Rita Anderson Bariatric Surgeon M.D., Ph.D.

SO far, I have been more impressed than I can tell you. My procedure is Thursday the 7th at noon, so I will keep you posted.

The organization is so wonderful with the New Life Surgery Center. They won't take patients 'on a whim'. Before they'll even let you schedule an appt, they first require you to go to an informational seminar that they hold once a month. rnOne thing I was first impressed with is that they did not push one type of surgery. The New Life Surgery Center does DS and RNY, so they presented both in an equal light and instructed us to make our own decisions. They brought two patients in who were two years post-op, one DS and one RNY, and invited us to atted both support groups.rnrnOnce you decide and get insurance approval, the process went by quickly. I had a pre-op physical with Dr.Anderson and she was SO nice! Her med asst had RNY, but took extra pains to become knowledgeable about DS, too and was very helpful and able to answer any questions I had. rnrnThe next step was pre-op testing at Kettering hospital and they included a class in the afternoon showing everything that was going to happen after surgery and all the tubes and stuff attached to us, followed by a presentation by a nutritionist. I have been impressed with the organization of it all. So far, it's been a great experience.rn____________________________rnNow I'm a year post op, and Dr. Rita was so excited about my progress. I think that is her favorite part of her work! My recovery was totally smooth and flawless. I attribute so much of my success to her!rnrnrnrnrnrnrn

New Life Surgery is adding another doctor to the group. Along with Dr.Maguire and Dr.Hadley, Dr.Anderson will be joining them in October or November. I also learned that Dr. Maguire is a founding member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Everyone in the office has been GREAT!!!! You may have to waite to get in to, the info sessions was booked up to 3 months waite, but if you want the best you'll waite.

My first impression of Dr Rita was that she looked like Mrs America, yet here she was helping morbidly obese individuals attain a better quality of life. I was very impressed with her credentials and her manner of presenting the information at the seminar I attended. When I asked a question, she held eye contact with me while she gave a most sincere answer. That's when I decided that I could trust her to do my surgery.

Dr Rita and her colleagues at New Life Surgery Center in Kettering Ohio make sure that the patient is well-informed enough to make their own decision about which weight loss surgery they prefer. They then send the patient through the approval process which also guarantees that one will understand the ramifications of the surgery and the importance of life-long aftercare. Even after all that, when you have your surgical consultation you must fill out a paper describing the surgery in your own words. There is absolutely no guesswork in this practice - you will be an informed patient!

New Life Surgery is equipped with a bariatric ward at Kettering Hospital, staffed with bariatric nurses. They have experts in every field on call who are familiar with weight loss surgery and the particular complications that might arise. For this reason, this practice has better than the national average statistics when it comes to complication and mortality rates. That is a reassuring thing for a patient to know.

Dr Rita is warm and direct and likes to hug her patients. She doesn't spend a lot of time chatting but does get right to the point with such questions as "what do you want to ask me?" or "what can I do to help you with that?" She quickly delegates whatever followup you need and has an assistant, Valerie, who is available by phone. This works very well, but if you want much of Dr Rita's time you had best be prepared with your list of questions.

I was told that I will never visit the office without having to fill out paperwork. This is because this practice is very proactive in determining how you are doing with your vitamins, protein and fluids and wants to be aware of any questions you have right up front. They don't want to miss anything and they want you to feel free to say or ask anything on your mind. And so you give a full report each time you go and I'm sure you get comprehensive feedback.

The practice also has active support groups for each type of surgery and encourages everyone to participate. The doctors themselves participate and keep close contact with patients who make themselves available.

I cannot imagine a better program anywhere so I have nothing negative to say about Dr Rita or New Life Surgery. They are as professional as any group can be and have covered every eventuality. They are always open to questions and discussion, so what more could one ask? I am thankful that they are in the next town from me and I got such quality care so close to home. I would recommend them to absolutely anyone.

Dr. Anderson was the greatest, nicest person! She came right in the room and lit it up. She got my so excited for surgery, and told me how great everything was going to be. She was personable and my CHEERLEADER! The office staff was wonderful and EXTREAMLY knowledgable. She emphasizes aftercare to the max! She makes it all well nkown, as is the risks of surgery. I think both surgical competence and bedside manner! She had both! The only thing I didn't like was she came in and out of our meeting quickly. I know she doesn't ahve all day to spend, but it seemed like she was kind of rushed at our pre surgery meeting.