Marcus Free, M.D. Bariatrics Bariatric Center

I just met Dr. Marcus Free (who is now located in Corpus Christi) yesterday, and what a nice man! He was very patient, in fact he sat and spoke with me for 2 hours about the procedure. He didn't gloss over the possible complications, and he also let me know what they do to try and keep any complications to a minimum. Judy, his office manager(?)is really nice. She's had the surgery herself and doesn't mind answering questions. She's very knowledgable about what one needs for the insurance companies. I haven't yet found anything I don't like, but again, I've only met with him once so far. He talked a lot about aftercare, and I'm very confident about my decision to go with Dr. Free. He's highly competent, he wants me to fully understand the operation's pros and cons, and he's a GREAT GUY to boot! Could I get any luckier? rnrn07/19/06--Although I raved about Dr. Free when I first met him, I must say that I am totally, totally disappointed with him. Right after surgery, I spent the entire night vomiting uncontrollably because I was allergic to the morpheine that was prescribed--he didn't come to see me or get me OFF the medicine until the next day. My mom was so freaked out by the violence and agony of my vomiting that she honestly thought I was going to die...I was simply wishing for death to take away the pain at that point. He didn't seem too overly concerned. I saw him ONCE after I was released from the hospital, and then he disappeared. No contact information was given to me, no replacement doctor, no aftercare, no explanation. It really sucked. Maybe I just never received a mailing from him? I have to assume that he didn't leave ALL of his patients with no aftercare...maybe it's just my bad luck.

Most thorough,kind,compassionate human I have ever known.
my impression just increased.
his staff was above and beyond any other

you should know you have the best surgeon in Texas.

absolutely no negatives to describe him

He is the best.

total after care emphazied

yes.


overall rating 150 out of 100


he was the "best" in all aspects

my first impression of dr. free was that he was very competent, he knew what he was talking about. His staff was extremely helpful, they helped with all insurance claims and set all test appointments. He truly is as kind and gentle as he appears to be. He made certain that i understood the importance of follow up appointments and the reasons for them. excellent doctor, i would say that he is a 10 out of 10. his bedside manner was one of true sincerity.

My 1st impression of Dr. Free, honestly, is that he was a short, thin man, and what could he possibly know what it was like for those over weight. After visiting with him, I was impressed with his reasons, and his beliefs on over weight American's. He comes across as caring and understanding, with a willingness to answer questions and assist you in anyway that he can in making the right decision for you. His office could use a little more decor, but it is not unpleasant.
His staff is friendly and knowledgeable of the procedure, the risks, and the benefits. If he is not available, you can still get helpful info from them, and they do not make you feel guilty, stupid, or silly for asking. They all, him included, treat each question and concern very seriously. It was a little disheartening that when I would go in, well the 1st 2 times anyway, back to back, his receptionist kept asking my name, and what I was there for. Also they kept losing my information or not really losing it, just not knowing where it went after my tests. But I understand there are many other people besides me coming in there, and they cannot be expected to remember everything about you. Even in the phone company, we misplace customer files.
He provides 2 seminars and 2 nutrition classes, so that you will know what is to be done, and why. What steps you must be willing to take, and how you should eat and maintain your new life style. Dr. Free was very upfront about the surgery, explaining all the complications in detail, and the steps that he takes to minimize this. I think he was excellent, and I would recommend him to any looking to have this surgery. He was very surgically competent in my case, and his bedside manner was fantastic. He was polite, and friendly. Making you feel that YOU are his ONLY patient. Not a dollar sign or a number.

Dr. Free is a very compassionate man. Very soft spoken and caring. The office staff is great, especially Judy. They need a little more help, they are rushed alot of the time. I feel like Dr. Free goes the extra mile to make sure his patients do well. He does everything he can to get you started, the rest is up to you. Dr. Free spends alot of time with his patients to make sure they understand what they are getting into. I think he did a great job. He has great bedside manner and is extremely competent. I have had several other surgeries and this was by far the easiest. I felt very comfortable in his hands.

Dr. Free and I actually spoke on the phone before I got to meet him. After having to cancel my first 2 appointments, we finally had a successful meeting. He is a very soft spoken man that has a lot of compassion for the clinically obese population. He spent a lot of time with my husband and I explaining the perks as well as the down side to it all. Stephanie has provided me with a wealth of information and no matter how busy she is, she never rushes you or cuts you short. She also makes it known that you can call with any question at any time. I would recommend Dr. Free to anyone considering WLS. He stressed that he and I would be seeing a lot of each other over the next few years.

Stephanie is no longer with Dr. Free. This makes me very sad. She was a gem and so very helpful.

Dr. Free was very informative, he sat down and answered all my questions!!

Dr. Free is now located in Corpus Christi, TX and does his surgery at Bay Area Mecical Center (CCMC) off of SPID & Nile

Judy, office assistant was very personable and helped with all my paper work.

<HTML><BODY TEXT= COLOR=#OOOOFF> <FONT SIZE=+2><FONT FACE="POOH">My first impression of Dr. Free is that he is very young. I had to attend his weight loss "seminar" before I can get an appointment with him. Overall the seminar was very informative, but I had already done my research, so he didn'r really tell me much that I didn't already know. He emphasizes the need for aftercare and the need to choose the best surgery for each individual patient. He was very careful to address the risks of surgery, but he did add that when we get our appointments, he will spend more time going over risks again on an individual basis. I liked the fact that he was very upfront about everthing from risks to dealing with insurance companies. He said that one benefit to his youth is that he was taught to do operations laparscopically first whereas older docs learned everything "open" and have to go back and relearn laparoscopy. I have been favorably impressed by his office staff so far, I'll actually get to deal with them when I get my paperwork in to them next week. 11/1/02************************************************************UPDATE*******************
I finally had my consultation today with Dr. Free. He was very personal and direct, very informative and answered all my questions. I like the way explained things and really answered all my questions before he got around to "So, do you have any questions?".

10/23/02 Dr Free's office called to schedule my consultation visit after I turned in the 12 page questionnaire, my lab work and my psych eval. They already have my surgery date set for 11/6! They are great to deal with and are handling all the insurance stuff. No difficulties so far.
********************************************************UPDATE************************
11/15/02 I am 9 days post op and at least 10 pounds down. I had some difficulties after surgery, but Dr. Free was wonderful. He and his staff have been the best people to deal with at all times. </body></html>

My Surgeon was the BEST. He is great with us(his patients). I would recommend him to anyone who is considering this procedure. His office staff is also awesome. Diane, his wife and nurse and Judy both helped to get me approved. I pestered them alnost everyday. There is nothing I disliked about Dr. Free or his staff. Dr Free addressed risk in dept. He spent nearly an hour going over all the risks and answered all questions asked. I would rate him above average. He is very young and a very good doctor with excellent bedside manners. This is very important to me and my family.

MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF DR FREE WAS HOW YOUNG HE WAS OR LOOKS AT LEAST. HE WAS VERY PATIENT AND KNOWLEDGABLE. HE ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS AND WAS VERY PATIENT CONSIDERING HE WASN'T FEELING WELL. I MET HIS WIFE DIANE WHO WAS VERY NICE AS WELL AND JUDY I'VE ONLY SPOKEN W/ BY PHONE BUT I THINK SHE'S BEEN GREAT. DR FREE REALLY EMPHASIZED AFTERCARE OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND SEEMS TO BE VERY CARING AND STRICT ABOUT AFTERCARE. HE WENT OVER THE RISKS OF SURGERY IN A VERY PROFESSIONAL MANNER AND IN A WAY THAT I COULD UNDERSTAND. I'VE BEEN TOLD HIS BEDSIDE MANNERS ARE GREAT AND I HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT HIS SURGICAL COMPETENCE IS GREAT AS WELL