James D. Atkinson Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

The doctor and his staff are very sympathetic to the patients needs. They are just as concerned about your aftercare as actually doing the surgery. They are interested in your long term success.

I felt so comfortable with Dr. Atkinson. I had seen him before at the seminar. I wasn't sure which doctor would be assigned to me but it didn't matter much to me. I have heard great things about both Dr. Fisher and Dr. Atkinson. Dr. Atkinson and his PA will be doing my surgery. I have heard horror stories about how Dr. Fisher really makes you think in your consultation and if you don't cry you won't pass. Dr. Atkinson was nothing like that. He asked serious questions but you never felt like you were being attacked. I left there feeling at ease.

There is an extensive after care program which is great. The surgery is only the first step.

The office staff is very helpful you feel like you belong to the family.

<b>This was written after meeting Dr. Fisher, whom I thought was going to be my surgeon:</b> WOW. That was my first impression. I was expecting Dr. Fisher to be arrogant because that's what I had read here on this website. But I didn't find him to be arrogant at all. He seemed like a really decent "human being" and not some high and mighty surgeon. He didn't make me feel inferior or intimidated at all.
I had e-mailed his office to ask a question, and was shocked when I got a reply from the doc himself!
I also joined his e-mail support group. I had a problem, and contacted the group moderator, not knowing it was the doctor. Again, he responded to me personally! I don't know many doctors who would take the time to do that.
The 3 hour seminar was great. Dr. Fisher made it very interesting. He has a great sense of humor, and is also very sensitive towards obese people. The only thing I would have changed about the seminar was the fact that we didn't have a break. I thought for sure he would have given us a break to get up and stretch or go potty. Nope. No such luck. The chairs were very close together and uncomfortable, too. Oh, they do set up some cold water in the back of the room which I thought was nice. (Even though I brought my own.)
Dr. Fisher has a great aftercare program which includes 2 support group meetings a month. He also asks for a 5 year post-op committment from his patients.
Overall, my husband and I felt we could trust Dr. Fisher, and that he is sincerely interested in the success and well-being of his patients. <p>
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<font color=red><b><center>UPDATED SEPTEMBER 5, 2003</font></b></center>
If I get approved by my insurance company to have the surgery, there's a high probability that my surgeon is going to be Dr. Atkinson. This is fine with me because he is Dr. Fisher's partner! So I know he was trained by the best! Currently, Dr. Fisher is not a Health Plan of Nevada provider, but he expects to be in the near future.

Having only met Dr. Atkinson briefly, I would describe him as serious, intelligent and calm. I like calm, I like knowledgeable, and hey, when performing surgery...serious works too. He is Dr. Fisher's new partner. I like to pay attention to people and I 'feel' comfortable with Dr. Atkinson. As I find out more, I will let you know.

The staff...well Sue Barr (local WLS hero) is now working for the surgical center here in Las Vegas. Everyone is helpful, kind...very kind, and right on task. I did have have several 'concerns' regarding complications during and after surgery and I spoke with Bryan (P.A.) about them. Collectively as a team, the staff is aware and prepared for risks and complications and they are very clear in what my roll is to avoid any complications.

I will update as I proceed through the surgery and contact with the staff.

Dr Fisher was originally going to be my surgeon :
I wanted to write a review, even though I have not yet met Dr Fisher. I emailed him at his office e-mail address on Sunday afternoon with some initial questions. I
couldnt believe it, but by lunchtime the next day I had a personal response from the Dr himself in my e-mail box waiting for me! It was kind and informative, and he said I should be hearing from his office coordinator to go over some details. Well the next morning I got a call from a very friendly woman named Sharon who answered every question I had and some I hadnt thought of yet. I am relieved, and excited. I will update you on the doctor and his office staff soon. I have a seminar hosted by the doctor to attend tonight! ( I just contacted their office 3 days ago )
**UPDATE**
I attended the seminar and found the Dr to be very informative, honest and understanding. He IS very straightforward about his expectations, but that is good I think. At one point he had almost all of us in tears. He seems to really have a love and understanding of the bruised heart of an obese person. His office staff was very helpful, and they have told us to call first thing to make an appointment for intake where we will get more info on the surgery.
**UPDATE**
I called several times to make an appointment and the office staff was very busy. I left a message, and got no return call. I called 5 or six times a day for three days and finally got through and made my appointment. Not for FIVE MONTHS!! I was very disappointed, but will take what I can get.
**UPDATE**
I got a call from the Drs nurse saying they had an opening in an intake appointment for tomorrow!! YAY!!! Two months before my apt. date!!
**UPDATE**
I attended the intake appointment. One thing to know: DONT BE LATE!! Luckily I was there on time but there were several people late and it was a big distraction and they werent too happy with them. Understandable, I think. There were about 20 people there and they took alot of information from us and gave us all of our paperwork for our lab work. It was ALOT. They answered a ton of questions and I am so glad that I went. Now I have to go get all of these tests done. Once they get all of the results back then I can make an appt with the Dr.
**UPDATE**
My insurance CHANGED!! YAY!!! I wanted to post this here because I wanted to say that Doc Fisher is one of the most accessible doctors that I have ever heard of. I had alot of questions and just posted them on his Yahoo group and the next day they were answered BY HIM. What a wonderful and comforting advantage.
**UPDATE**
I ended up meeting with DR ATKINSON at My OC Visit, and so he will be my doc for surgery. He is very kind and funny and I have no doubts about his bedside manner. He answered ALL of my questions (I had a list of 30+) and never made me feel rushed or like I needed to "sell" him that I was a good candidate! I am very happy.
**UPDATE**
I just love Dr Atkinson to death!! He was so great before AND after surgery! His bedside manner is flawless and he is so caring and kind, you almost forget how incredibly talented he is as a surgeon... until he is YOUR surgeon, that is! And then you cant help but remember!!! Dr Fisher and he make a great team. I really feel like both of them have been my docs! This practice is thriving because they treat obese people like PEOPLE and they care about helping us realize our dreams.

So far, Dr. Atkinson has been wonderful. At inital consult, I expected the doctor to be in a hurry and to just treat me like a number. NOT with Dr. Atkinson. He was extremely thorough and answered my 2 pages of questions without any type of hesitation. He listened to me and did a thorough exam. I was in the room for at least an hour and I was very comfortable with his bedside manner.

My first impression of Dr. Atkinson was that he genuinly cared about me and about those suffering with obesity.