Ronald Spier Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Spier seems to be a really fine surgeon if I am any indication. He tells you what you need to know and emphasizes aftercare. I love his sense of humor and am really happy that I found him. His office staff is also great, particularly Jan with insurance needs and Robyn with her knowledge of what to expect since she herself had the surgery. As far as I am concerned, both his bedside manner and surgical competence are tops.

i went to a support group meeting of dr. spiers' patients and i really liked dr. spier. he is straight forward like me and i like that! i am still frustrated in haveing to wait until march for my appointment though.
i ended up getting in in december on a cancellation. dr. spier was very staight forward. his staff seems nice.

I have met Dr. Spier at two consecutive support group meetings and we (my husband and I) had our consult with him on Apr. 6. On all occasions Dr. Spier has been very informative. Any time I ask a question, he responds with, "I'm glad you asked." Then he explains in detail in language I can understand. First impressions are that he is a little short with people and even a bit gruff. However, he really has a great sense of humor, and after the two support group meetings and the consult, I feel very comfortable with him and also think that he is a very accomplished surgeon. It makes me wonder why he is in little Springfield, Oh, and not with some big medical center. But I'm sooo happy he isn't. It helps with the caring attitude of his office and staff. Everyone has made us feel at home. And aftercare?? Let me tell you how impressed I am with that. He won't do surgery unless you agree to come to see him every 3 months for 4 years. Also, he comes to every support group meeting and spends an hour and a half of his time talking to us and answering questions. So far I would rate him very highly. We live in Findlay, Oh and could go to Bowling Green to have wls or Toledo to have the same surgery Dr. Spier does. Both of those are much closer to our home. We are both so impressed with Dr. Spier that we are happy to make that 2 hour drive. He sure doesn't sugarcoat the risks of surgery, but to me that's a plus not a negative. I want to know what I'm looking at before going in.

It's 5/8/01 and my opinion of Dr. Spier's insurance person is not nearly as high. She seems to be not only unsympathetic, but surprisingly unknowledgeable. I am still fighting my insurance company for approval. Dr. Spier's office staff knows that I cannot have this surgery until next summer if I cannot be scheduled sometime in June. And still they have not been helpful at all about the kinds of information I should send the insurance company. The insurance company has asked for more information and the surgeon's office couldn't even tell me what they had already sent for sure because they did not keep a copy of it. So I had to go back to my PCP and my OB GYN to get office notes again. I resubmitted them to my insurance company with the same info they already had, but said they still needed. I asked Dr. Spier's insurance person if I should send a detailed letter concerning my last ten years of dieting and health issues and she responded that normally that would be the next step after resubmitting these office notes. Well JEESH why would I wait for a NEXT TIME???? So I sent my letter along this time. Anyway, I am very frustrated, time is flying by, and I have learned more about insurance issues from this website and OSSG and from my surgeon's office. Again, very frustrating...just my own personal impressions, of course. Maybe my expectations are unrealistic, but I thought the surgeon's office would know all about how to get insurance approval quickly. Maybe I should be more upset with my insurance company???

6/23/01 Well, I had my preop testing and physical with Dr. Spier. I'm feeling very confident about him as a surgeon. He is so straight forward in his thinking and he talks to me in language I can understand. He's also ornery and has a great dry sense of humor. That's probably my favorite thing about him. He did my hubby's surgery on 5/21/01 so we go into see him together. My hubby is just as ornery, so the office visits are always lots of fun. My testing was on 6/18 and haven't heard anything, so I'm assuming everything was ok. My surgery is scheduled for 6/28 so I'll update you after. So far, can't recommend Dr. Spier enough.

dr spier was very direct and to the point.
he asked me do you have this problem,this problem,
and does this bother you. told me i qualify,
wrote a letter to my insurance,and boom here i am.
dr spier has been very patient with me through
some problems i have had and been very helpful.
his office staff is wonderful,very friendly and
quick to help you. the dr is very thurough and
schedules appointments regularly for after care
weekly,monthly,then every three months.i was and
am very happy with the care i have recieved
from dr spier.

Doctor Spier is a very likable guy...with a great sense of humor. I would def. recommend him to anyone considering the procedure. Office Staff very helpful. Four year follow up care...stressed this very much.

My very first visit with Dr. Spier was back in 1997 when he performed hernia surgery on me. At that time I didn't like his manerisms or his crash behavior towards me. I have since changed my opinion about him.He is a very caring and dedicated Dr. He has devoted all his time and energy to helping those who truly desire to take control of their life. He answers your questions to the best of his ability and if he can't he will steer you to someone who can.
His office is very caring and helpful. Robin, who has had this surgery herself, is extremely helpful. She has been there and knows what we go through.
His after care is extremely important to him. He wants you to visit every three months for 4 years after surgery. He stresses the importance of changing eating habits and exercise. Vitamins are also an important part of your every day ritual.
He addresses the risks of suegery just as he would any other type of surgfery and thaty is there is always a risk factor no matter what kind of surgery it is.
I would highly recomend Dr. Spier. He truly cares about his patients and their progress. Granted it is up to each individual to make the necessary changes in their life, but Dr. Spier is there for you.Once you get to know Dr. Spier you will come to like and respect him.

Well to be honest..I've only been to his office once..and he seemed to be a pretty nice and caring doctor. He did answer all my questions and was very frank with me about everything that could happen. I hear from others that he is an excellent surgeon.

I felt that he really cared and was just not in for the money he really cares.

His staff was very nice in helping me to get the right papers and to fill everything out.

He is a little forward in his talking.

I think so far that he would be highly recimended from me.

Aftercare , he is big on doing what he tells you at all times.

He did tell me about all the risks of the surgery but I have read about everything on the internet that I could have before I went to him.

So far A+
I will let you know that after my surgery

Dr. Spier was highly recommended to me by several people who had him as their surgeon for their surgery. He was also recommended by a family friend, who is an eye doctor. It says a lot to me when one doctor can give their vote of confidence in another doctor-they also sited his good reputation within the community. Just going to the support group meetings that he attends and listening to him I immediately felt he was an excellent choice. The office staff if friendly and helpful. Robyn on his staff has had the surgery-she is very knowledgable and you can identify with her because she has "been there". Dr. Spier is funny, he is very direct, and doesn't take too kindly to folks who don't do what he tells them to do. He will tell you so. He is a big advocate of aftercare. He is interested in his patients and wants to follow their progress-many "drop off the face of the earth", he would be happier if they didn't. To me he has one of those personalities that his "bark is bigger than his bite" - to some he may come off gruff but it's part of what makes his personality charming. Folks have told me similar stories so I expected it and it was easy to understand why they said it. If I had to rate Dr. Spier on a scale of 1-10 I would give him a 10!

Dr.Spier is direct and to the point. If you have a question he will do his best to answer it. His office staff is great and very efficient. He is a little too direct at times which make him seem uncaring but I assure you he cares about his patients. He doesn't like the wimpy type that would complain all the time.He pushes for after care, wants to see his patients on a regular basis for the first few weeks after surgery and then every three months. Then after awhile he will go to 6 months I think and then to once a year for the next four years.His after care program is great. Dr. Spier just wishes everyone would go the four years so he can keep up with their progress, and see if any changes need to be done. He needs to know if the surgery is successful for furture referance. I already knew the risk of surgery and we did not elaborate on it. Any surgery has it's risks. Dr. Spier is a very good doctor and I would recommend him to anyone wanting gastric bypass surgery. I think his surgical competance is more important, with him being so direct at times his bedside manner may offend some but if you don't take it personal he actually is a very funny and caring doctor.