SurgOne Foregut Institute

Dr. Bell and Kate offer fantastic service and expertise. While it turned out I was not a candidate for LINX unfortunately, I would have felt very confident doing the procedure with them if I had qualified. They were honest and helpful throughout the entire process.

Warning … Dr. Bell lists on his website two non invasive procedures for Acid Reflux or gerd called «the stretta procedure» and «TIF». Sadly Dr. Bell rarely if ever will perform these as he does not believe in them at all. I originally went to him for a more non invasive Linx which uses magnets and is basically metal implant however I highly allergic to metal. He didn’t care even after I went to National Jewish Health and had blood test for metal sensitivity and allergy and I failed the test. Since I had no intention of ever having a nissen fundo I ended up being so desperate that I agreed to it after Dr. Bell told me I was not a candidate for Stretta or Tif because of my hiatal hernia he broke me dow and I scheduled a very invasive anatomy altering surgery that I believe would have ruined my life. My hernia is less than 2cmm. I believed my dr and I believed I had NO options but to get the Nissen. Well I found out one day before my surgery after seeing another surgeon that I was an excellent candidate for Stretta and that my hernia was really small. To be sure I had my records faxed to a third dr in Maryland and he also confirmed I was an excellent candidate. I cancelled my surgery and got a bill in the mail for $ 250 for cancelling. I went and saw Dr. Bell recently (paid my $ 50 copay) so he could show me my hernia and what you know his internet was down and he could not show me. I found out later the internet came back up before he saw me but he chose to pretend it was down. He YELLED at me for over 30 minutes telling me the Nissen was my only option and I yelled back I have to throw up I have a sensitive stomach and I am NOT a candidate at all and that LYING to me was not nice. He never ever ever had any intention of doing Stretta or TIF because he doesn’t think it works and he said insurance won’t cover it. Be careful he doesn’t care about his patients, the outcomes or the truth. I will never ever pay the $ 250 because I was lied too and mislead.

I am a doctor myself and would never treat a patient as I was treated by Dr. Bell and his staff. I went in for a consult for a surgery which was quick and to the point. We agreed to have a painful mass removed from under my skin and do a scope down my throat to assess if I possibly had GERD so we could formulate a plan to relieve my constant discomfort. We agreed this was supposed to have an anesthesiologist present as I would be knocked out under twilight sedation.
The surgery was to take place one month later. First we set it up at his office’s surgery facility but my insurance was not accepted at that facility so we had to go to the hospital. My husband and I both took off from work. I checked into the hospital (did the entire check in process) only to find Dr. Bell canceled last minute (20 minutes before I was to begin the surgery) due to an emergency surgery he had to perform. While inconvenient and nerve wracking, as surgery and anesthesia are not to be taken lightly, I understood, so we rescheduled for a month later.
My husband and I both took off from work again. Again, we checked into the hospital. We were routed to two different areas of the hospital because no one seemed to know where I was supposed to go. I was finally checked in to an area of the hospital other than the one I went to the first time so this was peculiar to us. The staff began to poke and prod, set up IVs (the nurse bruised me terribly and never actually got an IV in), and explained a procedure to me that I was unaware I was going to have. I was only told I was going to have a scope to «check things out», not a little electric probe that they were putting into my throat for several days that I would have to monitor with an electronic device. Dr. Bell NEVER verbally discussed this procedure with me in our first meeting. I found out about it moments before I was supposed to go under the knife. Nothing specific like that was ever explained to me by Dr. Bell.
When Dr. Bell finally showed up, he was relatively cold and unapologetic when he said he would again not be able to perform the surgery because «[his] office screwed up and booked the wrong area of the hospital and no anesthesiologist.» I was definitely not going to agree to surgery with a doctor who did this many things to shake my confidence. Dr. Bell’s assistant also called and left me a voice mail admitting her fault. Then I got a bill in the mail for my consult. After calling twice to have the charges waived, as it would have been out of pocket towards my deductible, Dr. Bell’s office refused to waive the charge. I believe it should be waived because it was a consult for a surgery that never occurred, not by my fault but by the negligence of this doctor and his staff. His office said they «did all they could do» and the service was performed so they would not waive it. I highly recommend NOT going to this doctor.

For the past 1 ½ years, I have undergone treatment for a pretty bad form of GERD in Reno, NV. My existing GI told me after my last EGD not to come back until I had the Nissen Fundoplication surgery — something I did not want to do and so I decided to pursue the Linx surgery. Since that time, I have been trying to get a doctor to help me with surgical options. I have traveled to Denver to see Dr. Bell due to his expertise and the friendliness of his staff. Dr. Bell is the only one who listened and is doing something about my conidition. Both he and Kate — the Nurse Practitioner — are amazing individuals! They completely understand what I am going through and their entire staff is courteous and accommodating beyond compare. I highly recommend Dr. Bell and his office for their services and am excited for the years to come.

Dr. Bell is very knowledgable and wants to make sure you are completely well as possible. When it comes to your health, he doesn’t want you to take chances and he goes over all of your options.

Be sure to go over your statements with a fine tooth comb.

Dr. Bell is an awesome surgeon. I had an emergency giant hiatal hernia that was repaired at Sky Ridge. The surgeon was not a GI surgeon but a trauma surgeon, needless to say his repair was unsuccessful. Dr. Bell saw me three weeks later, in the Swedish ER. Due to the unsuccessful open repair Dr. Bell had to use an open technique which meant another 5 days in the Hospital but I havent had any complaints since. I am very thankful to Dr. Bell and Kate for their prompt service and sincerity.