Roger De La Torre Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

That the man had a sense of humor! That he seemed very honest in his speech to the class of pre-op patients that I attended about the surgery and the risks involved. We (my husband and I) felt very confidant about his skills as a surgeon. Our impression of him as a good surgeon only strengthened over time. His office staff were all very professional and personable. Maybe, somewhat hard to get a hold of by telephone at times. The only thing that I would like to point out, is that I did not see Dr. de la Torre after surgery, while in the hospital. I'm not saying that I didn't have good follow up care in the hospital, because I did. I saw all the necessary doctors that were there to evaluate my health/care. I did, however, expect to see the attending physician while in the hospital. The Midwest Bar. Clinic's program, I feel, is run very smoothly and professionally with a good structured aftercare program. My PCP said that he must have done "a really good job", since I have done so well with so little pain. Surgical competence, of course, to me is most important. Having a good bedside manner only makes it better! Of course, anything that I have said in the above statement is purely from my experience and I make no claims to what other's may/or may not experience. We are generally thrilled with the way things have turned out...so far, only 2 1/2 weeks out of surgery.

My pre-surgery impressions of Dr. de la Torre were positive. While he's not real "warm & fuzzy" imo, he does strive to present both risks and benefits for wls. His program seems to have a great deal of experience and a strong background in wls. He does indeed record his little talk about the risks, but that seemed fairly unobtrusive to me. I didn't really "bond" with the office staff, but they were cordial. The class we were required to take was just OK, if you've done you're homework, it will probably be old news to you (more details on the class in my profile), but be prepared to spend the entire day there. I didn't like *not* having an appointment, but in retrospect, the sign-up sheet worked fine. I'm not sure that aftercare is emphasized enough--only 3 post-op visits are required, but post-op diet was thoroughly reviewed. Midwest Bariatric does have a support group, but I wish they had a resource for other support groups around the state, as I live 3 hrs away from Wentzville. I'll post follow-up comments after my surgery on 10/15--wish me much luck!! <b>11/4 Update</b>--my surgery went very well & my recovery has been smooth so far. Although I haven't seen Dr. de la Torre since my surgery (& I was asleep then), I've been pleased so far. <b>11/18 Update</b>--Since my surgery I've now seen Dr. de la Torre once & was almost surprised at how cordial he was, so there really is a nice guy lurking in there like everyone says. He was very reassuring & encouraging about my progress & I liked that. I've also met Dr. Scott in this practice & he seemed very knowledgeable about wls & rather mild-mannered for a surgeon.

My whole experince has been very pleasant.Any questions ive ever had have been answered. This has been a very positive experience!

Very Competent and capable

Have only met him once. Will see him again tomorrow.
Nancy Corbett his Director is very warm and helpful.

Dr. DeLaTorre is matter of fact. Very Professional.

The program empahasises after care.

They provide you with a list of specific "stages" for food guidlines and 3 follow up appts and an emergency number to call.
We reviewed the risks of surgery in a group setting. He had us sign forms that we were told and understood the risks. He also recorded it. Afterwards we met with him one on one to ask any specific or personal questions.

I percieve his surgical competence as excellent. Bedside manner is good. He is a Pleasant man.

I was very impressed with Dr. de la Torre. He did not seem to be rushed, although was all business. He had a nice sense of humor, but was serious about his surgery. It seems as if malpractice insurance is a problem that might cause him to give up doing this type of surgery. The jury is still out, pending his renewal premiums. I was impressed with his background, and stated statistics. As a matter of fact, when I called another hospital to line up my pre-op blood work, I spoke with a person who commented that he had worked with this doctor and he was a wonderful surgeon. Non-solicited comments!!!To date, I would rate this Dr. a 9, since I have not yet been under his knife!!

Dr. De La Torre is very to the point. Nice and will answer any questions you may have. I will know more after I have surgery, but for now he seems like a really nice person to deal with. The office staff was really helpful, although some could be a little more personable.

Pre-Op Consult Visit:
My first impression of him was that he was very knowledgable, capable, and a little cocky. Maybe self-assured would be a better term. In my one-on-one consult with him, I felt like he would have stayed there as long as I wanted him to while I asked questions, however, I don't think he put a lot of thought or feeling behind his answers. I understand that he probably answers the same questions over and over again, but hey, this is the first time I'm asking them!

The office staff seemed very friendly and helpful, but a little rushed. I had to wait over an hour after my scheduled appointment time before I was taken to a room. I waited another 15 minutes there before the doctor came in.

I believe my overall impression so far is that he doesn't have the greatest bedside manner but I won't be awake when his skill-level matters most so I'm not going to complain too much! :-)

10/4- I'm am going to have to say that my opinion of Dr. DeLaTorre has changed quite a bit. During the surgery and the few times he visited me in the hospital, he was much more open, caring, and willing to listen. I got the drain out yesterday and he was joking around and being fairly playful. Overall, he is a serious guy but I think he also has a lighter side that shines through every once in awhile. He is an excellent surgeon and would recommend him to anyone!

My first impression was exactly how I thought he would be. From reading other numerous posting I was prepared that he was going to be very forthright in telling us things that COULD go wrong. He was very thorough and took time for any and all questions. All in all I feel very confident in his skills.
His staff was great as well apparently they have restructured the program. You meet as a class (mine was 9)which starts off with Nancy the program director, then the nutrionest (she was really informative she cleared up for mt that you don't have to take all these new expensive vitaminsespecially for bariatric patients. and you shouldn't lose yur hair if you get in the protien they recommend). After her came the physical therapist. she just gave your basic info about exercise. After her came the Doctor. After that you all file back upstairs and get comfy because it takes awhile for everyone to be seen. They also see reg patients in between the class. Ofcourse I was last, but good things come to those who wait I suppose;).
I went back he took a bit more personal info, went back out to the waiting room for my turn to meet with Nancy to schedule my surgery. She also gives you orders for all your pretesting to be done 10-14 days before surgery. Alas my day there was finished. I left there at about 4:30 and had arrived at 10. So it is a long day be prepared. All in all it was a great experience and I cannot wait to begin life on the otherside as i have heard it described. hmm I am soupposed to say something negative. I guess it would be the long wait. But you get that anywhere in the medical field.

I find that Dr. De La Torre is a 'straight to the point' kind of guy. He is nice and will answer any questions you have.
He does a good job of answering questions about the surgery in the group setting before you see him one on one. So, most of his talking about complications etc. is only needs to be given one time. He is very open and upfront about the possible complications and risk that are involved with the surgery.
Nancy and the office staff have been very nice and helpful.
They ALL make a point of repeating that this surgery is 'ONLY' a tool to aid in your weight loss. You can still blow it and screw up your body if you don't follow the aftercare instructions!

On a scale of 1 - 10 I would probably rate the doctor a 9 right now. Ask me again after 11/4/02 and I'll let you know the final grade.
I would give him higher marks on surgical competence than bedside manner. I would MUCH rather have the competence than the bedside manner business.

BEING A REGISTERD NURSE, I FEEL I HAVE A GOOD SENSE FOR A PHYSICIAN WHO IS GOOD OR IS NOT SO GOOD.
I JUST MET DR. DEL A TORRE YESTERDAY FOR THE FIRST TIME...HE APPEARS TO BE A QUIET PERSON, ONE WHO REALLY DOESN'T LIKE TO BRING ATTENTION TO HIMSELF...HE'S EXTREMELY POLITE AND VERY PROFESSIONAL..HE'S APPEARS TO BE VERY SKILLED AND KNOWLEDGABLE IN HIS FIELD
I HAVE NO SECOND THOUGHTS REGUARDING THIS MAN DOING SURGERY ON ME....HE WAS VERY UP FRONT WITH ALL THE RISKS!!! AND BENEFITS OF THIS SURGERY...HE EVEN TRIED TO TALK US OUT OF IT....HE REALLY WANTS US TO KNOW THAT THIS IS A COMPLETE LIFE CHANGE AND NOT A QUICK FIX...

HIS OFFICE STAFF WAS VERY POLITE AND PROFESSIONAL..

WHAT i LIKED THE LEAST ABOUT DR. DEL A TORRE WAS THAT HE DIDN'T SMILE ENOUGH....HE SHOULD HE HAS A REALLY NICE SMILE...

FUTURE PATIENTS SHOULD KNOW THAT HE SEEMS LIKE A COMPOTENT PHYSICIAN

AFTER CARE IS WRITTEN OUT FOR YOU ON PAPER...
NANCY CORBET THE OFFICE MANAGER AND MISS BLEDSOE THE DIETICIAN WERE VERY INFORMATIVE ON HOW OUR RECOVERY PERIOD SHOULD GO...

TO THE VERY LAST QUESTION...SURGICAL COMPETENCE OBVIOUSLY IS THE GREATEST ATTRIBUTE...BUT A CARING PERSONALITY AND A GOOD SENSE OF HUMOR IS AN ASSET...

9/28/02 DR. DE LA TORRE IS WONDERFUL..HE AND HIS ASSOCIATES THAT HELP WITH MY SURGERY..HE HAS A TERRIFIC BEDSIDE MANNER...VERY CARING...