Summa Health System Hospital

I realy like Dr Z's straight forwardness.
My impression of him has accualy gotten even better, twice now ive gotten to talk to him and both times i have been treated with dignity and respect, like a person.
there isn't anything i don't like about him.
Dr. Z deffinately knows what he is doing, his knowledge is a bit overwhelming, but in a good way, he talks to you, not "through you" like some Drs i have had do..
After care is very important and all of the people in the office make sure you realy understand that.
Just like any other surgeon has to me.. there are risks and he wants you to know that, he was very good with that and my husband now understands what im afraid of.
I would rate Dr Z on a scale of 1-10.. it would be a 10
Surgical compentence is above all the best thing a surgeon can have, but if there isn't a bedside manner than in my opinion people might perseeve the surgeon is only in it for money.. both compentence and bedside manner are very important to me.
And so far Dr Z seems like he has both qualities.

I was going to have the surgery done in Cleveland and my wife wanted to go to one of Dr. Zografakis's talks at City Hospital so we did and I was very impressed with his program and the support you get before and after.
So on June 22, 2005 he did my lapband and I'm very happywith the out come (100 lbs lost in 9 months) but I'm most impressed with the care and attention I get from him and his team.

I have nothing but good things to say about the whole experience.

Wonderful man and a great office staff. Extremely supportive and know their stuff. Dr. Z is very straightforward and tells you like it is. When you are thru with your initial visit your options have been clearly outlined and he makes sure you understand that surgery is a tool, not a miracle fix. The pre-op program will have you going to surgery with all your questions answered and the assurance that you are not on your own. They are with you every step of the way. He has an intense aftercare program that includes follow ups, an exercise program, dietary consults and a support group. If you do what he and the staff tell you to do I guarantee you, you will succeed.

I cannot express how happy I am that I've had Dr. Zografakis as a surgeon. From the first day I walked into his office, he made me feel very comfortable and at ease. I cannot imagine going through this journey with anyone else. The entire staff, Debbie, Audrey, Cindy, Billie, Bev and Kay are all wonderful! There is such a feeling of family and acceptance when you go to the office. I look forward to seeing everyone.

The Advanced Bariatric Care Center at Summa Health System is an exceptionally thorough program. Beginning with all of the pretesting that you have, the support groups, educational classes through the weekly exercise groups, the program helps you every step of the way. I feel there is always someone there to help and answer any question that I have.

I would not hesitate for an instant to refer anyone to Summa for their care. I truly consider myself lucky for having such a wonderful 'dream team'!

Dr.Z is very helpful, answered all my questions so far. One good thing I like is he says hi to you like he has known you for years even if he don't really remember you. His staff are fun and caring. I am looking forward to having my syrgery done.

Dr Z appears very knowledgeable and competent to me. He seems a little more careful than the other doctors I have heard about. I guess that is a good thing. It just makes for alot of testing. I have been so discouraged during this process and his staff really, really encouraged me. I really need the support. I think Dr Z is a good choice if you are searching for a doctor in Akron. He did emphasize that I have a part in all of this...it is my responsibility to do what I am trained to do after the surgery. Believe me, after going thru all of this I intend to. Yes, I know there are risks and when I think about them, I think about my life now. Going to work, coming home and being too exhausted to do anything. I cannot walk or do any of the things I previously enjoyed. I would say surgical competence should be first, but bedside manner is defninitely important to me..especially if u r as sensitive as I seem to be...and Dr Z made it clear he will have it his way.

Dr Z.. Kool guy with a realistic, no nonsense view to the surgery. Yep, there are risks that include death. Dr. Z does not candy coat or minimize these risks. But after it is all said and done, this is the person that will give my life back. Very attentive and takes the time to answer all your questions. I like the fact that also has very strict guidelines for WLS.. No smokers, drinking, etc. If you are too old, he also would not work on you. He wants to make sure that you have a great chance of coming through this surgery with the best chance.

I have so far met Dr. Z only at the informational seminar and at my initial consult. He seems extremely professional and knowledgeable. He was apologetic that we had to wait a bit before seeing him, but he did not rush us out... he gave us (my wife and I) the same benefit as he apparently did his previous patients that day: he let us determine when we were done asking questions, etc. I have to say that the Advanced Bariatric Care Program at Akron City Hospital told us to be prepared to spend an hour each with the doctor, the nurse case manager, and the financial counselor. It took more than an hour with the doc, but considerably less with the other two so we were "out" within the 3 hours as predicted. A very good experience which calmed some of my anxieties.

We are very lucky to have Dr. Zografakis in the Akron area. It took me about two years to finally decide to have bariatric surgery. I wanted to stay in my home area for the surgery and I wanted it done Laproscopic, not open. Cleveland or Columbus for surgery and follow ups were just not feasible for me. When I heard that a Bariatric program was starting up at Summa Health Systems in Akron, I was very encouraged. I went to the Bariatric pubic seminar and listened to Dr Zografakis and thought he was personable and sounded like he had been well trained and knew what he doing. I decided to wait and see how his first few surgeries went. I heard general reports back that were very favorable and that people who had gone thru with surgery by Dr Zografakis were doing well. Three months after I heard him in the public seminar, I went for an initial consultation and found Dr Zografakis to be very pleasant and easy to talk to. He fully informs you at what you are getting into and what is requied of you for bariatric surgery. As I went thru all the required pretesting before surgery and had my appointments in all the various departments in the hospital, I kept hearing good reports and positive comments from hospital personnel about Dr Zografakis and or the Bariatric program. That encouraged me that I had made the right decision to have him do my surgery. His nurse Debbie also told me that his operating room staff chose to train and work with him and that was encouraging to me also, to know that there is a team of people working on you that wanted to be there and have your best interest and outcome at heart.
I had my surgery April 18, 2005 and did very well. Dr Zografakis and his nurse Debbie saw me every day I was in the hospital. I went in on a Monday morning and was discharged around noon on Wednesday. I followed his instructions to the letter and did as was instructed in my pre operative class.
I think anyone considering Bariatric surgery would do well to consider going to Dr Zografakis. His office staff are all very kind and helpful. They are well informed to help get you thru the maze of insurance requirements and pre operative testing. Dr Zografakis is a very confident and skilled surgeon. He wants his patients to have a positive outcome from their surgery so he is very careful and does a comprehensive workup on his patients to uncover any problems and treat them before surgery. Like I said at the beginning, we are very lucky to have him in the Akron area.

I liked Dr Z right off the bat he is very easy to talk too and has a good sense of humor he came highly reccomended to me by my OB/Gyn and so far i have not been disappointed. The rest of the staff at the office were also very personable and on the ball anyone in the akron canton cleveland area should definatly check out this program when deciding on a surgeon