Gary Harrington Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

From the moment I met Dr. Harrington there was instant chemisrty. (Doctor, patient), and it is still the same. He is concerned, caring and most of all thorough in his counsultation and evaluation of your individual needs. His office staff is helpful, courteous and available. The only drawback is the small office, but he will probably move soon. He insists upon regular office visits post op and has a very detailed program for his patients to follow. He did not minimize the risks but was assuring that they were minimal. Emphasizing that each case has to be evaluated on the individual. He has the best bed side manner I have ever encountered and I have been hospitalized dozens of time. Overall, he was the perfect surgeon for my needs.

i haven't met with dr.harrington yet but i have met with his assistant who is very kind ans very senative to your health he was very confident in his work and he stressed aftercare maintance i would refer my friends to him as a surgeon he did go over the risks assoicated with the surgery overall i would give him a 9 out of 10 only because i haven't had the surgery yet

Dr. Harrington is in charge of the BAriatric Departments at Washington Adventist Hospital and Holy Cross. This site has him listed as Richmond, Va and should have him as Silver Spring, MD. His office has changed.

He is absolutely delightful, gentle , compassionate, patient and kind. I couldn't imagine a better surgeon. His staff is the same!

This is the office that FINALLY got my insurance approval. Alfreda and Jackie (his main staff) are also incredibly easy to deal with.

His aftercare program is extensive and thorough. He addressed all the concerns of the surgery. Both his competence (he taught laproscopis surgery to other bariatric surgeons) and his bedside manner were exemplary.

He wants you to follow his diet requirements and follows up. The reason I do not have anything negative to say is because he has given me no cause to think anything negative!
I wish he were closer to my home!

I would rate him a 20 on a scale of 1-5!

Dr. Harrington appears to be a capable and competent person. He was nice, answered all questions posed to him. Said he follows his patients for life. Some doctors will see you post-op for a few visits shortly after surgery and then have another doctor see them. That impressed me about him. Aftermy final consult I knew I had made the right decision with him. He made sure all my questions were answered. He did not rush me and his bedside manner was great! His staff, Alfreda and Jackie (my soror) are two wonderful and capable ladies. They all seem to complement each other. They both seem to genuinely like their boss and believe in what he is trying to accomplish in helping people to overcome obesity.

Dr. Harrington is a great surgeon. My fist impression of him was skeptiacl he's comes across very shy. After his presntation of the surgery process I was very impressed and egar to schedule an appointment with him. After meeting with him I quickly learned that he was very throug, funny and kind; very infomative and honest. His beside manner get's st8 A's from me. His staff is wonderful. The whole atmosephere is like one big family. They are very involved with their patients. They follow you pre and post-op. There program is very supportive. Starting with the seminars on through your guidance after your surgery. I'd recommend anyone in a heart beat!!! If I had to do it all over I'd still choose Dr. Harrington. I owe my life to him and his staff. Without God and them I don't know where I'd be right now. Thank you!!!

Dr. Harrington rocks. He is a total workaholic, who is taking care of his patients from sun up to sun down. He takes the time to listen to your concerns, explain his philosophy and approach to bariatric surgery and makes you feel very comfortable with his decision. He has surrounded himself with very capable people who each add to your office, hospital, and post-operative experience: His receptionist is sunny and kind, his nurse Alfreda is a former patient and a great woman, the dietition Melissa and the Therapist/Support Group Leader Maureen both do an excellent job of assisting patients.

There is a great support group (every month on Tuesdays at Washington Adventist)--I've gone faithfully and really enjoy it.

One and only one complaint--he is always, always late. Plan on office visits taking 2-3 hours and support group meetings always start late and run over. This is mostly because he gives every patient the time THEY need to feel confident about what is going on with them. I'd rather plan on waiting than have a doctor who doesn't care.

Bottom Line: If you live in the Metro DC area and you are thinking about surgery, Dr. Harrington is the ONLY man to do it.

I really like Dr Harringon. I especially like that he is the one that sees you when you have a Dr's appointment. He also has aftercare for the rest of your life...not just up to 2 years. Also, Alfreda and Nicole were awesome!

Dr. Harrington seemed to be a knowledgable personable soft spoken guy. His staff (especially Alfreda) is great!! and they never get upset with my sometimes endless calls and / or questions.

I have not yet had surgery so I am not able to speak of that aspect of care yet.

Thanks!

When I first met Dr.Harrington I thought he was to soft spoken at first, but then after about 5 mins into his presentation at the meeting in Silver Spring, MD about Gastric Bypass Surgery, I found out he is a very honest person. He also does not degrade you about any bad habits you may or may not have. One thing I also liked about Dr.Harrington is that he listens to you, he lets you talk, without interrupting you, and then he gives you an honest answer that you can understand. Alfreda and Jackie, they are his nurses, they are wonderful, they are very polite, understanding, and extremely professional towards your needs. Alfreda is also one of Dr. Harrington's patients, he did her surgery about 3 years ago, and she looks terrific! From all of the research that I have done on Dr.Harrington, he is very knowledgeable about WLS, and if there are any complications during surgery, well let me just say I definately want him there.

Note: Dr. Harrington is still listed for Richmond as of April 2005, but his practice is now based in Silver Spring MD and he heads the bariatric program at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park MD. He also operates at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, and patients can choose either hospital's bariatric program.

I was very impressed with Dr. Harrington's blunt honesty about the risks of surgery at his pre-op info session. Alfreda and Jackie run things at the office, and they are superb! They are allies who want to help as much as they can, rather than robots who view you as just another anonymous set of paperwork. Dr. Harrington is a quiet sort, and I liked him very much on a personal level. He answered all my questions thoroughly, and clearly enjoys his work.

I would say that he's well suited for patients who are independent, educated about their health and WLS, and strongly motivated to succeed. If you hate micromanaging bosses or arrogant doctors, you'll find Dr. Harrington to be a refreshing change! There's no mandatory pre-op weight loss. You're required to have a psych evaluation, a nutrition class, and a variety of pre-op exams depending on your health issues. As of now he has no program fee, either, which is becoming unusual in this region. He doesn't have a nutritionist on staff; you can make nutritionist appointments through either hospital at a reasonable price. There's a free monthly support group that meets at each hospital.

When you visit Dr. Harrington's Silver Spring office, bring plenty of change for the parking garage meters and be very careful crossing Spring Street! Dr. Harrington shares office space with a family practitioner, so there are plenty of child- and parent-oriented reading materials around. If you're not into kids, bring your own magazine. The waiting area has normal-sized armchairs rather than over-sized ones.