Independence Health System Hospital

My first impression of Dr. Gagne is that he's a bit stiff, but frankly I'm not concerned too much with someone's personality. As long as his personality doesn't get in the way of being a good surgeon and mine doesn't get in the way of being a good patient then it's okay. The office staff seems quite helpful. Maria who does insurance approvals has been great to deal with. My first meeting with the nutritionist did not go so well. I found her very standoff-ish about my current diet, given my diabetes. Thing is, my diabetes is EXTREMELY tightly controlled, so much so that Dr. Gagne told me he'd like my A1C to be higher. So, when she stated one item I sometimes eat is "killing" me, I take offense. I believe that nutritionist has since left his group.

Dr. Gagne emphasized his commitment to aftercare by stating his accessability to patients post-op. The information states patients with any kind of difficulty need to call the office immediately. They do not have individual after care meetings with nutritionists, but instead have group meetings. This might actually be better suited to my personality, making me feel less put on the spot.

Dr. Gagne was very real about the risks and succcess/failure regarding the surgery. He was clear that is was not a \"cure\", but a great tool for beating obesity. He has a very approachable presence and is very intelligent. Dr. Gagne's staff was very friendly and helpful with all my questions and fears. One time I called the office just \"because\" - I was just so nervous about making my final decision and the gal on the phone assured me that my reaction was very normal! So kind.rnrnThe only shortfall in his office is the nutritionist. She cancelled on me several times and was not a lot of help.rnrnAt the time of surgery, Dr. Gagne greeted me in the waiting room, explained the day, and I was in the O.R. within 20 minutes! He followed up 2x per day and his residents, as well. He obviously runs a tight ship, as everyone seems to be very concerned that they got their job done for him. Bedside manner was awesome. Overall A++.

My first impression of Dr. Gagne is the same impression I am left with today. He is very caring, compassionate and capable. I was treated with the utmost respect by him. He never talked down to me or made me feel small because of my obesity. I liked how he could remember the ONE death out of 1200+ surgeries that he has performed. He knew which number she was and what he could have done to improve the outcome. I have PseudoTumor Cerebri and he already knew about this disease because he had taken care of a few others with it as well. I also liked that he was not intimidated by this disease at all. That helped me to feel as if God had truly led me to the right surgeon. The office staff is fantastic. Anytime I call there, I am treated politely. I am never made to feel as if I've called at a bad time. Cindy Cotters, the nutritionist is also fantastic. She is an excellent teacher of nutrition. She is patient and answers any and all questions. Nicole, the PA is also kind and very good at what she does. She is very efficient in her role. After care is highly emphasized. They stress it at every visit. They also make sure you have every educational material available to be successful. They also stress that you can call them at ANY time with questions. Plus, there are support groups there. Before the surgery, Dr. Gagne came in to talk to me, then he went to see my family. My family said he was so confident and kind to them. After the surgery, he went to see my family again and told them that everything went well. During my stay at West Penn Hospital, Dr. Gagne came in to see me at least twice each day, sent his PA in each day and two of his attendings twice a day. How great is that? His surgical competence is out of this world and he has a great bedside manner. I would rate Dr. Gagne as top in his field. He is the only surgeon in this field that I would recommend to anyone. God has truly gifted this man, I believe He created Dr. Gagne for this exact purpose. Dr. Gagne has worked very hard to improve his skills. He is very skilled at what he does. I have been truly blessed to know him. rn

I went to my first appointment fairly confident that I had made the right decision for me to have the surgery. What I didn't expect after my first meeting with Dr. Gagne was that I would leave there with such peace about my decision and the feeling that Dr. Gagne was the perfect doctor for me as well. As with many my decision to have lap RNY was not an easy or a quick decision by any means. I must be honest when I say that going to the doctors has never been a priority for me. I'm not sure if this is because of the way I felt about myself and lack of self esteem or by the way I always left feeling worse about myself having seen the doctor. However, this was such a pleasant and unexpected surprise to have met a doctor as confident and compassionate as Dr. Gagne. Some may view his confidence as a sign of arrogance but this couldn't be further from the truth. Dr. Gagne is very knowledgable in his speciality. He and his staff answered every question I had going in to this initial meeting as well as others I had thought of while in the office. I left pretty much speechless and prepared about this new journey. The compassion that he shows to his patients and their families is absolutely awe inspiring. When he said each patient is like family to him I knew then that I had found the perfect doctor. I guess I have put Dr. Gagne on a pretty high pedistal but that's where I feel he belongs. He is definitely in a class of his own. Others could learn from this man. There is nothing that I can say that I didn't care for about him, the members of his surgical team or his staff. The importance of your individual care is stressed throughout pre-op through post-op. Each stage is crucial and their participation is vital and this is explained to you during your initial visit. This is not a case where once the work is done you are left hanging and on your own. Dr. Gagne reviews the benefits and health risks regarding your decision to have surgery. He is very honest and open about both and he does not sugar coat the negative risks that can be associated with bariatric surgery. For me on a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate Dr. Gagne a 100. Yes I said 100. The choice to have Dr. Gagne as your surgeon is the best decision you could make. His surgical competence and bedside manner are out of this world. Thank you is not enough for a man that may possibly saved my life. He is truly a blessing.

I have had my surgery at the time of this post. From beginning the process to having the surgery to my follow-up... Dr. Gagne has been the most wonderful doctor I have ever had. He has always been understanding and respectful and has always put the patient first. It is no wonder his office staff are so magnificent, he sets the standard high through his own example. I would recommend West Penn Bariatrics to anyone exploring the RNY surgery. They ahve been the #1 ranked WLS center in PA for two years in a row by Health Grades.

Originally I started the program with Dr. Papassavas. He was very nice, but there was something missing. After he left the practice I was assigned to Dr. Gagne. From the moment I met him I new that God had done the switch for a reason. I felt totally at peace with him and his whole attitude about the surgery. He was very motivating and encouraging. He supported me through my rough times and got me through the surgery with ease. The support staff was very helpful and loving and that was a plus as well because as someone who has been obese their whole life you need to be surrounded by those who are understanding and not judgemental.

I thought that my doctor was very knowledgeable of the surgery. The office staff is very friendly and I have actually referred a few other people to see him. Dr. Gagne stresses after surgery to drink about 8 cups of fluid and to stay on a liquid diet for two weeks and then progress to soft foods.

I would reccommend him to everyone, and have!! He has done over a thousand bypass surgeries . He is a very knowledgeable surgeon The office has pre and post op support groups and contact with plastic surgeons. I think that I would rate him a 9 out of 10 only for the fact that he made sure I knew several times that he did over a thousand (1,051 at the time) surgeries and has had a small number of patients that have ended up having other problems related to the surgery itself. Otherwise he is a good doctor and bedside manner is ok. not great but ok. Believe me I've had worse.

At first visit, Dr. Gagne was quite serious and explained everything in detail-to the point. At each appt. I saw more of what a dedicated and caring surgeon that he is. Office staff were OK-nothing really striking. There was nothing about Dr. G. that I disliked. If you are looking for the #1 program in PA, West Penn is the place to go and Dr. Gagne is the expert! This center /Dr. follow you closely in hospital and afterwards regularly and again, he is very thorough. Risks of surgery were given in detail and explained completely. I put all my trust in Dr. Gagne and found him to be an excellent surgeon who is smart, detail oriented, compassionate, skilled, and really into his practice and his patients. I can speak very highly of all his competencies and would send anyone to him. Yes, I have bragged about him to everyone who sees me and can't believe that it really is me that they are seeing now 110 lbs lighter 7 mos. after my surgery. I did end up w/ several ER trips in the month after surgery-nothing real serious, no further surgery and it all then worked out. Dr. Gagne worked very closely w/ me and all his partners and staff to identify my problem. The worst part was traveling to the Er 1 hr away and then the long ER wait and boring hospital stays. Its never like they show on ER or Grey's anatomy!

I was very impressed with Dr. Gagne from the first visit. He is very knowledgable, caring and explains everything simply.rnOffice staff is very friendly and helpful.rnAftercare is very important to Dr. Gagne, his staff and of course the patient.rnDr. Gagne explained all the risks and gave examples of the risks.rnDr. Gagne is an excellent surgeon and a very caring surgeon with an excellent bedside manner. rnSurgical compentence and bedside manner both were great.