Cleveland Center for Bariatric Surgery St Vincents Bariatric Center

Dr. Sonpal was very informative and immediately put me at ease. He was more than willing to answer any of my questions and carefully explained the entire procedure and what I could expect -- both the positives AND the negatives. This impresssed me because the honesty in which he dealt with the matter proved to me that he truly cares about his patients and wants them to be as educated as possible.

The entire staff at the Cleveland Center for Bariatric Surgery was very caring, informative and supportive.

The only negative experience I had associated with my surgery was the fact that I didn’t follow doctors orders and tried to physically do too much too soon. This resulted in my developeing an incisional hernia which required corrective surgery.

The doctor was very busy and I had only a short time with him but he did answer all of my questions, even the dumb ones. I was still not sure if I wanted to go with the surgery but I did not tell him that. Actually I was still deciding right up to the day I went in. The staff was informative but not overly friendly. I felt like I was just another one in the bunch. Dr. Schreiber's intelligence showed and he did make me feel comfortable with having him do the surgery. I knew I would be in good hands. He did emphasize aftercare and that this was not a cure all and that I would have to work at it to be successful. I feel that surgical competence is the most important. Our vet is not the best with people but with animals he is great and his experience is outstanding. Not to compare the doctors but competence should be of the utmost important.

I liked him very much,he was mild mannered and, he answered all my questions.
My opinion did change,the day of my surgery I was very scared and nervous so much so that I told my husband that I had changed my mind and wanted to go home. I cried and broke out in hives due to my nerves.
Whem I told my husband to get my shoes we're leaving his nurse Julie called him in and he said, "What you do with this is up to you leaving or staying will be your choice, you know where your shoes are, no one can change your life but YOU!!!" I thought at the time that he was very abrupt but,of cours on hind sight he was right.
The center has monthly support group meetings, a personal trainer,and a clothing exchange. He really was wonderful about addressing questions and concerns. Rating wise in my book he is a 10.For me both is really important,it would be uncomfortable to let a surgeon operate on me if I did not feel I could ask questions

He is very nice and wants to make sure you have a good and accurate understanding of the surgery. He answered all of my questions and didn't make me feel any of them were unimportant. He is a very dedicated and a caring person. The staff was very freindly and helpful and truly caring, I didn't feel like just another number waiting for service. He lets you know it is not a magic solution. It is a 60 40 one. The surgery is 60% but you still have to do the 40%. You need to understand that only you can ultamtely make it work. It does give you the needed help if you really are serious. He told me about the support groups, web site and newsletter, and gave me a newsletter to keep. He let me know what the risks were and that I needed to weigh the risk of surgery to the risks of being overweight. I would rate him a 10.

He was and is very direct and business like.
Some people may find it cold, but I had a problem he had the solution and he didn't act as if he was the solution just a part of the solution.

I went back for my three week check up and his behavior was the same.

His staff was warm and were very detail oriented where I felt the doctor presented the whole picture.

I can't say I liked anything less, it was a business tranaction.

He wanted to make sure I understood to the best of my ability what was going to happen to my body during and after surgery.

Aftercare is stressed a greatdeal and the aftercare program is pretty structured.

The doctor and staff were very direct about the risks of surgery and talked to me as an individual w/ my own concerns.

On a scale of 1-10 10 being the highest I would give the doctor a 10.

If you want bedside manner I would not recommend the doctor if you want an expert in his field and bedside manner isn't that important I would highly recommend Dr. Schreiber. Some might strongly disagree with this but it is a good and fitting analogy. I don't car if my mechanic has a charming personality as long as he can fix my car, can explain to me what's wrong with it, and doesn't over charge me.

Met DR.Sonpal on July 17, 2002. Seems nice he was casual and made some jokes. Office staff was very nice. Had to wait about 30 min. to weigh in and go over info with office girl but Dr. was ready and waiting for consult which only took about 10 min. and was not really what I expected, it was much easier!!!! Seems to know alot about the field will update more later...

I have only met Dr. Schrieber once. He was very knowledgeable and kept to the facts. He has very little bedside manner, but that may change with time. I guess I would rather have an excelent surgeon, than one who is not but has a great bedside manner. Like others who had posted, I wasnt told about a registration fee, nor did I understand exactly what it was used for. I figured that without paying it, you are not going any farther in the program. The staff seemed very nice during this first meeting and very concerned.

My first impression of Dr. Schrieber is that he is a very intelligent doctor and he mean business, he goes straight to the point. He is there to perform a service for me and wants to make sure I completely understand what is happening. His staff seems very nice and willing to help any way they can. The insurance staff seems to be lacking a bit...kinda slow. You have to keep on them to make sure your case gets filed with the insurance. You also have to call to find out any info on the statis of your fileing...it seems they never call you to keep you informed. Dr. Schrieber dosen't joke around and some may say he has no bedside manner....I just think he takes his work seriously. I liked him very much.

Dr Sonpal was very direct and to the point. He was a man of few words and he was about business.

I have only seen Dr sonpal once so my impression of him is the same.

The office staff was very nice and helpful. THey were understanding and friendly.

The surgeon was a little hard to understand at times because his english wasn't the best.This is what I like the least.

Aftercare is emphasized quite a bit during PAT and there are many examples given. However the information booklet, though chock full of stuff that's good, was a bit overwhelming to me.

The aftercare program seems to be organized and together but a little complicated to try to put together in my mind all the requirements for eating and stuff.

I rate Dr Sonpal as good because I like the fact that he is serious about what he's doing.

I believe surgical competence and bedside manner go hand in hand because even if you complete your surgery successfully you still may need that extra encouragement or kind word to help you through the pain and questions you may have.

I was slated to meet with Dr Sonpal for a consult. I arrived @ 4 pm for a 4:30 pm appt and didn't get in to see a nurse til 5 pm however the nurse was very apologetic for the wait and that the Dr would see me shortly. At about 5:15, the office manager (i assumed) came in and asked me if i wanted to take care of the "Registration Fee". Nothing was mentioned of this fee in the Informational seminar or in my talks with the office staff. I will move on...

Then , I finally got my consult but not with Dr Sonpal it was Dr Schreiber. But it is my understanding that the 2 docs assist each other so no biggie. He was very to the point and answered all my family's questions. Overall I am satisfied with my choice of Treatment center and look forward to my new life.