"The worst part about this hospital is that it was purchased by the State shortly after I had my surgery there and it is no longer a privately funded hospital. "
"I first met Dr. Hargroder in his conference room with about 40 other people. He talked to all of us at the same time to explain the different types of weight loss surgery and the risks and advantages of each one. He was very patient and answered all our questions.rnrnSince that day, the only time I have seen him is the day of surgery and the day of release from the hospital. Otherwise, I have only seen his PA, Holly. She is very nice and knowledgeable but I PAID to see the Doctor.rnrnDr. Hargroder's staff are all very nice, but a bit scattered and unorganized. They recently had to move to a new building and hospital, but even before that, they were same way.rnrnThey didn't right my name down on the appointment register for my first post-op visit. The doctor was already gone and so was most of the staff. We had to contact Holly and ask her to come back to the office to see me since I had traveled 40 miles to go for my post-op visit.rnrnThere is a support group every week for Dr. Hargroder and Dr. Bellanger's patients. It is very informative and you get good support from others who have had weight loss surgery.rnrnThere really is not a structured aftercare program. If I did not follow up myself, I believe I would NOT be contacted by anyone in his office.rnrnI think Dr. Hargroder is an excellent surgeon, and he has a great bedside manner. However, he has his hands in too many endeavors to give good individualized attention to his patients and his staff is ultimately just as busy. I believe he needs to slow down and smell the roses so to speak. rnrnI will say that if you INSIST on seeing Dr. Hargroder rather than his PA, you will see him. rnrnOverall, mine has been a good experience, but I have had to follow up on things myself to make sure everything that needs to be done is done. rnrn"
