Philip Schauer Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

Dr. Schauer is a personable, albiet busy doctor. He is adamant about meeting his patients personally and I can't say I dislike anything about him. His office staff is very professional and easy to contact and deal with. They treat patients with immense(no pun intended) respect and compassion.

Future patients should understand that UPMC is a very busy place and they must see that they follow instructions and think for themselves to survive. Sometimes appointments run late, but that happens in this type of practice.

Dr. Schauer's aftercare program is structured and contains many options such as support groups and seminars which would have value to someone who lives closer than the five hundred miles from Northern lower Michigan to Pittsburgh. Dr. S. kept me in Pittsburgh til the tenth post op day and then released me to return to Michigan. He was adamant that I return in three weeks for what he deemed the most critical check up. I did return and was weighed, vitalled (BP,temp, etc) and questioned. I felt and still feel that these things could have been done long distance. They then insisted that I return in three weeks, stating the importance when I demurred. I agreed, but I'm here to tell you that I have no intention of returning before next year. I will weigh in at my personal care provider's office and fax the results. I will also answer questions via phone or e-mail.

Dr. Schauer was crystal clear about the risks of surgery, especially given my poor lung function. I already understood these risks and was not dismayed. Overall, I found Dr. Schauer and the assisting surgeons on his staff to be competent in the extreme. Frankly, I don't give a rat's patoot about bedside manner as long as the surgeon is competent, but Dr. Schauer is charming as well as gifted as a surgeon.

My first impression of Dr. Schauer was he looks to young to be a Surgeon. I was very impressed with how caring Dr. Schauer and his staff are. The only disappointment is how busy the staff is. It is very hard to get a hold of anyone but if you remain patient they will get back to you. The support meetings are great and everyone raves about the care and caring of Dr. Schauer and his staff. They really seem to emphasize aftercare and ensuring that you know that you must remain hydrated take your vitamins and always start your meal with your protein first.

Dr. Schauer and his staff are super. It's so evident that Dr. Schauer really cares about his patients. I would certainly recommend him to anyone.

My first impression was he's young, very nice and had to be experienced.
My first appoint was in Jan 00, Mr Dr. Schauer was not there because his wife was having a baby
later I found out it was #4 for them, how wonderful. His fellow spent 2 hours with me and my husband, he answered all of our questions and then some, I finally met Dr. Schauer at my 1st Support Group meeting on Feb 2
I was informed of my approval on Feb 22,2000 and was sent a paper showing all of the tests and Dr.'s approvals that I had to aquire. My preop date was April 5 and all tests and such had to be completed by then. My Surgery date was set for Apr. 24,2000, My only complaint with him was that I never did see him post op in hospital, but his associcate saw me every day. Dr. Schauer is leader in his feild and travels alot to do seminars and teach other docs the procedure. He gets between 5 and 6 new patients every day.
I had no problems with his staff, I felt that they were all very thorough and causious.
Future patients should be aware that he is very busy and be prepared to wait. My post op, when I had the drain tube removed, We waited 4 1/2 hours, I never did see him, when my turn came he was called on an emergency.
His nurses see you for aftercare, nutrition help and encouragement, they too are great.
Yes they have a structured after-care food program. They are very open about all the risks, but that didn't worry me as I have already had a heart attack in '97, have had diabetis, GERD, Sleep apnea, I was heading into CHF, when I found out about this kind of surgery from the ECHO Cardiagram tech. I think of her as my angel in disguise.
I rate my doc and staff an 11 if going 1 to 10. I would reccomend them to anyone and I have.
I feel that their bedside manner was great and surgical competence fantastic.

I was impressed with Dr. Schauer the first time that I met him. He has always taken all the time I have needed to explain everything. Since my surgery, I have had to page him twice after hours and he got back to me right away. Once was about a medication and the other time was because I was having severe stomach cramps. He was scrubbing for surgery and he took my call. He is a skilled surgeon and a compassionate person, which is a rare combination. I recommend him highly.

Dr. Schauer is a great doctor. He takes the time to really sit and talk to you and answer every question you have. His office staff is the best. They really care about the patients and get excited for them. He really explains, in detail, what he will do and what you can and CANNOT do afterwards. One of his nurses even had the surgery, so it was nice to have her comments/feelings about it, too.

Dr. Schaurer is a wonderful surgeon and cares very much about his patients, pre and post op. I was impressed by his genuine concern for me as an individual. He is very down to earth, not at all like most surgeons I know. His office staff have all been very nice to me, and are usually available to help out with any problems that come up. The only negative thing I can say about his office is that he is very busy, and you usually have to wait an hour or more to see him. Dr. Schaurer does emphasize aftercare, and holds monthly support group meetings. I can't say enough nice things about him. He is a super person, and a very talented surgeon.

I have not seen my actual surgon yet, I have seen the two doctors who are under him. Those two Doctors are very friendly and understand my feelings. They are very informative and made my husband and I feel very comfortable with my decision. My first impression was really good, I did tons of investigating and looking on the internet, there is lots of information if you just know where to look. I went yesterday for my pre. op. visit and I loved the Doctors nurses. They both had the gastric bypass that I am having done. So they are perfect people to talk to and they know just how we are going to feel. At first when I talked to the first nurse, she acted like she was too tired to talk to us. Eventually she came around and was very nice to us and very informative. If I had a family member or friend interested in this study, I would tell them that Dr. Schauer is one of the few people in the country that does the gastric bypass by laser and the hospital and staff are highly skilled in this field. Just knowing that the nurses had it done and seeing their progress really makes it more exciting. The nurse went over all of the post operative information with us in the hospital but she said that we will hear it over and over again until we are tired of hearing the instructions. They emphasize after care very important. If you want good results you must follow the directions for the good of the surgery and for the good of your health and healing. The aftercare program will be discussed with me in the hospital, I will definatly be able to add more to this when I get home from the hospital. The risks of surgery were all laid on the line, we had questions that were answered quickly and professionally but in a manner where we could understand. No big medical terms. I can't really rate the surgeon just yet because I haven't seen him, but if his staff is any indication of what he is like, then I am POSITIVE that he will be very compitent. He is the head of the gastric disorders surgery department. In my opinion bedside manner is as important as the competence of the surgeon. I for one have had a real bad experience with a doctor who did not respect me as a woman. Unfortunatly, he almost turned me off compleatly to foreign doctors.

I liked him right away

it hasn't changed

more than helpful & very nice

nothing

I highly recommend him & his entire staff

its very important to him

he recommends a support group

yes

A+

I was happy with all

My Dr. is not listed. It is Dr. Phillip Schauer. He was excellent. The Best. Seems to be a perfectionist. I was impressed with everything about him. The office staff was nice. There was nothing I did not like about him. I would trust him with any of my loved ones lives. Aftercare is also excellent. He told me about the risks but I felt confident with him. I would rate the 10 (out of 1 to 10). He is great about every aspect of the surgery.