Donald Scholten Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Scholten is a wonderful man, who has shown that instead of judging the obese he wants to help us.
My impression of Dr. Scholten continues to grow as I continue to get my life back.
All of the members of the office are polite and willing to help in any way possible.
There is nothing to dislike about Dr. Scholten. He is very professional and personal with his patients.
That he is here for us. We are important to him.
Aftercare is the most important time. I believe Dr. Scholten realizes this.
No
He answered all of my questions, usually with some sort of proof.
On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the top.....He's an 11!!!!!!
Both are important. It all starts with first impressions.

Dr Scholten was very kind and took time with me to explain the surgury to me. His staff is great.One problem was i waited 2 hours to see him but it will be worth the wait

Dock was wonderful. He is very tender-hearted and understanding.
He answered most of my questions before I could ask him.

My first appointment with Dr. Scholten is March 23, 2000. I hope all goes well.

First impression- I don't think I followed what he thought were the "correct" things to address at a primary meeting. I had heard how unrushed he was and I found that to pretty much be the case. The staff were very friendly and helpful and I definitely believe that they want to help answer any and all questions. The office provides an extensive manual for you to read prior to surgery and in it it talks about what the initial appointment will include. The manual says that you will meet with the clinic coordinator and the nutritionist in addition to the surgeon, but that did not happen. I had prepared a fair number of specific diet questions and after surgery questions and was told we would get to that in good time (not at this appt.) That is what I meant by I don't think I followed his agenda. The main reason I decided to pick Dr. Scholten is that he seems to be the most medically based program near me in MI. First impressions of other Drs. (for ex.BTC) was that it was a lot of sales. They sent out glossy brochures of before and after pics. with minimal procedure information vs. Dr Scholten who sent a basic computer generated manual (approx 30 pages) of just guidelines, diet info., before and after care etc. Along with this he has you "jump" through a lot of "hoops" before he will even schedule an appt. with you. As much as I HATED the wait, it gave me even more reason to believe he wasn't just a slick salesperson. For example most Drs. require a psych. eval after you do your initial consult with them, but before your surgery. Scholten makes you do this before he will even meet with you. He cannot emphasize enough the need for good longterm continuing care, and appears to be active in the local support group. He emphasizes that although he can do the surgery, he cannot be your cook, personal trainer, or therapist..... i.e. YOU need to address how you eat, how you think, and the need to exercise. Overall 10/10 beside and information giver. Will add more when more happens with me.

I have been very happy with my treatment. Dr. Scholten is caring and very detail oriented, and is able to explain everything to my satisfaction. The nurses in his office are fun to deal with, and I have no complaints. Nothing surprised me when I went through the procedure, I was throughly prepared by him and his staff. I would recommend him to a family member.

My only complaint was with the hospital. I was put in a room with a senile old lady, and not in a private room as requested. When walking the halls I found another patient who I could have roomed with who had surgery the same day.

My first impression of Dr Scholten was that he was friendly, competent and experienced with this surgical procedure. This opinion never changed. His staff is highly organized and friendly though they seemed overworked. I had complications after surgery and Dr Scholten was very kind and comforting whenever he came in to check on me. The only real complaint I have is that after the surgery Dr Scholten & his staff seemed to me to be too busy to fully answer my questions. Sometimes I felt as if they viewed me as a pest. I was not a complainer & only called twice when I was in very serious condition. I did not continue aftercare because it seemed like Dr Scholten & his staff were too busy to answer my questions.I was having a problem with my diet soon after surgery and called the diatician & she cut me off as soon as she answered the phone to say she was on an important call & would call me back. She did not - nor did she respond to the next message I left. In retrospect - I should have made a greater effort to communicate this to Dr Scholten and/or his staff. I did not feel the aftercare was as good as the pre-surgery care. I don't know what I would have done without the help of others who have had this surgery. In my opinion,there did not seem to be enough structure to the aftercare in the 4 months following surgery - before I dropped out. Dr Scholten & his staff did an excellent job of informing me of the risks of the surgery.I would give Dr Scholten and "A" for surgical competence and bedside manner in-hospital but a c- for aftercare. I think that surgical competence is the most important and a good bedside manner is a definite plus. Aftercare is very important to me also!

What a nice guy. He is warm, very friendly and very straightforward. He leans against the wall when he listens to you, as if not in any great hurry to get out of the room, if you know what I mean. When he did my endoscope, he was very attentive, and very, very, on schedule. When I was turning onto my side for the test to begin, he put my pillow under my knees, between my knees for comfort! Now that's attentive! His staff is very knowledgeable, and his nurses are great. He & his staff have been very helpful, organized, and straightforward with the changes that I am going to experience. I am looking forward to the surgery with confidence in him, his staff, and myself.

Dr. Scholten is a very caring and knowledgeable man. He has done many of these surgeries with great success. He is a skilled surgeon and I trust him implicitly. Whenever I go back for a post-op visit, he always remembers me and notes my progress. He truly does care about his patients. If you are looking for a surgeon, he is the one!

UPDATE: JAN.27 2000

I was able to see Dr. Scholten today because I sent in all my records and got my Psysological evaluation done, and attended my first support group meeting and they had a cancellation ,so with all my records ect. ready I was able to get in early.. It pays to get as much done ahead of time as you can on your own..The staff at Dr. Scholtens' office are all very friendly and helpful .

Dr. Scholten sat down with my husband and I and explained the different procedures that he might use depending on my physical condition at the time of surgery. I had previous by-pass surgery in the 70's with a rehook in the 80's also I had resections of the intestines twice so this makes my surgery a little more complicated ,but praise God Dr.Scholten has agreed to take me on as a patient..Now we wait for my insurance approval and then they will do my pre op testing. and if all goes well with the tests I will get a surgery date.

So far I have found a great deal of information and had all my questions answered to my satisfaction by the doctor and his staff.They are committed to your health and safety and your aftercare and it is all outlined in their booklet that they send you when you make your first appointment with them.. A1 is my rating at this time..