Beth A.
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Donald McConnell
"My first impression of Dr. Kenneth Welker was that he was very busy. He was "on call" with the ER the day I was there, so he got beeped a couple of times and had to leave the room. I did not find him uncaring, just busy. He did joke a little bit which put me at ease, during uncomfortable questions. When I had trouble answering questions, he asked other questions that led him to the answer he was looking for. His office staff have all had weight loss surgery, so they know what you are going through. Dr. Kenneth Welker's office does not return phone calls. I know they are busy, but it has been 20 days since my consultation. I have done all the tests he wanted me to do, and I haven't even heard about results on the tests. I finally called them a week ago and no one ever called back. --------------------------------------------- I wrote the above, prior to November of 2002. Dr. Kenneth Welker is no longer going to be my surgeon. For reasons that are his to know, he will no longer be able to perform surgeries at Sacred Heart Medical Center. -------------------------------------------- I have moved on, and will be seeing Dr. McConnell in Portland, Or. I am looking forward to my consultation on December 13, 2002. --------------------------------------------- I had my initial consultation with Dr. McConnell. He is a kind man. He is a busy man, and doesn't like to "chit-chat". He was very conservative in the success that I might have with surgery. --------------------------------------------- The insurance company denied Dr. McConnell's letter for the same reasons they denied Dr. Welker's letter. I am convinced that nobody looked through the information I sent them prior to my visit. I called the insurance writer at Dr. McConnell's office. She was extremely nice and very apologetic about the situation. She was able to call the insurance company and get at least one of their requirements taken care of. The key to working with offices is to remain calm and polite even when you are frustrated and angry. I would also encourage prospective patients to take all of their information with them to the consultation even if you sent it ahead of time. --------------------------------------------- This has been my experience with Kenneth Welker and Dr. McConnell. It should in no way influence other patient's experiences. --------------------------------------------- I can't say enough good things about my experience with Dr. McConnell. I would highly recommend him to anyone. He is very busy. I recently found out he puts in 40 hours a week at the VA hospital and then does bariatric surgery on the side! He can seem frazzled, when you first meet him and unorganized with his paperwork, but he is an excellent surgeon."

Joan Taber
"Ms. Taber was very kind. She did not know anything about my surgery of choice (Duodenal Switch) and only had nutritional information about RNY and Gastroplasty procedures. I was, however, able to teach her and encourage her to find out more via the internet, so that others would be have the information they needed. She was very supportive of my decision and had no problem with going over the questions that the insurance company required and she was more than willing to write me a referral and recomendation. I was very impressed with her willingness to work with me. "

Ole Hanson
"Dr. Hanson was very supportive of my researching WLS. He gave me a referral to my surgeon of choice and listened with a open mind to my reasons for wanting surgery."
About Me
Springfield, OR
Location
36.3
BMI
DS
Surgery
05/21/2003
Surgery Date
Jun 11, 2002
Member Since
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