William Rupp Bariatric Surgeon M.D., FACS, FASMBS

I met Dr. Rupp at the informational meeting
he seemed to care very much for his patients.
He answered our questions as if each question
was of utmost importance.
He spoke to us individually afterward if we
desired. I was very impressed with him.
June 23, 2001 I have now seen Dr. Rupp for my
pre-op visit. He was very relaxed and let the
appointment happen on "MY" time. He did
not rush through as some Dr's do. He made
sure that each of my questions were answered.
I am very confident in his abilities and am
happy that he is my surgeon.
His office staff, though extremely busy
are always curteous and helpful.

Dr. Rupp seems like a very nice person, I have worked more with in staff. I will know more as my surgery date get here

I First met Dr. Rupp at the informational meeting necessary to get into his program. He seemed very knowlegable and sympathetic to overweight people.

His nurse, Joyce, is fantastic. She did all of the work for the insurance letter, and she keeps everything running.

After consulting with Dr. Rupp, I am very comfortable with him performing my surgery.

He has an aftercare program that he recommends everyone attend.

He was very nice and to the point. He was in a rush, very busy. The staff there was wonderful. I did'nt see much of Dr. Rupp until the surgery I only talked with him once. He was very busy. He visited me twice in recovery, very caring. I wish he would have spent more time instead of the nurses. I guess that's how most Dr.'s are. After care is very important. You must come back to meet with the nurse monthly. Once a year after that. He did dicuss all the risks

My impression of Dr. Rupp is that he is a caring individual who truly understands and cares about the obese patient's struggles and wants to help. He said he believes obesity is a disease, and that people has the obese to thank for their ability to continue the human race! He has over 20 years of experience. My impressions were formed at the informational meeting. The Lifeshape program is run by Joyce, RN. She is worth mentioning because I've had more contact with her than Dr. Rupp. She has been prompt in returning my phone calls. She is no-no nonsense, very well-informed, and also understanding. Joyce and the program in general emphasize aftercare. They offer 3 afteracare choices. Monthly visits for 12 months are expected. A very informational booklet and handouts are available at the info. meeting and initial appt. with Joyce. Both of these appts. are free. Joyce handles the initial contact with ins. co. She is very knowledgable about ins. requirements and probable outcomes. She said that Medica and Blue Cross Blue Shield normally approve.

My first impression of Dr. Rupp's group is that they emphasize aftercare, which I think is really important because I am a redo and my first surgeon had NO aftercare program.

Joyce, his main nurse is super. They make you jump through alot of hoops to get qualified, but it's probabley worth it to give yourself time to think over what you are doing. They requiere visits with a psychologist, a dietitian, a lung specialist (for over 400 lbs).

Dr. Rupp seems willing to take as much time in the consultation as you need to feel comfortable.

Now that I am post surgery and have seen Dr. Rupp in action, I can't say enough good things about this guy. He is truly dedicated to helping the morbidly obese and works long, lond hours to care for his patients.

After having Dr Alden for several years alittle scared of finding a new surgeon. Dr Alden had most of his patients transfer to Dr Rupp after he had retired. One thing I like about Dr Rupp he makes you feel comfortable while talking to you, like moreless a friend. He explains the surgery to you in detail and any questions you might have you get your answers.
His staff in the office is wonderful. Joyce is Dr Rupps nurse . She takes care of many questions, problems with insurance. Joyce is well trained about the surgery and she can answer about any questions you might have.
Anyone choosing Dr Rupp will be well pleased. He is a great Doctor. Dr Rupp recommends aftercare for all patients for the first year and then there after. This is very important I think after your surgery. Dr Rupp has a structured aftercare program he would like all his patients to follow.
Dr Rupp explains all the possible risks of surgery in detail. Any surgery a person has is a risk with many complications that can arise. Being over weight is also a risk.
I rate Dr Rupp number one in the Twin City area. He has done the surgery's for many of years and I only choose Dr Rupp when I need surgery or any other problems that may come about in the future.

I have my initial group information visit on Nov 29, 2000. So far the staff has been OK.

It was somewhat difficult to get scheduled, They didn't get back to my PCP in time, and I missed the meeting in Sept. because of their losing the message. It cost me two months.

Anyway once everything was sent to me anytime I have called has been great and everybody who has gone to Dr. Rupp has liked him.

I am hopeful I will get the same experience.

I have had no information about the process and would have liked a written summary of what the process is. It might have helped me make a decision, I might have seen the process and changed my mind. Who knows.

I attended Dr. Rupp's informational meeting on August 9, 2000.
His nurse, Joyce Thompson discussed insurance
issues and such and then he discussed the
different surgeries, etc.

I had a good impression of him right away. He seemed like a nice man
who cares a lot fro his patients. I then signed up for a free
consultation with his nurse. I had already filled out a
medical/diet/family medical history form and gave it to Joyce
Thompson at the meeting when I signed up for the consultation.

At the consultation the nurse discussed the surgery and what would happen before and after.
They have a nice manual that maps out exactly what you need to do to get
insurance approval. For my insurance, BCBS of Minnesota (State
Health Plan Select) I had to see a dietician and also a psychologist
and take an MMPI. This took 3 weeks to analyze. But I was happy that
the psychologist I saw had done these types of consultations
before and she sent the MMPI to be read by a person who had done them specifically for
Bariatric Surgery patients.

Once all this information got to Nurse Thompson, she sent off the letter to Blue Cross
and we heard from them in less than a week that I was approved (Sept. 19, 2000).

I then had my surgery scheduled for Oct. 12 and that's where
I am at right now. I haven't even had an appointment with Dr. Rupp yet, because we haven't been able to schedule
a time but the scheduler said she'd get back to me.
I did have to go to my Primary Care Clinic to get a referral
to see Dr. Rupp, which I did get no problem. My Dr. was very supportive and I
had already done the info mtg so she was impressed I was well informed.

From my very first info meeting, I could tell that Dr. Rupp and his staff would be easy to work with. He is a very nice and gentle man who seems to really care for the overweight people that come into his office. He does answer any and all questions, but like any other surgeon, he's always running behind. Just a little infor re: the initial meeting was super. They laid out any and all info on the line. They told us the good and bad of all the present and past surgeries. He came across as a great teacher; not someone trying to sell you a load of crap.