Stephen B. Archer Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Dr Archer performed my surgery on 6/20/06 and I have nothing but positive things to say about my experience with Dr Archer and his office. All my questions were answered, options were thoroughly explained and I felt truly supported in making my decision to have the surgery.

Please let others know:

What was your first impression of him/her?
--Informative and thorough. Seemed to be very busy but I didn’t feel my appointment was rushed and he answered all my questions. Very professional.

How did your impression change over time?
--Became more personable over time and showed that he is a very caring person about his patient’s struggles and successes. Let me vent my frustrations over my slow progress without judgment, when others did.

How would you describe his/her office staff?
--His PA, Stephanie is wonderful to deal with as well. Staff is wonderful – caring, kind, very helpful and attentive to your questions.

What did you like least about him/her?
--At times, he can be hard to read and sometimes very dry, you never know if you can joke with him or if you do how it will be taken.

What should future patients know about him/her?
--Some people prefer to see the Doctor only, but many times your appointments will actually be with his, PA, Stephanie Granvall, who is very capable. Both Dr Archer and Stephanie want their patients to be successful and are there to help you, even in times of frustration.

How much does he/she emphasize aftercare?
-- The practice highly emphasizes aftercare and follow-up, as it is very important to monitor your health and progress.

Does he/she have a structured aftercare program?
--Have a great support program in place for bypass patients, lapband support group finally started August 2004 and is growing slowly. Very structured medical follow-up program. Lapband fills should be more aggressively pursued to get patient filled to the proper level quicker requiring fewer visits.

How did he/she address the risks of surgery?
---Surgery risks were outlined thoroughly. Due to my pre-diabetic stage and the fact that my gallbladder was full of stones, Dr Archer thought it would be safer for me to have my gallbladder out and then have my lapband a month later in case of complications. At first I wasn’t overly excited about it but after his explanation about the possible issues that could arise, I really appreciated his honesty on the whys of having 2 surgeries would be better.

How would you rate him/her overall?
--If I had it to do over, I would have the lapband surgery again and I wouldn’t choose a different surgeon. I think that he is a very capable and caring Doctor.

Which is better, surgical competence, bedside manner, or both great?

My lap-band surgery was December 30, 2003 preformed by Dr. Stephen Archer of Advanced Surgical in Bend, Oregon. He is very caring and thorough. I have felt very secure in his and his staffs hands, they are always available for questions/concerns.

I have been in his office more after the surgery than before - but things are going very well. The aftercare is fab! The office has monthly meetings for patients (new and old) a hot line (just in case)and lots of follow-up visits.

The staff was ver good at explaining all of the risks of surgery, weighing the options of different surgical procedures. Dr. Archer does require alot of tests before the surgery, but, they are well worth the time when your insurance uses them to base the approval (like mine).

Any person would be lucky to have Dr. Archer (or Dr. Konig his partner) preform their surgery.

To clear up some confusion -- Dr. Archer has moved from GA to OR. I have found Dr. Archer to be very patient-friendly. He has proven to be a very skillful, and compassionate physician. He's very easy to talk with and listens to his patients. I also have a great deal of confidance in the office Physician Assistants.

Had my first appt with Dr. Archer in January. He seems to be a very warm and compassionate man. Had answers for all my questions. On second visit 3-27-03 he gave me a big hug when he came into the room. We went over the results of all my tests. He was very happy with my 12 pound weight loss since Jan. I plan to lose a few more before my surgery date. I really like this man. I think he truly cares about his patients. He is very honest and tells you what you need to do to get ready for the big day.

I have had only one consultation with DR. Archer. He was really informative. I was impressed to see that he likes to over see the major pre-op test personally. He was there for the upper and lower GI's So far his staff has been helpful when needed.

Dr. Archer and his staff seem very competent. I have only had one appointment with him, but have another one scheduled in about a week. I have talked with his staff on several occasions, they are all helpful and are knowledgeable about their bariatric program.