher strongly encourages his aftercare program and personally attends every support group meeting. He provides classes pre-op as well as anytime a refresher course is needed after surgery.
Before I met with the surgeon, I received a detailed information packet about the surgery, its risks and complications, success rate, aftercare program, etc. The packet was accompanied by a wonderful video tape detailing every aspect of the surgery. This was extremely helpful to prepare me for the next steps.
I would rate Dr. Hutcher and his staff as excellent.