Thomas Stellato Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I met with Dr Stellato in the beggining of April 2002. He was direct and to the point and very detail oriented. He answered all my questions and did not hurry. He has guidelines he expects his patients to follow, no weight gain, must attend one of his support meetings before surgery, must begin an exercise program. I did not meet his nurse at that time but spoke with her via the phone and she was very pleasant to deal with. Dr Stellato did address all aspects of the surgery and the risks associated with it. I look forward to working with this doctor toward my weightloss goal and feel comfortable with his record of success.

6/17/02 first follow up appt and two week check up...staples removed. Dr Stellato was very supportive and encouraging explaining the healing process and what to expect. He seems less stern post op and even patted me on the back when passing me in the hall after my exam. I feel as if he is in this for the patient all the way...would recommend him to anyone...

Very stern. Thought he was a bit overbearing at first. Now realize that he's just concerned about his patients, and that they realize the seriousness of the surgery, and that this is a lifetime commitment.

My impression of Dr. Stellato changed as I continued to listen to what he has to say.

The staff is terrific. Especially Kathy Crouse and Carol.

Least liked his abrasiveness.

All patients should know to be honest with Dr. Stellato. Do what he instructs you to do, to the letter.

He's all about patient care and safety. This is one surgeon who's not in it for the money as much as he really cares about obese patients.

About the after care program. Yes! I understand that Dr. Stellatos' after care program lasts for two years. I've even heard that he calls you at home following surgery to see how you're progressing.

Dr. Stellato laid the risks of surgery right on the line. This is why he has such strict guidelines for no additional weight gain, get exercise, and eat right.

I have not had surgery as of yet, so it's too early to tell abount Dr. Stellato overall. I'm still waiting for the insurance approval from QualChoice HMO. I've only met Dr. Stellato once. I will be attending a group seminar on Monday, June 3rd, 2002.

Can't answer about competence or bedside manner yet.

These comments are feelings that I have experienced. They in no way are intended to reflect how another person would experience their relationship with Dr. Stellato. In my personal opinion, he's a very caring man and an accomplished surgeon.

I went to his informational meeting 2/18 and met the Doctor. I was very impressed by University Hospitals program. The staff seemed knowledgable and dedicated to gastric bypass.

4/16- I met with him & Cathy for my consultation- they treated me with respect and patience. Cathy kept asking if I had any more questions. The doctor was wonderful. He did check my stomach, my hernia and a breast exam (which I heard is normal.) He went over my history and problems. They were very thorough. I went straight back to the room when I got there and they came in right away.

My first impression of Dr. Stallato was he is very to the point yet, very caring and compassionate. I've been to see him and his nurse Kathleen and his secretary Carol. I feel very safe in their hands. After talking with them and the Dr. I am much calmer about my decision and I feel its the best one I have made for myself. I am more then happy with my surgion and His staff. Dr. Stallato has a Two year after-care program, He expects his patient to be determined. I would recommended Dr. Stallato to anyone interested in WLS surgery. I will update more as I go along. I've not had surgry yet..but soon...

I thought he was very nice and very informative. He took his time and answered all of my questions. His staff was wonderful. He has an assistant named Cathy that always got back to me right away with all of my questions. The thing I liked least was at first he didn't seem very friendly. He was very serious. After the surgery, he jokes a little bit and has relaxed a little bit. I guess he didn't want me to get the wrong impression about the surgery. It is a very serious surgery and it truly is life altering. He really stresses after care and going to the support meetings. They even have post op support meetings at UH and they mail out an invitation to your home to keep you informed. He was very serious about the risks. He even told us about a few deaths and really stressed the importance of moving so you don't get blood clots. I would say Dr. Stellato is an excellent surgeon and Dr. I think you need a competent surgeon first and beside manner second. It's really great if you have both and I think that's the case with Dr. Stellato. There is only one negative thing I have to say....
I suffered from depression very badly after the surgery because I had a lot of complications and he really didn't help me with that. He kept telling me to call my primary Dr. and see if they could help me. They also never really told me that depression is a very common side effect from this surgery. After talking to post op patients a lot of them have suffered from depression. I just wish that I would have known more about it.

Dr. Thomas Stellato, board certified bariatric
surgeon of University Hospitals of Cleveland
did my surgery on July 18, 2000.




He is the chief
of general surgery and is very competent and
highy respected by his peers.




He seems to have a strong
desire to help morbidly obese patients find
healthy, successful lifestyles.







Dr. Stellato appears to be interested
in helping the morbidly obese rather
than his major focus being money involved in doing the surgery.


This was different from my experience w/ doctors from another hospital in Cleveland that also does WLS. They would not "touch" my insurance (Medicare) due to what they said what my lack of "proper" co-morbidities required to meet the Medicare criteria set up for WLS patients.



(DR STELLATO DID NOT HESITATE in trying to work w/ me on the insurance coverage. I did have to sign a document saying that I would make monthly pmts in case Medicare did NOT cover my WLS, WHICH THEY DID after Dr Stellato's office appealed it for me)**
He does not seem to have $$$ as his primary focus in performing WLS.




I developed complications after the surgery.
Vertigo was the main "culprit."




Dehydration,
low potassium levels, etc were also problems.

I had ongoing physical and emotional problems for many months after surgery. I am now at one yr post op and I still have severe bouts w/ vertigo .




Dr Stellato followed my progress but referred me to my
PCP for follow up treatment.



Quality of care while a patient on the 9th floor post op was extremely poor. By this I mean the nursing staff (nursing assts, desk help, etc). A few of the RN's seemed to be compassionate and gave quality care yet many were not.
Dr Stellato, Carol and Cathy Crause were all excellent and acted in very professional manners at all times.




Registered dieticians are available to help w/ your food
plan when discharged and afterwards. They were most helpful w/ all the questions that I had pre op and also post op.



The hospital, itself seems to be
understaffed and overloaded w/ patients most
of the time. UH lacks the personal, caring atmosphere found at many smaller hospital facilities.




**Please note that the opinions I have expressed here are MINE and not necessarily those of others who have had WLS at UH of Cleveland.**

Very sincere, staff was very informativeI did not dislike anything about the Dr. Feels aftercare is very important. Went over all the risks and then some

My first encounter with Dr.Stellato was at a support meeting at University Hospital in Cleveland. Dr. Stellato regularly attends support meetings,along with Cathy Crouse RN,
program coordinator. I was both encouraged, about how the program is run... and amazed at the human element of this program. Dr. Stellato wants his patients to make informed
decisions... he states the facts, what to expect, what can go wrong etc... This is a
lifestyle change and this program addresses
before and after surgery issues.

I have had two office visits, and will have one more before my surgery which is scheduled
for 9/18/01.

I used to smoke and Dr. Stellato does not want any surprises during surgery so I need to see a Pulmonologist (SP?) before surgery and I need to have a sleep apnea test.

I have been treated with dignity by Dr Stellato and his staff... that is important to me.

My first impression of Dr. Stellato is that he is serious about what he does. He lays it out and lets you know what he expects to make this experience the best it can be. I appreciated his honesty. His office staff is great. I have dealt only with his nurse and she is very efficient. I have not had any bad experiences yet and I hope not to. Aftercare is stressed and is structured. The risks have been addressed. I would rate him as good. I would say both surgical competence and bedside manner are good.

I really did like Dr. Stellato as soon as I met him. He is very "to the point" and honest with any questions that you may have. His head nurse Cathy is great; she will try to help you in any way she can, but do try to remember that there are a lot of others that she is trying to help also. You should know, however, that it is very frustrating when you call their office because you always get the voicemail and never actually talk to anyone; you have to wait for them to return you call due to the high volume of calls that they receive about the program. Dr. Stellato also has a support group meeting bi-monthly for his patients and he does encourage that you attend. I feel very confident with Dr. Stellato as my surgeon!