Phillip Hornbostel Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Hornbostel is a very nice man. He is so caring and I loved the fact that I was able to have him do my WLS. He is there to answer all your questions and concerns. I did have to see another Dr. in the past because my insurance was different and I will say I did not want to have my WLS with them,I didn't feel comfortable with them I felt like another number with them and I truly felt they didn't care to listen to me. But from the very beginning I felt very safe and comfortable with Dr. Hornbostel.

I have only great things to say about my surgeon thus far. He was extremely informative at the seminar, and his staff is super! Mary K, Margie, they have been so helpful, and are working with me and my insurance issues in such a caring way!

He is a great guy very open to help you in any way!! I love margie also she is just wonderful also. I can not wait to have my surgery I know i will be in GREAT hands!!

Dr Hornbostel is an EXCELLENT surgeon. Everything is explained in great detail before you even go to see him for your first appointment. You have to go to a seminar which I think is outstanding. He goes through the procedure in detail, and is very welcoming to any questions you may have.

The office staff are all very friendly and helpful. And I like that they dont treat you like some pitiful person who should have lost the weight on their own. They treat you like an actual person - regardless of your weight.

The aftercare program is really important, and you are expected to make all the appointments he sets, as well as keep to your diet. He really wants all his patients to succeed in their weight loss, and that care/concern is definitely noticeable.

Everything from surgical competence to bedside manner was great. And the hospital where you have the surgery, Bothwell, has really good staff there as well. They were all wonderful caretakers, and really concerned about your needs. They got you your medicine along with anything else you needed as quick as they could. If there was any problems/issues, they addressed it with you right off, and let you know what was going on at all times.

I really have nothing negative to say - this whole experience has been wonderful so far!

My husband and I are going on this journey together. We went to Dr. Hornbostel's seminar last Sunday 4/5/09 and stayed for the group meeting afterwards. We are so very happy and confident we have chosen him to do the proceedure. He is extremely knowledgable and takes whatever time necessary to explain everything to the class. You can definitely tell he really cares about his patients and what he is doing for them. His wife Marge is very sweet and informative as well. After the seminar, we had no doubts that this is what we want to do and that Dr. Hornbostel was the surgeon we wanted to do it. We are looking forward to our journey with them.

We went to the April 5th seminar and I felt so secure with my decision for the first time since I began thinking about surgery. Dr. Hornbostel is a very down to earth doctor, he knows how we got this way and he doesn't sugar coat it. I loved it when he talked about his goals for us. Each of us have an ideal weight we'd love to be but Dr. Hornbostel only cares about his goal for us which is to help us get rid of things like diabetes, arthritis, etc. He was very open about the risks of surgery and gave us information on how to recognize them. The aftercare program is very thourough. As I mentioned above I am very calm about this whole thing now and it is because of the confidence of Dr. Hornbostel and his staff.

*What was your first impression of him? rn During the seminar my husband & I went to Dr Hornbostel covered just about ALL the ins & outs of the gastric bypass surgery. They explained the details of the entire process & explained the life changes it involves. At the end of the seminar, we even got to talk to the members of the support group that has already had the surgery to find out what positive & negative things they have experienced during & after their surgery. Dr. Hornbostel makes sure to schedule the seminars right before the support group meetings just for that reason. So, my first impression of him was that he was quite straight forward & very knowledgeable about all of the info he covered during the seminar. Not only was he thorough, but, even though there was about 30 - 40 of us at the seminar, he was also very amiable to us all & compassionate to all of our individual needs.rnrn*How did your impression change over time? rn My impression has really not changed over time except to maybe feel even happier with my decision to choose him as my Dr. rnrn*How would you describe his office staff? rn I would describe his office staff as being just as informative, helpful, & friendly as he is. I’ve spoke mostly with his wife & assistant, Margie, whom has (on more than one occasion) gone out of her way to help me.rnrn*What did you like least about him?rn What I like least about him, I guess, would be the fact that his office is so far away from were we live (about 115 miles away). rnrn*What should future patients know about him? rn Not sure what to say here except that if you are in the area & you have the chance to, look into what he has to offer.rnrn*How much does he emphasize aftercare? rn The programs he has for your preparation for the surgery, during the surgery, & after the surgery are incredible. Prior to the first consultation, you must fill out & send in a health history questionnaire that they give you. Then, you are required to provide insurance info, a letter of necessity from your PCP & documentation that you have attempted to loose weight in the past. Then, finally, have a psychological assessment. During my first consultation with him & Margie, we went over any health problems I have/had, any questions I’ve had about the procedure &/or the benefits & risks, and what to expect for the outcome. They also gave me a very informative “Patient & Family Education” binder that has all sorts of info & resources. The support team that he uses include: +Cardiologist +Nutritionist/Dietician +Anesthesiologist +Physical Therapy +Counseling & Psychological Consultation +Support groups, online help & forums, & outreach resources +As well as having a kind & very helpful nursing, lab & office staff who have always been glad to help in any way they can & to answer any questions I’ve had.rnrn*Does he have a structured aftercare program? rn Yes, there is a structured plan of aftercare & follow-up visits with the Dr himself & continual visits with physical therapy, dieticians, and the other members of his support team.rnrn*How did he address the risks of surgery? rn As I have already said, he is very straight forward & as such he clearly outlines all the risks & complications that may occur during AND post-surgery. In the binder I spoke of, there are several mentions of this & there is also a whole section dedicated to the subject.rnrn*How would you rate him overall? rn 5 out of 5! ;)rnrn*Which is better, surgical competence, bedside manner, or are both great?rn As far as I can tell now, both are great.

My 1st impression of him was that he is very profeessional & knows all about what he does. I like him very much. His staff is very informative. I highly recoomend him to others. He has a set up plan for his aftercare. He does let you know all the risks of surgery. I would rate him with a 10. His surgical competence & bedside manner are both good.

When I attended the Seminar in August I really did not know what to expect. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. Every question was answered completely and courteously. you were never made to feel small for asking any question. Dr. Hornbostel has a wonderful demeanor and wonderful at making you feel at ease. His assistant is also very pleasant and knowledgeable. She was very helpful as well. rn When I went for my initial appointment, he gave a very thourough description as to what to expect. He did not \"candy coat\" anything either! He wanted to ensure that you were informed fully of the risks as well as the benifits. rn I have my surgery scheduled for the 23rd of October and I can not wait to begin my new life!! I have actually already recommended Dr. Hornbostel to a friend of mine who is considering the surgery as well. rn Thank you to Dr. Hornbostel and your staff- I am looking forward to becoming your next success!! rnTammy Krzysik

Dr. Hornbostel is great. He's very busy so you dont get to see him much, but the office staff is very helpful and friendly and so is everyone at Bothwell Regional Health Center. They answer all of my questions, make sure I understood all of my pre-op instructions and helped my family find a hotel to stay in whaile I have surgery and health food stores for my vitamins. They have a nutritions who will go step by step over pre and post op diet. All surgery risks are expalined. On a scale of 1-10 Dr. H gets a 100!!!