Roy Berkowitz Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Berkowitz impressed me right away. He has a great sense of humor, but takes your questions so seriously.

I would recommend him to everyone, he really saved my life.

The Bariatric Treatment Center was so helpful, and patient with my ten zillion questions. They helped me get everything for my work and insurance.

Aftercare is a huge part of the program, they truly care how you are doing.

He was very honest with me about the risks of surgery, I felt he told me everything i needed to know.

He was very thorough in the questions he asked. He was willing to answer the questions both my husgand and I had.

The office staff were very nice. They were encouraging and told me I would be happy I made this choice. They supported me with ther words of encouragement.

May was the counselor I met and she acted like my appointment was top priority and took time to answer all our questions.

May is the one who encouraged me to log on to this site and said after surgery, I would find it a good resource since there is not a support group in our area.

Both May and the doctor went over what the risks may entail. However, they were also supportive and I felt they knew from experience what they were talking about.

In my opinion, I believe both surgical competence and bedside manner are important. The surgeon and counselor's knowledge of the surgery process put me at ease. Since I do not have surgery until 6/18/01 I do not know how their bedside manners are. However, if I can go by my first visit, I feel confident that it will be great also.

I think Dr. B is just wonderful. I had done alot of research on WLS but still had a few questions. He took time to answer them and even brought up a few things that I hadn't even though of. His office staff is friendly and helpful and I feel very comfortable and confident with the counselors all having been "in my shoes" so to speak. The only problem I have with BTC is the way the paperwork is handled. In these days of faxes, e-mails and overnight mail it takes two weeks for your paperwork to reach the insurance department at BTC. I'm sure most paitents that want this surgery would rather have this process somehow expedited more quickly.

My first impression of Dr. Berkowitz... (excuse me for saying this Dr. B...) was that he reminded me of a "young George Burns"!

Dr. Berkowitz was great... super surgeon! Compasionate, caring, knowledgable... what more can I say!

The only complaint I have is not necessarily with the MD but with his Clinic! They are VERY BUSY... and often they have the Doc's scheduled so tightly that consultations and post-op exams are sometimes a little too short. However, I've taken the bull by the horns and demanded more time, and Dr. Berkowitz has graciously and gladly given it to me!

As for the other things ... yes, he fully explained the risks, he's very insistant on following up and doing the aftercare, and I'd rate his sugical competency and bedside manner's both as 10's on a scale of 1 to 10 (ten being high).

All in all... I can't think of anyone I'd rather have for a surgeon, than Dr. Berkowitz! I just wish I could convice him to move to Nebraska... and have him also be my PCP!

I met Dr. Berkowitz for the frist time at my surgery consult on 5/25/01. I was there with my husband. Dr. Berkowitz was late, but having worked in a hospital in the past, I never expect a Doctor to be on time anyway. Once he got in the room he presented as a warm, funny humble man with an incredibly good grasp of this surgery (open RNY). We (my husband and I) tagged-teamed him with questions and he responded honestly and with wisdom borne of experience. I felt like he'd sit for hours in order for us to feel like we had all our questions answered. He responds well to a motivated and well research patient, which I am, thanks to this web site! After care is the key as he presents it. One MUST have the willingness to intergrate this new way of life into ones existing life or the results will be disappointing. Even with radical surgery, it is still possible to return to the old ways and gain most of the weight back. The hospital seemed clean and the staff, cordial.
I didn't much care for the nurse. She had to take my blood pressure and tightened the. cuff so much that I let out a screech. Then, she evidentally didn't do right so she had to do it again! The only other thing I very much dislike is that it takes weeks for BTC to send your info to your insurance. For some reason they have to send all the information to the corporate office in Michigan (by snail mail). Then someone "processes" it and writes a letter for the insurance company. Then (they told me this alone will take two weeks!!!!) they MAIL it to the insurance company. In the days of high speed internet and fax machines, why on earth do they MAIL it. Then it's another two weeks to the insurance approval. THEN, and only then, will BTC schedule the surgery (another 4 weeks). All in all, if there are absolutely no complications in this whole process, it will take 8-10 weels to surgery. That seems ridiculous to me.

Dr. Berkowitz is a very good surgeon. He made me feel at ease right from the beginning. He was very forthcoming with the risks involved with having the surgery. Everyone that I came in contact with before, during, and after my surgery "cared" about me as a individual and not just a number. My aftercare program began even before I had my surgery. No one hides the facts on what you have to do to make this procedure work for you. It is only a tool that can be used. You must be ready to do what it takes to make it sucessful for yourself. Everyone is different, no two persons have the same results after the surgery. I had no problems with the surgery and my hospital stay. It wasnt until I was 4 weeks out that something happened and I had to call BTC for help (information) on what to do. I was called back by my surgeon within 10 minutes of placing my call. He knew immediately what was wrong and had me return to Belvedire for treatment. Upon my arrival I had my problem taken care of within 10 minutes and was on my way home!

I liked the surgeon very much. He was pleasant and easy to talk to. I had alot of faith in his ability, since he has done numerous open rny. He was very straight forward on the risks of the operation. The staff was also very pleasant. They were very informative on the aftercare and nutrition. I was very impressed with the nurses at the hospital. When I needed anything they were always right there and they didn't make you wait. The pain control was great, and the nurses were there to give extra shots for the nausea and muscle cramping. I think that the BTC in Illinois is a great place to have your surgery. I felt very at ease with them. I don't have any negative things to say about any of them.

My surgeon was very competent and made me feel that I was in good hands. I liked that people on his staff had already had the procedure and knew where you were at and understood what it is like to be overweight, they were so supportive. I did feel slightly frustrated after surgery as the clinic that did my surgery did not have a support group in my area and so my aftercare was not what I would have liked or what I was led to believe. My surgeon was very honest about the risks involved and did not minimize anything. He answered all of my questions (I had many) honestly and my only complaint would be lack of follow up.

My consultation with Dr. Berkowitz was the first week of April. Being a RN , I had already done much research concerning the RNY procedure. I did ask Dr. Berkowitz why he chose bariatric surgery. He told me he felt he was really helping people and changing their lives for the better. He also told me he loves the 12 month follow-ups.And he has done the RNY over 700 times! The Bariatric Treatment Center was great. I first talked with a counselor in Michigan,named Elaine. She has lost over 200 lbs! She was wonderful to talk with. She scheduled my consultation in IL. I met with May, a counselor and then with Dr. Berkowitz. He was very relaxed and easy to talk to. He asked my husband if he had any questions. He explained the procedure but the counselor discussed the post-op recovery and the follow-ups,etc. She lost 140 lbs after RNY at BTC.I would rate Dr. Berkowitz and the staff at BTC excellent. My family physician told me he was pleased I had chosen to have this done at a place that specializes in this procedure alone. BTC does have support groups but there isn't any in my area. That is why I found this site. I would really like to hear from other clients.The only negative comment I have from the consultation is we did have to wait over an hour after our appointment for Dr. Berkowitz. But the counselor talked with us at length while waiting. She told us that Dr. Berkowitz spends alot of time with the patients and does get behind.

4/24/01 I met w/Dr Berkowitz, he was very
friendly and I felt very comfortable w/him.
He gave a good overview of the surgery and
it's risks. He answered all my questions,
letting me know that I should call BTC if I
had any other questions.

The staff at the BTC was great, very friendly.
I did recieve a list of support groups, but
none in my area (guess I'll just have to
start one!).

I look forward to my surgery date!