St. Joseph's Area Health Services Bariatric Center

Although Dr. Smith is not specifically a bariatric surgeon, he has done many RNY procedures in the recent past and his case load for this procedure is exploding as word gets out that, as I like to phrase it, Dr. Daniel Smith is perhaps Minnesota's best-kept secret, medically speaking.

He is extremely thorough, does not put the patient through any more preliminary hurdles or procedures than is absolutely necessary, and does an absolutely top-notch job all the way around. I cannot recommend him highly enough. It has now been almost 6 months since my surgery and I have had absolutely NO complications or complaints; am feeling FABULOUS; and would do it again in a heartbeat only if I could have Dr. Smith perform the procedure.

Dr. Smith and his nurse, Sandy, have been very helpful and know what put in the letter for the insurance company. I was scared I would not be approved by the insurance company. My first letter worked and I have my surgery coming up March 13, 2003.

I have a consultation set for Feb. 24th 2003. I am sooo excited!
I now have my date after seeing Dr.Smith...May 22nd!!! Dr. Smith and his team were wonderful to work with!

He's a very quiet man, soft-spoken but yet speaks VERY fast. He had no problem answering all my questions, in fact most of them were answered before I even had to ask. He really knows his stuff! His PA Sandy Jones is wonderful as well. There are also several staff members who have personally had this procedure and are more than willing to help answer any questions. I have to say this was the best medical situation I've ever found myself in. I HIGHLY recommend this dr. and this hospital, my experience was amazing.

He took time to explain everything and answered all my questions.
I've only met him one time and that is pre-op.
His nurses are great, but again I've met them only once.

First Impression, From the first time I met Dr Smith to the last, my impression never changed. He was excellent in everyway.

His whole team was marvelous. I felt well taken care. Very friendly and caring staff.

I can't think of one thing that I didn't like, Possible that they were hard to reach after hours.

Future patients should feel secure that they wil be taken care of.

They have a whole team working on aftercare.. they emphasize strongly the importance of being apart of there structured aftercare program.

He was very direct, not only on the risks of surgery, but also the risks of my current health without the surgery.
I was a Diebetic, and had high blood pressure, hideal hernia, and Gallstones. Since my surgery I have been medication FREE......

I would rate him and his staff: EXCELLENT

Bedside manner and Surgical competence I give a EXCELLENT RATING....

Somewhat rushed but not to the point of feeling impersonal. His office staff is great.

Dr Smith did a tubal ligation on me several years ago. He is quiet and takes the time to answer any question you might have. He has also begun to dedicate a LOT of time to this surgery and has recieved speical training. He is in the process of developing a complete program for before, during and after. His office staff is wonderful. Their loyalty to Dr. Smith is obvious and they are very informed and able to answer most questions.

There really isn't anything I don't like about him. I have total trust in him and his ability.

He is a quiet man, very caring and careful. He is easy to talk to once you get him talking.

He definately encourages aftercare. The total program is still being developed and will include a support group meeting twice monthly, a dietician both before and after surgery and a social worker before and after.

He was completly informative of the risks. He spoke in a manner that is understandable and made sure that I was comfortable with this risks.

Overall, I rate him very highly. I am also an RN and have worked with his patients in home care settings. So, I've worked with him both as a patient and as a professional.

As I mentioned, he is a quiet man. Some people think of this as stand-offish, but that is totally wrong. If you have a question, he makes sure you get the answer. He follows his patients very closely with the assistance of his staff. I think he is totally awesome.

The first time I meet with Dr.Smith , He was a wonderful caring person,, to the point.kinda person... hi staff Monica and Sandy.... dont have enough kind words for them... terrific people

I have only met Dr. Smith once but he seemed very friendly and knowledgable. He was somewhat rushed but he did take the time to answer all of my questions. His staff are all very friendly and helpfull. One thing to note: When you go in to see the Nutritionist make sure you plan to be there for awhile. They meet in a group setting that goes for about two hours and then you meet briefly with a Counselor after that. I also had an appointment to met with Dr. Smith following my meeting with the Nutritionist but he was delayed in surgery and so I had to wait a very long time. All in all I was there for five hours before I was finished that day. I'm sure this is the exception more than it is the rule, however I was not prepared ahead of time for how much time this may actually take. I did learn some very good things from the group meeting, so I'm not regretting it at all. I was given a copy of Barbara Thompson's book about WLS which I was happy about because I had been wanting to read that one anyway. I was also given a very informative booklet, by the Nutritionist covering topics dealing with before, during, and after the surgey. I have heard wonderfull things about Dr. Smith and while waiting for him to come out of surgery, I happened to get the opportunity to speak with a fellow WLS patient of his that was 4 weeks post-op and doing great.