East Cooper Bariatric Surgery Bariatric Center

This group of doctor from Endo-Surgical are very nice and very smart. Their team is great and Jessica responds quickly and is so nice.

My first impression of Dr Washington was that he was very soft spoken yet confident. He puts you at ease right away and explained everything thoroughly. His staff is wonderful, I can't say enough about how friendly and helpful Sheila and Chris have been. They always greet me warmly and by name which is impressive considering how many patients they see. I have not seen Dr Washington since my surgery 6 weeks ago, but I have seen his two colleagues, Dr Dumbronski and Dr Sadek. Dr Lisa Dumbronski is very warm and caring, Dr Sadek however I am not impressed with at all. He is rather cold and abrubt, so I try not to have any dealings with him. My surgery went smooth, the hospital staff was great, although my roomate was from hell, lol.

My first impression of Dr. Washington was that he seemed very caring and Dr. Dubruskin cause I had talked to her more that I trusted her to do the new procedure the gastric sleeve. That when I told them my situation at the Seminar I knew they were the team to start my new journey. My impressions changed that there was more trust in the practice and Dr. Washington and Dr. Dubruskin over time. The staff is great very nice and so are the Doctors and Coordinator (Jessica) she was great always returned my calls and very caring and understanding. I feel there should be more aftercare for the gastric sleeve but there is not, and that the aftercare at the Wellness Center I don't feel I am getting anything out of it, cause everything I have learned has been all for Lap Band patients and I am also the only Gastric Sleeve patient from Dr. Washington's office that attends any of the support groups which I get really nothing out of it and feel I didn't get my monies worth from there which I feel is very wrong. There sugrical competence and bedside manner are also great. I also feel very strong that there should be just an aftercare for just the gastric sleeve, which right now they do not have one because there are not enough patients yet because its such a new procedure. I rate Dr. Washington and Dr. Dubruskin a great team.

I have only met w/ the surgeon twice...the first time was actually right before they put me under to do the endoscopy. when you first walked into his office, you weren't allowed to visit w/him. only his Physician Asst. (WHO'S WONDERFUL), but not the doctor. The 2nd time i met him was 3 days before the surgery will take place and he was very straight forward. He had no sense of humor but i guess that doesn't matter right? As long as he is a good surgeon

My first impression of Dr Washington was he is a very gentle man. He is a good listener, and he explained everything to me very clearly. He told me the risks of surgery, very openly and honestly, but with care. He told me he wouldn't make the decision for me, that it was a personal choice. ( I was undecided between the Lapband and Roux-N-Y Gastric Bypass. ) He said he would do either one I chose, but he would vote for the Bypass due to my \"Metabolic Syndrome\", meaning Type 2 diabetes, high cholestrol, and high blood pressure...which are all potentially fatal conditions in and of themselves.rnrnAfter seeing him a couple of times, I realized how competent and trustworthy he truely is. ..and he never rushed me or made me to feel like he was in a hurry, even though he is a very busy Doctor. I have grown to love him, and I would recommend him heartily.rnrnHis office staff is very nice and professional. There was nothing I didn't like about Dr Washington. I was just apprehensive about putting my very life into his hands because I didn't know him. I was referred to him by my PCP. But I grew to trust him. I learned about him from hospital staff, and found out how highly respected he is there.rnrnHis aftercare is greatly emphasized right from the beginning. Nutrition classes are given , and the importance of aftercare is stressed.rnI would rate him on a scale of 1-10 as a 10. His surgical competence, bedside manner and personality are terrific !

Dr Washington is a great dr. He is very caring and kind. He always answers your questions. His office staff can use some work on how to handle paients needing to talk to the dr better. Dr Washington has a structured aftercare program. he also goes over all the risks of surgery with you just before surgery and makes sure you understand everything. He really knows what he is doing and i would send anyone to him.

I first met Dr. Washington in May of 2006 for a consult for the LapBand surgery. After reading a not so positive review before our meeting, I was pleasantly surprised at what a kind, intelligent man he truly is. In the beginning, some of the office staff left a lot to be desired. However, some of the staff has since changed for the positive. Everone in the office is pleasant and helpful. I am a little surprised that there is not a bariatric patient working in the office, or in the before and aftercare programs. I feel that having bariatric patients working in this field would be of great comfort to all seeking weight-loss surgery. After completing all necessary classes & Dr.'s appointments, I found out that my insurance company would not cover the LapBand surgery; they only cover Vertical Gastric Banding, which Dr. Washington does not perform, and Gastric Bypass surgery. I inquired about having Gastric Bypass surgery instead. Dr. Washington was very clear in spelling out the risks involved. I opted for the Gastric Bypass surgery which was performed on 9/6/06. I am 100% pleased with both Dr. Washington's surgical competence & his bedside manner. I am eating well, exercising, losing weight and feeling GREAT!!!rnI would like to thank Dr. Washington for this opportunity, and I pray that I have the strength to continue on with my new healthy lifestyle.

I met Dr Washington at a seminar in Jan.2006
I found him at that time to be a little cold, but very knowledgeable and assured.
I had my appointment and again was
impressed with his confidence, but still found him aloof. . Over the years I have found most "surgeons" are lacking bedside manner.
But I am more concerned with his abilities as a surgeon then his personality. But a smile would be great :)
His bariatric center was hard to reach for a long time but after a change in staffing they are a pleasure to work with. The education and support program at the womens center, is OK..could be better but that staff is easier to work with
I am waiting for a surgery date..will let you know more of my impressions then. But for now I most certainly would recommend.

The Bariatric program at CentraState has exceeded well above my expectations.

What a great doctor!!! At my first meeting with Dr. Washington, I felt he extremely comfortable and left with an more information then I could find on the internet. He explained everything in detail. I did not feel rushed and he answered every question that I had.

I couldn't be happier!

I am now in the process of all of the required appointments - I have attended 4 out of the 6 required Nutrition classes, as well as had consults with a Pulmonologist and Psychologist. I am on my way.

I had scheduled for a 10AM appointment and arrived at 0930. The admin assistant placed me in an examination room to watch a 1/2 hour weightlossinfo.com video. The video reviewed all of the procedures and had a few personal stories. I had the impression that it was made by the makers of the Lap-band. After the video, I sat down with Carrie, the extremely thin and young nurse who reviewed the procedures that Dr. Washington performs (the RNY and LapBand). Then, Carrie went on to explain the entire process and provided me with the necessary paperwork. She also provided me with a list of Psychiatrists who are specialized to the program. One accepts no insurance and is $300 for the appointment; two others are booked solid for 6 months. The CentraState pre-op procedure is 6 1-hour patient education sessions and the usual nutritionist and RD meetings which is also not covered by any insurance ($700 for the pre-op).

At 1230, I finally met with Dr. Washington. His office was full when I arrived and I waited for about an hour. He spoke for 15 minutes about the two types of WLS he performs and stated that he has only performed 20 LapBand surgeries and 110 RNY. He explained that he has had one fatality due to the leaks and 15 patients have recovered from leaks (which he explained in detail concerning the complications and risks of each surgery).

He seemed quite competent and answered my questions but also seemed hurried and really I felt that he only reviewed the procedure and did not help me decide what fit my needs. I have not decided which type of surgery fits my needs and I think this annoyed him. He suggested I come back with my husband.

Overall, one night in the hospital and immediate return to work plus slow but steady weight loss with the LapBand seems to fit my personality. His 3-4 hour surgery plus up to 5 days in the hospital and 1 month out of work AND the possibility of leaks or hernias does not appeal to me. I have strong concerns about the malabsorption and the permanency of the surgery. He did review the possibility of removing the LapBand and performing the bypass if I am not satisfied with the results or slow loss. BUT, he also mentioned a study doen by NYU regarding the 5 year outcome of the LapBand being the same as the RNY.

I still have questions and may return to see him with my husband (or choose another surgeon in the area) but I don't think the RNY is for me; I'm not into a permanent, cannot change your mind surgery...I still regret my tubal ligation!