William Richards Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

Dr. Richards seemed very concerned with my health and was willing to take time to exlain everything to me.rnMy impression of him has not changed, if anything, it has gotten better.rnThe office staff is WONDERFUL.rnDr. Richards is very easy to work with.rnAftercare was emphasized a lot. I knew well before my surgery what i needed to do to make this surgery successful for me.rnHe was very open about the risks of surgery and also about what i needed to do to help minimize those risks.rnI absolutely have loved Dr. Richards and his entire office staff. The only complaint that i have is that i was not informed ahead of time about the pre-operative diet. I would have liked to know about the diet more than 10 before surgery. But then again, I am very anal about my schedule and planning.rnSurgical competence is probably better, in the hospital Dr. Richards did not seem as friendly but his support team more than made up for that. In the office he is very thorough and friendly and I would not change anything about my experience with Dr. Richards, his staff or Vanderbilt Hospital.

Apointment due on Feb.09, Have not meet the doctor yet.

I was very blessed to have Dr.Richards as my surgeon for my gastric bypass, he was awesome!! He was very polite and gave me the opertunity to ask questions, he didn't make me feel like I was just another surgery to him, his staff is great always willing to help and answer questions and the support they offer is incredably good.rn Dr.Richards stoped by to visit with me about 3 times during my 1 night stay at the hospital making sure I was taken care of and that all my post-op needs were taken care of as well, I would say that his knowledge and bed side manner as a surgen are a plus to the Vanderbilt bariatric department, I would highly recomend them to any one looking to improve their health by having weight loss surgery.

I don't think I could ever say enough positive things about Dr. Richards and his staff! He is a very caring man, he sat with my mother and I explaining everything at his office. Then the day of the surgery he came into the \"holding area\" and talked for a very long time again, just wanting to make sure all of our questions were answered. His staff has been just as concerned and caring in wanting to make sure all my questions are answered. The only draw-back that I've had, is when I've had a question, they are so busy at the office, sometimes the answer has not come as quickly as I would have liked, but I can understand with the amount of time they spend with everyone, it is just hard to get to the phone. Overall, I would highly recommend Dr. Richards and his staff!!

Dr Richards performed my bariatric surgery in February 2008. He is rather quiet and reserved, but he does posess an air of intelligence and authority that is reassuring. I had no doubts that he was a skilled and knowledgeable surgeon. I was proven right when my surgery had a bit of a glitch that had nothing to do with Dr. Richards skill...but his skill is what resolved it. I apparently had a ton of scar tissue on my intestines from when my appendix burst as a child. This made it quite dangerous for Dr Richards to perform Gastric Bypass surgery on me and, mid surgery, he had to make a change to the type of surgery I was to have. After consulting with my mother in the waiting room, he came back and performed VSG (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy) surgery on me instead of the RNY Bypass. I beleive many surgeons would have simply given up after seeing the adhesions, but Dr. Richard's knowledge and skill allowed him to make the adjustment and, with my family's consent, perform the best alternative surgery possible. Six months out of surgery I am down 71lbs and counting. I couldn't be more pleased. The only negative comment I can even think of was more of a practical one... I ended up with a slight case of pneumonia in the hospital and, I don't know if it was the Doctor, an Intern, the nurse, or who...but they gave me an antibiotic in a pill form that was just HUGE. I could barely suck on an ice cube and they wanted me to down this horse pill. Then they tried crushing it up and mixing it in something which didn't go down at all (if ice chips make you nauseated, imagine what a crushed up antibiotic in apple juice will do)...so I had to ask to be put on IV antibiotics and to have a liquid form of the drug prescribed for after I left the hospital. Aside from normal recovery stuff, that was the only bad part of the experience for me and it could very well not have had anything to do with Dr. Richards himself but rather with a staff member or nurse. I would suggest that anyone having bariatric surgery discuss the whole \"crushing pills\" thing with their doctors ahead of time so that they can get alternative liquid forms where possible. I am very happy with Dr. Richards and his entire staff. From the initial consultation to the follow up care provided, the staff at Vanderbilt's Center for Surgical Weight Loss has been excellent throughout. Thank you.

Oh he is so sweet and caring, I know that because when I asked something he wanted to know why I wanted to know what I had asked. I believe that Dr. Richards knew I was ready for this he did ask me if I knew the risks of surgery and was constantly asking me if I had any questions but couldn't really think of any for him and I still can't but the morning of surgery I did tell him that I had read his resume and I knew he was a good surgeon and I also told him that he was....the man..... he had a few good laughs from me before surgery. I can't say I didn't warn his scheduling nurse, Brenda, to alert him that I was a live wire. rnrnI was lead to think that Dr. Richards was a solemn, emotionless person, but I found out different. I love the whole staff. I met several of the doctors that work with him during my hospital stay. I can't say there's one thing that I don't like about Dr. Richards. His courtesy is off the charts, he always has a warm greeting and hand shake for you. I will tell future patients that he is a very sincere man and I think that's where people get the wrong idea about him from. On a scale of 1 to 100 I'd have to give Dr. Richards a 100 plus.

Dr. Richards was wonderful. he went in did what had to be done. And had no problem. I had no scare tissue, so he was able to go lap. I was home in 2 days. And I've healed fast, even for being a diabetic. It has all been so wonderful. I would suggest him to anyone. He is very quiet, but does know his business.His staff is very friendly. They prepare you for your aftercare, and have the 24 hr. call. use it if needed, for any questions. On a scale from 1-10 he is a 10 in my book. He did what he needed to do, and I am very happy with him a dr.I think that his surgical competence is the best. That is my #1 concern, even though he does care about his patients, he makes sure all is taken care of the right way.

When I first met Dr. Richards my immediate impression was that he is a competent surgeon and knows his stuff. I still feel that way. He's friendly, but not overly outgoing, but that's OK with me as long as he is competent.rnHe explained the pros and cons of surgery and the risks involved very well. His staff and everyone at Vandy has been great thus far. There has been a bit of frustration on my part, but that's because Vandy's WLC is in a transition period right now. Eric McWilliams and the others are really working hard to get everything back on track. The aftercare and follow up program at Vandy is known as being second to none. Surgical competence is more improtant to me than bedside manners, but both is nice.

Dr. William Richards di my lap-band removal and gastric bypass, but Dr Charles Morton did my lap-band initially. They were both fantastic and their staff were fantastic. I never had any questions by either one that they couldn't answer. They both emphasized after-care. They both have support groups and continuous follow-ups.

I can't say enough nice things about Dr. Richards. He was very thorough in screening me for the surgery, and friendly. His clinic staff are all very professional but also radiate warmth and genuine interest in the patients. Aftercare is as much a part of the program at Vanderbilt as the surgery itself is which I felt was important too. There isn't a lot of opportunity to evaluate bedside manner as many of the patients myself included are seen mostly by younger doctors in the program but his office manner is impeccable.