James D. Atkinson Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

My first imprtession was of a very intelligent doctor. Easy to talk to. The best thing about him was his bedside manner. He actually came in at 3:00am to check up on me as he was worried when my blood sugar levels wouln't go down past 300.rnrnI have seen him ina user support group, and my opinion of him has not changed. a wonderful, excellent, doctor and human being.

He's the best! He and his office answered every question, no matter how absurd, and were informative and friendly throughout the entire process!

My sister and her two daughters all had Dr. Atkinson as their surgeon and loved him. I've met him twice for pre-op stuff ... and he is very caring and professional. rnrnDr. Atkinson seems to very friendly and I look forward to having him as a person to look to for times of trouble and in times of successes in my weight loss journey. rnrnThe Surgical Weight Control Center's staff .... well I think they are trying to become better at what they are doing. I have dealt with them for over two years and heard both good and bad things about them. I'm not sure if I have formulated an opinion about them or not. rnrn<a href=\"http://www.bandandbypass.com/ourpractice/atkinsonbio.shtml\"> Here is his bio from the Surgical Weight Loss Center's website</a>rnrnJames D. Atkinson, MD rnrnBorn and raised in Las Vegas, Dr. Atkinson earned his bachelor’s degree from Portland State University in Portland, Oregon. Upon returning to Nevada, he received his medical degree from the University of Nevada-Reno. rnrnDr. Atkinson began his surgical residency training in 1995 at University Medical Center in Las Vegas, and served as Chief Resident in Surgery in 2000. While at UMC, he trained in bariatric surgery with Dr. Barry Fisher.rnrnUpon completing his surgical residency, Dr. Atkinson joined a busy general surgery group where he focused on advanced laparoscopy. rnrnDr. Atkinson is a Diplomat of the American Board of Surgery and has been an active member of Medical Societies nationally and locally, including the American Medical Association, Nevada State Medical Association, and the Clark County Medical Society. rnrnDr Atkinson has had great interest in bariatric surgery since his involvement as a Chief Resident, and is delighted to be working with Dr. Fisher and Bariatric patients again.rn

I am one of the lucky ones to have know my surgeon personally for many years. I trust him implicitly and know that he will do the best he can for me and that is important with all of the health complications that I have. He is very imformative and helpful and is easy to discuss any and all matters with and takes any concerns very seriously. He teaches his techniques worldwide so knows his business well.

I just met Dr. Atkinson for the first time last Tuesday, he was very nice. The office was very busy but he made me feel as though we had all day. I feel very comfortable with him doing my surgery and cannot wait!! Was November 7th but they were so fast it got moved to October 26th!!
I love my doctor! He is so compassionate and understanding!

Dr. Atkinson is very kind, dedicated and extremely knowledgeable. The office staff are busy but helpful. I still don't feel like I have enough information to make this successful, but honestly, that's just me. They provided us with a ton of info, I'm just scared.

Dr. Atkinson was excellent. Was very attentive. Office staff is wonderful, very adept at navigating the insurance obstacles.
I like the emphasis placed on the aftercare part of the program.
Overall, my experience was great. Dr. Atkinson and staff surpassed my expectations.

I had a very high first impression of Dr. Atkinson.

My impression of Dr. Atkinson hasn't chaned over time.

Dr. Atkinson's office staff is the best; they were very helpful.

Nothing.

Future patients should know that they are in good hands with Dr. Atkinson. I worried way more than necessary.

Yes

Yes

10

Both

Dr. Atkinson came highly recommended and I found him to be thorough, caring and with a good sense of humor.

My Impression has not changed

His office staff is quite competent but seemingly a bit overworked.

I didn't dislike anything about him. I could better describe what I did like. Very unhurried, explained things fully. Encouraged questions.

The entire process from beginning to end is structured. Prior to meeting with him you must attend a seminar given by him and his partner, Dr. Fisher. It is 2-3 hours and very informative. This is not an option. There is a group meeting at the office where the PA talks about the procedure and answers questions. One person handles the insurance and explains that part of it. Another staff member has had the surgery and also askes questions. You are given a list of the medical tests you must have prior to meeting with the Dr. After that, you meet one on one and schedule your surgery date. Finally, the day before surgery you attend another meeting to explain what will happen in the hospital. You MUST bring your support person to this meeting. If you don't your surgery will be cancelled.

They have a great aftercare program including support groups that meet in person and on the internet.

I guess I'll rate him further AFTER the surgery which is scheduled July 7th.

As for the last question, surgical competence is a must have....good bedside manner is a plus.

A very nice man and he made me very comfortable.

I still think he's a great guy and now I know he's also a great surgeon. :-)

The office staff is wonderful, though sometimes hard to get callbacks from as they are very busy.

The thing I liked least about Dr. Atkinson is he is a bit more reserved than Dr. Fisher. He doesn't get quite as passionate about WLS as Dr. Fisher does.

Aftercare is highly emphasized and encouraged and there is a great program set up through the office.

Dr. Atkinson explained the risks of surgery well and I'd give him an overall rating of 9 out of 10.

Both his surgical competence and his bedside manner were great.