Fredrick Harris Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

My first impression of my surgeon was WOW!
He had a gastric done as well and was a living example of what I was going to be going through. I still have that impression of him. He is wonderful and so is his Staff. I can't say that there is anything I liked least about him. He is down to eath and tells it like it is. He has a wonderful sense of humor nad makes you feel like a real poerson when he talks to you. Dr. Harris has been through the surgery himself so he has GREAT Empathy for what we are going through and can understand from a personal level. When he says" I know exactly how you feel" it isn't just words. HE has a very structured after care program and he insists that you follow it. He has a personal dietition that you will work with as well. One of his nursing staff are assigned to you while you have your stay at the hospital. They REALLY care about you and your well being as a whole. I would give him a rateing of 100. Everything was GREAT abouat the surgeon and his staff. I wouldn't trade any of them for any other.....

My first impression of Dr,Harris was that he was very very knowledgable and very very compentent. My impression has not changed since surgery. He would be the only one that I would consider doing my surgery. His office staff is FANTASTIC. They are there for you in any way that you could possibly need them. Dr. Harris is a man of few words. They have a very structured after care program. The risks of surgery were very well addressed. Dr. Harris is a very skilled and competent surgeon. I feel he is a top surgeon in his field. His surgical competence is better, as I said Dr. Harris is a man of few words. But I wouldn't trust any one more.

Dr. Harris first came to see me at my home in Nebraska. I weighed 1072 lbs and was near death at the time. His concern and compassion was striking even at the time, when I was so sick I was unaware of alot. But he was also very intelligent about exactly what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it.
As I got to know Dr. Harris in the hospital, I found him to be almost obsessive compulsive about his patients and the care tey received. That is the kind of doctor I was looking for...someone who knew what needed to be done and was willing to do it.
I first met Dr Harris in June, 2004. In the year I have been associated with him and his office, I have found him and his extremely competent staff to be knowledgable on a great deal of subjects to do with bariatrics, and his record as a surgeon is superb. I entered the hospital on June 9, 2004, and had lost 421 lbs in the first 10 weeks. Surgery was in October, 2004, and I have lost a total of 573 lbs as of this writing.
Anyone who needs bariatric surgery in the area surrounding Sioux Falls, SD should definitely seriously consider Dakota Surgical and Dr Fred Harris for the job. In my opinion, no one is more competent in the area.

He seems very professional and that he knows what he is doing. I think that his staff and nurses are very good they are extremly nice and want to help you as much as they can. I haven't had the surgery yet, but I have heard nothing but very good things about him. I trust him completly.

I met Dr. Harris Jan 7th 2005 and I really liked him. He seemed to me to really care about each one of us and said that if the insurance refused me that he personally would appeal. I was very impressed with him. He has had the surgery done and had the same problem that I have, weakening knees. It just seemed to me that he understood about me, and I just instantly liked him. His staff is great too. The dietician was a blast. I was with her for 2 1/2 hours and it was a great time. The insurance girls at his office were great too. They go thru this process with every one day after day, but i felt like they were doing it for the first time with me., I was very impressed!! He told me he would see me the day before surgery ( which i havent been approved for yet nor have we scheduled yet.) I feel very comfortable with him and i have great trust in him that he will do as good for me as he has the many others that he has done.

I had my surgery in 1997 and had MAJOR complications. I almost died from post-op pnuemonia and have battled numerous other problems. I do not know that my problems were caused by him, but I don't believe I would recommend him to anyone else at this point.

I am sure that his procedure has changed since I had my surgery.

I was unfortunately a problem case! I had my surgery done by a surgeon in Minneapolis, MN and with his permission came to my parents in South Dakota to recover. 4 days later I was rushed to Avera Mckennan Hospital in Sioux Falls, SD with severe complications. Dr.Harris was the surgeon that came to my rescue! He has performed a total of 4 surgeries on me now and I call him my life saver! He is 100% the reason I am still alive. He is a very wonderful and smart physician and can be short and to the point but also can be fun to joke around with, I trust him with any medical problem I have. His office staff is wonderful, Kay and Sheila are great at helping me out with even the dumbest of questions, they are always supportive. Kristen is a wonderful dietician and always answers my questions. They are all great and getting back to me when I call and the entire office staff is always friendly. I rate him and his staff an 11 out of 10!

I first saw Dr. Harris at his seminar. He came across as very confident in himself and the work that he does. He's very short and to the point.

His office staff is wonderful and very helpful. At my first consult with them they were there to help walk me through the different steps of getting approved and answer any questions I had.

My first meeting w/Dr. Harris was at his seminar where he spent 2 1/2 hrs. describing the different procedures of WLS. He was very knowledgeable, and it was interesting to note that he had also had WLS a couple of years before. He was very no-nonsense, even though he did display a dry sense of humor. I have found over the years that surgeons generally have no bedside manners. Any questions I had, he answered them, and in our one-on-one meeting, I didn't feel rushed at all. Anytime I have called his office to speak with one of his nurses, they have all been prompt in getting back with me.

He was very passionate about the degree of after-care he and his staff provided following WLS.

Overall, I would rate him as a great choice for performing this procedure.

Dr. Frederick Harris is pleasant and knowledgable. He is quick and to the point, but this did not bother me in the least as it only confirmed his decisive, in control nature. His staff is wonderful-assistant Jennifer, nurses Kay and Sheila, dietician Kristin, and everyone else I had contact with in his office, from beginning to present, were professional and caring.
Everything from surgery risks to aftercare were explained thoroughly and any questions addressed head-on.
I would rate Dr. Harris, on a scale of 1-10, a 10 in surgical competence AND bedside manner.