Dr. Richard Matthew Peterson, MD

I recently had the sleeve and Dr peterson and his staff are terrific

the best doctor

I had contemplated bariatric surgery for a long time but always backed out, there was just something that made me uneasy. But then my spouse (an OR nurse) said she found the right surgeon for me and she was absolutely correct. I had so many questions and Dr. Peterson and his staff answered them all. Before the surgery I had no life, I had given it up to the weight and all of the medical and emotional baggage that accompanied it. After the surgery (145lb loss) I am alive again, I hike, I ride my bike, I get out and do things with my family again. There is no doubt that if I had to go through the surgery again, I wouldn't change a thing. But to be perfectly honest, there is a down side to this surgery, I now have to buy a whole new wardrobe cause nothing fits anymore :-) but on reflection, that's not such a bad thing.

I went to Dr. Peterson free seminar and was amazed that it was conducted by the surgeon. He was friendly, approachable and explained the differences between all three procedures. I had the gastric sleeve. He was thorough and patient. During my monthly pre-surgery visits he was available and I never felt rushed. I was given an entire support team and they too were available and always made time to answer any questions or concerns I had. Immediately after surgery Dr. Peterson checked on me twice a day as well as my support staff. Jane even took time away from her family to come back to the hospital in the evening to walk with me. The staff at the hospital treated me like a queen as they were patient and attentive. Anna, my nutritionist also checked on me daily and was so encouraging while going through the different stages of diet. For the first two weeks after being released from the hospital I was called at least once a day by someone on my support team to check on my recovery. The… personalized attention I received was unsurpassed. Did I mention that Dr. Peterson personally oversees all support group meetings once a month as well. I attended support groups before and after my surgery. He is so hands on and I would recommend him to anyone. When I had to go have a swallow test would you believe Dr. Peterson himself walked me to the test and stayed for the entire test. Anyone else would have sent me down and waited for results, but not him he wanted to witness it first hand. I am so grateful to him, Jane, Anna, and Cindy for I truly feel they have saved my life literally and the quality of life I am now experiencing is beyond belief. It's not about the money, they work with you even if you don't have insurance. To them it is about saving people's lives. My God bless them and anyone reading this, if you have any reservations, or fears put them aside because once all is complete you will be asking yourself why you wasted so much time.

What a wonderful and amazing experience. After doing alot of research on not only bariatric procedures but surgeons as well, I know without a doubt that I made the right decision on the Lapband and Dr. Peterson. Dr. Peterson has a genuine concern for his patients and his staff is right there cheering you on. I would and have recommended Dr. Peterson to friends and family.

Dr. Peterson is an excellent physician with a mountain of experience. His work ethic and caring attitude goes along way. He is very concerned with the outcomes of ALL his patients, and he gives very sound unbiased advice. He has excellent bedside manner and uses sound judgement in all medical interventions he makes. When choosing a bariatric surgeon, it is imperative that Dr. Peterson is in the mix of interviews. He is very passionate about the work he does and is completly upfront and honest. The staff that work with him are wonderful and caring as well, and I have never had a bad experience with any of the staff.

I researched for awhile before even attending Dr Peterson's seminar. He was informative, but his caution on taking acceptable risks was my selling point. He is not willing to jeopardize potential patient's health nor his stellar reputation by accepting risks outside his criteria. His staff has been carefully selected. Every single member he has chosen to walk this path with his patients has knowledge and experience to share. They are kind and compassionate and treated me as if I am the only person that mattered. The day of surgery, Dr Peterson wore a Superman t shirt under his scrubs. His subtle humor but staggering compassion has been a gift. They ARE SUPER!!

When I made my first visit with Dr. Peterson, I was 12 months post-bariatric surgery. At 5'10, I weighed 167 pounds. His staff member assumed I was there in need of surgery. Problem #1, right? I saw Dr. Peterson, and he told me he needed labs for a patient who was 12 months post-surgery. I went back for the labs. I just received the invoice from the Lab for $790.80. I called the company, who told me Medicare had deemed the tests medically unnecessary, and therefore they and my secondary insurance would not cover them. I called Medicare, and they told me the CPT codes used by the Dr's office were for someone pre-surgery, and Medicare did not cover this surgery. The diagnostic lab very graciously told me to get with the Dr's office to change the coding, and they would re-bill Medicare. I took the invoice to the Dr's office for review of the coding. They called me today and told me the coding was correct, and that the bill was my responsibility. I asked them how tests ORDERED by… my doctor could be medically unnecessary. They said that he didn't know what was and was not covered by insurance. He only knew what HE needed, and the problem was now mine. I called the diagnostics company, and told them, in tears, about my conversation with the Dr's office. The person I spoke with reviewed the codes and said they were indeed for a pre-bariatric patient. He called the Dr's office while I was on hold and told them of their error. They gave him a new code, and he resubmitted the claim to Medicare. He told me that if this didn't fix the problem, to call him back, and they would try again to help me. I find it amazing that the lab was willing to work with me, but the Dr's staff dumped it in my lap. By the way, six months post-bariatric surgery, these labs were done in Tennessee and submitted to Medicare for payment. They and my secondary insurance (who had been my primary for the initial surgery) payed them without question. Needless to say, I will not be needing this Dr's services in the future. He may be a great surgeon. I hope he is, but the incompetence of his staff reflects unfavorably on him.

My overall experience was excellent. I was a patient and co-worker of Dr. Peterson. He is the "real deal" Bariatric Surgeon. He shows every patient a great amount of care and personal dedication to his craft. Dr. Peterson is a kind, eager surgeon, always learning and improving on the subject of weight loss. He is non-judgemental and available to assist his patients, even if the weight loss is a slow pace. A++++