Mark Pleatman Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

Very skilled no bones Dr.

There when u need him, great surgeon, staff & communication.

I'd researched Dr. Pleatman through OH and chose him to perform my surgery. I was a self-pay, out of state patient, and all signs pointed to him being a more than competent surgeon. I had no problems with the surgery potentially being performed at a less known hospital. For me, that had little to do with quality care. Dr. Pleatman was available for any questions or concerns that I had, and when my primary physician was a little...reluctant, he called and spoke with him in order to help facilitate my clearance. I was impressed with his professionalism and calm composure, and pleasantly surprised by his willingness to do any extra thing to help me in my process. My experience was similar to other patients - He was frank, but never rude. He kept conversation succinct and his main concern was that he wanted to make sure that I was fully aware of what I was doing, what it would take, why I was doing it, and how this surgery helps me, as well as the risks and complications that could be involved. He cracked a small smile too. Just one. The Jennys and his other office staff were patient, and meticulous. I was able to participate in the support group and see some of his other patients and hear their stories. The staff provided us with all of the information necessary to go through our surgery and for the weeks and months beyond. My overall experience with Dr. Pleatman has been better than expected. I believe in his surgical competence, and his bedside manner was as expected. There were no unpleasant surprises as to what to expect. He is efficient and knowledgeable.

My Doctors Hospital of MI experience was also good. I was one of 4 patients undergoing surgery with Dr. Pleatman that day. The transition was smooth, the staff, nurses, and anesthesiologist were all encouraging and reassuring. I was a little anxious, but saw him before the surgery. He even came out after and spoke with my family...with a little show and tell. I woke up to abdominal pain later that day, but the hospital staff responded promptly to my needs and encouraged me to do the necessary things for recovery. Dr. Pleatman came and checked on me and cleared me the following day. It was a relatively smooth procedure, as Id come to expect from the research Id done, free from confusion or unnecessary complications.

He was the same in follow up, scrutinizing my recovery and eating and exercise, and the staff also. I wish I was in town to continue to participate with his office, but he also provided online materials to assist me with tracking my progress.

The whole experience was better than expected and I would certainly recommend Dr. Pleatman to anyone who was considering weight loss surgery, but not if you are looking for someone to hold your hand throughout the process.

Best Decision ever. Great Surgeon. Great staff. I would do it all over again.

Dr. Mark Pleatman is absolutely the greatest surgeon ever. I had my VSG done on 1/6/09. My highest wt was 300lb and my pre-surg wt was 276lb. I elected to do my surgery out of town (in Michigan) due various reasons and he and his staff treated me very well. Dr.Pleatman is a serious guy, you are not going to get alot of laughs and jokes out of him. But what you will get is a serious un complicated surgery. I had a very quick recovery and was back home driving my kids to school in Nashville in a week. Being a healthcare professional, I felt I didn't need all of the aftercare programs that comes with most WLS. Eventhough I was encouraged to find a support group, I didn't. I underestimated the grief and loss of having a small appetite and not acheiving the same quality of fullness. Still, I would do it all over again tommorrow!! I now weigh 152lbs (11/20/10) shattering my goal wt of 185lbs. I never thought it would be possible to look this good or feel this good. I feel very undeserving and blessed. Life is so good!!!!!!!

Dr. Pleatman did a FAB job. I was a private-pay patient, his office accommodated my out-of-town schedule, they were very friendly and informative! I was very pleased with the care I rec'd from Dr. Pleatman, his staff, and at Doctor's Hospital in Pontiac, Michigan!

I would highly recommend Dr. Pleatman. His personality is business-like which will not work with everyone. However, I looked at this experience like a business project so I did not need warm and fuzzies from him. The bottom line is he answered all of my questions without making me feel rushed, he clearly described the risks and benefits and made sure I understood that this was my decision to make (did not try to influence me).

The mandatory pre-surgery nutrition class put on by his office was thorough so I knew exactly what I could/would eat after the surgery (right down to giving us a shopping list and smoothie recipies).

The after care is pretty comprehensive. I know I can call or email Dr. Pleatman or his office and get a fast response. There are also a number of visits he asks be made after surgery (1 week, 1 month, etc.) to keep tabs on things. HIs office is almost an hour away so lots of visits are kind of a hassle but I would rather too much aftercare than too little.

A word about the hospital...I wanted to have the surgery at DMC in Detroit but Dr. Pleatman recommended Doctors Hospital in Pontiac. I did not really like this idea since it is a smaller hospital and frankly, I am high maintenance with this sort of thing (small hospitals make me nervous). However, I ended up being very pleasantly surprised with the quality of care at Doctors Hospital.

Without exception, every person I encountered before and after my surgery was kind and caring. I was able to have a private room which I don't think I would have had in a large hospital. Any time I needed something, the response was very fast - I never waited more than a few minutes. While it is a small hospital, the operating room looked pretty state of the art. The patient rooms are okay, nothing gorgeous but as long as I had a private room, I really didn't care if the rooms were pretty!

Dr. Pleatman is a very professional and skillful surgeon. As others have said, he doesn't have a bedside or hand holding personality. But, I would rather have someone who really knows what he is doing. I picked him because I was self-paying and his price was very resonable. His office staff is totally wonderful and they are the ones you can lean on if you do need some hand holding. Although I don't have any other experience with surgeons, I would rate his ablities as far above all others. I had very little pain, discomfort, or scaring other than the first day. One short stay in the hospital and I was released to a local hotel. I would highly recomend his office for anyone thinking of WLS.

Dr. Pleatman did my surgery yesterday. I had no nausea following surgery, and no pain after the first evening. When I did have pain the people at Dr.s Hospital gave me pain meds immediately. One of the staff at Dr's hospital told me that it was an older building, but it appeared to be a very nice facility, and very clean. I am a nurse and I work in a very nice and clean hospital in another part of the country.
Dr. Pleatman was very nice, and gave me alot of information that was helpful in understanding the process and the learning curve for doing this operation. I am glad I picked a surgeon with as much experience as he has.
I just got to my motel room a couple of hours ago after discharge from the hospital. I am doing well so far, and if I don't do well, Dr. Pleatman told me to call him right away.

These are my first impressions, as I just met Dr. Pleatman, and came to Dr.s hospital for the first time the day before my surgery. Came from Tennessee the day prior.

I have nothing but good things to say about Dr. Pleatman and his staff. As others have mentioned, he is very up-front and professional but friendly. I actually think he may be a bit shy which may be perceived as as being aloof, but he's not. I had VSG 11 days ago, and within one week felt completely back to normal... other than a little tenderness where the main incision was, I literally felt like I hadn't had anything done! There was very little actual pain post-op, and I have had no nausea and no problems with acid or reflux (both of which were big problems before surgery). He also repaired a hiatal hernia which neither of us knew was there. The hospital staff spoke highly of him while I was there as well. You can't get a better self-pay deal without going to Mexico, but the good news is you're not settling--you're getting a very highly skilled surgeon and a great all-around experience. I would recommend Dr. Pleatman to anyone!