Atrium Health Bariatric Center

Due to the type of insurance I had, I was not allowed to pick my surgeon of choice or I would have gone with Dr. Patricia Choban of the Columbus Bariatric Treatment Center. I made an appointment with the physicians office that my insurance did approve of. My first visit was with a Nurse Practioner. I was never overly impressed with anyone in the office. It was difficult to get past the operators, much less to get a call back from the person you were trying to reach. I was told who my doctor would be during the interview with the nurse. She hit the high points, took all my previous records from other docs and it was pretty much don't call us we will call you. I had been trying to get the surgery approved for the past year and a half and didn't expect much from the docs office, insurance people or staff. I was wrong. Before I even made it home she was back on the phone with me saying I had been approved. My surgery date was September 27th. I was told I would received a letter finalizing my date and setting an appointment with my doc about 2 weeks before surgery, this was in May. About 2 weeks later my husband brought home a letter telling me my date was July 5th and my doc appointment was the last of June. Dr. Gershin, like most surgeons is not a personable man. My appointment with him took less than 15 minutes. And the only thing he told me I didn't already know was that I would have a 2 foot incision down my stomach! He told me the risks, didn't sugarcoat anything. I don't remember seeing him before surgery, but his flock of residents made up for it. They were wonderful. My surgery went without a hitch. All aspects of complications or even a hint of complications were addressed quickly.
How would I rate the staff, residents and doc? The staff leaves a little to be desired. You HAVE to do your homework. YOU have to be proactive about your care. YOU have to make them listen when you think something is wrong. And don't take no for an answer. The residents were wonderful. And I have the highest marks for them. Doc Gersin? I didn't care whether he had a bedside manner or not. I wanted a doctor that knew his business and that is exactly what I got. He made sure I was comfortable pain wise. He took every care to make sure the incision inside and out was strong. He made sure I was taken care of. Personality scale? He is a 4. Surgeon scale? 10+. You are in good hands with this surgeon. And a personal note...the hospital of choice with Dr. Gershin was University Hospital of Cincinnati. The nurses were the best. I am a nurse of 27 years and I didn't go in expecting much, I was proved wrong many, many times. Thank you ladies.

Dr. Bauman and his staff have been great. It took almost 4 months for an appt., But he is worth waiting for. No complications what so ever. The Dr made his rounds several times a day. I noticed a lot of respect from the nurses toward Dr. Bauman. I owe my recovery to not only God, but to Dr. Bauman. I would rec. him to anyone.

My first impression of Dr. Bauman, was this man is very brilliant. He takes what he does very seriously and doesn't sugar coat the gastric bypass. He lets you know the complications that can occur from this procedure. And that he is giving you a tool to lose weight, you as the patient has to use it correctly.
His staff are very polite and friendly. Always pleasant no matter how many times I called.
I would recommend Dr. Bauman to anyone. He emphasizes after care as very important to stay healthy.

Dr. Gersin is a very nice man. He is willing to answer any questions you might have. His staff is great and fast in getting you in to the dietition. His staff that comes to the hospital is a great bunch of men who try to make every thing easier on you. If I had to do it again I would pick Dr. Gersin :)

***After 1st consult-
So far I am very pleased with Dr. Bauman and his staff. They have been great. I will update more after I have had my surgery.

***After final consult-
I am still pleased with Dr. Bauman. He seems very caring and made sure that I had all of my questions answered. I am very impressed with his follow-up program. He has patients working with a Nutritionist, and Endocrinologist, and an Exercise Physiologist for the first year.

03/09/01-When I frist met Dr.Bauman on the 2nd of March, he was very nice and understanding. He listen to me. Dr.Bauman answered all my questions, He made me feel comfortable about surgery with him. On the March 26th he has me going to see a(endocrinologist)to have my liver, etc checked before surgery.
His staff was very helpful and good people. They took their time and spoke with me.
Dr.Bauman office is very nice, The hospital is large,Excellent.
Dr.Bauman accepted my insurance with no problem. I hope to be having surgery in April 2001.
My surgery went wonderful, It's a year later and I have lost all my weight, I weigh 135lb and feel the best I ever felt. This could not have happened with out Dr.Bauman he is a saint. He is the most caring DOCTOR.
He was there for me the whole way through my weight loss. He stayed intouch with me through office visits and we stayed intouch though E-mail(even just to see how great I was doing)Anyone who chooses Dr.Bauman will be pleased. He excellent Doctor.

I was very impressed with Dr Bauman, he seemed like a caring person and felt very at ease with him. His staff has been very helpful and very nice on the phone. I personally Love his surgery scheduler Robin. When I got denied I called her and was crying she helped me through this with such compassion. He is a very thorough Dr and has a structured aftercare program. I live in a differant state so I will not be able to take advantage of this. He realizes that I had a wealth of knowledge from being at another Drs site, he educates people with so much information. So far I rate him at a five because I havent had my surgery and I think that is the most important part to rate a surgeon on!

I havent met with my doctor yet. But i have asked around here on this site and I have gotten nothing but good remarks about him and his staff..UpDATE!!! I have a new consult with Dr Roc Bauman of Concord N.C.I have been waiting for this meeting. He is well known and have performed numerous R
NY's .

2-18-02 I had my first meeting with my Surgeon today. To me Dr Bauman was very intenative and straight to the point. He asked me right off the bat "was I sure this is what I wanted", I told him I had be investigating this for months and "yes" I was positive this is what I wanted for me and my Health. He told all about the pros and cons of WLS,Different things that may are may not happen. I think he wanted to see my reactions to the things he told me, and that I know the risk involved with this type of surgery.At first I was a little affraid of this meeting with him, but after shaking me and my Husband's hand (like he knew us for a while)it was like being one of his regular patients.I felt right at home.He explained that I would need 1 more test and then they would send papers to send to Cigna for aurthorization. Then I would have to see the Endo doctor and get information of their longterm weight management program.I would rate Dr Bauman as a 9 1/2 at this moment of time. I couldnt ask for a better doctor than one whom talks to his patients in layman's terms, to make sure you understand, and then tells you if you have more questions to get back in touch with him anytime so he can answer them. His office staff was nice and curtieous but busy.Robin was nice and told me to call her if I had anything to ask her or to fax her.But to get my last blood work so we can get a Date...All in all if Dr Bauman's bed side manner anything like he was today..... I'm one lucky Woman

Dr. Bauman is FANTASTIC!!! I have only met him once but already know he will be awesome to work with. His staff is also superb. If you call they are very helpful and friendly.
He and his staff work well together and everyone really have your best interest at heart. He was very thorough about the risks
and emphasized aftercare.

My first impression of Dr. Bauman was, Wow, he is a busy Guy. I had to wait awhile because he was at the hospital looking at some films, which means he had to rush from the hospital to the office. His office staff was very nice, as everyone has said, Robin is very helpfull. He did a pretty good job of making sure I was aware of the fact that surgury was not a game. He told me about the chance of complications, some resulting in death. I got the impression that he said some of the stuff just to gaige my reaction, just to make sure I was 100 percent sure that this was for me. He told me that my life would change, period, forever. The fact is, that is why I am doing this, and I am very willing to make the changes needed! He wasn't very elaborate about his explainations of the surgery, meaning he didn't use Dr. talk. Very simple and to the point which I appreciated. Didn't feel like he was talking down to me like some docters do.
Ok, now I can give a more detailed description of Dr. Bauman. He is a great doctor. He is very concerned with his patience. As far as the surgery went, I couldn't tell you , I was asleep. He says it went well and I tend to believe him. It lasted around 2 hours. He has a very good bed side manner but he has a reputation amoung the nurses (at least the ones I had) of being a stickler for instructions. When he tells you to do something he means for you to do exactly what he said, no variations. I found that to be a positive thing. It is like I his patience are his children and he knows what they need, and when he tells the staff what he wants, he expects them to do it. No if ands or buts about it. As I said, I liked that about him. It also let me know personally that when he tells me to do something, Not to deviate from his plan because he knows what he is talking about. Anyway, He is a great surgeon and a pretty funny guy if you let him be. I am the kind of person who will crack a joke at the drop of the hat and he is right on with them. That impressed me and my sister. All in all, I would recommend him in a heart beat.