Paul Wizman Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FRCS(C), FASMBS

He has a great since of humor but at the same time can be very serious and stern, you always know where you stand with him. His office staff is very friendly and efficient, some of them have been through the procedure so they will tell you exactly what your are gong to need. I can say anything negative about Dr Wizman or his staff, they are just great people. That he is a very honest person with a great since of humor, but again, very very serious and stern when it comes to the surgury. He emphazies aftercare ALOT ALOT ALOT, for your postop seminars, you must pay 500,00 for this, he never used to charge and people did not ever show up, so he figures if you are dedicated like you say you are then you will be there, I have to agree 500.00 is nothing compared to my health, I;d give double if thats what it took.. He has a very structured before and aftercare program. He lets you know everything about the surgery, the good and the bad, so your prepared. At this point, I rate Dr Wizman very excellent, an all and all great person and surgeon.

My first impression with Dr.Wizman that he was concerned about the problem of morbid obesity and he wanted to help me. His staff encouraged me to fight might insurance company for approval. If they had not done this I do not think I would have fought. Since I have not had the surgery I can only say that he is extremely concerned with after care and wants to know immediately if there is a problem 24/7. According to the info book he gave me, a structured aftercare program is in place. the Risks according to Dr. Wizman are 1 in 200 that someone will not make it.I will give an update as it happens.

After much work and changing Dr. to Dr. to Dr......I logged on here and found an in-network Dr. in the Margate (Ft Lauderdale) which is about 45 minutes from me. The Dr. is Dr. Wizman. He has been a surgeon for over 10 years, but only doing Bariatric surgery for a short amount of time. I was nervous by that, but called, explained my situation, and JoAnn (his receptionist) was F-A-N-T-A-S-T-I-C!!! She understood, and was unsure of how quickly I could be seen, but scheduled me for the group session the following week (Tuesday Oct 22). She called me back in about ten minutes and booked my appointment with Dr. Wizman for Wednesday Oct 23. I called my contact at UHC and gave her Dr. Wizman's info and Northwest Medical Center's information. She confirmed that both are in-network and updated my approval! I went to the group meeting, and after about 4 minutes I fell head over heals for Dr. Wizman. Smart, charming, humorous, concerned, and has the right personality for the job. AWESOME!

I saw Dr. Wizman on Wednesday and he too thinks I am a great candidate. He took as much time as was needed and made absoulute sure that I have no questions. His nurse had the surgery (by another surgeon). I met with his administrator that handles his schedule and affairs. She was a phenom! With things scheduled in my life, I need to have the surgery and be recovered by a few dates, so booking the day was a challenge, but she fit me in for November 8, 2002! She said it would be a miricle to get all of my labs, medical clearance, nutrition visit, sleep study and Psych eval done and results in time for surgery. I was up to the challenge. I then met with Faye, his insurance co-ordinator. I have worked in the medical field before and have a good feel for medical professionals. I don't know how Dr. Wizman managed to get such a winning office staff, it is AMAZING! I explained that I already had approval, gave her the name an number of my contact at UHC, and I think she wanted to give me a great big hug! (Dealing with the insurance comapnies on our behalf can NOT BE EASY!)

I left Dr. Wizman's office and went directly to his Nutritionists office (Carolyn Flynn) and they had just gotten a call to cancel an appointment on Friday Oct 25, (today) so they booked me! I came home very satisfied. Yesterday I called UHC and updated them with my surgery date. Called United Behavioural Health and got the names of a few Psych's in my area. None of them called me back, so I logged on and found one myself! He fit me in for today. Dr. David Boltson. I met with him and the nutritionist today...... I called my old boss at the hospital where I used to work and she made a call and my sleep study is Friday! IT LOOKS LIKE IT MAY HAPPEN!!!!!!! WAAAAHHOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Ok, worn out, fingers dead. Love to all!

I thought he was very smart,and kind.
My impression has only gotten better as time goes on.
His office staff is very upbeat and helpful,
and always get back to you right away.
He is very patient,and caring
Aftercare was stressed as being very important.
There is an aftercare program, which I will be part of.
Risks of surgery were talked about, my specific concerns were addressed,Asthma,etc.
So far,I am pleased,but I will wait till the surgery is done before rating
I would ideally like both competence and bedside manner,but if I had to choose only one it would have to be surgical competence.

I met Dr. Wizman on September 19, 2002 at his seminar about the Gastric Bypass surgery. My first impression of Dr. Wizman was CARING and PASSIONATE about the surgery he performs. He describes the surgery and the expectations to the fullest and insures you that he will take great care of you when in the surgery room and afterwards. I felt comfortable about the surgery when he was speaking. He did not look at myself and the others as overweight people or money. I could tell that he does this surgery because he wants to help people live longer and feel better about themselves, not how much money he will make with each surgery. His staff was there and they are also very PASSIONATE and CARING about their part in the office and procedure. They are very helpful and informative. They are willing to help at any costs. Dr. Wizman spoke alot about what will happen after the surgery and what to expect and what he expects from you. His staff and himself are there to make sure that you are educated and ready for the changes that will happen after you have the surgery. He stated that he highly recommends the support groups, exercise, etc. I was concerned with the risks of having the surgery or any surgery for that matter and Dr. Wizman explained them all. He is very informative and talks in english not doctor terms. I would definately recommend Dr. Wizman to any other people out there that are looking into having the surgery. I have my consult with him on October 4, 2002 and I am really looking forward to it.

I HAVE TO ADMIT I WAS A BIT SURPRISED TO SEE SOMEONE SO TINY TALKING TO ME ABOUT WEIGHT LOSS. I FIGURED HE WOULD NOT BE VERY UNDERSTANDING BUT HE IS DEFINITELY A VERY UNDERSTANDING DOCTOR AND HIS ASSISTANT KENDRA IS THE BEST. MY WIFE AND I ARE BOTH HAVING THE SURGERY. MINE IS OCT. 17TH AND HERS IS DEC. 12TH. HE IS VERY ADAMANT ABOUT ATTENDING THE SEMINARS AND AFTER CARE PROGRAMS.

I am considering two surgeons. Dr. Robert Marema who I have been primarily working with. Unfortunately, my insurance company Vista PPO will only cover him out of network which means I have to pay 40% of coverage.
Today I was told Dr. Paul Wizman of Margate, Florida in in network with Vista. I have an appt with him next week.

9-13-02
I know that I have the best surgeon
on the face of this earth.
Dr. Paul Wizman of Margate, Florida who does surgery out of Northwest Medical Center in Margate. He is a top notch surgeon. He is sensitive, caring, considerate and the most compassionate human being. It is an honor to be his patient and having the surgery five weeks ago, I feel great. I am so happy I chose to have the surgert.
Lynda

My first impression of Dr. Wizman was that he was thin. I worried that he would not be compassionate. I spoke with him and thankfully he has proven me wrong. His office staff - aka Kendra is a sweetheart. I really like her. I don't hesitate calling and asking a question, as she is very patient and thorough.

well i am happy to say i finally found a surgeon that aenta will pay for!!! aetna was not helpful at all about helping me find a doctor. they just kept talking in circles until one of the girls who works in my pcp office gave me his name. i called the very next day.
i went to a information meeting(which he requires) and found him to be one of the nicest most caring doctors i have met in a long time. he also requires an after care program as well. i also made an appointment for my first consult with him which i went to a few weeks ago. i am now getting my letter of medical necesity ready and i wednt for the psych eval. aetna takes up to 30-45 days to give an answer. i do have a tentative surgery date schedualed for 11/11/02. i would do it asap but i want to be at my job for one year to be covered under the fmla act before doing this.
Dr. Wizman's staff is also great. Kendra is always helpful and pleasant and does not mind answering any questions you have. she also is a 2 years post op her self. will update when i have more news.

My first impression is that he is quite knowledgable and has a wonderful bedside manner. Kendra, his assistant, has had the procedure done and is a wonderful example of how the procedure works. I am scheduled for surgery 9/30/02.