Robert Rutledge Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Dr. Rutledge has a following that is almost cult-like. He has helped so many people with their obesity and made the experience a learning, growing and professional event. I respect him and hope that he continues to help everyone he can. I did not actually meet or speak to him until the day before my surgery, but I heard great things about him and they are all true. He said something to me when I had my consultation that I shall never forget. When I told him that I was going to follow post-op regimen and plan to a "T", he told me to RELAX-dieting was over for me, enjoy myself and my family. It was not my fault that I was overweight and I was making a decision that would mean I was not going to have to work at as hard as I had to lose weight. I felt immediately relaxed and I haven't had to work that hard since - I am now more relaxed with myself and my body. He requires that you go through a whole regimen of pre-op preparation. It was a great learning experience and I knew when I finally submitted everything that I was fully informed as to my decision.

7/25/00
While I haven't personally met with Dr.
Rutledge (because I live in Wichita, KS
and he's in North Carolina), I have spoken
with Debbie and Barbara in his office on
many occasions. They have been fantastic
to work with. I have spent a lot of time
at his website (www.clos.net) and spent a
lot of time at his egroups message board
and chat room talking with previous patients.
He gets rave reviews from EVERY past patient
I have spoken with. I will not actually meet
Dr. Rutledge until I go to North Carolina on
the day before my surgery which is scheduled
for 8/9/00. Dr. Rutledge has an EXTREMELY
structured program that requires each patient
submit a very comprehensive packet prior to
being approved for surgery. The packet
includes a 5-10 page essay with the patient's
understanding of the procedures, its risks,
diet following surgery, aftercare, etc. The
packet also must include letters from the
patient's primary care physician, a close
family member. Each patient must also show
documented proof of contact with AT LEAST
10 prior patients. There is more to the packet--
for details, you'll need to visit his web
site.

Dr. Rutledge is very energetic and very compassionate toward his patients and the obese in general. He is thorough and makes his patients go through an extensive pre-op education process. He is a very experienced and skilled surgeon. His office staff was very helpful and responsive to me. They are very, very busy however, so it is helpful not to bother them with questions you can have answered elsewhere, such as his website.

WWW.CLOS.net

Dr. R has the most extensive amount of pre and post-op information that I have found.
You know what you are going into with his surgery. I would rate him very, very highly. His surgical competence and bedside manner are excellent. He, too, is now very, very busy but he still takes the time to respond to your concerns. He expects you to be prepared and informed coming into surgery.
I'm very happy I chose the MGB over the open RNY.

After several years of trying to lose weight with no success I decided to research the surgery. First, I attended gastric bypass support group meetings at my local hospital to hear first hand about the Open RNY. I must admit, I was a little scared when I saw the size of the incision & learned about the amount of time you spend in the hospital. That's when I went to the internet to research further. This is where I found the wonderful Dr. Rutledge!! He has an extensive and very informative site at www.clos.net where just about every question you have will be answered! BTW, his surgery is the Mini Gastric Bypass, done laparoscopically. This appealed to me, because #1 - I would only have 5 tiny incisions & #2 - I would only be in the hospital 1 night!! The Dr. does require you to do your homework. He does not take this lightly & neither should you! He has a list of 12 requirements you must complete before he will consider you for surgery. Also, you will need to attend one his clinics before surgery. I did this 2 days before my surgery, since I was from out of state. I decided to go for it & it has been the best decision I have ever made! I am now 2 months post -op & feeling great. I keep in touch with Dr. Rutledge on a monthly basis & support him whole heartedly to any one who is considering the surgery. If anyone has any questions about this procedure feel free to e-mail me. So far, I am Dr. Rutledge's only patient from Maine.

He is wonderful. Very energetic. Has an incredible memory for small details and remembers every patient. My first impression is that this man is not human! The staff is a little overworked - they seem to be experiencing growing pains - but they are very competent and friendly. He has very thourogh pre and post op requirements. He has wonderful surgical competence as well as a bedside manner you will not find in most surgeons (very personable).

Have only spoke with him on the phone and by e-mail. Seems very upfront and knowledgeable.
He is very organized with a web-site and pre-op requirements that must be completed before
a surgery date is set. My first face to face will be may 5th. Staff helpful but seem over-worked...many new patients hearing about Dr. R's procedure and outcomes. Pre-op
information, mandatory steps to complete,
videos of patient interviews and the procedure itself all located on his web-site: close.net
5/14/00 Dr. Rutlege was brief, to the point, and moved on to the next patient...however, he always stopped to listen and teach when
needed. Almost every question was answered in the pre-op preparation package and on clinic day. Only had brief personal time with him...but I am sure I could have had more time if I had more questions. I Spent less than 24 hours in the hospital. Daily calls to Dr. R's office for check-in were done the first week post-op, staff took the calls and were polite and brief. 7 page post-op instruction sheet has so far covered all my questions and lists 4 different ways to reach Dr. R should I need him. Be prepared to do your homework before he even allows you to set a surgery date! I recomend
Dr. Rutledge for WLS.

I was extremely impressed with his compassion and caring for the obese. The more I learned about him, the more impressed I was. His office staff is nice, but overwhelmed with the recent influx of patient applications. He is trying to enlarge his staff. His practice is growing beyond all his expectations are the word is spread about him and his surgery.

There wasn't anything I did not like about him. Everything his future patients should know about him is on his web site clos.net. All his patients are listed and are willing to talk to future patients about anything concerning the surgery.

The aftercare is greatly emphasized!!!!! His whole approach is one of complete education of his patients. He makes becoming a patient so difficult that one must learn everything about the procedure before he will consider accepting you as a patient. This includes written assignments and making contacts with his patients.

Yes, his aftercare is completely structured and you sign an agreement prior to surgery that you will stay in contact with him over the years on a regular basis and have regular checkups that will be reported to him.

He emphasized the risks of surgery, almost to the point of scaring some folks away. His material goes into great lengths about all kinds of risks.

I would rate him a 12 on a scale lf 1-10.

Both are great, but I feel that compassion is his greatest asset.

The only negative is that he has become so busy that he cannot return all calls and e-mails as he gets dozens to hundreds a day! He started off giving lots of personal attention before and after, but that has dwindled as the practice has grown. He needs some physician assistants to help in these areas.

He is the greatest and there should be many more doctors like him!!!!!

He is wonderful!!! I did not meet him until 2
days before my surgery because he's in NC and
I live in MI. The patient education material
is very impressive - you know what you're
doing and all the risks. And you know how
this surgery is different from the traditional
RNY.

Overall, I am very happy that I had Dr. R
as my surgeon, and with the results of the
surgery. He is a very warm and caring person
and really takes time to explain the
proceedure. I have sent e-mails to him
since the surgery, and he always sends a
reply promptly.

Dr. Rutledge was thorough. The office visit was great because I met pre and post op patients. I got a chance to discuss at length their complications and post op hints. He addressed the risks and showed the group the video of the surgery and explained in detail the surgery. My one on one appointment was short because he answered most of my questions. Afterwards, I had questions and I got the answers. Just waiting for insurance approval and surgery date.

Dr. Rutledge's office has been very helpful
in getting my surgery approved through Tricare,
which is military insurance. His web site, patient
manuel and the 12 steps a patient must complete are
excellent. I was just approved for surger
y this Tues , 3/28/00 and I am very excited.
Ms. Williams, who is Dr. R's secretary is efficient
and kind. I feel like Dr. R is truly interested in the patient's physical and emotional well-being and