John L. Coon Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

'When I first met Dr. Coon I was actually referred to another Dr. that worked at his office. That Dr. was no longer doing the surgery so I went with Dr. Coon. What a stroke of luck. At first glance Doc Coon looks like something out of an old movie. He has this giant mustache that almost looks fake. But don't let the look fool you this man is so good at what he does. I wish I could bring my kids to him for all our medical needs. He is knowledgeable

Dr. Coons number is incorrectly listed on this site and may be contacted through the hospital he practices out of.

From the moment that I meet my Docter. I loved him. Honest.. Upfront... Even my husband loved him. His partner, Dr. Terry Sanderfer, was incrediable as well. The office staff was very helpful. They stress after care to the fullest. I am out of state now, and they have me following up with my general here, who reports to them. Stress all risks of the surgery, and then some. I would rate him a 20 on a scale of 1 to 10. He has great bedside manner, and surgical competence.

Dr. Coon was very informative and answered all of my questions with much patience. He seems very capable and knowledgeable about WLS. As time has gone on, I feel the need to update this section. Dr. Coon has been an absolute godsend, and I would trust my life or any of my family members' lives with him. I have had some complications, and he has helped me through, from beginning to end. He never gets tired of answering mine and my family's questions, and you never feel rushed with him. He is truly the best doctor I have ever had the privilege of knowing. His nurses and support staff are all wonderful and caring people also. Danielle is great, and she is always ready to help in any way possible.

My first impression of Dr. John L. Coon was that I felt very at ease with him. My impression did not change over time except for the fact that he was even more caring than the first time I had my consultation with him. His office staff is excellent. They are the best nurses I have ever come across. They are sweet and very caring. There is nothing that I liked least about Dr. Coon. Future patients should know that when they are under Dr. Coon's care, they have nothing to worry about. He has excellent bedside manners. Dr. Coon emphasizes aftercare one of his priorities. Dr. Coon as a very very structured aftercare program. It wonderful. Dr. Coon always time and again addresses the risks of surgery so that old and new patients will know what risks these surgeries have so the patients aren't blind in what they are getting into. I would rate Dr. Coon a 10+. He is excellent. I had alot of doctors but this one is really Godsend. Surgical competence is extremely important for the doctor as well as the patient. Dr. Coon is up on all of this. Bedside manner is also very important. Both are essential for people having this kind of surgeries. I know this sounds 100% positive and no one should think that it is less informative or even suspect. I have known quite a few doctors that perform this kind of surgery (2 years of research) and I recommend Dr. Coon very highly.

Dr. Coon was very informative, patient and kind. He discussed the plan for which type of surgery I would benefit from and together we developed a plan of action. The office was in a time of transition, they were geting ready to move. I tryed to get my preopp testing done quickly but this is challenge expecially if you are working. I managed to get all the testing and the approval in 3 months with Debbies help. Dr. Coon was pleasent and helpful at the final preopp meeting. I'm looking forward to the new me with his help.

The only problem I have experienced is long waiting times for appointment, so take you bottle of water and a good magazine.

He was great every time that I talked with him. He was very thorough in making sure that I understood what I was about to do and that I had all of my questions answered. Even up to a few minutes before I was put under he took the time to answer my last minute questions and put my mind at ease about some of my fears. He is great!!

However, his office staff is a different story. Don't get me wrong, they are all extrememly nice people, but there is no communication. Even when I was in the hospital and talking to a couple of other patientes, they had also experienced the same problem. I would make several phone calls and they were never returned. I needed to know the time of my surgery because THEY had rescheduled (at the last minute)it and I never did get a call back with an exact time. I ended up going to the hospital on the day of surgery and waiting all day to find out the time of my surgery. That is another long story, you can ask me for more details if you want to know. Of course, this is my experience and someone else may not have these problems with the staff.

What I like best about Dr. Coon was how nice he was throughout the process. I must have been in his office for an hour my first appointment with him and he never tried to rush me or make me feel like I was wasting his time. When I apologized for asking "too" many questions he assured me that it was ok and to keep asking away and he will answer every one of my questions.

I don't think there is anything I can say negative about Dr. Coon.

I got a huge packet regarding aftercare and have been told to make all of my appointments. Since I am only a week out it is hard to know the answer to this question ot the next regarding the structure.

Dr. Coon was very blunt about the risks of the surgery. He let me know that he had a few people over the years that had complications and a couple have died. I applaud him for his honesty. I know that this is a serious surgery.

I would rate him very high. I did not have any problems with him before or thus far aafter the surgery.

I think that both is excellent.

Dr. Coon is a very kind man. He was a great listener and did not RUSH me like most doctors. He was very thorough in his explanations of the different kind of RNYs, proximal and distal. He gets a 10 out of 10 from me.

My first impression of Dr. Coon was definately a great one. He has a wonderful bedside manner, is very professional, knowledgeable, and very thorough when he explains things. I felt very comfortable with him and felt I could ask any questions I needed to. He took his time with me and did not make me feel "rushed" as some doctors tend to do. It was like I had his absolute attention with no hurries. I can't think of anything negative to comment on Dr. Coon. So far, all is positive.
His staff was just as wonderful. Everyone was friendly and seemed genuine. I did not have to wait as long as I thought. I took a book with me and I didn't get a chance to read that much! Debi was very helpful and informative. She made everything clear and answered all of my questions.
The aftercare was definately discussed as well as the importance of it. It's nice to know you're not forgotten after surgery. They also offer monthly meetings for their patients (as well as non-patients) which I think is a great means of support. Risks were also discussed. Although I tend not to focus too much on those since you have them with any surgery (and i've had 6 in the past year, i'm still here)
Overall, I would rate them a 10. I left the office feeling positive and confident about my decision to have WLS.
As for the surgical competence and bedside manner, I believe they are both important. Dr. Coon possesses both. I am ready to take this leap because I know I am in good hands.

Dr.Coon is new at this bariatric Surgery. In August he will have done maybe 10 all together. His assistant PA is a nice well understanding guy. Dr.Coon is understanding also. He knows what you have been through and why you are in his office today. He makes you feel like you are in control of your own body decisions, which is nice. He makes you understand the risks of surgery if you dont follow the guidlines. He doesn't just want to give this surgery to someone who is gonna not take care of their body through out life after surgery. Overall this surgeon is known locally to be a very good surgeon. I asked the opinion of another doctor in town and he said go to missoula for this kind of surgery for the after care. But I chose Dr.Coon because I have young boys and missoula is an hour away. I am concerned with the hospital staff locally in ronan that I would have to have the surgery at. I am awaiting insurance approval.