"John Hopkins was my first choice because they were a pioneer of bariatrics in the area, and they have a rock hard reputation of care and experience. rnrnI had originally selected a different surgeon, Dr. Schweitzer, because of his experience. He did not accept my insurance. So, I was offered Dr. Steele and thought I'd give her a try. I was originally going to be one of Dr. Steeles first patients for surgery (a little scary but hey, everyone starts somewhere!); however, my insurance decided otherwise by giving more and more hoops through a whole two years of waiting. So I have been with her for, I guess you could say, two years of this journey. Dr. Steele is such a wonderful physician. As far as surgical competence, I cannot comment myself but have heard wonderful things from her previous patients.rnrn Dr. Steele is very upfront but also very interested and has a \"bedside manner\" and attitude with her patients that you don't often see. She is genuine, and certainly was honest and upfront about herself as a surgeon and what she expects of her patients. She is not afraid to listen, actually listen, and is very personable. She is also very passionate about her patients - last appt I had with her she was in the waiting room attempting to convince a gentleman to go to the ER because he was having chest pains. He was refusing because he needed to \"get back to work\" and was very argumentative and nasty with her. She stood her ground and was professional the whole time, and it's truly not often you see a physician out in the waiting room.rnrnShe has done much research in bariatric surgery, including genetic studies after surgery among others, and has received awards for her studies - so it is not just her job, it's also something she takes heart in. She also assists students as an instructor at John Hopkins University through her office, again showing a passion for the study by helping others learn about it.rnrnShe is very clear about the risks of her surgery, and her aftercare was extremely emphasized and clearly laid out. Again, she was very clear what she expected of her patients for the surgery to be successful and for my overall health.rnrnDr. Steele is honest, upfront, and while she is confident, she does not have the arrogance about herself that some physicians do. That was my favorite part. :)rnrnThe only thing I was not happy with was her staff. At times were too busy. It took a very long time sometimes to hear back from them about certain issues I was having with my insurance coverage. I didn't always get to speak to Dr. Steele's secretary, often times it would be a different office member. There were many times that things were lost in the shuffle or mix ups that would occur. They were always very friendly, however, and tried hard to do what they could. The office is for several physicians and not just for bariatric but for general surgery as well, so they see many patients. Dr. Steele did always address the issues as they came up herself.rnrnHere's the link to Dr. Steele's information through John Hopkins Bayview.rnrnhttp://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/surgery/faculty/Steele"
