"I originally attended a seminar with Dr. Newhoff and liked his direct manner right away. He asked the group, "Who wears a seat belt?" All but one lady raised their hands. Dr. Newhoff asked that lady to leave if she wasn't serious about her health because his office doesn't waste their time or skill on people that don't want to live life to the fullest and in the safest way possible! I knew this was the right office for me and drive 2 hours each way to my appts., even though there is a local program much closer to me. I chose Dr. Simon instead of Dr. Newhoff soley based on wanting a lap procedure instead of open. I also figured his basic principles would be like his partner's, Dr. Newhoff, and was right on. Dr. Simon is very direct, covers risk info, and spends time to answer your questions. I was waiting for my 10am appt when a sales rep came in late and wanted to see the doc ahead of me for his 9:30am appt. Dr. Simon came out and told the guy that he would have to wait since it was now 10:30am and his patients have priority, since afterall, isn't it about the patients? I loved that and he even took over 40 minutes to go over my list of questions. When I apologized for taking so long he said,"If you took the time to write a list of detailed questions, I can take the time to answer every single one."
Overall, I've been very satisfied with Dr. Simon. My first impression was right on--direct in manner and a very skilled surgeon. Just read up on his training--excellent schooling. He performed my lap RNY in 10/05 and everything has been right on track. I had no complications during or after surgery and had virtually no pain afterwards due to this nifty pain treatment method that Dr. Simon uses. (Pain medicine in a bag that automatically administers to the incision sites.) His aftercare program has been non-existent for me since I live too far away, so I can't comment on that. I know his office has post-op meetings and I was required to take pre-op education classes. I attend a support group locally instead. His staff are extremely busy and can be hard to reach at times, but very nice. Be patient and give them time to respond, they have many people calling them every day. Lord knows I called every day for weeks to get my daily case info...imagine how many of us call to bug them constantly?!?! Last time I was there they had just hired 3 new people so hopefully they will be quick to respond for new patients with the same pleasantness I received. (Thank you, Marcia!)
Overall, I am happy with my choice and feel it was the right one for me. I refer people to this office without hesitation. I found that Dr. Simon had far more experience than the local surgeons I interviewed and I liked that his/Dr. Newhoff's practice use a method similar to the Fobi pouch involving a silastic band. This method wasn't available locally. I still think their office is well worth the drive!"
