Norbert Richardson Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I was originally scheduled for surgery with Dr. Fabito who only does open RNY but was told that he was retiring and Dr. Richardson would be taking care of me and he only does the laparoscopic RNY. I was a little put off at first because I had done my homework on Dr. Fabito, had references and was very confident in his skills and was being switched at the last minute. I first saw Dr. Richardson at a seminar and my thought was "oh wow, he's really young!" He came across as very knowledgeable though and has a great sense of humor. My first meeting with him was a week before surgery and he gave me a good second impression as well. Very nice man, he answered the questions I had and was very "to the point" about things. He does not sugar coat it for you but tells you exactly what to expect. He did emphasize the life-long requirements, such as taking vitamins, and the possible consequences of not adhering to them faithfully. He visited me for a few minutes while I was prepping for surgery but his partners are the ones who checked up on me post-op because he's in Union MO. Overall, I am extremely happy I had him for my surgeon and had the Lap Rny instead of the open.

I had my surgery on Sept. 28 2004. I am so glad I choose Dr. Richardson, He was great and I have had no problems whats so ever.

I liked him, he was honest and very explanatory. As time went by, I had more trust in him. His office staff was very very supportive and informative. He makes you feel like a person more than a subject. He focuses on the individual rather than a group subject. Because as we all know, each person has different needs, and ARE different in many ways. He acknowledges that. They use to have support group meetings, but I haven't been to any or know if they still do have them, sorry for that. I really should get back into that and would like to. I plan to check into that. He exlpained the sugery very well and lets you know of any and all risk. He doesn't hold anything back as far as I am concerned or he didn't when I was there. He was great with both surgical competence and bedside manners. A ver concerned doctor when it comes to his patience.

The first time I saw Dr. Richardson was during one of the seminars that the NEWSTART program has. At first, he seemed very cold, but after speaking about 5 minutes seemed to warm up to the audience and relax. I first met him at my first visit with him pre-surgery. He was very friendly and seemed very confident in what he does (but not cocky-confident). I could tell that he liked his job. His office was crowded when I got there and I though it would take forever, but the staff seemed to have everything under control and by the time I got into a room, it wasn't much past my scheduled appointment time. I would recommed him to other people considering this surgery. He did visit my family right after my surgery. He also did visit me once during my hospital stay. I spoke to 2 other people on his staff while in the hospital also. They were good at after care follow-up. All stressed the importance of what needed to be done when I returned home.

Dr.Richardson reviewed my file and accepted me as a patient in the New Start Program on November 16, 2004. I have not met him personally yet but have thoroughly researched him and his experience and reputation preceed him. I will let you know how he is personally but for me it's the surgical skills that far outweigh the bedside manner. Everyone at New Start has been great and I expect him to be the same way.UPDATE...Met Dr. Richardson on January 4th at my consult...He seemed genuinely concerned about my feelings and questions...I feel comfortable with my decision in picking him and confident in his abilities.

My first impression was that Dr. Richardson seemed much to young to really know what he was doing. Boy was I wrong. After talking to him on my first pre-op visit I knew he knew what he was doing. He explained everything in easy to understand terms. He answered mine and my husbands questions honestly and without hesitation.
He explained everything that would happen with the surgery and what I could and should expect after surgery. He is very clear on instructions of what is expected of you as a patient after surgery.
His staff is very pleasant to deal with on the phone or at the office.
The hospital he uses, St Alexius, is wonderful adn a perfect compliment to Dr. Richardson.
I left the whole experience feeling good about my choices and would do it all over again today with out hesitation as long as I had Dr. Richardson to rely on.

Very easy going person and very easy to get a long with. Made me feel extremely comfortable.
His staff is wonderful!
Seems like he really cares with much emphasis on aftercare which is very structured.
He addressed the risks of surgery many times; most helpful was his seminar
Great surgeon,; would recommend to all!

Dr Richardson was very knowledgeable. His staff was very kind and patient when dealing with me and the insurance co.

He & staff were very thorough with after care.

I had developed an infection, in arm (?)Sounded unrelated, but he urged me to go to ER. It did need immediate care, so I was thankful.

He followed up with me in hospital to ensure that I continued my post-op diet.

He had a good bed-side manner. Really liked the hospital! I haven't been able to sleep confortably in a bed for almost 2yrs due to weight related back issues.

I could not sleep in hospital bed. They allowed me the freedom to sleep in comfort in the chair of couch. Much BETTER! Really understanding.

I first met Dr. Richardson at a New Start seminar, you could tell from hearing him speak that he took pride in his job and really wanted to help. I had complete faith in him by just hearing him speak!
My impression only changed for the better, he is awesome!
His office staff are very nice and helpful.

He seems to truley want to make people with Obesity live longer happier lives. The day of my surgery he had already performed surg on 2 patients, so he had to of been at the hosp around 5 or 6am, found the time inbetween to come see me and introduce the surgeon assisting him to me in the pre op room. At 7:30pm the night of my surgery he came to see how I was doing. He is extremely dedicated and I think he is great, I cant imagine how he works it all in but he does. I have seen him a handfull of times and he has never seemed moody, cranky or tired. He always seems ready to do what he can. I truley cannot say enough about this man.

Dr. Richardson, the hosp and The new start staff all emphasize aftercare and the extreme importance of it. Trust me they repeat it over and over and people are always coming to your room to reremind you!

Yes, his aftercare program is through New start

Overall rating of Dr, Richardson is EXCELLENT!
Surgical competence and bedside manner are both GReat!

I was very impressed with him, my sister had her surgery almost a year to the date of mines (November 4, 2003). And she highly recommended him. He made me very well informed and help ease any doubts that I had.

He was very through in explaining the surgery procedure and what protocols you have to follow after the surgery. Dr. Richardson and/or staff has been able to answer any questions I have had post-op.

Overall, I would highly recommend Dr. Richardson to anybody I know that is interested in baratric surgery.