Timothy Custer Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I would like to say Dr.Custer is the best.His surgery skills are fantastic.He is a true professional his after care stinks due to staff. the dietition and the nurse cathy has 2 different oppinions on food choices.but i have gotten so much great advise on this site who needs them. the surgery is forever and he is fantastic.He has a cockey atitude I like because he knows he is the best in skill. He will not take chance into play very matter affact.his skill is above the scale if you live in ohio i would truly recomend him or his partner dr. Price.

I thought Dr. Custer was very nice and polite. He talked to me as if I was very important to him. I like this about him. Dr. Custer was imformative and I really didn't have to ask many questions.
The only complaint I have is with Carrie. She can be short and rude. I know her job is probably very stressful but she needs to understand this is a stressful time for us, especially waiting for insurance approval.
I haven't had my surgery yet but I will keep updating as I go along. My date is 9/5/03!!

I have met with him only once for the initial consultation, but I was very impressed with him. He is very young but very knowledgeable and takes the time to answer all your questions. He didn't make me feel hurried at all. Very pleasant man with a good sense of humor and a genuine concern for me...his patient. He explained the overall risks and the machanics of the surgery as well as what I could expect after I am released from the hospital. His nurse was excellent, giving me materials that I would need to read and phone numbers to keep in touch with them about any questions I had. The insurance coordinator, Carrie, was sometimes very short, but I was warned by the nurse that Carrie is on the phone from the time she gets in the office till she leaves trying to get everyone's paperwork complete so they will be approved by their insurance company. Overall I had a very good experience with the doctor and his staff. They were all very professional and yet caring...the perfect combination.

Well, my first impression of Dr. Custer was damn he is cute! My impression went from lust to getting to know the man that was going to change my life. I still thought he was cute! Well I would describe his staff as over worked and snappy! I wish he would have spent more time on informng me about what really to expect the day of and the day after surgery. What would a future patient need to know about Dr. Custer he doen't play he wants only the best for you! But his nurse is mean!!! Just kidding! You know what I don't know yet about aftercare. Well Dr. Custer just told you the risk flat out no games(he don't play) I wanted to have the surgery lap but he informed me of that risk and I went open I wanted him to see what the hell he was doing.LOL I give Dr. Custer a 8 1/2 with extra point coming later. I think his surgical competence is better then his bedside manner but that only because I didn't see him until I was about to go home 30min before.

I had my consultation visit with the Dr Custer on Jan 17 of 03 he was pleasant and answered all of my questions which i had written out on a piece of paper he was cordial yet to the point if feel confident with him doing my WLS. On the other hand after meeting all of my requirements such as the sleep study pysch eval support group meeting etc. on April the 16th nothing has benn faxed, mailed, forwareded to my insurance company today date is June the 1st. This is RIDIULUS!!!! Carried who is the WLS coordinater for this pair of surgeons is very short with me on the phone and has answers to questions like me and 125 other patients just sounds to me like she needs more help and dont no why it takes 2 and half monthes to fax something Now that i have a date things are still not done in a timely manner with Dr Custers staff i put in for my medical leave at work and they did not fax the info for my sugery date etc. so now if they dont have it by the 7th which is monday i will be denied my medical leave this makes me so mad why cant they ever do things for you with out you riding them i dont get it i have hade a date since the 16th of june

When we met Dr. Custer he came in said a few words & left. My Husband & I Looked at each other and said he looks real young! But after talking to him he was very positive very knowledgable and straightforward with us. You knew he knew his stuff. We felt very at ease with him and still do ! He treats us like people not a number. Since my husband(Rob) & I were doing it together he wanted us to do it the same day & he did it! I think he even took one of his days off & came in to do our surgeries because our insurance was going to exclude bariatric surgery from our policy as of july 1st. He lets Rob & I come in as a couple even when it is one or the others appointment.I was in for something & he even looked at Rob's incision & we didn't even ask. So we know he cares alot about his patients.
He is very competent very caring & very good at what he does.We would recommend him highly to anyone!!

First impression was good. He is very young looking as others had described. A bit of a perfectionist I suspect and confident in his abilities as a surgeon which if fine with me. If someone is going to be cutting me open I want a guy with a "surgeon's attitude" not someone wishy-washy! I have some complicated health issues and he didn't hesitate to address them and was confident he would help. He described me as the perfect poster child for bariatric surgery. Future patients - have your questions ready - he ticks right through the things he needs to cover with you and took time to stop to answer all questions thoughly but be prepared and bring someone with you to help "listen" and ask questions you may forget. Staff is great, nurses are wonderful, his bariatric coordinator is an angel and you couldn't pay me enough to do her job. Aftercare specifics were not emphasized too much - I know what I'm getting myself into and indicated that to him. They do have a structured aftercare progam - excellent plan from what I can see - but I am still pre-op. He addressed all risks, didn't flinch when I asked about his mortality rate, complications, infections, need for further follow up surgery in case of hernias, etc. So far I'd rate him as good but then I don't have anything to compare him to. I didn't find him particularly warm and fuzzy but then most surgeons aren't and I'm not looking for that in a surgeon. I want someone I feel is qualified, capable and competent and so far I'm happy with his performance. I had a few particular questions about immediate aftercare and pain control and challenged him on his particular protocol. He took it in stride, explained why he did things a certain way but did not appear to feel insulted nor did he make me feel like "how dare you challenge a surgeon". He is more than willing to work with you on finding the best solution for your care - even if it differs from the norm. These are just my own impressions from my first meeting with him - I have no idea how someone else may respond to their experience with him or his staff. Everyone needs to decide for themselves. Remember: it's your life, your body, you need to do what is right for you. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to others and I for one feel completely comfortable with them providing my care.

My consultation with Dr was all business. I was very nervous due to being denied through OSU in 2000. I was very happy just to be there and didnt want to screw it up. I answered his questions. Listened to his comments on the procedure, need for the surgery, insurance matters, & what would be expected of me. I found the meeting bland. But that is ok. I did have to pay a large office visit fee. And was later billed for remainder once the insurance denied the claim. I wasn't expecting the extra fee & surprised when I received it in the mail. But that's ok too. I am very comfortable with my choice of surgeon.

Greetings in health! Originally, my consult was scheduled for 9/19/03, I called in April for it. I got lucky in that my appointment was moved to 6/6/03!! My first impression was wow, he can't be much older than me! I liked that he introduced himself as Tim Custer, not Dr. It made him more "human" feeling right away. He took his time with me, asked questions, listened to mine and confirmed the information they had received from me so far. He explained that because my bmi is 66, I would be an open rny. He didnt want to spend extra time doing it lap and it not be as good. He assured me he can do a perfect open rny in a little over an hour and that he felt it was safer for me. I had felt the same from my research but it was comforting to hear his approach. SAFETY!! I have to say that his office staff was great. They were all pleasant and easy to talk with. The only down side to the whole situation is just waiting to get in. Be prepared! The more records, diet history you have ready when you go, the better it will be. If you arent willing to work, this isnt the place for you. Surgery takes about 6 weeks to schedule after everything is approved. However, they are addressing this by adding a 3rd gastric bypass surgeon. The risks are explained, I was also given a timeline to surgery and an informed consent form. There is structure, a support group on the first Monday of the month. I also received a guide to gastric bypass surgery written by Dr Price and Custer. I feel that at this point the whole place and especially Tim are a 10! I felt assured of his surgical competence and I also feel he had a great bedside manner. I am totally happy with the process so far. More to come as the journey continues!

Dr. Custer is still on the Top of My List of Wonderful People!
He's just awesome. I keep referring people to him. He changes lives. He's kind of shy at first but he's very frank and will answer any questions you ask. I won't get to see him for a year now, but I'm sure he'll be just as caring. He and Kathy make a great team.