It's been 12 years since Dr. Schweitzer performed my laparoscopic Roux-n-Y procedure, and I still think of the gift he gave me every single day. I just found the photo that was taken in the hospital the morning of my surgery, when I weighed in at 272 pounds. I am 5'-4". I hadn't seen that photo for years, and it really shocked me to see how very large I actually was. Today, 12 years later, I am 125 pounds and have no problem staying within 5 pounds of that. I look like a completely different person...I can't even recognize myself in that photo any more. I will never forget his FABULOUS bedside manner, his genuine care and concern for his patients, and the fact that, while I hear about so many others who were not as lucky to have such a great surgeon, his obvious technical skills that have resulted in long-term success for me and many others. I will never forget the poignant advice he gave me when he came to see me shortly after I awoke,"Take a bite, then wait a minute before taking another. If you burp or hiccup, that is the signal that you are full. If you follow this advice, you will not make yourself sick from eating too much." I have seen many other post-surgery patients who were constantly making themselves sick by overeating and even having to self-inflict vomitting. Then, there are those unfortunate souls who gain their excessive weight back...which must require a great deal of effort and cause a great deal of pain and discomfort...I am not quite sure how they do that. Anyway, if you want the BEST surgeon possible, go to Baltimore and meet Dr. Michael Schweitzer. I guarantee you will be thanking him every day for the rest of your life.

The best of the best! Wrote the book...literally. responsive to questions and needs and gives his email address. Personally called after home from hospital to check on me.

If this review was about the office staff, there would be fewer stars. They did not return emails or phone calls and led to much delay. I had to say on them to get the pieces in place.

FACTS:
***revision from sleeve to duodenal switch request***
Initial Dr. visit approved request
5 months wait for insurance denial
botched insurance submittal by office administration
Dr. never ordered necessary tests for the insurance to approve
office staff rarely followed up on phone call requests for information and status updates
Filed complaint with Director of the Program
Dr. Schweitzer relayed to me via the Director that he was "sorry" for not ordering the right tests and feel free to take my business elsewhere.

Thus far I have only actually met Dr. Schweitzer once, for my initial consultation. I felt he was confident, informative, competent, and a "just the facts" kinda guy. I have read good things online, and all of my research shows his experience and competence to be above average.

Dr.Schweitzer was not my original surgeon, but I am still very happy with how everything has turned out! On the day of my first scheduled date, my original Dr. was called in to preform emergency surgery, and I had to rescheduled. Dr. Schweitzer did both my DR and me a HUGE and very appreciated favor, unselfishly said he would do my surgery a week later. I met him right before he cut me open. He was so incredibly kind and easy going! He put me and my family at ease. He let my family know how the surgery went. The next morning he came in and checked on me. He has a GREAT bedside manner. He talked to me and not at me. He has a very easy going personality. All of my incisions healed very nicely. I would HIGHLY recommend him!!!

I was scheduled for an RNY gastric bypass but when Dr.Schweitzer began the surgery, he said my liver was too hard and did a sleeve bypass instead. It is possible that this bypass can be converted to a RNy if I don't lose enough weight. Dr Schweitzer and his team were great. They've answered all questions and kept my husband informed during surgery.

Years ago I saw this Dr. for my first consultation and he pretty much told me to come back later on after I got serious about weight loss and left the room because he asked me if I was drinking soda. What a horrible bedside manner. Of course I'm drinking soda. I haven't started dieting yet .. this is my first visit! This was my first meeting about WLS! I had not even started on the pre op diet yet or knew anything about the surgery! He might be a good surgeon but he acted like a real ass. I went there to ask questions, find out information about what needed to be done and see if I liked him or not and this was how he acted? I went and found someone else with much more experience (over 5,000 procedures done) and now I'm sleeved :)

I had heard so much about Dr. Schweitzer not being a nice person but I thought he was great. He was very professional and nice. Smiled a lot and answered all of my questions. He was certain that I could be successful with the VSG based on my history but he explained all of the procedures to me. The only hiccup I had with him is that his Medical Office Coordinator is pretty slow. She gave me the only problems I had with his office. Everyone in the Bariatric program at Hopkins is very attentive, responsive and eager to help and see you be successful. When I picked Dr. Schweitzer, I chose him because he is one of the best at what he does but I was pleasantly surprised that he was a genuinely nice person. Mind you I didn't see him very often but when I did he was great.

He seemed quite competent and listened well to my questions. He answered all 15 questions I had and also explained what he thought I needed to know. This meeting was a good first step. Office staff seemed helpful, but did not always return phone calls. Outstanding team approach to patient education and aftercare at Hopkins Bayview.

I could not have made a better decision in selecting Dr. Schweitzer. I initially selected him because of his stats (one of the lowest complication rates in the world), but solidified my decision after meeting him. He is all business (as he should be) and some may think this is a lack of personal concern for his patients, but it is not! He went out of his way to address not only all of my fears, but also fit me in for a last minute visit 2 weeks before my surgery so that he could address all of my mother's last minute concerns in person. My original surgery date had to be postponed due to the blizzard, and I was impressed because Dr. Schweitzer called me from home the night before my surgery to postpone my date. I could hear the sympathy in his voice, but he took the time to explain that he was not canceling the surgery because he couldn't make it in, but because he wanted my surgery to be as safe as possible. His staff had been stuck working for over 48 hours due to the snow (so he didn't want to use a tired staff) and he didn't want to use an unfamiliar surgical staff. And on top of that he rescheduled my surgery asap, and it was within one week of my original date. My surgery was rescheduled for a Friday, so most of my interactions were with residents (checking my incision etc.) while in the hospital, but Dr. Schweitzer came in to make sure that he saw me before I was discharged on Sunday (which surprised me because I work at Johns Hopkins and I know what a hectic schedule doctors work so I didn’t expect him to come in). He is so knowledgeable, and answers emails quickly, even on weekends and evenings. During my recovery I developed a seroma (fluid under the skin) around one of my incisions. I sent him a picture via email, at 9:45 Wednesday evening, and he responded within the hour to reassure that I was fine. His staff is also very helpful, and the holistic approach of the Bayview Team could not be better! I highly recommend the support groups, which are open to anyone (pre- or post-op) and are free (even including your parking).