Leonard Fichter, M.D. Bariatrics Bariatric Center

I like Dr. Fichter. I think he's an excellent surgeon, and I would recommend him. One thing I will say is that Dr. Fichter thinks LapBand is the way to go and the future of weight loss. Unfortunately, BlueCross doesn't agree with him.

Very "laid back", relaxed, confident, and most of all, highly competent!
My impression hasn't changed one bit, except now that I'm almost a year post-op and have had absolutely NO complications, my respect for his skills has increased exponentially.
Excellent office staff.
He dosen't have an aftercare program.
Be prepared to wait in his waiting room after arriving for appointments.
Not too much.
No structured aftercare.
Addressed each possible complication, very throrough.
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being the best, An 11.
Surgical competence is more important than bedside manners because without it, the only bed you may need could be at the local funeral home.

My first impression of Dr. Fichter was that he's a very "laid back" kind-a-guy. When you walk in his office it's like taking a step back in time to the wild west days. He seems to be a very knowledgble and experienced surgeon. His staff is nice, his office nurse (Patty) is especially nice and knowledgeble as well. So far I would give him an 8, since I've not had my surgery as of this writing.

I met with Dr. Leonard Fichter on 5/11/04. I had talked with his nurse several times prior to my appointment and had most of my pre-testing done at my consultation. Dr. Fichter went over the different types of surgery that he performs. I then met with his nurse and we set a date. Luckily my secondary insurance came through for me and we didn't have to change the date. I did have to change the type of surgery. I wanted to have the BPD/DS but insurance wouldn't cover it so I'm having RNY.

First Impression was *WOW*. I've been a nurse since 1984 and have always worked in a very "professional" setting..Dr. Fichter was very laid back and full of info.
His office staff is very nice.
I've only had one consult with him so its kinda hard to give a good recommendation at this time.

I could NEVER say enough great things about Dr. Leonard Fichter. I have been going to him since about 1985. He has performed surgery on me several times, as well as 5 of my family members. He NEVER performs surgery unless it is absolutely necessary. I am 43-years-old and last year, my weight had ballooned up to 309 and my body was suffering from it,diabetes, high blood pressure,pain etc... so I asked Dr. Fichter about the bariatric surgery and he explained it all to me, very thoroughly. He didnt do it automatically though. I had to be sure I wanted the surgery........go to certain other doctors to make sure I could be able to handle the surgery, eg....lung doctor, psychiatrist, heart doctor, etc. His office staff is WONDERFUL! Poor Patty had to put up with a lot from me :) but she is great! As I said, he is VERY thorough, and that is one of the reasons I FEEL HE IS SUCH A WONDERFUL DOCTOR.:). Well..I had the surgery on December 12, 2003, seven months ago. I am not going to say it was an easy surgery for me, because I had some severe complications. I felt good for about 6 weeks after the surgery and then i started to have severe pain in my right side. I was admitted to the hospital and given IV antibiotics for 4 days, because he thought it was an infection, which it was but....then, I came home and the next Monday, he removed adhesions from my stomach....that was easy :) Well, I was home for one day and the pain came back...I called and he did an endoscopy, another easy thing to go through and he found a large stomal ulcer and a yeast infection in my stomach. He gave me some medicine and sent me home and I felt much better in a few days :)....MOST people get along VERY well with this surgery, but I am always different..lol.....I AM NOW 7 MONTHS POST OP AND HAVE LOST 85 POUNDS :) I am thankful to God first and then to Dr.Fichter.....please feel free to email me for any questions :)His surgical competence and bedside manner are wonderful. He always takes time with each patient :) I feel MUCH better :)

I have had to find a new surgeon since my approval for DS surgery I have an appt with Dr. Fichter on March 20,2003 I will let you know after that . I hope to get a surgery date soon I am already approved but since Dr. Nease moved to Ca I had to seek a new surgeon it has been a journey in its self.
WEll I had my consult with Dr. Fichter I was very impressed with him and his staff , he expalined to me why he chooses the DS over the gastric which I was also happy to hear since everything he said was exactly my thinking after all the research I had done . I have to have my PFT and EKG testing done and then if all clear i can get a date. I was very happy with his office and am happy i went this direction.

I can't say enough good things about Dr. Fichter. Both my husband and I were very
impressed with him. He is very informative and explains every aspect of the surgery, including all of the risks involved. I went to my pre-op appointment prepared with a list of questions, but never had a chance to ask one of them because by the time he got finished, he had covered everything!
Everyone that works in his office are very
helpful and supportive. They arranged all of my pre-op cardiology, pulmonology, physical therapy, appointments ect...
They also did a great job dealing with my insurance company. I first received a denial, so they set up a phone meeting between the insurance co. and Dr. Fichter and got my denial reversed.
He performed my surgery on Nov. 13 2002. Dr. Fichter is very thorough, and I felt as if I were in excellent hands. Now two months post-op, I still feel that way.
I can honestly say that I can't think of one negative thing to say about Dr. Fichter
or his staff. My husband will be going to him for his WLS as well.

Ok...met with the doc today and she seemed to be very down to earth, somoene I could really talk with..NOW...as I explained to her my insurance company (fortis benifits) WILL NOT PAY for this surgery, she is going to write to them,I am going to write to them as well as my employer ( I work for a Doc), so maybe they will. keeping my fingers crossed. I explained to her that I suffer from Severe reflux and possible Gallbladder disease. I am scheduled for the EDG as well as the U/S on my gallbladder. I may have to have surgery alone to stop the reflux and remove my gallbladder. I'm going to contact the hospital and find out what type of out of pocket expense I'll have if I opt to go thru with the Gastric bypass also.
I just hope my insurance will cover this, it would be sooooo much easier.
if there is anyone out there that has had all 3 procedures done at the same time, please email me and let me know what to expect. thanks.
Mel

Dr. Fichter is very nice. He explained to me all the different types of WLS he has done over the years. He said he quit doing them because he was not happy with the long term results of his patients. I have to respect that because he isn't just interested in making money. He wants to see his patients succeed for the long term. He just started doing the duodenal switch in 2001. He feels that the surgery is just a tool. He firmly believes that the aftercare (i.e. nutritional care and exercise) will give the best long-term weight loss. He requires his WLS patients to see a pulmonologist, cardiologist, psychologist (for psych eval), and six weeks of nutritional and physical therapy. His office staff and nurse are very pleasant and helpful. **** 5/22/02 - I ended up having my gallbladder out with Dr. Fichter two weeks ago. He was excellent. My incisions are healing nicely. He said that abdominally there would be no problem doing the lap DS once we get approval. I have complete confidence in him. Once the insurance companies start approving the DS, I will be returning to Dr. Fichter.