Roger Williams Medical Center Bariatrics Hospital

Dr.Phl was awesome. He is very sweet. He seems to have a good understanding of how over weight people feel. I felt so comfortable with him right from the start which made me feel more at ease having him do the surgery.Janet the woman in the office who deals with the insurance companies was great. She assured me she would stay right on top of it ,so I would be approved quickly. She said she would call daily for me if necessary. I appreciate the fact that she calls and speaks to the insurance company rather then me having to deal with them. It took a lot of pressure off of me.

Like most hospitals there is a staff shortage, some nurses had to work doubles or where kept over which made for some very tired nurses at the end of the second shift

My first actual look at Dr. Pohl was at the Post Opp support group held on the third thursday at Roger Williams Hospital. I (info was lost so I'm picking it back up from here) went to the first consultation with my husband. We both had specific questions in mind and Dr. Pohl was able to answer then with ease and confidence. He laid it all out on the line and went over the standard opperating proceedures. He also voiced all the "what ifs" and problems that could arise from this surgery. My husband has not been a part of my research so most if it was new to him. Me on the other hand, knew just about everything that came out of Dr. Pohl's mouth so I just nodded my head and kept quiet. I did learn a thing or two though. Like they reconnect the main stomich to the lower intestines so that the juices can meet up with what little food you eat and help digest it!
I went to the appointment with most of my pre op testing scheduled so that I could have a quicker surgery date. After my appointment, I was so eagar to have a date for my last pre op test that I called back to Dr. Pohl's office three times to clarify, ask questions and double check. The lady who answered the phones was constantly curtious, polite and very knowledgable. That's such a breath of fresh air.
Some things I wished I knew before going to Dr. Pohl. He is young. Like mid 30ies. He's been doing this surgery for 2 1/2 years. As of May 2003 he's preformed about 200 of these surgeries, with only one lost. That patient was two month post op and to date Dr. Pohl does not know what the patient died from as he's yet to see an autopsy. He does about 5 surgeries a week. He attends his support groups, or at least try to make an appearence. He's from Germany, has a small accent and has a cut and dry sense of humor. He can come across very shy or reserved, but if you engage him in conversation, he will respond. He's also is very serious about this proceedure, asks lots of questions about all aspects of your life, from what your eating pattern is to medical history.
I will update about his aftercare, surgery and support as time goes on. Feel free to email me about Dr. Pohl.

My first impression of Dr. Pohl was that he was very professional. He seemed somewhat concerned I had not tried Jen Craig or Weight Watchers before........but I had tried every other diet plan there was since I was a child!!!!

Since my first impression I have seen Dr. Pohl at meetings and the education seminar and he is a very caring doctor. Today was my final pre-op appointment and I am very comfortable with him.

Of course he goes through all the risks etc... and his staff is great too....

Have met Dr Pohl at his education seminar...my first impression was that he was a saint!!!...he was so patient and informative..I go officially to see him on May 19th, in the mean time I'm getting my tests done. So far all the doctors I've seen have praised his work...I feel very confident in him.

Dr. Pohl was very intent on giving you the correct information, checking to see if you really are a good candidate for this surgery. His staff was and is excellent, very helpful and aware of the sensitivity of the patients concerns.

Dr. Pohl is not a warm fuzzy doctor, he is very intense, I personally wanted that.

He has a very good aftercare program.

I would definitely recommend him to any potential patient.

Surgical competence is definitely more important to me in this kind of surgery.

The first time I met Dr. Pohl was at an educational seminar that I attended with my husband and mother. We were all very impressed by his demeanor and information that he gave out. He did not sugar coat anything and talked about complications as well as the benefits if you followed through on his instructions. Also during my pretesting procedures any MD that I came in contact had nothing but wonderful things to say about Dr. Pohl and what a gifed and competent surgeon he is. This was very reassuring for me.

Just met with him once. He was very informative and truthful. I came away with the feeling that he cared about me.

The hospital is great in providing programs for patients of this surgery type and the staff is great.

As I read on this website, Dr. Pohl was a very pleasant and personable man. My husband came with me to the visit and he answered all of his questions honestly and was very patient. He has a wonderful smile which makes you feel very comfortable. The office staff were very pleasant and were very willing to help me over the phone with a small snag I ran into. They were willing to make phone calls for me with no problem.

My impression of Dr. Pohl has only changed for the better. He was wonderful in the hospital. Both his surgical competence and his bedside manner are great!!!