William Overcash Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

15 August 2005: My husband & I met with Dr. Overcash and his staff today. (Which go above and beyond the call of duty). His office is located in Ocala, FL - about 2 hours from where we live in Jacksonville. I had printed directions from MapQuest (which you should NEVER do ... needless to say, I was way lost!!!) My appointment was at 4 pm, of which I arrived at nearly 5pm. Working for a surgeon myself, I was mortified to walk in this office, I knew everyone in there was just going to despise me ... and I figured it would be a an extremely rushed visit ... But it wasn't at all!! Of course they were waiting for me when I got there ... and already knew who I was (I had called at least 5 times for directions). Dr. Overcash called me back & weighed me persnoally, and then took my husband & I to his office for the consult.

He was VERY straightforward ... but that is a good thing. He is not a surgeon who is going to "hold your hand" so to speak, but he has been blessed with a gift, and that to me, is far more important that bedside manner. He focused a lot on the risks of the surgery, giving you a chance to make sure that this is your final option. He also lets you know up front his expectations from you reguarding after care. He wants patients to understand that this is by no means an "instant fix," but that is a tool ... a very strong tool, but a tool to aid in the long term weight loss journey. It was a very relaxed consult, after just a few moments, I wasn't nervous at all - he put me totally at ease.

I checked out his background before ever making an appointment with him ... and once I met him - I was sold. He is very compassionate about this surgery, and it is something he believes in with his whole heart ... as long as it is being done for the right reasons.

I have prayed about this long & hard, and I feel that God has lead me to Dr. Overcash. I am very happy with my decision, and I look forward to being approved!!

I was very impressed. Very professional, right to the point, advised his expectations, wanted to know my expectations, Did a wonderful job and very supportive. When in hospital I did only get to see him Twice. Not sure if this is normal but another Dr was in often to check up.

He is very porfessional, and his staff is a very helpfull people

I personally found him to be very straight foward...Not really personable until after the surgery...He told me mainly more bad that can happen then good..I guess he really wants you make sure you want this surgery and that you know the risks involved..I had no compications except when I was due to have my surgery the first date I woke with him telling me he didnt do the proceedure I asked why and he told me that I has severe liver cirhosis ..He wanted me to make the decision if I still wanted to have the surgery b/c of more risks involved..I did have the surgey 3 day later and it went fine..I went to a liver specialists and now my liver shrunk with the loosing of my weight and it is ok as of now...I also had a slight stricture wich was fixed and I have been good ever since and it will be 2 years on Aug.12,2005 ,,All and all Dr. Overcash is a really good surgeon..

I met with dr overcash a little over 1 month ago. I really liked him. He was very informatiive during our 1st meeting. His staff was also very nice. Patrice answered all my questions in a very through manner. The only thing that Dr. Overcash could improve on is his bedside manner. I can already tell that he will not be one to dish out sympathy. But other than that, there is nothing that I would change about Dr. Overcash. He puts all the benefits and risks out for the patient to consider. I would rate Dr. Overcash a 8 out of 10. He lost 2 points for bedside manner. But if I had to chose a surgeon, I would pick the one that would keep me alive vs. the one that has the best bedside manner. Having both is ideal, but I can live w/o the good bedside manner...I can't live without the competant surgeon....that is why I am choosing Dr. Overcash.

Dr. Overcash is one of the most knowledgable and professional surgeons in this type of specialization. He is very serious and very demanding when it comes to what he expects from you and how you will deal with all of the changes that your body and you as a person will encounter afer undergoing this surgery. He will push you to the limit in order to see you succeed. He understands the importance of not sugar coating the journey and knows that because of our compulssion he has to instill "tough love". My impression is still the same. He is the best in this field. However, I see that we now treat each other in a more friendly manner. We are not in a patient and Dr. status anymore. We are more friendly to each other and more open to joke with each other. The staff is professional, helpful and very friendly. The thing I liked the least about him is that I could never get him to sit down and discuss issues with me. He was always running. Patients should know that he is strict. He will push you to succeed and he is very serious about the patients behavior after surgery. Aftercare is important he monitors the patient closely. After care program consists of office visits and support groups. You are always welcome to call and talk to the staff about medical issues. The risks of undergoing this surgery were thouroughly explained to me. He left no surprises. He was extremely straight forward and explained all the pro and cons to me in a thorough and easy to understand manner. On a scale from 1 to 10, as a surgeon, I would rate him with an 11. He is a wonderful surgeon. I've lost 420 lbs. through this surgery. My whole life has changed. His surgical competence is outstanding!!! His bedsaide manners need to be polished a little. I think he is too serious sometimes and this seems to dehumanize him a little bit. He is a super talented, knowlegeable and very experienced person. This is what we need if we are going to use this surgery as an avenue to change our lives. These are my personal thoughts and I'm sure that many other patients may or may not agree with me. However, bedside manners are not going to bring me to health nor they will help me accomplish the goal which is to achieve a massive weight loss in order to regain contrlo of my life. Bedside support will come from your loved ones.

My first impression was of the office staff. I was surprised at how soon I was able to get an appointment; I could have had one for the Monday after I called, but that was too soon for my husband to give notice at work for a day off.
First impression of the doc? Dr. Overcash is straight up, down to earth and a real person, lol. He explained the surgery and the different ways to do it; why he does it the way he does and why he doesn't do some of the things that other surgeons do. If you haven't done your research and you're not sure you really want this, this isn't a Dr who's gonna coddle you through, I think.
There were three of us in the initial meeting and we were all at different ages/bmi's. Our risks were different and the particular percentages were explained to each of us, as were potential problems of surgery. We were given time for any questions, and we were offered private time after the meeting if we needed it.
There are not a lot of rules you have to follow for having the surgery; some Drs seem to have many. We are required to be seen at his office app. 8 times before and after for follow-up within a 2 yr period.
After his consultation, we saw Patrice, who is in charge of the necessary insurance/paperwork. I have 16 pages to fill out, in detail, which will help with the info for my insurance company. I also have a letter to write explaining that I am an informed adult who is making a sound decision. As soon as I get that back to them and they receive the letters from the various Drs, my request for approval will be sent off and the waiting begins.
If I had to come up with something negative, it would be that they could have let us know that the initial visit would be a group setting. He explained that someone else may ask a question that was pertinent to me and vice versa; I understand that, but it just wasn't what I was expecting. My husband was with me and it was no problem for him to sit in on the meeting.
I can't comment about his bedside manner as we don't know each other well enough for that yet, hehehe....

Everything that I read about him beforehand is true. He does not mince words and he is not for those of you that are sensitive. I'm not sensitive. However, he has a wonderful sense of humor and he is about family. His daughter is always in the office (she's 4)and he even brought her to the hospital the day of my surgery. I absolutely love Dr.O and the drive to Ocala is worth it!!!! He can have a room full of patients, but you never wait long and you get his undivided attention. He always takes his time with me and answers all my questions in between me making him laugh. His staff is very sweet and you can see that he takes good care of them. The only thing I wish they would have done was taken before pictures like other doctors.

I thought he was a very nice man. My husband and I are both wanting to have the surgery done so he took us in together and talked about the pro's/con's of the surgery and where he would like to see us get to (with our weight). His office staff is very kind and I am hoping to work well with them in the future.

h e is staright foward