I thought i was being helped. i lost weight right? Well here i am late up super sick trying to let my body heal from my 3rd major surgery. I am getting fed from a PICC line. I am so weak. So please take some time to really think and vet the surgery center you use. read more

Got a bill 2 years later for almost 300$ for a consultation. Do not recommend seeing them for anything unless you are ready to pay hundreds just to talk to them. read more

NWWC is truly amazing! Dr Michaelson and Dr Chock care so much for each and every patient. Whether pursuing Medical Weight Loss or Surgical options, you will leave your visit feeling genuinely cared for and confident with your decision. The care coordinators work hard to get you to your surgery date and promptly follow up with any needs you may have in between, nurses are wonderful and take the time to make a medical weight loss plan that suites your history and needs, and the front desk staff is welcoming from beginning to end. Tremendous team throughout. Highly recommend! read more

This place only cares about selling expensive weight loss procedures. Went to them for some swallowing issues and they recommended several test be done to help the diagnose my issue. Once the test were done, they dropped me as a client and would not diagnose or even review the test results with me. I would avoid this place as their integrity is lacking and they don't follow through on their word. read more

After having an established weight loss clinic back home that I loved, I was so worried about finding one here when I moved. I'm so glad I came across NWWC! From the time you walk in to the time you schedule your next appointment and leave you feel cared for and supported in your weight loss journey. I highly recommend! read more

I wanted to write a quick review of this facility. First, you should do your homework first and find out if you need to pay out of pocket or use your health insurance, it will save you time. I knew that I had to pay out of pocket and thought that I knew what I wanted. Everyone was wonderful, the initial consultation, weigh in, measurements, discussion with Dr. Chock was all very informative and gave me much to think about. They were all very respectful and knowledgeable. Follow up emails have been very responsive. I have decided to go with this facility and look forward to my upcoming appointments. read more

I have been a client for over 10 years. They have always taken care of me, whenever I call. Even when I have had a couple of un comfortable situations. They worked me in, same day. From the front desk to the nurses and doctors, they always welcomed me and helped me out. read more

I made an appointment a month in advance. At time I made appt I made it very clear I would not be interested in surgery. When I arrived at office I was asked to sign saying I would cover cost beyond what insurance paid for surgery and asked for a urine sample to see if I was using nicotine prior to surgery. Receptionist made it incredibly obvious that surgery would be pushed. I was uncomfortable with their tactics and did not stay to meet with the nutritionist. Poor practice when you don't even listen to patients wants/needs. Receptionist was rude. Wish I had read comments prior to going. Good luck in getting help if you don't think surgery is right for you. read more

Terrible place. Doctor Chock was condescending. Lapband never seemed to work that well but she was insulting when I complained about it. Several years later, another doctor discovered easily (in 1 appointment) that the device did not work at all. And I have since learned it was defective when she put it in! For years, I lived with a worthless, defective lapband. Do not go here - do not put in the lapband - find another place and another way to lose the weight. read more

I got my Lapband 16 years ago and this was an awesome place. Very supportive. About 8 years ago I moved to San Diego. A month or so ago I decided I wanted to have some fluid removed. I called to get a referral for someone here in San Diego. What a change!!! I called three times and each time I was told "we haven't seen you in eight years. I told them it was due to me moving out of the area. Each person I spoke with was very rude. They said they would call me back. I am still waiting. It seems as though they are only interested in a Patient that will bring in money. I was told there had been a complete staff change. I would not recommend northwest to anyone. It was very disappointing to see this organization that at one time changed many lives become so focused on money Dr. Carolyne Joseph, PsyD read more

Dr Chuck and her staff were amazing They care about their patient. They were all amazing, professional and very kind and walked me through every step of the way. it was an absolute fantastic experience. read more

If your interested in committing insurance fraud and potentially being stuck with a bill of a $30+k surgery in addition to any fees and charges for your fraud imposed by the insurance company when they find that your qualifiers were falsified then this is the place for you. Here is the story of my experience with nwwls. I set up an initial consultation just to learn about the different options that were available and what might be best for me. On the day of my appointment I got a call from nwwls to see if I could possibly arrive earlier than scheduled. I told them that I was unable to do so because I had scheduled the specific time with my work weeks in advance and had obligations right after the appointment. They said that was fine and to arrive at my scheduled time. I arrived at the office and was told that the doctor/surgeon had already left for an "unexpected surgery" and was unable to take my appointment. I expressed that I was frustrated by this as I had traveled an hour to be there was already told earlier in the day that my appointment could be kept at the original time. They went through the motions of seeing what they could do (which was nothing), when the doctor I was scheduled with and who was supposedly in surgery came out and says that he called his wife and adjusted his plans and could actually see me. I didn't bother pushing the subject of this mysterious surgery as I could clearly tell they made it up to cover for him. I just gladly took the appointment as it should have been. When I got to the office with the surgeon he began to break down the different surgery options in detail. While he was polite and answered my questions he never asked me about, well, me or my health. He also received a phone call during our meeting and, to be fair, asked me to be excused to take the call. I said that would be fine and the doctor returned about 10 minutes later. After the time with the surgeon he handed me off to the woman who handles the nurse to take my vitals and measurements. I was then passed to the woman who handles the insurance. When they calculated my BMI it was found that I was under the requisite by a little bit in order to qualify with my insurance to cover the surgery. Instead accepting this and informing me that I don't qualify and would have to pay out of pocket they decided to take my measurements again and alter them intentionally so that I would meet the minimum BMI to qualify. I corrected them on two separate moments when I heard the nurse and the insurance woman state false figures about my measurements and was playfully shushed in a sort of "I won't tell if you don't" kind of way. At that point I realized what kind of company I was dealing with and made the decision to just finish and get out. I went through the motions through the rest of the appointment in order to not be confrontational with the intention of just canceling all appointments for the future. A month later I received my bill for the "consultation" which btw did not involve any real questions about my weight gain, loss, lifestyle, diet, or exercise. The only questions asked were specific to potential qualifiers to the operation. In the end it felt much more like being in a time-share sales pitch concerned with signing you up ratchet than a doctors office concerned with your health and well-being. Oh and that lovely "consultation" totaled a bill of over $600 to my insurance and nearly $300 out of my pocket. Ridiculous. Exorbitant fee structure and a more sales office vibe than doctors office make this place a clear "just in it for the money" location. There are better option that will actually care for your health rather than your wallet. read more

I have been going to NWWLS since 2004 when I got my LapBand. I just left their new free standing facility this morning, for my LapBand revision surgery to the LapSleeve (VSG Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy). I had very helpful and friendly staff willing to help me with all my insurance needs and approvals. All employees have answers and solutions with questions from the procedures, nutrition, insurance, ongoing care, concerns, information for family, etc. Nursing staff is top notch, they are gentle and kind, and do all they can to make you feel comfortable and at ease. They called with a rescheduled appointment and I was having a particularly bad day, and I broke into tears, over a rescheduling, I felt so stupid and embarrassed. The timing was just bad as I had just received news of a family member passing, and the poor guy on the other side of the phone changed from just making an appointment, to giving me empathy and support. He went way out of his way to make me feel better and calm (seriously, I still feel like a mental patient and I owe that guy a big tip, he's the nicest nurse they have - but they all are wonderful people.) For anyone having an overnight procedure I suggest taking your own tooth brush, breath mints or gum and broth because all they have is hot tea and water for overnight patients. This is a free standing, multi-million dollar facility, like a mini hospital. But there are only 3-4 surgeries performed a day so they can give very dedicated care to each patient. But they don't have some of the things you may need that you would have at home, like toothpaste, etc. I had terrible cotton mouth from the anesthesia and all they had on hand was Crystal Light and hot tea. Also for overnight stayers - there are no TVs in the rooms! Be sure to take a laptop or tablet, you can connect to their WiFi and I watched YouTube and Netflix throughout the night. *NWWLS* you really should consider TVs in the patient rooms :) There is only 1 sleep over room with a door, luckily I got this room and I think it is because my surgery was scheduled to be last. So if you can, ask for the last procedure of the day (or else you will have a 6:45am check-in ;) You wont get a lot of sleep through the night because you have 3 bottles of water to drink before check-out and hourly laps of walking around the facility to move all the gas around inside you from the procedure - remember, this is a commitment, there are steps, and you will get out of it, what you put into it! I had Sarah as my Registered Dietician and I already plan make follow-up appointments with her for maintenance, she is supportive and positive, and can relate to issues with food. And my surgeon was Dr. Montgomery. He made sure that my husband was fully informed of my progress and answered all of his questions, and it's really nice to have that kind of follow through from the surgeon himself actually picking up the phone to make that call. I would not suggest LapBand from my experience, I know they see a lot of revision patients and after 11 years of having a band that did not yield results and caused issues with GERD, it just isn't worth it. I would suggest going the Sleeve route. Do your homework, have a consultation with a surgeon and decide what is right for you. You also have to make a commitment to them, lose 10 pounds in 10 days prior to surgery. This is to shrink the liver which is above the stomach, making the surgery easier and safer for you as a patient. Almost everyone I talk to is able to lose the 10 pounds in 10 days if you follow the very specific diet the RD will give you in the dietician appointment, you will be able to do it. I lost 14 in 10 days! There are a lot of appointments and a lot of steps like consultation, psych-eval, RD, nurse consult, etc. But these are all very necessary appointments, and along the way I just found all of my questions and concerns answered easily by all of the staff. They also have retail product on hand - so all of your nutritional supplements, drinks, etc are available in the office, but they also have outside office suggested supplements, drinks, protein, etc as well to set you up for success. There are ongoing support group meetings, I haven't been to one. But I am going to my first one next week with another sleeve patient, and I will update more on that then :) read more

I just wanted to write a review for NWWLS because of the strange low reviews it has on here. I have gone here since I started my pre surgery inquiry in December 2014. I found the staff incredibly friendly and wonderful. The nutritionist that I met with was Sarah and she was absolutely the best! So helpful, friendly, non-judgmental, and extremely understanding and knowledgeable! I have never had any problems with billing, I pay online and in office both, and have never had anything happen financially like the other review mentioned. I went through insurance for my surgery and only ended up having to pay about 3500 for the entire surgery!! I went to all my pre-surgery appointments and Dr. Michaelson was outstanding at each one. I took the recommended vitamins pre-surgery and never had any issues there either. In fact after my surgery they were VERY kind to re-write a prescription for me almost last minute (which my fiance picked up while I was recovering from surgery) because Walgreens had messed up and were unable to fill the prescription. My surgery experience here was absolute the best. I was educated well on the experience and the after surgery care, both verbally and through their books they give you. I had the sleeve done and the nurses in the recovery room after surgery were SOOOOOO kind! They were cheerful and very understanding of the surgery you went through, though they do push you when you need to be pushed to walk and drink water. I had a very fast recovery and was discharged in the morning with no problems. My recovery lasted about a week but I was off pain meds within a few days. I have since gone to Northwest Weight Loss Surgery for my post op appointments for the past two months and would DEFINITELY recommend this center to anyone thinking about surgery! I am down 44 lbs and it was the best experience and environment I have had in my life at any medical center. Keep it up guys! read more

Got my surgery here from Dr. Watkins who was a great doctor in 2006. I recently got back to getting fills got one 6 months ago the staff here have gone downhill on their manners. It was an ok experience. Now today I went in and Dr. montgomery is the rudest Doctor I've come across. He questioned everything I said told me my band will not be restricting me if I get a fill and the first thing he says when he walks In is why are you here? Well maybe if he would have read the chart notes from all my visits not jus my last one he would understand why I was there. Rude and I walked out. I will never go there again unless it's a different doctor or may not at all. Horrible experience. read more

I have been a patient now since February going through all the steps to get approved for my surgery. I can say that to a person they have treated me with respect and made me feel valuable and never made me feel bad about my current weight and situation. They are growing, and with that, there are always some growing panes. However, my care team has never waivered in wanting to help me. April has been amazing in accommodating my needs around scheduling and working with the rest of the team to get updated insurance approval for a new, an sooner, surgery date and change of doctor to allow that to happen. I would not have lost over 30 lbs. pre surgery without the help and support of my nutritionist. I am very happy with the care I have gotten and am getting. So, for me, this has been a 5 star experience thus far. read more

I called to get some information about different weight loss options. They took a bunch of information from me about my insurance and said they would call me to set up an appointment. Over two weeks later I have yet to hear from anyone. I called them and they say they don't know if my insurance has been reviewed for coverage. Coverage for what? They haven't even met with me? Obvious, very disorganized insurance mill. read more

Update- week 4- still no one has returned my calls. Sure, I've moved on to Swedish- but how do they know that? Really sad.

please listen carefully!!! if you are ever going to have any weight loss surgery you need to have counseling before your surgery. l large number of classes on what is going to happen.. how you are going to have to eat after the surgery.... i had none of those. you then need to have structured classes after word to help you adjust to your new life.. what is going on with your body etc. by professional licensed counselors.. not just people who have had the surgery. none of that was at northwest. i lost 40 pounds and the weight loss stopped there and then. i later found out that can happen no one told me that before surgery... get classes/counseling before 1-2 months worth and more afterword... or you will just slipped into your old habits again. i have gained back 20-25 pounds. it take major life changes in eating habits to make this work.... m.a.j.o.r. h.a.r.d. changes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! check around for this type of clinic.... swedish? others attached to a hospital good luck! read more

My very first experience with NWWLS was with the lovely Denise at a seminar at Evergreen hospital. She answered all of our questions and from there I was in!!! Everyone on the staff is so helpful!! Everyone's journey is different and I'm very happy I started my weight loss journey with NWWLS and Dr. Chock!! read more

I would give the staff--including surgeon, nurses, and office staff-- a five-star rating. I cannot give the lap-band surgery a 5-star rating though, because there are some potential complications that need to be taken into account. Let me explain: I had the surgery in 2009. I quickly lost 60 pounds and was very happy. I was able to keep the weight down for a few years, but eventually it started to creep up, slowly at first, faster afterwards. I regained almost all of it. Am I sorry that I had the surgery? Absolutely not. On the contrary. I am convinced that the surgery allowed me to stay free of diabetes for all these years. I still do not have diabetes, although now I may be close to it. Still, the surgery kept me healthy longer than I would have been without it. This is not a failure, and for that, I am grateful. So why am I not giving it a five star rating? Because a few weeks ago I landed in the emergency room at the hospital with a very severe pain in the abdomen. The lap band tube had ruptured. I have no idea when it broke. The doctors are still not sure if this was the cause of the pain, since there are other possibilities still being investigated. The problem is that a broken tube makes the lap band useless. It must be either repaired or removed. That's another surgery for a product that was supposed to stay in the body for a lifetime. This second surgery is not covered by my insurance. nor was the first one. So, if you are considering a lap band, please be aware that "rare" complications can occur, and that they may be painful and costly. Then make sure you are prepared for the possibility of having another surgery sometime in the future. If you are okay with that, then you'll be glad you had it. I know am. By the way, if the other possible source of pain turns out to be bad news (I hope not), then the lap-band rupture actually did me the favor of alerting the doctors and me to something potentially more serious that needed fixing. Not what I had expected from the surgery, but not bad at all. read more

I've been a patient here since 2013 and I'm very pleased with my experience. When I had my sleeve done 11/16/15 I had the best care from the recovery nurses. They were attentive and very accommodating. I'd recommend NWWLS to anyone who is considering bariatric surgery. I had zero issues with my insurance and my coordinator was on top of my case from day one. So glad I used this facility to get healthier and change my life for good. Dr. Michaelson is awesome! read more

I have been a patient since 2007. I cannot say enough good things about the agency and staff. Very helpful, very attentive, made my choice easy. read more

Amazing Facility! I've been going to NWWLS since 2008, when I met with them and selected a lap band for my surgical procedure. I have always been treated kindly and professionally. I had problems with the lap band, and after consultation, we decided to remove the band and I had a gastric bypass in 2012. I wish I had done that originally, but I had hoped to be able to succeed in weight loss with the lesser procedure! But I'm so happy I had the bypass, and that I had it at this facility. I have always been treated professionally. I've lost 130 pounds thus far, and still want to lose another 100, but I'm hopeful and positive about doing so - and a lot of that is due to NWWLS, and Denise with her website, emails, and monthly meetings. I recommend NWWLS highly. read more

I had a very disappointing experience with the doctor I worked with from NWWLS, Dr. Michaelson. After 1 year of constant band adjustments, problems with the band completely blocking my stoma due to the small simple band adjustments,( I couldn't even swallow water on several occasions and had to make emergency trips to the clinic) a different doctor within the clinic finally told me, "this just doesn't work for some people". That is information that would have been helpful BEFORE I had the surgery and spent 15K of my own money for the procedure. No mention was ever made that the band simply doesn't work for some people. I was constantly having to make the trip to the office because the band, with just a bit of fluid in it would cause complete blockage. At no time did Dr Michaelson say, "why is this happening, what can we do to stop this?" or anything else for that matter. What he did say to me after many many adjustments without resolution was, " I hear my patients tell me all the time that this is not working, bullsh*t stories about how they are trying." And yes, he actually said bullsh*t to me. It seemed to me that Dr. Michaelson doesn't like fat people. I spent 15K and lost about 15 pounds in the first year. And that's where my weight has stayed. I was beside myself by the time I finally abandoned the process. I have no fluid in my band anymore but still have trouble eating any truly healthy food as it gets stuck at the band location. I eat slowly with small bites and chew the food fully but still it gets stuck. Raw vegetables and even most cooked vegetables, lean meats, eggs of any kind, all get stuck above my band and I often have to vomit as the food will stay there for hours without entering my stomach. I can however eat, without issue, any processed, unhealthy food. It's a cruel joke. This can be a disaster for some people and the utter lack of compassion and support from Dr. Michaelson was truly heartbreaking. If you have a sensitive system, this is not the surgery for you. I would love to have the band removed but it will cost another 15K to do that, so I'm stuck in this nightmare. A proper intake procedure by the clinic and I may have avoided this terrible situation completely. read more

My husband and I went in because we both were going to have weight loss surgery. On 3 different occasions they got my medications wrong. They called in a vitamin D script that they already had me on for a few weeks. Nobody in that office was ever on the same page and it was a bit unsettling. I emailed my surgeon Dr. Chock 3 times with the same question and instead of saying I don't know she just blew me off. On the day of my endoscopy she came in to talk to me and she also got my medication wrong. By that point all confidence that I had in NWWL was gone. The office manager, was also a great deal of the problem. Rude, never returned calls and way over her head. 2 great things about NWWL is the dietitian and fitness instructor. Both were very kind, informative and extremely knowledgable. Seriously! Please shop around! This is elective surgery and you deserve to be treated like a person, not a number. read more

I love this place! The support is incredible and the staff is simply amazing. I have had nothing but positive experiences on my weightloss journey and the staff is truly dedicated to seeing people get thier lives back. The doctors are very thorough to ensure minimal to no complications. The nutritionists and therapist are amazing. It's a one stop shop here, I'm so grateful for these people - many of them have been on this journey and can relate. I cannot say enough wonderful things. read more

After struggling with my weight and being unhappy for many years, I took the plunge to schedule a consult to discuss the surgical options and see what was right for me. I arrived 20 minutes early for my 60 minute consult. I had to pay $260 for that visit. OK. I waited in the lobby. Phones ringing, receptionists talking loudly about their personal lives. Finally, 25 minutes later, an MA brings be back to get vitals. Then, I'm escorted BACK to the lobby. Weird, but OK. 30 minutes later, the surgeon personally brings me back to his office. I felt like a paycheck. It was right to the choices and costs. Nothing about my history, health or background. Then his personal cell rang, he excused himself for 10 minutes! I was about to walk out when the MA walked in and said she was sorry but Dr. Michaelson has an emergency. My $260 consult was now over. OK. I was then escorted to a scheduler. Trish. OMG. what a scatter brain. I then asked for the contact information for the office manager to discuss a partial refund. Michelle was rude, mean and never apologized for the lack of organization or care from anyone there. I'm trusting my health to a chop shop??!! From the fake DENISE to TRISH. This company is a JOKE!! I'm out $260, but better than the $17050 for the surgery!! I'll go to Swedish, thanks. read more