Patrick Coates Bariatric Surgeon M.D., FACS

Dr. Patrick Coates is a very warm,caring and friendly surgeon. He explained the Lap RNY surgery thoroughly and told me what to expect and how my diet would have to change.He didn't rush me out and even though I had to wait for over 1 1/2 hours to see him, it was worth it. If I would have gotten right in to see him, I would have wondered why he didn't have many patients. The waits may be annoying to some but it shows he is in demand. Dr.Coates has the best bedside manner ever.He looks you in the eyes, smiles and he takes plenty of time to listen to you and let you know what to expect before, during, and after your surgery. At my one week post-op appointment he told me to call him "day or night" if I ever had a question. Now that is true dedication! I have never had a doctor tell me to call him during the night if I needed to. I love Dr. Coates and the new lease on life he has given me and I would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a caring, dedicated, highly skilled surgeon who puts your needs first! He is a 10+ in my book!

Dr. Coates is a fine surgeon. I was taken care of, no problems, and healing was quick and very little scaring. He was wonderful from beginning to end. He sits with you for as long as you need, and is very good looking (I had to sneak that in there) and he is one of the MOST PROFESSIONAL doctors I have met, with strong ethics of the finest. Even his staff are friendly, sympathetic, and hard working. They all deserve a raise! Ummm, I'm not kidding...

MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF DR. COATES WAS THAT HE IS A KIND AND GENTLE MAN. HE IS A CARING DOCTOR WHO LOVES HIS WORK AND THE PEOPLE HE IS HELPING? THIS MAN IS GREAT. HE IS KNOWLEDGABLE AND TAKES HIS TIME TO SHOW YOU THROUGH THE SURGERY PROCESS. HE ALSO WALKS YOU THROUGH WHAT HE EXPECTS FOR YOU TO DO AFTER SURGERY. THIS WILL BE THE MOST FRIENDLIEST MAN YOU WILL EVER MEET.
HIS OFFICE STAFF IS SO FRIENDLY. THEY TRY TO HELP YOU WITH ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING.
I HAVE BC MEDI-CAL AND MY HUSBAND AND I WERE TOLD THAT AS SOON AS THE OFFICE RECEIVED OUR APPROVAL THAT THEY WOULD CALL TO SET UP OUR SURGERY FOR 3 TO 4 WEEKS FROM THE APPROVAL. NOW BC CALLED TO ASK QUESTIONS FROM US AND THEY TOLD US THAT WE WERE APPROVED. I CALLED 4 DAYS LATER AND THEY HAD GOTTEN OUR APPROVAL BUT OUR CHARTS ARE NOW ON THE DOCTORS DESK FOR HIM TO LOOK AT. IT HAS BEEN 2 WEEKS NOW SINCE OUR APPROVAL. STILL WAITING BUT GETTING MORE AND MORE FRUSTRATED.

Dr. Coates really is well informed, takes real time with you and explains things easily. He is very down to earth, great bedside manner. His staff is always friendly and helpful. The waiting room is full, i guess cuz he is so in demand, so far i have had a great experience with him and his office.

Dr. Coates seemed very nice. He explained in detail to me the entire process and did not make me feel rushed(even though he had a packed waiting room)He is very soft spoken and polite.....I really felt like he understood me and did not judge me. So far, I would give him a 10. (now if I die on the table, can someone come update this and give him a 0, just wondering) In all seriousness, He is great, Im happy I found him and trust him to preform this operation on me. His office has gone through many changes since I have been a patient, I really like jessica though. She takes my calls everytime and assures me that as soon as she hears something, she will let me know. I think she understands how stressful this is and she is sympathetic.

I met with Dr. Coates on June 24, 2003, for my consult. He was very pleasant, thoroughly went over the procedure, what happens with your new stomach, how you will digest (or not) food with the changes, why vitamins and supplements are so important due to malabsorption. He was very matter of fact about morbidity rates, and went into detail as to why or what could cause them, as well as other complications.

I was originally scheduled for consult on June 17th, but Dr. Coates was called away to surgery. I didn’t receive the notice of cancellation and was disappointed when I got to the office to find out he wasn’t there. However, I was delighted when I was rescheduled a mere week later, instead of having to wait another month or more! His office staff is very efficient so far, we will see how that goes, as I’m a Blue Shield of California HMO member, and Dr. Coates is not contracted with my medical group, Allcare. However, I did bring a benefits email from BS of CA, that details WLS is a covered expense of my plan, provided it is medically necessary. So, Dr. Coates' office staff is supposed to be talking to the insurance.

July 4, 2003 – Awaiting word from insurance.

So far I am very impressed with Dr Coates. He was very warm and caring and really seems to understand what I'm going through. He also seems to understand how hard the wait is and is willing to do what he can to speed up the process.
The first office visit went great. The lady who handles the appointments is a bit new but seems to be learning fast. They were very quick to send out my packet and to get me in. The hardest part was driving all the way to Modesto just to watch a video before I could meet with Dr. Coates but it was worth it.
I was impressed with the fact that he understood how far it is for me to travel and is willing to work with my primary care giver for my after care.

Dr.Coates is amazing! He answered every question that I had on my (4 pages) list! He even copied them for future patients! His bed side manner was great! He even took the time to explain everything to my mom. Which made her more at ease!~

The staff is wonderful! Josette you ROCK! She helped me fly through what I needed! Thank Girl!~

Dr.Coates had explained that he was going to try very hard to do LAP RNY. However, I was ok with having open due to the prior surgeries I have had. ~ Four hours later, I woke up and I looked down to find these tiny little scars! He did LAP!! He had to reroute and few things differently due to my intestines had shifted. I had my spleen removed in 99. So my intestines had shifted to where my spleen once was. It was difficult for Dr. Coates. Yet, he was bound and determined to give me LAP! :-)

I give him and his staff an 8!!!

I think Dr. Coates is fantastic. Good bedside manner, understanding of my needs and very friendly. Unfortunately, he is in high demand and the waiting room and his staff clearly reflect just how busy they are. Come prepared, know about the surgery before your consult and ask questions! I am a little uncomfortable with how few WLSs Coates and Coirin have done, but it's getting higher every month!

I met Dr Coates on Wed Jan 22, 2003. I had begun this process while living in NC and was really ready to argue my side. However, Dr Coates is a true advocate for this surgery and the benefits that it can provide. He said "you dont have to convince me. I can see that you are ready and have done your footwork." His staff is very considerate and available.