Kaiser Permanente Richmond Medical Center Hospital

He is great!! Very professional and caring and a warm personality. He does emphasize aftercare and through Kaiser they have great support and aftercare. He did go over the risks of surgery and gave me a relaxation CD to listen to in the weeks prior to surgery.rnHe excels in both surgical competence and bedside manner. He was very sweet to my family. I could not have asked for a better surgeon.

I had my lap band surgery 9/23/08. My impression of Dr. Baggs was that he was professional and really was supportive. The program at Kaiser Richmond is great and I feel that though I am just post-op one week, I will do well. I feel very well supported by the office staff. He explained everything to me and my overall rating of him is that he is AWESOME! The funny thing is that I never expected to get pictures of my stomach (before and after the band), liver and gall bladder after my surgery. I will say that he seems to be a direct, no-nonsense type of person and that if you are not serious, he will not be supportive. My only complaint is that I am having difficulty finding a support group that is in my community - don't want to have to drive to Richmond.

What was your first impression of him/her? rnrnI was a little nervous and Dr. Baggs is VERY professional. I can tell that he loves what he does and knows how important it is to the lives of other people.rnrnHow did your impression change over time? rnrnrnrnHow would you describe his/her office staff? rnrnI love the office staff! Every single person that I have worked with so far is absolutely awesome. They are friendly, real, and after hearing them interact with past clients...I can tell they value each patient.rnrnWhat did you like least about him/her? rnrnUm...I really don't have anything negative to say. rnrnWhat should future patients know about him/her? rnrnBe prepared with your homework! I met my goal weight and was able to go from my first appointment with him directly to the case manager. rnrnHow much does he/she emphasize aftercare?rnrnHe went over all of the complications and requirements in great detail. Much appreciated!rn rnDoes he/she have a structured aftercare program? rnrnThe whole department shares the same program. I like that every surgeon does things the same and they all follow the same guidelines. This creates a sense of unity and has made me more confident in them. rnrnHow did he/she address the risks of surgery?rnrnHe explained how there are changes that will be life long and that they could be dangerous if I choose to ignore them. He also addressed surgery complications and how he as a doctor ensures that patients are completely ready.rnrn rnHow would you rate him/her overall? rnrnI have only met him once. I do not have anything negative to say, but I think a more accurate rating would be after surgery.rnrnWhich is better, surgical competence, bedside manner, or are both great?rnrnNot sure yet.

he was & is a god send

Dr. Park spoke at my orientation, and I immediately loved her! She was (obviously) very intelligent, and seemed to genuinely care about our health. rnrnShe is very business-like, but also caring, which many doctors don't seem to be anymore. Her skill as a surgeon (to me) is undoubted, and her bedside manner is also great! rnrnI would definitely recommend Dr. Park to anyone looking for a bariatric surgeon.rnrnThe bariatrics staff as a whole is very committed to the health of each patient, and is very strict throughout the process to make sure we all can and will follow the rules.

Kaiser Richmond has an excellent WLS program. There is plenty of pre-op planning and learning that you need to do. I think the learning and changes you need to make pre-op are the keys to your success post-op. The staff is caring and knowledgeable. rnrnDr Im is pleasant and also very knowledgeable. He has a great bedside manner. He is very responsive to his emails too.rnrnDr Albert Im - A+rnhttp://www.permanente.net/homepage/doctor/albertim/rnrnKaiser Richmond Program - A+rnhttp://www.permanente.net/homepage/kaiser/pages/d12515-top.htmlrnrnThere are not words enough to praise Dr Im and the Kaiser Richmond Program! It is a team approach that I think works very well.rnrnThe only downside would be that they are now being slammed with a HUGE demand for this type of surgery so there seem to be long delays in getting appointments. I have heard some people complain about one of the psych but I had no problem with her and actually went back to see her when I has freaking out over my hair loss.rnrnI got from my 5 hour orientation to surgery in 12 weeks but that was not at all typical.rn

I love Dr. Baggs. He is a very compassionate person. My husband was very nervous about me having surgery. Dr. Baggs talked to him and calmed his nerves. He was totally awesome. He was joking with me and the surgical staff before I fell asleep. He must not ever leave the hospital, because he saw me first thing in the morning and late in the afternoon. I would recommend him to anyone.

Q: What was your first impression of him?rnA: I thought he was AMAZING, he is young, handsome and charming! rnrnQ: How would you describe his staff?rnA: I love everyone in the bariatric department so far, they have been so patient with me, and have helped me out alot! even when i decide to call them a million times a day!rnrnQ: How did he address the risks of surgery?rnA: He was Very informative.rnrnQ: How would you rate him overall?rnA: Umm he is a 10 all the way! Awesome!rnrn

The Bariatric Team at Richmond Kaiser all have impressive credentials and all work closely together. The entire team seem wonderful. It was hard to choose who I wanted to help me change my life - strange as it may seem, I chose Dr. Baggs not only because of his credentials but because of his biography - he doesn't seem 'scripted.'rnWhen I first met Dr. Baggs, I was even more pleased with my decision. He made me feel very comfortable, he answered all of my questions in detail and I look forward to working with him. rnI'll report more after my surgery!

The day I saw Dr. Baggs he was running a bit late to all of his appointments. Even though his schedule was getting more messed up with each patient he saw, he took the time to answer every question I had.rnrnMy first impression of Dr. Baggs was that he was a very kind and gentle doctor who is passionate about his specialty and his patients.rnrnI must say that I was at ease during the entire 20 - 30 minute appointment I had with him. rnrnFor future patients = Dr. Baggs was very happy that I had my husband come with me. He even said that I would have much better results because my husband was activley participating in my WLS journey. = So, bring your spouse / support person with you if you want to start off on the right foot with Dr. Baggs. It also helped to start the conversation in the room.rnrnOn a scale of 1 - 10 (1 being Bad and 10 being Awesome) I would rate Dr. Baggs as an absolute 10. There were no questions I asked that he did not answer and I left his office feeling 100% positive that RNY WLS was what I was going to do.rnrnHe set my mind at ease about alot of the complications. He had a LOW complication rate of less than .5% for RNY WLS. Plus, Kaiser Richmond is a Center of Excellence. There are only 3 surgery centers in California who have obtained this status. Richmond Kaiser is the only Kaiser.rnrnI can't wait for surgery! I will post an update then!