R. Chad Halversen Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

My doctor was Chad Halverson in salt lake city Ut. He is very easy to talk to and has a wonderful scence of humor!

Rocky Mountain Associated Physicians - Salt Lake City, UT

He is great! Very easy to talk to and explains things well. He is part of a group of 4 physicians that specialize in bariatric surgery. They have all the aspects of the program set up.

Dr Halversen is very easy to talk to, he got right to the point and answered all of my questions. He made sure I new exactly what I was in for. I am very happy with my choice. I am however not 100% thrilled with the office staff, they need to realize that although they go through the procedures many times a day, it is my first and only time. I got the impression they did not have "time" for me. There were to many interuptions during my briefings.

Friday, July 14, I had my surgical consult with R. Chad Halversen of Salt Lake City, UT. I was very impressed with everyone I came in contact with at his offices which he shares with Drs. Goodman and Smith. My appt was at 9:00am and I was told to expect to be there 2 or 3 hours which was right on target. I was back in my car at 12:15. His offices are very nice and are in a building attached to St. Marks Hospital which is where the surgery will be done. The decor is "country mountain" if there is such a thing! Very cheerful, nice colors, lots of chairs, etc. The waiting room is more like a living room than a typical doctor's office. When I was called in by Ingrid, his nurse, she took me in a little room, weighed me, measured me and measured my wrist as well as taking my BP. The she took me to an examining room and had me watch a video for 25 minutes which was really excellent. After that, I was to put on a gown open in the front so the doctor could examine me...he did listen to my lungs and heart extensively, checked my reflexes (you know, the tap on the knee routine) and then he went over the medical history I had turned in to him. He took time to answer all my questions, told me I would be a good candidate for this surgery. When I was dressed again, I waited in the waiting room for a few minutes and then went over the insurance stuff with Gwen who starts the ins ball rolling. I was very comfortable with everyone there. One of things that I really like about Dr. Halversen is that he makes himself available to us by e-mail and actually answers it in a timely way and also that he asked me if he could call me "Libby" and then said, "And you will call me Chad, of course." First doctor in my life who ever said that except for my cats' vet! LOL!!

For what it is worth, the parking at St. Marks is crowded and when I got up to the door huffing and puffing in 100 degree heat, I saw a sign that said "valet parking" from 9:00 to 5:30 on weekdays. Had I realized that, I would have availed myself of that little perk.

Since I like about 300 miles north of Salt Lake, I will be down there probably a couple of days prior to surgery to do the pre-op stuff, 3-4 days in hospital, and then Chad said he would want me to stay in a motel for a couple of days after release to make sure all is well before tackling the drive home from there.

Included in the fees are all the followup appts for a year post surgery. There is a structured program of support services available and also a list of groups that meet in areas adjacent to Salt Lake..southeastern Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, etc.

We discussed the risks of surgery in particular blood clots (I said I wasn't interested in having any of those!!) and also was reminded that due to my sleep apnea and the use of CPAP, I may be in intensive care for several hours or a day and that no one was to freak out over that. They can just monitor us better there..I am all for that!

Surgical competence is more importatnt than bedside manner, BUT making patients feel comfortable and valued is a good adjunct to surgical competence. I felt highly respected while I was there and not like anyone was being judgmental about my obesity situation. That was very nice. Also there was a lot of laughter while I was there...that, too, is important to me.

He was great! I was referred to Rocky Mountain Physicians through a friend. But I still needed to make a decision on which of the doc's to choose. The reason I chose Dr. H was from the great comments listed here on this website. The great thing was when I met him I was pleasantly surprised that the info was correct. I really like him. THis is such a scarry life alterating step and he makes it seem a little less serious, although he is extremely concerned about the decision as well as the care he is giving. The only thing that was extremly difficult was the wait time. I usually wait at least 90 minutes up to 3 hours for my appoint. whether it be with Dr. H or his staff.

I have had a wonderful experience with Dr. Halverson, and honeestly have nothing negative to say about him. From the first appointment, my impression has been that he is genuinely interested in my thoughts and feelings, and continues to be incredibly supportive. He discussed the risks up front, and the possible negative effects of the surgery. He's very upfront with the pros and cons, and emphasizes that he can perform the surgery, but it's up to each patient to make it work. That means a commitment to support group meetings, regular office visits, keeping on the diet, excercising, etc. He and his staff are there for support and to answer questions, but they can't do it for you.

As far as Dr. Halverson's bedside manner is concerned, he's great at mixing medicine, compassion and humor. There's no question that he won't answer, and he takes the time to LISTEN. He really helped me put things into perspective when I was having cravings after surgery, and continues to be really positive about my progress.

I found Dr. Halverson to be a kind person, who cared about what I was feeling and in a way understood the difficulties that come with being obese. He explained everything to me and I felt I would be in good hands during surgery. My husband and daughter came with me and he took time to talk to my daughter about weight. She is thin and he explained to her that as she gets older she could have a weight problem like I do. I was glad that he would take the time to discuss this with her.

His office staff treated me nice and have been helpful with insurance information.

I felt comfortable with his surgical competence and I enjoyed his beside manner. Both were great.

Dr. Chad Halverson is a wonderful surgeon, as well as a super person. Him and his staff are kind, professional, and very organized.

After-care is very important, they have a dietitian on staff and counseling available. They also have a post-op newsletter that is mailed to you with updated information on diet and excersise.

I would highly recomend the entire staff at "Rocky Mountain Associated Physisians"
They have never treated me like a second class citizen!!

Dr. Chad Halverson was absolutely wonderful. He is associated with The Rocky Mountain Physicians Associated. He and his staff were so great. They handled all of the insurance and were more than willing to answer any and all of my questions. The day before surgery they have an orientation meeting and explain everything to you.
They told us all of the risk. They send follow up letters.
I would difinetly give him and his staff a big 10.
Both his bedside manner and his surgical competence get my vote. He never made you feel like you were wasting his time or that the question you asked was stupid.

I found him to be very up front and honest when speaking about morbid obesity.
He put myself and my husband at ease, answered all of our questions in terms that
we could understand. He does like to make jokes to help put you at ease and can
say that some were funny. His staff were kind and professional at all times.
They have been working with me trying to get my surgery ASAP. They put up with me
calling to see if they have my insurance papers yet even though they were told it
was ok'd by the insurance company. I have never had a Dr.'s office bend over backwards
to work with me and make me happy like they are doing.