"My first impression was that he was a toughie, and this did not change the further I went through the process and surgery. He has not softened that much now since I am post op, but he seems to have more answers and really seems to listen to what I have to say.
He has not changed that much over time, but I am glad of that. He is known to have very good results and because of this, I am glad I had him as a surgeon. I don't want to be patted on the back for every 10 lbs I lose, I want a doc to push me more.
I liked the staff-and although it is a military hospital, the staff seems to understand the sensitive nature of this surgery, and are willing to talk to you about it.
I really didn't have anything that I disliked about him, other than it seemed like he was always in a hurry. But I understand he only has a few minutes per pt, and that is fine.
After care is a very big thing-and so is the aftercare program. He has a very structured aftercare program-which is good, but good luck having the appointments on the correct date-there seems to be a lot of appointments and although the appointments are set by a bariatric nurse, its a lot of trouble getting them to answer the phone.
Dr. Barker really talked to me about the risks of each type of surgery he performs, and because of this, I was able to decide very easily about what surgery I wanted.
I would rate Dr. Barker at a 9.5-the rating being dropped because he was always in such a hurry. His bedside manner was great-but I hardly ever saw him-because he was SO busy, which is understandable. He did great on my surgery, but I am newly post op, so it seems a little early to really rate the surgical aspect of it. "
