Oregon Weight Loss Surgery Bariatric Center

4-02-01
Today I recieved my first packet of info to fill out. Will return in tomorrow's mail. and will fax it also, kept a copy for myself Anxious for the next level
5-29-01
Getting all the required test out of the way before I have my consultation,have had the physical,and blood work,psych.evaluation,and have met with the dietician.
6-19-01
Today I had my initial consultation with Dr. Patterson,I was surprised by how young she appeared to be and how little she was. But I really liked her she was very informative and answered all my questions that I had and explained all the procedures that she does so that I could make a good choice for the type of surgery for me. The office staff was very nice also,I had a chance to meet and talk with Amber Rochon the coordinator and with Sandy who has had the surgery and is now recovering from her TT is was nice to be able to talk with someone who has had the surgery and can tell you what to expect she also visits all the patients in the hospital and is also involved with the support group, overall I would give them very high marks at this point. They explained the aftercare and it is very thorough,also all of the risks involved with the surgery was also discussed.

Dr. Patterson seems to be a no-nonsense doctor. The first visit was straight forward and very business like. I actually appreciated that as I was anxious and embarrassed and didn't want alot of chit chat. I did have to wait a significant time (she had to visit someone in the hospital and the first patient of the day was late so she was way backed up).

She has a whole program outlined, from pre-op to longterm post-op. Ileft feeling that I knew exactly what I had to do and exactly what was going to happen next. That's good for me.

She will be doing the operation laproscopically so there was a good amount of discussion about the surgury itself and the risks.

I did have to take off my clothes for an examination - wan't really expecting that for the first meeting.

The biggest surprize was SHE PUT ME ON A DIET!! I really didn't see that one coming. But it makes sense and it makes the wait for surgury a little easier. It's a very low fat low carbo high protein diet consisting mostly of protein powder drinks. It's so strict I'm actually looking forward to the food after surgury!

I would rate her 9 out of 10 at this point.

My impression of Dr. Emma Patterson was that she was the most awesome lady I have ever met!! she is very understanding and has the up most respect for all her patients. As for her medical assistant Amber........I'm not sure how to react to her, my personal oppinion is you know how you meet someone and either you like them or not? well, I dont think she liked me, I feel that she has held me up on getting my surgery sooner, I would call and she would not return my calls for days at a time, I think the biggest problem is that she is the only assistant for three surgeons and she is very busy trying to help us all! I think maybe they should consider hiring someone part time to help her.I do feel that the rescheduling of the surgery has had something to do with her!! I do know that she did finally follow thru with my Ins. papers and has fulfilled her job and I think that there are alot of other people who have had nothing but a great experience with her!! I just think that I was one of those people that didnt click with her :-( Dr. Patterson has a great aftercare program that includes water arobics and weight training and a plan on what to eat and what protein and vitamins to take and how much. She explained the risks very clearly and to me the risk is worth taking!! I would give Dr. Patterson a 10!! like I said earlier not only is she a wonderful lady she has great bedside manner and is very skilled with performing the surgery!!

Competent and capable.

No.

Surgery Scheduler is excellent. Difficult getting prescription refills is my only complaint.

Nothing.

They are extremely busy.

Proportionate to the need.

Very structured.

Thoroughly.

Without parallel.

Both are appropriate to the need.

Upon first meeting with Dr. Patterson, she was very friendly. She asked me what I knew about the surgery and the risks. I told her the information that I knew. Then she asked me which of the 3 procedures that she performs, was I interested in. I told her the RNY. She then focused on that surgery only and laid out all the risks and percentages of weight loss, and such. She was very helpful. Even when you get up on the table and she examines you (even your fat tummy), she didn't make me feel self - contious at all. And she was supportive in the fact that I had already lost 5 lbs. in the 2 weeks from the meeting with the dietician, until I walked into her office that day.

I will update more as my progress advances.

:-)

I just received the following email message from Dr. Welker:
<< I would recommend contacting Dr. Emma Patterson at Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland. I am taking a clinical sabbatical and will not be available for consultations. I am sorry for the considerable inconvenience this has caused. >>

Now I have to start all over again. Right now, I just feel as though I’m not going to be able to switch my paperwork over to Dr. Patterson quickly enough for her to be able to see me on the same date that I was originally supposed to see Dr. Welker.
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I have not met Dr. Welker face to face. He responds personally to email inquiries laser fast. He also deletes the email after responding to them. Unfortuately, he forgot to pass my name onto his office staff for the purpose of creating a file and setting up an appointment. This delayed my initial appointment by about a month.
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When I finally spoke with him by phone, we spent over 45 minutes. He seems to be very candid and does not hold back. This is good because it leaves little unexplained. He combines this honesty with a very approachable demeanor so that I did not feel reluctant to ask him anything.
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I have contacted him about the horrendous flip-flopping my HMO has done and asked his advice. He wrote a scathing response about how HMO's are not 'managing' health care but 'mis-managing' patient health care. He went on to say that he does not know how much longer he can continue to see patients that have Medicare HMO's or straight Medicare.
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I believe he is sincere in his belief that we have no 'patients' rights' with HMO's and yet, he also feels conflicted over how this will effect his practice as well.
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I have a higher respect for Dr. Welker than other physicians I have known and worked with in a hospital emergency room. He is approachable and responds with honesty and directness that is rare. My only concern is what people will do if he stops accepting Medicare assignments.

She has an incredible bedside manner with such a warm personality. I would recommend her to anyone and I have. :) She is very caring about the surgery and about the people. She was very thourough in discussing the different types of surgerys and the risks. I feel very confident in her abilities.

I saw dr. patterson on nov. 17. since this is her specialty i feel very comfortable having her do my surgery. she was also at my first group meeting and has a great personality and when i watched her interaction with her pts. i began to respect her even more. she presents herself as a real person and does not make an obese person feel like a failure. she thinks we all have the potential with her help and the surgery as a tool to really change our lives. during the group meeting she went over the preop info and risks of surgery then i listened to the postop pts and was able to learn even more about what to expect.

My first impression of her was she was too young to be a real Doctor. However, she gave me her full attention and willing answered all my questions. By the end of my first visit I was ready to go ahead with this wonderful lady.

Her staff were very polite and answered all my preliminary questions. The program coordinator Amber was really great. I could tell she really wants this to work for every person that goes this direction with their weight problem.