Mark A. Colquitt Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

You can tell that Dr. Colquitt, Dr. Ray, and the staff of Premier Surgical have all done extensive research on not only the surgery itself, but with aftercare as well.

My first impression of Dr. Colquitt was good. He was very thorough in explaning the actual surgical procedure, and seemed genuinely concerned with the patient's wellbeing. He wanted to make sure that I would have support people there for me after surgery.

The staff at Premier is great. They told me upfront what I could expect to pay out of pocket after insurance paid it's part. And after surgery, no matter how small or insignificant the question, the staff (especially Mary) would always take the time to talk to me.

One of the best thing about this group is that they along with Angie Stewart, have organized a great support group for just the patients who are patients of Dr. Colquitt's.

I would definitely reccommend Dr. Colquitt and Premier Surgical for anyone looking into WLS.

I went to the seminar last month. I will be going to my initial appointment with the nurse on mon.

First impression - compassionate, knowledgeable, honest, competant. He really emphasized aftercare and stated his own statistics as well as national stats.

Dr. Colquitt seems very concerned and is very open with the process. He seems to have a passion in what he is doing for the obese community. I have not actually met with him personally, but look forward to my appt. with him. His staff has been great, considering I call them all the time. The aftercare program is very structured and is a necessity for the rest of your life. In going to the seminar and the support group meetings, the risks of having surgery was a very open topic. Thus far, my experience has been good in every aspect.

Seminar with Dr. Colquitt on 08/14
His office staff has been verry helpfull so far

February 25, 2003
Very good looking man. I think that he will be a good surgeon. He has done a lot of research on this and more training. I didn't care for his office mananger. She is rude and doesn't listen. I really don't think she really knows what insurances will or will not cover. The doctor goes over everything that you will need to know in a seminar before you can even get an appointment. This office wants everything paid up front first before you can have the surgery. I don't like the Idea of the $5000.00 cost up front.

March 26, 2003- update
I went and saw Dr. Boyce, I was very pleased with how he handles himself and how he treated me as a person. I am now very excited to have this done. His staff was very friendly and helpful this time. I was impressed with the change. His office manager listen to what I had to say. They have scheduled my appointments with the other doctors and informed me about an up coming support group meeting. First impressions about Dr. Boyce staff was not good, but now I am very impressed with them. Now I am told that there will only be a $3000.00 upfront cost. That is better news. I had to pay a $300.00 office visit. If the insurance covers the office visit then all I have to pay is my co-pay.

April 22, 2003:Update
Jama from Dr. Boyce's office is a very nice person and easy to talk to. She is taking care of insurance problems and is a great pleasure to work with.

I have now chosen Dr. Colquitt, because his program fee is only $500.00 and the hopital is set up for this kind of surgery. I would have loved to have Dr. Boyce, but the program fee is to high. I have not met Dr. Colquitt at this time. I have met his nurse and office staff. They are really nice and helpful. They don't make you feel ashamed of the way you look or feel about yourself.

I went to Dr. Colquitt's seminar last week and learned alot. He seems very straight forward and informative. They make you pay $500 non-refundable fee upfront before they will even see you! I asked my insurance about it and they said that I shouldn't have to pay anything except my co-pay. I am still researching other doctors, trying to find out if they all have a fee similar to this. Dr. Colquitt seems to have a very strict and comprehensive program before and after the surgery which I feel is nessesary. This is all I know as of now.

I am very impressed with Dr. Colquitt, he seems very concerned for his patients and took time to answer all questions I had. Wasn't rushed and took his time. Everyone in the office is very nice. Mary is wonderful. Always has a smile on. Their program is strict and to the point and great emphasis is placed on aftercare. He went over all the risks involved and I would rate him very high at this point.

Dr. Colquitt seems to be a very knowledgeable surgeon. After talking to him, his staff, and the other professionals who he surrounds himself with, I have no problem with placing my trust/life into his hands.

I first met Dr. Colquitt at the seminar and I was really pleased that he seemed personable and had responses to all of the surgery related inquiries. He struck me as someone I could relate to as my surgeon. When I met him at his office it was very fast and there wasn't much to our discussion, he went over what he needed me to complete and what documentation I had, but I loved his nurse. She was so freindly and yet private about what we were marking. Sometimes people who work in the health field forget that we are people and if they annouce our weight a little loud it can be embarrassing. She was great. She let me know what I could expect and who else I needed to see before the next appointment. I realy got the feeling that although his program was new to bariatric bypass, he and his staff were fully capable of making this a success. I did not have any problem with accepting the need for complete evaluation, including psychological testing. If we are not ready emotionally for this we cannot be successful. I was thrilled when I went to the appointment with the dietician. I have been to one or two previously and always gotten the bad taste of eat less and exercise more, watch food groups etc. I was surprised to learn that the program Dr Colquitt recomends is heavily protein weighted. This is a great program for me and I have done so well with the guidelines we are encouraged to follow. I do not worry about protein additives at all. I have had no problems as of yet and I am pretty good about eating just twice a day. Dr colquitt also requires that his patients participate in a work out program after surgery. For me it was about 4 weeks later to really begin. I did have some physical therapy scheduled for post surgery and it was good for me. Reaaly helped me work on getting my energy back on line. This is major surgery and it seems to take about 4-6 weeks for your energy levels to really return. I have always been a pretty active person and I was very discouraged at about three weeks out because I could not walk a lap at the mall and just three weeks after that I can walk more than a mile at about 3 miles per hour. So it does come back, but slowly. I have since been back to Dr Colquitt's office and I still feel he is extremely competent and is also personable. I would recommend him to someone inquiring about a WLS program.