David Hargroder Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.
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I love Dr. Hargroder and his staff (although one staff member is less than pleasant to work with, the others are a joy and make up the difference). I had surgery in December 2012 and could not be happier with my decision. Dr. Hargroder is caring, attentive, and thorough, just as previous reviews state. At the time of writing this review, Dr. Hargroder had just celebrated his 10th anniversary of performing the MGB.
Although he is no longer associated with CLOS or Dr. Rutledge, he has a vibrant practice in Joplin, MO. For more info about Dr. Hargroder and the MGB, here is a link to his website: http://mgb-surgery.com/ .
Dr. Hargroder was awesome from day one. He is very caring and is always there for his patients. I couldn't have chosen a better surgeon or person to help me change my life.rnMy only negative would be that because he is so awesome and trys to be there for all of his patients he does get very busy and so therefore it might take a day or two for him to get back to you if you try to reach him. However, that being said, if it is an emergency he will call you back very quickly. He is the only doctor I know who gives his patients his personal cell phone number.
I first heard about Dr. Hargroder when I was on the clos.net site. Part of the step in getting the mini bypass surgery is talking to people who have had the surgery and to get 10 people to use as a contact person. One of the gentlemen I received a contact letter from told me about Dr. H and It seemed more feasable and cost effective to drive to Joplin. Originally I had intended to have my surgery in Florida with Dr. P but weighed out my options and figured Dr. H and Joplin Missouri would be better because we wouldnt have to worry about airline tickets, renting a car etc.rnrnWhen we got to Joplin we checked in at the hotel (they provided a pretty nice discount for being Dr. H's patient) Then we went to his office which is in the tiny town of Seneca. Dr. H. had scheduled me to be his last patient of the day. I took a test prior to meeting with him and it basically asked questions about everything included in the packet, i.e. the do's and donts. Dr. H spent close to 4 hours with me, my mom, and my grandma and showed us actual tools that he uses in surgery. Dr. H had fake cloth stomachs and he showed us how the tool cut and sewed the stomach all in one motion. It was a very informative one on one session. rnrnHis after care surgery consists of, as always you can reach him by cell phone at ANY time. I called him 3 months out because I was under the impression I needed lab work drawn up and my primary care physician asked me to call Dr. H. and find out exactly what information he needed. Dr. H was in surgery and his nurse answered his cell phone. How cool is that? Dr. H. has a website that you can keep up with your stats by blogging daily, inputing your weight and measurements and blogging about whatever needs to be said about your progress.
Dr Hargroder has been wonderful. He has been more than willing to calm my fears, and take the time to just talk to me. My impressions have not really changed since I met him. His staff is pretty good. I loved working with his office staff, but I was not too thrilled when I had to deal with the MGB staff.
I hated the pre-op process. It is done almost totally online. I think that leaves a huge amount of room for error. When people are evaluated based on respones on a form, they miss a huge amount of information.
I think Dr. Hargroder is a wonderful person, and a great surgeon. He has so much compassion for his patients.
He is really big on aftercare. If you miss an appointment, or don't make an appointment, he or his staff will call or email to make sure everything is okay. They also offer support groups for people who are wanting to learn about the surgery, or who have already had it.
Dr Hargroder was very realistic about the risks that go along with this type of surgery, but not to the point that I left his office terrified. I felt I had a complete understanding of all the risks of the surgery.
Overall, I would give Dr. Hargroder an 8 out of 10. He is wonderful to work with, but in dealing with him, you have to deal with MGB office people, that are not that great to work with.
His surgical competence seems to be great. I have had no problems at all with my surgery. His bedside Manner is out of this world. I know he must be a busy man, but he always made it seem as though he had all the time in the world to talk to me.
Dr. Hargroder is one of the nicest people I have ever met. The fact he answers his cell phone when I have called him still amazes me. He responds to my emails, attends support group meetings and I could go on and on. He explained everything in layman's terms. His office staff are wonderful. Star, his patient rep is very nice and helpful. I would recommend them to any potential patient.
Before we are accepted for surgery, we must complete a packet, that consists of ten contacts with other patients who had the same surgery; reading a manual that describes all kinds of options and the risks and complications that can happen; a letter of support from a spouse or a close family member or friend. Also we must have a letter of support from our PCP and a Psyc Eval.
After care is great. I called doc on his cell phone and he always got back to me. I still email him with questions and he gets right back to me.
I would rate Dr. Hargroder as excellent. I checked out his creditials, from other sources besides his website and he is very well qualified for what he does. I have no complaints.
I was impressed with Dr. Hargrouder the first time I met him at my clinic on the day before my surgery. He spent over an hour talking to me and an other patient and our support people anserwing any questions asked. He explained the procedure and what we could expect after surgery he was very honest and up front with us. Dr Hargrouder then talked to us separtly to make sure we understood everything that was going to happen and asked if there were any questions he could anserw. His office staff Star Sweet met us at the hospital Tuesday morning and stayed with my support person until I was brought to my room. Dr Hargrouder stop to see me before they took me to surgery just to say hi and told me I was on my way to a better and healthier life and he'd see me later. When Dr Hargrouder came in the next day to discharge me he spent a lot of time making sure I understood the diet and meds I had to take. I had to stay in the area until he took the staples out seven days later. I had to call and check in every day with him or Star so they knew how I was doing. When I went in to have the staples removed I spent over an hour with Dr.H going over diet and med instructions. He addressed aftercare and the importance of followup and staying in contact with him until I return next year. Both him and Star are wonderfull and caring people. I did trust him with my life and do not regretet it for a moment. Everyone should be so lucky to have him or someone like him for a surgeon.
Dr. Hargroder is a very warm and caring person. I have had multiple problems and he has taken the time to call and check on me.
Dr. David Hargroder was very careful, thoughtful and professional. Most of all he was accessible! He returns phone calls, keeps a cell phone handy. Makes time to answer questions. He is a former liver transplant surgeon, and both my husband and I had a good rapport with him before, during, and after our surgeries.
His staff is accessible. Star Sweet is the patient rep who worked with us, and led us through the pre-surgery experience with compassion and expertise. She's also an MGB patient, so she had first hand experience to share with us!
CLOS and Dr. Hargroder fully emphasize aftercare with follow up appointments, dietary guidelines and supplement recommendations, etc.
Risks are thoroughly reviewed with the patients and aftercare is great! He's a great doctor!
What is difficult in this surgery is having to travel away from home to get the surgery. Our recovery after being out of the hospital meant a 7 day stay in a local hotel. Luckily, MGB surgery is normally easy to recover from, and then we were able to be out and about enjoying shopping and the sites around historic Joplin.
I have only met Dr. Hargroder once at a seminar in May. But after listening to his presentation, I was glad I had not had RNY! He gave me an opportunity to be better educated on WLS in general. It was is presentation that won me over to the Mini Gastric By Pass Surgery. I am looking to have surgery at Heart of Florida Hospital with Dr Hargroder and Dr.Rajaram.
The staff is terrific, and I have worked with staff from another WLS office, so I have a point of comparison. They have been helpful as I went through all the steps of filling out the endless!! paperwork.
They give you a manual that is overwhelming at first. I dare to say I didn't understand some of it at first...but they will answer questions. I submitted my paperwork and have been accepted. I am just waiting for the last letter of clearence from my PCP.
I hope to have the surgery in Oct or Nov.