Good Morning Amey,
I had my crap band removed and revised to a DS by Dr. Simper in October. I too traveled to Utah (from Colorado) for my surgery. I was not impressed at all by their insurance facilitator. She was nice, but I didn't feel like she was really invested in helping me. Luckily I have fantastic insurance and they were actually more proactive in reaching out to me to get me fully approved and ensure any pre-reqs. were complete.
I personally liked Dr. Simper. I only met with him once prior to surgery for my consultation. He took about an hour to talk with me about the procedure, possible issues that he might encounter, and long term expectations. Be aware, he does not believe in pain meds after leaving the hospital. If I recall correctly his standard script is for about 10 Vicodin to go home with. I saw him again the day of surgery and briefly confirmed what he would be doing. After surgery he checked on me daily in the hospital. I haven't seen him since I left the hospital. Standard protocol does include a follow up visit, however, I was not experiencing any complications, therefore I didn't find the value in returning to Utah.
Their nutrition advice was RYN focused, so I just did the smile and nod. Their vitamin advice is dismal as well. I started with the Vitalady regime and have been tweaking what I take based on my labs. If I would have followed their guidelines. I would have been in trouble already with my iron, protein, D, and a couple of others. He also does not feel that it is necessary to draw labs until you are one year out. I have gone to my PCP to get those ordered. They will encourage you to buy their bariatric ADEK vits that they sell in house. I would politely decline. They are a complete waste of money.
Hope that helps. If you have other questions I can answer, please don't hesitate to ask.
Tina