Mark T. Jaroch M.D. Bariatric Center

In one word........AWESOME!

My first impression of Dr. Jaroch was that he definitely is not a "warm and fuzzy" type of doctor -- not a great bedside manner, but he is extremely competent, and I believe he truly cares about his patients.
His office staff is great, however, they are difficult to reach sometimes. Judy, his office manager, is fantastic.

Dr. Jaroch is very diligent in explaining the entire process (including risks) and does emphasize after-care and highly recommends the POGABS meetings.

Overall, I felt very comfortable with Dr. Jaroch, his staff, and Akron General Hospital. They did a great job. If I had to choosse between bedside manner and surgical competence, the latter wins hands down -- and Dr. Jaroch is an exceptional surgeon.

I had my first one to one visit with Dr. Jaroch today and I was very impressed at his enthusiasm he displayed toward what he does for obese people. He appeared very sincere about his concern with things that I could do as a patient to make the surgery easier on both himself and also on me. He was very pleasant during our meeting and offered a wealth of information as well. I had heard some unpleasant things about his bedside manner yet I didn't experience anything like this myself. He does offer a group shopping experience monthly to his future patients as well as monthly meetings for both pre and post-op patients. 4/30/03 I had surgery 6 weeks ago today and am now doing well. Dr. Jaroch has been very attentive to my medical needs as they arose and I would recommend him to all. I had heard that his bedside manner was not the best, but I found him to be very cordial and very knowledgable. He has followed me after surgery and has a very good aftercare program.

Dr. Jaroch is an amazing, dedicated surgeon. When I tell people of how he takes groups of people on "grocery store tours" every month, they are amazed. He takes his own time to do this and he also holds his own support group meetings every month. I learned a lot from attending these events. You not only get to talk to the doctor, but also many pre and post op patients. Very Helpful!!

I went for my first group consult at Dr. Jaroch's office on 03/04/03. He was an extremely informative and very nice man. I've heard others say that his "bedside" manner is not the greatest, but my first impression is that he is going to be a super doctor to work with. He was very willing to answer questions and put things into terms that everyone could understand.
His staff was there very, very early and were working hard the entire time I was there (about 3.5 hrs). Judy (his assistant) was especially nice and very helpful.

I did not have a one-on-one appt with the Doctor yet. When I do, I will definitely update my comments.

04/07/03 - Still waiting for the Doctor's office to send in Insurance Approval request. Was told that they would be submitting it this week. All pre-tests are complete. No problems except for high TSH level. Was told this would not interfere with Surgery.

He was informative and down to earth.

I started going to Dr. Jaroch's support group meetings in August of 2001 when I first made my appointment and was looking to have the surgery. My appointment was changed several times and I didn't get in until March of 2002. I also researched at the Cleveland Bariatric Center and had 2 appointments there. I chose to stick with Dr. Jaroch even though I had so much trouble getting in to see him because I was impressed with the support group meetings and the way he really wanted to teach his patients how to eat. I have attended every meeting since that August 2001 meeting. I finally did get in to see him, had all my preop testing and more testing and finally got a date. September 4, 2002. I had the surgery and came home in 5 days - back in about 2 weeks later with an infection. Dr. Jaroch was right there taking care of me - 10:00 at night he was at the hospital - a very long day for him as he starts early. The nurses are very careful to follow his instructions as he is very precise about what he wants and how he wants it done. I came home in another 5 days, but began having problems with throwing up everything I ate. I figured this was normal and went on for 5 weeks throwing up. I went in for an appointment with Dr. Jaroch and he wanted to scope me. This would be the second time and I really was sick of everything now. But I trusted him and he wanted to do it right away and scheduled me for Saturday morning. Yes he even works on a Saturday. He did the scope down my throat and sure enough, the opening was almost closed up. He stretched it and that very afternoon I was feeling better than I had in 2 months. I give Dr. Jaroch a 10+ as a surgeon and his support group and his knowledge of nutrition and gastric bypass surgery is also 10+.

My first appt. was very interesting. It was a group thing. We all filled out paperwork and got weight and Judy came out and talked a little about insurance for about 15 minutes and then Dr. Jaroch came out and met with us all. He is very up front no sugar coating. He is a straight shooter which I like. He runs a support group once a month at akron general hospital.

Dr. Jaroch is not only an amazing surgeon but also an amazing human being. I like how involved and hands on he is. I am very lucky to have had him as my surgeon.
His staff is very helpfull and they are always willing to answer any question that you might have.

It took me a long time to finally get into see Dr. Jaroch. He has an extremely busy practice. I first met him in a group meeting (I can't say I am real fond of these but do see his point). He is a very matter of fact person and what you see is what you get. He has a very good reputation as a surgeon and you will get no arguments from me on that score. He doesn't have the worlds best bed side manner but I will take him as my surgeon any day. I had no complications from my surgery and he explained everything to me before surgery and sent me home with very good instructions. Dr. Jaroch's staff is tireless. Those three women are wonderful and I know just how much Dr. Jaroch depends on them - bravo ladies - especially you Judy who keeps track of us all. This surgery saved my life and I appreciate the man who took care of my insides. Thanks Dr. J