"Dr. Barker is nothing short of amazing. He has gone above and beyond to help me on my journey. When my DH's company was sold, I had already been approved and scheduled for surgery. The new insurance (BCBS of TN) was not going to cover the surgery, and I found this out 10 days before the new insurance was to go into effect. Within minutes of being alerted to the monumental catastrophe now plaguing my existence, Dr. B and his staff had me rescheduled for surgery on the last day my insurance (BCBS of TX) would be valid. rnrnNow, to answer your canned questions. rnrnMy first impression of Dr. B was that he was all business. He was very thorough, and seemed competent.rnrnMy impression of him has obviously changed over time, as he has been instrumental in the success of my journey. I feel that as I proved that the investment of his time in me was vindicated, that he became more invested in my success. rnrnHis staff is a well oiled machine. They are consummately busy, and the margin for error is paper thin. rnrnIf I had to pick something that I like least about him, I would say that like all medical professionals at the top of their field, Dr. B is a bit of a perfectionist. Tardiness in his colleagues and mistakes by them is largely not tolerated. rnrnWhat you should know about Dr. B is that once you have had surgery, unless you have a serious complication, an unlikely event, you will not see him much if at all after he operates on you. rnrnAftercare is very important to him, and he provides an army of medical professionals to walk you through this portion of your journey.rnrnDr. B's program is very structured. rnrnThe risks for surgery were addressed very matter of factly. The fact is that as obese as I was, the risks were nothing when compared to my continuing to live the way I was.rnrnFor me, the rating that I would give Dr. B would be 9.9 out of 10, as there is always room for improvement.rnrnI would choose surgical competence over bedside manner any day. If you can get both then bonus, but good luck with that. The level of surgical competence that I believe that Dr. B possesses is rare. I am blessed to have an inside view into the medical field, as my DH's company dabbles in health care administration. My research in looking for a surgeon was more than comprehensive. Dr. B is the best obesity surgeon in the business.rnrnAs for negative statements regarding Dr. B, I would have to say that if he thinks that you are not 100% committed to the process of becoming healthy, he will not take you seriously. I think that he might consider someone that wants to cheat a waste of his time.rnrnrnrn"
