Michael P. Hocking M.D. Bariatrics Bariatric Center

Dr. Hocking was very patient and kind. He did not rush me AT ALL!! I was not thru filling out my paper work when he entered the room, so he was like no problem, I can come back. But he stayed and talked to me and my best friend that had came with me while I finished. He answered all of my questions that I had for him. I was very pleased with my initial consultation.

My first imoression of Dr Hocking was a good one, he was very patient and kind to me. He didn't make me feel like a freak. Prior to my surgery, Dr Hockings staff sent me a book on the surgery and the aftercare involved. The book was very thorough and informative. He is always available for questions. Dr Hocking has a dietician that you can work with regarding your diet. I will have my Pre-op with him on March 27, 2001 at 9:30. If i had to complain about anything I would say bring a book because you may have a wait before you see the doctor.

I met Dr. Hocking 6 yrs ago. I was not to sure fo the surgery at that time. But, this past yearI've had more back, knee and other health problems. When I remet Dr.Hocking I was more impressed with him and I' glad that I decided that now was the time. The office staff were all kind and informative when I went in Dec.2000 for my appointment.
Dr. Hocking does not push people to go for surgery. He lets you take your time and get the mental, emotional and physical thoughts together.
I surgery scheduled for 2/28/01. Cann't wait to get in and over with.

My impression of Dr. Hocking is that he is a wonderful doctor. He was very caring. My impression has not changed as yet. When I go in for check-ups I don't get to see him much as Gainesville is a teaching hospital, but so far all the doctors I have seen have been great! The office staff are really nice and they helped me as much as possible before my surgery back in October. There wasn't anything that I disliked about Dr. Hocking. In the future patients need to know that Dr. Hocking will not be the only doctor they see. The whole staff in general emphasized aftercare, from the nurses to the patient care specialists and so on, they were helpful and very sensitive to my needs. I had a reaction to some meds that caused me to itch violently and the nurses and any staff that was around would come in a help me scratch until the change of meds arrived. I did however have a problem with getting the change of meds, it took approx. 6 hours to have them changed, so imagine 6 hours of constant itching. The after care was actually given before the surgery took place, a packet was mailed to me and I understood all that was going to happen, nothing was a surprise, which was great and that gave me a chance to get together all the questions I had for the doctor prior to my first visit with him. All risks were addressed several times prior to surgery, they even checked my heart because at my weight I had a lot of pressure on my chest and they wanted to take precautions for that. I would rate Dr. Hocking a 9 on a scale from 1 to 10, my experience at Gainesville was excellent. I would have to say sugical competence was better than bedside manner because I didn't get to see him all the time I was in the hospital. I do want to express that when anyone goes to have surgery at Gainesville, that they read all the fine print. I went in very early and did not read everything and they do not explain all their payment requirements and they will not be flexible, so be careful of that, that would be my only complaint about Shands in Gainesville.

My Doctor was Dr.Michale P. Hocking in Gainesville,Florida

Dr Hocking was fantastic from the first time I met him. His office staff is wonderful. I live 360 miles from Gainesville, but whenever I have any problems or any questions all I have to do is email Dr Hocking and I always get a reply the same day I send the eamil... Dr Hocking is a very caring doctor and listens to whatever you have to say or answers however many questions you have... He does not rush you in and out of the office... I would recommend him to anyone and everyone. His surgical competence and bedside manner were both great... No complaints at all... I would recommend him and his staff to everyone.

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My doctor is still wonderful even after 5 months of surgery...Any questions all I have to do is email him and I get a response in less than 24 hours, usually less than 12 hours depending on the time I send it...
HE IS THE BEST........ :o)

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It's been a little over a year since my gastric bypass.. Dr Hocking is still just
as great as he was in the beginning... I
trust him so much that I drove 360 miles
to him so he could do my hernia repair and
my tummy tuck... His staff is great, as well
as the other doctors and nurses there... I
highly recommend him to everyone who asks
me about my surgery and who did it... HE IS
STILL THE BEST......
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My surgeon was Dr Michael Hocking at Shands Hospital, Univerity of Florida, Gainesville

I found Dr. Hocking and his entire staff to be supportive, imformative and caring.
His staff is wonderful. I found the residents under him to be of the same caliber as Dr. Hocking.
I found the visits in the hospital to be too brief.
He and his staff are awesome and reall care about the patient.
He is concerned about the patient before and after
Yes, and he has a nutritionist work with you and she had a class with me. I am able to call her at anytime for help.
Yes he addressed all the risks of surgery
Awesome doctor and check out his credentials, they are the best.

Both were great.

From the first consultation and to this day, I am very comfortable and confident in the capability of Dr. Hocking. My surgery was 7/26/2000 -- my life changed that day. Dr. Hocking is a godsend. He is kind and caring, and extremely competent. On a scale of 1-10, I would give him a 15. And if I had to do it all over again, I would still make the 2 hour drive to Gainesville to be under his care. All the interns under his guidance (escpecially Drs. Steinberg and Bonnell) were also wonderful. I had no complications, and feel wonderful. I felt comfortable with the level of knowledge I had about the surgery and its risks prior to the surgery. I feel completely comfortable with the level of aftercare. He is really good about responding to E-mail if you have a question or a problem. I found his staff to be very caring and competent. I have recommended Dr. Hocking to others and I will continue to do so.

Dr. Hocking is a very caring doctor and I would recommend him to everyone. Even after the surgery, he wants us to e-mail him with any questions or problems we may have and he answers back the same day or the following day. I live in Orlando (2 hours from his office in Gainesville) so it really makes it good for us that don't live so close. The nutritionist is also only a 1-800 phone call away.

He is a very competent doctor and he has a wonderful bedside manner...I would highly recommend him to anyone contemplating bypass surgery.

The only suggestion would be maybe more written information for after the surgery. Although we can go to him or the nutritionist for any questions, I think more information explaining everything after the surgery would be handy. Maybe a handbook with common questions or explanations of things that will be changing for us after the surgery....just general information. It's a real lifestyle change and it might help with all the changes. This is my own opinion for whatever it's worth.

Dr. Hocking is 10 on a scale of 1-10 and his office staff is also good...very supportive.

He has this very low pitched voice, very deep. My first visit was fine, he spent about 40 minutes answering questions. Sounds honest, did not rush me. It was hard to deal with scheduling, wasn't fun, but I guess part of it is the fact that they are State employees... But during my visit everyone was nice. I'll probably learn more after the pre-op and the surgery (scheduled 2/1/2001)

Dr. Hocking is a wonderful and kind doctor. The first visit to him he gave me his email address and told me if I had any questions to email him. I had a few and he answered them right away. His office staff is very friendly and at the time very short staffed. He has some excellent residents working with him as well. I would recommend him to anyone thinking about surgery.