Gwinnett Medical Center Duluth Hospital
I was very impressed with Dr. Richard from the very first, and I am glad to say that impression hasn't changed. He is extremely professional and very knowledgeable.
The office staff is helpful. I did have some dissatisfaction with the staff returning calls and were slow following up with my other doctors. This was over a year ago, and I understand that alot of the office staff has changed and hopefully improved.
The aftercare is very important to this program and this is constantly stressed. There is a structured aftercare program. One thing that really impresses me is they are constantly working to improve their program and are constantly working to upgrade it.
Dr. Richard did review all the risks that were involved and was very upfront about possible complications.
Overall, I would rate him as an eight or nine out of a possible ten.
He was very good, both surgically competent and a good bedside manner.
I first met Dr. Richard and Dr. Proctor at the Seminar I attended in July 2003. I was very impressed with their attitudes about obesity and how they could help us. I went to my pre-op appointment and I thought the office staff was very nice. The nurse went out of her way to make me feel comfortable. Dr. Richard explained everything to me and was willing to answer any questions I had.
The thing I would have to say I like best about Dr. Richard and Dr. Proctor is that they seem to be down to earth kind of people. I have worked with other doctors and some of them can be rather arrogant but I did not find this to be true with them.
They realy emphasize aftercare and have a wonderful aftercare program. There are support group meetings and a dietician we can meet with whenever we need too.
I would give Dr. Richard a 10 and I WAS in very good hands with him and the hospital staff. My surgery took a hour longer than it sould have due to a lot of adhesions that had to be removed but He did not give up on doing it LAP and I am glad because I know I will heal faster. His bedside manner was wonderful and I would recommend him to everyone.
I met Dr. Richard at the informational meeting. He was very informative and answered all the questions that were asked in layman terms. I have my pre-op with him on 12/5/03. I will tell more after that.
Dr. RIchard did my surgery on 12/16/03. He is wonderful. Very easy to talk to and very caring. I would recommend him to anyone that wants to have the surgery. He sewed me up, didn't use staples and I don't have a drain.
Obesity Solutions has a great aftercare program also. Everyone is involved and willing to answer any questions you might have.
I have met Dr.Richard at the Public Info meetings and Support group meetings.He is very sensitive to the Bariatric Patient as well as a highly quailified Surgeon.I will get to meet with him one on one at my pre-op on 12-05-03.
12-07-05 Met with Dr.Richard and i feel very confident with him as my surgeon.He was all business in a friendly manner.Told me what,where and how things will be done and what he expects my outcome to be.I like him.
I first met Dr. Richard at the Informational Meeting in December of last year (2002). I was very impressed with his demeanor from the beginning. I met him today at my pre-op. He was very easy to talk to and extremely thorough. His office staff is wonderful. Aftercare is very important to both him and Dr. Procter and they have a very structured aftercare program. We discussed the benefits and risks of the surgery and I feel very comfortable proceeding. I would highly recommend Dr. Richard to other people who feel that they would best gain control of their weight through obesity surgery.
Dr. Richards works with Dr. Procter in Gainesville, GA. I have met him once and did not get to speak with him. Dr. Proter speaks very highly of him. He did these surgeries in the military.
Dr. Procter & Dr. Richard's office staff is wonderful. They ALWAYS return your call and in a timely manner. They are all very knowledgeable and caring people.
Dr. Procter and Dr. Richards take aftercare very seriously- especially psychological aftercare. They work with Wayne Hulon (He is an angel- think of Dr. Phil with a big heart!) to help their patients through the life transition. Before the doctors will accept you into their Bariatrics program, you have a psych evaluation and there is also a weekend-long class about obesity with a focus on mental health. This was the turning point for me and I thought it to be priceless. I also met many wonderful people in the same predicament as me and have become close friends with some of them.
Dr. Procter and Dr. Richard want to make sure you are a success after surgery and a well adjusted person. Because of this their program moves slower than some other surgeons. They are very thorough with their requirements (Sleep study, gallbladder ultrasound, weekend seminar, letter of your understanding). Most of us are so excited that there are times when you feel things are moving slow. I just had to keep reminding myself that they are doing this for my benefit/health to make sure that I will be ok after surgery. I did a lot of "shopping around" and found them to be right for me.
Dr. Procter and Dr. Richard give you an informational handbook that goes over the risks and benefits of surgery. Their website is also a good resource. The informational meeting addresses the risks as well as the first meeting you have after you submit your information to the office.
From my experience, I think Dr. Richard tries to have a good bedside manner, but he tends to get irritated if you ask too many questions or ask for clarification. I understand this is what he does for a living, but I wish he understood that we only go through this surgery once in our lives, and that most people want to know what is going on in their bodies. Most people are not in the medical field so we need things explained to us in simpler terms. I had complications and my 2 hr surgery ended up taking over 4 hrs. No one ever came out to tell my husband any news- positive or negative. My husband was very worried something terrible had happened. My husband made his concerns known to Dr. Richard on one of our follow up office visits and explained that he doesn't want any other family to go through what he experienced in the waiting area. Dr. Richard wasn't very receptive. This was, however, just my experience with him and am making no statements as to what other people have or may experience.
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