Roger Williams Medical Center Bariatrics Hospital
My first impression of Doctor Pohl was that he was a caring knowledgable man which didn't change over time. His staff was very helpful (especially jeanette) throughout the whole long process. and i mean long! I had some complications with surgery dates and insurance but it all worked out. Future patients of Doctor Pohl's will have to attend a seminar before going to their consultation. It wasn't a requirement when I went to mine but I wish it had been. The seminar is very informative. I attended one right before surgery. I pretty much knew the things he explained because I read a little on the internet but I learned from other peoples questions. Don't get me wrong, Dr. Pohl did explain things at my visit but he went over the basics. A very good suggestion is to make a list of questions and bring them with you to your visit and ask away if it doesn't come up (in case you are not required to attend the seminar). I made the mistake of not doing that and I kicked myself in the butt afterwards. I felt I had no questions in the consult and as soon as I left, I said "oh yeah, I should have asked him this and that." Luckily the staff is helpful in any questions you have and if they can't answer them, they will find the answer or have Dr. Pohl call you. I feel Dr. Pohl is a good doctor despite what is being said in the media today. In my case, I felt his surgical competence was great. I haven't had any major complications to date. I can't comment on the bedside manner because I was pretty much in another world in recovery if you know what I mean...lol
Dr Pohl is awesome! He is down to earth, thorough and so nice. His staff is excellent! They are funny, caring and understanding! I have no negative thoughts or feelings about him or his staff. He emphasizes how important it is to walk and get your protein after the surgery and to follow up as directed. He addressed all the risks of surgery, and I all the benefits and problems that may occur. I would rate him 110%!
Dr Phol is the best, said I could stay in the hospital if I wanted to, and since I was feeling sick, non -surgery related and Have 3 kids at home, I stayed the extra day. I made an appointment today to have my drain removed, Thursday, cant wait.
IT has been 2 years today. I have lost 145 lbs and appreciate everything Dr. Pohl has done for me. Right now he is under a ton of pressure, and negative remarks due to the recent events, I stand behind him 200%!
My first impression was that he was very direct and honest about the procedure and I liked him immediately.
Each time I spoke with him was even better- he is very personable.
His staff is awesome- always pleasant and acommodating.
He is great with follow-ups and is insistant on aftercare- keeping appointments with support for nutrition, etc.
Dr. Pohl holds a seminar on all the risks of surgery and addresses questions and concerns that anyone may have.
I feel Dr. Pohl is a great doctor and he only gets better with each surgery.
I feel surgical competence and a good bedside manner are important and Dr. Pohl has both.
When I first met Dr. Pohl, I found him to be rather reserved, but not at all rude or condescending. I had my consultation first, then went through all the preop exams. The last thing I did was attend his seminar at Roger Williams. I definitely saw another side of him. He is such a caring and kind individual. He also was not too stuffy to crack jokes! His office staff is quite helpful and polite, even though they are busy. Dr. Pohl explained everything to me and asked me if I had any questions.
Dr. Pohl is young, maybe in his late thirties, very early forties. He is very quiet and reserved but not unfriendly. His warmth shows in his occasional smiles. He is very thorough, and since his patient load has increased quite a bit he now requires prospective candidates to attend his monthly seminar before his office will schedule a consultation. The seminar is worthwhile as he shows video footage of the procedures (he does laproscopic, proximal RNY, and recently started performing lap band surgery). At the seminar I attended he allowed plenty of time for questions and patiently repeated himself when the questions became repetitious. The seminar was where I got a good idea of his warmth and good humor.
At the seminar he handed out a 51-page, spiral bound booklet of tons of information about the surgery, possible complications, hospital stay, four stages of diet (one of them is just the one-day, post surgery water fast), exercise, possible emotional responses post-surgery, etc. It is very thorough.
Regarding follow-up care; gastric bypass patients have a 2-week follow-up, followed by visits every 2-3 months for the first year. Lap Band patients have a 4-week follow up with the same schedule of follow-ups as bypass patients, for a year.
Dr.Pohl's staff have so far been extremely helpful and very friendly even after working overtime. They are fabulous. KUDOS ladies! At all my pre-op procedures I heard nothing but good things from the nurses at Roger Williams where Dr.Pohl has privilages (he used to be on staff there). That speaks volumes to me.
I've only met Dr.Pohl 3 times. So far, I'm very happy with him. I don't know that everyone would appreciate his reserved manner but I find his overall calm demeaner comforting. Another plus, his waiting room, although rather small, is stocked with plenty of good magazines. :)
My first impression of Dr. Pohl was that he was very,very quiet. I immediately took a liking to him however when he explained what bypass surgery is all about. He totally told it like it is and he requires everyone to go to a seminar on WLS which he gives. The seminar is three hours long.Any and every quesion that one might have is answered thoroughly. An actual video is shown of the surgery being done laporascopically by him.
The thing that I liked most about Dr. Pohl was that he is not pompous and does not see himself as some kind of God. Dr. Pohl makes it clear from the outset that he only gives us the tool....what happens with the subsequent weight loss is up to us as individuals. He makes sure that the risks and benefits are well explained as far as surgery is concerned.
Dr. Pohl has an awesome office staff. Each and every one of them is patient, understanding and kind. It cannot be easy to having patients call all the time with questions,concerns etc. Not even once did anyone in that office make me feel like a bother . That is so important when you are under alot of stress. Making the decision to have this surgery is huge and I truly think that the staff understands that.
After reading some of these reviews I was a bit scared. But the nurses were great and caring. One even stayed up with me one night when I had horrible gas pain and brought me a hot pad for my stomach and meds. I was there from Tues-Fri so I had all week nurses. I have heard that the weekend nurses may lack a bit. My room was spacious and clean and I has visitors all the time and there was plenty of room. My fiance also stayed with me all day and the nurses were supportive of that, they said he could stay as long as I needed him.