St. Joseph's Area Health Services Bariatric Center
created
patients
Show reviews by
Sort by
Most Helpful |
Newest
my surgeon was dr smith. i had heard only great things about him so maybe expected too much? i saw him for a couple of minutes the day i drove to park rapids for the seminar (a 2 hour drive each way). and then i did not see him again until a few minutes before surgery and then it was FOR less than a minute. i never saw him again, not even after surgery. my impression was that although he seemed quite capable and competent, that he was EXTREMELY busy and did not have time for me. after the surgery, i had 2 fills and they were both done by a nurse. the first fill was very painful and took 4 or 5 tries. the second was better. overall, i was not impressed by the dr or hospital staff. ALTHOUGH MOST OF THE BARIATRIC TEAM WAS VERY GOOD TO WORK WITH, AND although it was a very small hospital, it was the most impersonal i have been too and i really could not wait to leave. just my opinion but i could not recommend this dr or hospital. i am now at the largest hospital in minneapolis, and the care and attention to my band and my needs has been top notch. smaller does not always mean better. JUST MY OPINION!
1 person found this helpful
Dr. Smith seems like a quiet, reserved and kind man. His staff is kind and supportive. All of the staff and Dr. Smith have a wonderful bedside manner. I am impressed with the after care set up for me thus far. I am very happy I drove to Park Rapids for my surgery and would highly recommend this surgical team to others. I did have to have a dilitation today (Nov. 19th) because food was not able to be digested. I had a lap RNY on Oct. 22nd. I had very little pain, was able to get in my walking at the hospital. I was nauseous in the hospital though. The nurses were great at helping and supporting me through this.
Dr. Smith is a man of few words but he definitely knows what he is doing and has each patient's best interest at heart. rnrnMy impression of Dr. Smith has not changed, I trusted him and his opinions when I first met him and still do. rnrnAll of the staff in Dr. Smith's office are genuine, empathetic, and supportive of each and every single patient that walks through that door. rnrnDr. Smith can be difficult to understand and interpret since he is a man of so few words. It can be challenging trying to decipher what he has said and what he meant. My suggestion is to just ask him and if you are not comfortable ask one of his staff to help explain something to you.
Dr. Smith is a compassionate and understanding surgeon! Would definitely recommend him to anyone considering WLS!!
He is a very soft spoken person, and what he says is important. My impression of him never changed. I liked him from the start, and I still think highly of him. His office staff is incredible and the PA's that do the follow up appointments that he works with are incredible. They take the time to listen, you can call with concerns and they surgery staff will listen to your concern and if they can't resolve it for you, they will get you to someone who can help. Aftercare is very important in Dr. Smith's practice. You are seen regularly for the first year, then again 6 months or so after that, then yearly after that unless they have reason to see you more frequently (medical concerns they want to monitor perhaps). I go in every 3 months right now so they can monitor me for medical and post-op reasons. Dr. Smith's office was very straight forward with me about the risks of surgery, as well as the advantages. I went in well educated and understood as much as possible about the surgery. I feel Dr. Smith and his team did a fantastic job before, during and after surgery to help me along the way and answer any questions I had and to address any minor complications that I dealt with (dilitation 2x, stitch in the way once). I think that Dr. Smith rated excellent in surgical competence and bed side manner. I would highly recommend him and his team to anyhow looking for a very good surgeon! I was very very, and still am, very pleased with the care I got and still get!
My gastric bypass surgery was on Jan. 17th 2009. It went very well. There were no compications. I was out of the hospital on the 3rd day and off pain meds by day 6. I was impressed with Dr. Smith and his staff. My hospital stay was wonderful. The nursing staff was always there for me and the hospital room was impressive. I can not say enough good things about my stay. The staff was great right down to the lady who came in to clean. You don't find that everywhere.
I have met Dr. Smith for the first time 11-10-08. I think the entire visit took 2 minutes tops!! It was an entire day long education seminar from the social worker to the dietician ending with the PA and surgeon. By the time he entered the room, my questions had pretty much been answered. I was still sitting on the fence as to which procedure would be in my best interest. I expressed this to Dr. Smith and he gave me his opinion. He was very straight forward... I LIKE IT! Don't beat around the bush with me! In a way I felt a bit rushed, however, I really didn't have any questions... I think he would have spent more time with me had I had more issues or questions! rnrn**** 1-19-09 **** I have to shout out a BIG Thank You to my surgeon! Dr. Smith is the BEST! I was having great pain with what ended up being a stricture. I called the hospital in hopes of speaking to a nurse that could tell me what to do. Mind you this is Sunday morning, and Dr. Smith happened to be there doing rounds. He PREFERS to talk to his patients directly, so took my call! Had me in at 9am the next morning. WHAT A DR.! You don't find guys like him anymore! THANK YOU DR. SMITH :)
My first impression was that he was very kind and he really cares about helping you live a more fulfilling and healthy life.rnHis staff are all very sweet and interested in your success, they are very encouraging.rnHe and his staff emphasize that aftercare is very important and that this is a tool not a cure. rnThey answered almost all of my questions before I asked them and they were very kind about answering my husbands questions.rnI would say that He is a wonderful surgeon and I would definitely recommend him and his staff to anyone considering this surgery.
He was very quiet but very thorough, covered everything I had questions about before I even had to ask them. His staff was wonderful! Warm, friendly and so happy for me. :) I've had major surgery a couple of times (c-sections) and this was, by far, the best!