Gerald Larson Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Larson is a good surgeon. He is very experienced, in my opinion and from research. My first impression of him was that he cares about his patients. He usually listens to all that you have to say, but sometimes he speaks to quickly and you forget everything you wanted to ask. However, he does answer all of your questions very well. His office staff is ok. No one that I can really complain about. Sara is great, very attentive. He has been great with my aftercare. I have seen him quite often because I needed to. He explained to me the risks of surgery, made sure all of my questions were answered, and that I really wanted to go thru with the surgery. I was able to get a surgery date sooner than expected due to circumstances. Dr. Larson visited me everyday while I was in the hospital. Norton Hospital took very good care of me during my stay. He has a good bedside manner when he is not in a hurry and I feel his surgical competence is great also.

Dr. Larson is a wonderful physician. He has great bedside manners, also. He is very easy to talk to. My impressions have changed little since I first met him. rnHis office is very busy, but everyone tries to be helpful.rnHe currently only does open GBs, because he feels confident that he can go in and see everything and get it done right the first time.rnI had my surgery in November. Everytime I see him, he adds one more week before the next visit.rnDr. Larson is with the Norton Bariatric group. They have seminars on a regular basis where they present all of the risks of the surgery, then he asks you about it again in the office to ensure you understand and see if you have any other questions.rnOn a scale of 1-10, I would give him a 10.rnI think surgical competence is the most important thing, but having good bedside manner is a plus...Dr. Larson has both!!!

It takes several months to get an appointment with Dr. Gaar, but it is worth the wait. I had my first consult of July 13, 2003. He was friendly and upfront. He doesn't sugar-coat anything and will answer any question you have.

About three weeks before my surgery I was switched to Dr. Larson who is in the same practice as Dr. Gaar. A little scary at the time but Dr. Larson is a wonderful surgeon. He is usually quite busy and you have to be prepared with your questions ahead of time. You also meet with the dietician each time you visit his office, whick is wonderful.

My surgery went beautifully and I have had no complications. I have been to see the doctor about every two weeks to check my progress. Dr. Larson is a greatly skilled surgeon who has a great post-op program.

My father and his best friend are both general practitioners, and they both refer a lot of patients to Dr. Larson for all kinds of gastrointestinal surgery. Believe me, they wouldn't do it if they didn't think he was ultra-competent. I knew Dr. Larson because he had taken out my gallbladder in '00, and after talking with my GP (my dad's friend), I ultimately decided to pursue Larson for my WLS because I trusted him. He has an excellent reputation as a surgeon, and he will get someone to scrub in if he thinks he's going to need extra hands (I had Cacchione).

He pays attention to the medical details, even if they aren't directly related to the condition for which you're seeing him. I was being obstinate post-op about having a sleep-study, because they found out while I was at Norton that I have sleep apnea. He noticed during a follow-up that my nailbeds weren't properly oxygenated (they were purplish). In the end, he had the referrals clerk schedule me with the pulmonologist and told me, "You're going."

The staff is friendly and efficient, albeit VERY busy. There's an RD who works with WLS patients, and you see her every time you have an appointment. I haven't been in a while, so I hope the crowding has eased up since part of his surgical group moved to another floor.

Bedside manner is VERY important, though certainly not the only consideration. Larson's is good; the man is good-natured and has a sense of humor.

Just as an aside: Larson plays the accordion. I found that out from a retired surgeon in Louisville. How can you not like a guy who plays the accordion?

My first impression was neutral, After asking my questions I got very good felling about him. He made sure that I knew the risk of the surgery. I asked about problems his past paitence. I felt his answer was very honest about them and did not sugar coated it. He had a his dietiction talk to me. She was great and I looking forward with working with her. Dr.Larson talked alot about what life would be like after surgery.
The office staff was very friendly but lack a little on the professional side with conversations that was going on.

Dr. Larson is definetely a busy man, but my first impression of him was favorable. He was friendly. professional, and very honest about the risks of the surgery as well as the pro's of having the surgery. I have had 2 visits with Dr. Larson and my opinion stands as is. I great doctor and in my opinion a Great man as well on a personal level. He seems to have geniune concern about his patients and their well being. I really have not interacted with his staff except Sara, the nutrionalist and she is absolutely wonderful. She answers any and all questions and goes out of her way to be helpful. She is a true angel! I really didn't dislike any thing about Dr. Larson. The only thing I would see anyone seeing as a negative is the time given with the doctor. But you have to take into consideration the entire group is very busy and he is more than happy to answer any questions you have. So, just make sure you know what you want and need to ask when you go in there because there is not any small talk so to speak. Don't get me wrong he does ask aboutyour life and lifestyle. I think you get my point on this issue though. :-) I feel anyone considering the surgery should consider Dr. Larson as a surgeon. Like I stated earlier he is honest and he does not make the surgery sound like it is just glorious. Dr. Larson and I have not really discussed much about after care. Only, how this is a life changing event and my eating habits and lifestyle will change dramatically. Dr. Larson has a very structed programed before care and aftercare. He requires you to see the nutrionalist every visit, no exceptions. As far as surgical competence and bedside manners his was A+++++++++!!!!!!!!

My doctor was helpful and I love the office staff, I am pre-op, so I do not know what to expect at this point, I only had one doctor visit, but I have another one scheduled in 2 weeks.

Upon my first consult with Dr. Larson in October,2002, I was very impressed with him. He was easy to talk to and seemed very concerned about the patient. His office staff are very cooperative and helpful to the patients. There is nothing about Dr. Larson which I dislike. As far as aftercare is concerned, on my first visit to his office he explained that the surgery would be the easy part, but the aftercare would be the toughest, because I would have to make a whole new life style. On my second visit, I was given a postop diet menu along with a thorough knowledge of what to expect after the surgery.

very patint and genuine.

it hasn't

very freindly and informative

very busy and pressed for time

He only does open procedures and lap bands and no lap.

alot

yes with a dietician

you watch a video and he speaks with you

very good

both are great but if i had ochose i would say surgical exp.

My first meeting with Dr.Larson was in late May. I was surprised at how simple the office procedures were and that he was willing to take me as a patient for surgery so quickly. I truly expected to have a hard time and expected a lot more of an interagation on why I felt I needed the surgery. He made me feel at ease and he did not judge me. Just advised on the severity and risk of the surgery, along with information on the types of surgery. His office staff was always very helpful and filed all the necessary insurance paperwork. I went to Dr. Larson requesting the Lap-band. Dr. Larson informed me that most insurance companies are not yet approving the lap-band, but he would try. After BCBS insurance denied the lap-band, the resubmitted for the Open-RNY surgery and I was approved within 10 days. Although I would have preferred the lap-band since it is less invasive, I now believe for long-term results the Open-RNY will be more effective in the long run for me and force me to make more changes that the lap-band would have. Since Dr. Larson is a general surgeon is has requested that Dr. Garr assist him in surgery, which makes me feel much better. Dr. Larson has the years of experience in surgery, while Dr. Garr has the experience doing gastric-bypass.
I consider both very good doctor from information I have read on both. Dr. Larson is a no-nonsense type doctor, very serious about is work and expects his patients to follow is directions. I have yet to meet Dr. Garr.