Michael Hocking Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

I haven't met him yet but we have emailed. I have an appointment for my initial consult on Sept. 27, 2002. I already "love" him and have decided, without even meeting him, that he will be my surgeon.

His office staff has already made a wonderful impression on me. I can't wait to meet them.

He is very nice and answers his e-mail promptly. I went with my sister who had an appointment with him and asked if he would see me. He agreed but would not take my case until after I met with him. His schedule is very full and he wasn't taking any new patients. After meeting with him he agreed to take me as a new patient. He answers any questions you have. I'm very confident that he knows what he is doing. I talked with his staff and he performs more than 75 of these surgeries each year. I checked him out through the Fla. Dept of Business Regulation and he has not been sued or fined or had anything negative in the last 10 years. This was really good news. He has a very structured after care program but it is up to you to follow through. His personnel appear to be very experienced and knowledgeable. He talked about the risk of the surgery but did not scare me. It's like any surgery, there are risks. I would rate him at least an 8 out of 10. I'll know more after the surgery. He emphasized aftercare as being as important as the surgery. I did not find anything about him I did not like. I asked him why he did not perform the surgery by scope. He was honest and told me he was 50 years old, past the curve, and did not want to experiment on his patients. That he was comfortable with the open surgery and did not want to change. That spoke volumes to me. An honest doctor. I believe both surgical competence and bedside manner are very important. Dr. Hocking appears to have both pre-op, we'll see post-op after August 22. I do not know how he finds the time to see patients, perform 1, 2 or 3 surgerys per week and still answer his e-mail, but he does. I have never had any surgery so of course, I'm scared. He made me feel that I was in good hands. Pray for me. Thanks.

I had done a lot of research on WLS and on surgeons in Florida. Shands Hospital and Dr. Michael Hocking in Gainesville came highly recommended. I feel that I have the best surgeon available and have every confidence in him.
I arrived for my initial consult exactly on time (12 noon)and was greeted by a very friendly, professional, efficient staff. I filled out some forms and was taken to an exam room within 15 minutes. I was weighed by a very nice woman whose name I did not get. She measured my height and pushed down a little too hard on my head and took 1/2 an inch off of my usual height but I forgive her! She took my blood pressure and calculated my BMI. Her attitude was friendly, upbeat and supportive.
I waited for Dr Hocking in the exam room for about 25 minutes. Bless his heart, he really isn't accepting new patients and I think that he squeezed in my appointment during his lunch hour. I feel so fortunate to have him as my surgeon that I did not mind the wait at all, though I would have liked something to read while I waited.
I am very compulsive about research and documentation and prior to seeing Dr Hocking I had sent him a folder which included:
1. A personal statement as to why I need/ want the surgery
2. A letter from my psychiatrist stating that I am psychologically sound
3. Several referral letters from various physicians (gynecologist, PCP, dermatologist, previous surgeon, etc...)
4. Detailed history of previous weight-loss attempts with dates/weights/Dr's names...
5. A copy of my latest CBC showing elevated levels of blood glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides
6. Brave and VERY unflattering photos of me in a bathing suit( front, side and rear!)

Dr. Hocking was very impressed with the folder and took the time to go over it with me. We talked in general about my overall health and my family health history and then he spent over an hour with me addressing specific questions and concerns. His nurse, Venetia, sat in during most of the session, and added further information and insights. I found Dr. H.and his entire staff friendly, supportive, very accessible and very professional. A completely "10" experience.

I have been communicating with Dr. Hocking at Shands and he has been very kind. He has promptly responded to every e-mail I have sent to him. He is not accepting any patients right now unless there are extenuating circumstances, but he has agreed to take me! I have an initial consultation on 5/24/02 and I look forward to meeting him. I feel like he is an old friend.

I had a problem with waiting until May 24 for my initial consultation due to work issues and Dr. Hocking changed my date to 4/16/02. He is the greatest! He is understanding and kind. I have nothing bad to say about him or his staff!

I am scheduled for 5/23/02 for the surgery!

Dr. Hocking was wonderful. First off, I have Health Option which is pulling out of Shands this month, March 2002. In order to be covered by the insurance I had to be established at Shands by March 15th. I was orginally scheduled to see Dr. Rout at Shands but he could not see me till July 2002. A friend of mine had used Dr. Hocking in 1999 and remains very good friends with him. He is no longer taking new patients but agreed to see me. That in itself says alot. Anyway he was wonderful, did not rush me or make me wait he was right on time. Answered all my questions and even gave me his e-mail and said e-mail me anytime with any questions. His staff was very patient and helpful too. He said he felt like I would have no problem being approved and expected to know in about 3 weeks. He said he was scheduling about 2 mts out. I was very pleased with my vist with Dr. Hocking and feel that I am in good hands.

He has good bedside manner. My impression has changed for the better
office staff very supportive
no negs
even after my surgery I can still e-mail him with any questions or concerns and theyre answerd rght away.
The truth
Both

01/15/02 - I had originally contacted the office of Dr. Marema, but have since changed my mind and will now have Dr. Hocking as my surgeon. I sent an email requesting information and have since had several contacts with Dr. Hocking via email. I am very impressed with these contacts. I have an initial appointment scheduled with him on 01/25/02.
02/16/02 - My meeting with Dr. Hocking went even better than anticipated. He spent over an hour and a half with my husband and me answering our questions and explaining his perspective. He is a great listener, answers questions directly, and provides detailed information. His responses were thorough in every area, although due to the length of time that we talked, he did defer many of my remaining questions about post-op nutrition to the nutritionist, which was completely appropriate. I have since contacted her by email. She responded to my questions promptly and followed up with detailed printed information through the mail. I am highly impressed with Dr. Hocking and his entire staff, and this comes from a person who is not easily impressed by doctors.

My first impression of him was that he was a very nice, very caring person. He explains everything to you in detail. He listens when you have questions, and answers them. He takes time to talk to you, and make you feel as comforatable as possible. I would highly recommend him to anyone seeking to have this surgery done. Overall, his office staff is pretty nice. He had an assistant named Raquel that worked with him that wasn't very nice, and I had a post op problem that she didn't think was significant enough to tell the Dr about, and wouldn't give me an appointment. Because of her, I have an ugly scar that would not have been visible at all. So, if your incision pops open, go back and demand to see the Dr. Raquel told me to put a bandage on it and it would be fine. Which it was, but healed ugly. I don't think she works for him anymore after I told him what happened. He really emphasizes after care. In my opion, he was GREAT! His surgical competence, and his bed side manner were both exellent. I would, and have, recommended him to friends and family.

He has propmtly answer my e-mails and referred me to his secreatry.

Dr. Hocking was quite reassuring and confident.
He informed me that I had \"done my homework\" and
was quite informed. He felt I had taken the proper steps
and the \"time was right for me\".
I felt at ease and confident with Dr. Hocking and
he made my consultation quite easy. His staff
is just the same and make you feel right at home and
quite comfortable.
The surgery was discussed as were the risks.
I would rate Dr. Hocking and his staff as being
excellent in not only their professionalism, but
also their thoughtfulness and consideration of their
patients feelings.

Sent Dr. Hocking an E-mail yesterday, 2 of them in fact.
He was most courteous and replied promptly. His encouragement
seems to be a big help. NOW of all times, I am coming down with
bronchitis and more questions. Well, better now than at surgery time!