Cheapest Surgery in United States???
My Dr is recognized as Bariatric Center of Excellence & he is very reasonable. $12,300 all inclusive (even aftercare for 1 year) the surgery is done in a brand new state of the art hospital. Here's a link for you. www.drdkim.net Good Luck!
Living in Dallas,Tx. current weight 233
I'll throw my awesome doc in the hat, too - I chose him because as the child of a doctor, I'm really selective about who I let treat me, and he is the head of bariatrics at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas (one of the top, if not THE top hospital in Dallas) and before that he was head of vascular surgery there for 20 years.
I felt good that he really knows the surgery well, and also knows what to do if something goes wrong - which to me is one of the main differences b/t an okay doc and a great one. :)
I know there are TONS of good docs, but I was pleasantly surprised to find one who had such a great reputation (he's also a Bariatric Center of Excellence doc) and fairly affordable, when done in the surgicenter.
A big difference in cost is whether you have surgery in a hospital (high overhead = high cost) or in a surgicenter. My dad (a plastic surgeon) operates in a surgicenter now after years of being at Baylor Dallas and he much prefers it, and it helps keep costs more manageable for self-pay patients.
So.... my surgery (also done where Dr. Kim does his - at the beautiful new Forest Park Medical Center) was $12,500 - soup to nuts, including all first-year follow up, and I've been very pleased.
Congrats on your decision to meet w/ a WL doc - it's one of the VERY best things I ever did for myself, as most people on this board would agree, I'm sure!!
Best,
Kelly
I felt good that he really knows the surgery well, and also knows what to do if something goes wrong - which to me is one of the main differences b/t an okay doc and a great one. :)
I know there are TONS of good docs, but I was pleasantly surprised to find one who had such a great reputation (he's also a Bariatric Center of Excellence doc) and fairly affordable, when done in the surgicenter.
A big difference in cost is whether you have surgery in a hospital (high overhead = high cost) or in a surgicenter. My dad (a plastic surgeon) operates in a surgicenter now after years of being at Baylor Dallas and he much prefers it, and it helps keep costs more manageable for self-pay patients.
So.... my surgery (also done where Dr. Kim does his - at the beautiful new Forest Park Medical Center) was $12,500 - soup to nuts, including all first-year follow up, and I've been very pleased.
Congrats on your decision to meet w/ a WL doc - it's one of the VERY best things I ever did for myself, as most people on this board would agree, I'm sure!!
Best,
Kelly
I am 5'4" tall and feeling great! 62 lbs down, 14 to go! I LOVE my sleeve!
"You will lift up your face without shame... you will firmly stand with no fear inside,
You will surely forget your troubles and pain... recalling them only as waters gone by!"
- lyrics from "Waters Gone By" by Glory Revealed - taken from Job 11:13-15
On October 1, 2009 at 5:31 PM Pacific Time, kellyinbigd wrote: I'll throw my awesome doc in the hat, too - I chose him because as the child of a doctor, I'm really selective about who I let treat me, and he is the head of bariatrics at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas (one of the top, if not THE top hospital in Dallas) and before that he was head of vascular surgery there for 20 years.
I felt good that he really knows the surgery well, and also knows what to do if something goes wrong - which to me is one of the main differences b/t an okay doc and a great one. :)
I know there are TONS of good docs, but I was pleasantly surprised to find one who had such a great reputation (he's also a Bariatric Center of Excellence doc) and fairly affordable, when done in the surgicenter.
A big difference in cost is whether you have surgery in a hospital (high overhead = high cost) or in a surgicenter. My dad (a plastic surgeon) operates in a surgicenter now after years of being at Baylor Dallas and he much prefers it, and it helps keep costs more manageable for self-pay patients.
So.... my surgery (also done where Dr. Kim does his - at the beautiful new Forest Park Medical Center) was $12,500 - soup to nuts, including all first-year follow up, and I've been very pleased.
Congrats on your decision to meet w/ a WL doc - it's one of the VERY best things I ever did for myself, as most people on this board would agree, I'm sure!!
Best,
Kelly
Yes, let me echo Kelly's post regarding Dr. Davidson. He was also my husband's surgeon. From the time, my husband met Dr. Davidson, he was very certain that this was who he wanted to perform any bariatric surgery he might have. He was just very impressed with him and when he had his surgery, I felt that he was in extremely capable hands because of Dr. Davidson's reputation and experience.
The website for Dr. Davidson is www.bscdallas.com
I felt good that he really knows the surgery well, and also knows what to do if something goes wrong - which to me is one of the main differences b/t an okay doc and a great one. :)
I know there are TONS of good docs, but I was pleasantly surprised to find one who had such a great reputation (he's also a Bariatric Center of Excellence doc) and fairly affordable, when done in the surgicenter.
A big difference in cost is whether you have surgery in a hospital (high overhead = high cost) or in a surgicenter. My dad (a plastic surgeon) operates in a surgicenter now after years of being at Baylor Dallas and he much prefers it, and it helps keep costs more manageable for self-pay patients.
So.... my surgery (also done where Dr. Kim does his - at the beautiful new Forest Park Medical Center) was $12,500 - soup to nuts, including all first-year follow up, and I've been very pleased.
Congrats on your decision to meet w/ a WL doc - it's one of the VERY best things I ever did for myself, as most people on this board would agree, I'm sure!!
Best,
Kelly
Yes, let me echo Kelly's post regarding Dr. Davidson. He was also my husband's surgeon. From the time, my husband met Dr. Davidson, he was very certain that this was who he wanted to perform any bariatric surgery he might have. He was just very impressed with him and when he had his surgery, I felt that he was in extremely capable hands because of Dr. Davidson's reputation and experience.
The website for Dr. Davidson is www.bscdallas.com
My husband had vertical sleeve gastrectomy done by Dr. James Davidson on 7/28/09 in Dallas.
Dr. Umbach in Henderson, NV (http://blossombariatrics.com) has just announced a very cheap program, also $11,200.
He's only done 3 VSG procedures, tho.
Meaning my kids will stay with my parents and brother in Henderson, less than a half-mile from his practice, while I have my procedure done in Mexico.
I don't think Rosebud's original comment was at all rude. She stated a fact, and a worry, not an accusation: it concerns her, as it does me. Cost is only one of the factors to consider.... it's certainly a huge factor with me as I'm also self-pay, a single mom, and taking the $$ out of my retirement - but it's certainly not the only factor. Experience, Board Qualified certifications, quality of care, type of facility (e.g. hospital or clinic), and even reputation are all also hugely important - at least to me.
Rosebud's later example of lasik really hit home, too. I had lasik on my eyes in July 2000 and paid premium for it at http://furlongvision.com/ (not covered by insurance). Dr. Furlong did Steve Jobs' eyes (think: Apple Computers). And the SF Bay football team. He was a pioneer in the field. It was the second best thing I've ever done for myself (adopting my daughters was #1). A couple of years later, when the price for lasik dropped, my sister went to a low-cost chain lasik place in Virginia. The technician used the wrong dilution of cleaning fluid on the machine that day, all day, and everyone who had surgery that Friday wound up in agony over the weekend - and had to have their lasik done over on Monday to clean the disinfectant out from under their corneal flaps. She has permanent starburst, can't drive at night or in low light conditions, and wasn't able to read for pleasure for almost a year. (Thank goodness she was a SAHM - had she needed to use a computer, she would have been unable to work.) Her eyes still tire easily, she has frequent headaches, and oh, yes, she has to wear glasses to see. That clinic is also out of business now.
I don't think for a moment that you need to pay the highest price for good service, tho. Dr. Averbach in Baltimore seems very nice, his staff is very responsive and friendly, but he quoted me a figure of $29K, which I can't afford, altho the appeal of having it done locally is not negligible. He's only done 50 VSGs, tho.
From everything I've heard on this board and else, I think Dr. Almanza in Tijuana is a fine doctor, and the cost, at ~$6000, is certainly appealing. However - and maybe it's all those years I spent in the Navy!! - I personally don't feel comfortable going to a clinic in TJ, and thus I'm willing to pay more for a full-service hospital setting.
Bottom line: do your own research, find your own comfort zone, and make your own decision.
There's no need to jump all over people who express an opinion in polite, not rude terms. The guy with the gun avatar yesterday - he sets the standard for rude, not Rosebud.
In my opinion, for what it's worth.
Peace!
Sheri
He's only done 3 VSG procedures, tho.
Meaning my kids will stay with my parents and brother in Henderson, less than a half-mile from his practice, while I have my procedure done in Mexico.
I don't think Rosebud's original comment was at all rude. She stated a fact, and a worry, not an accusation: it concerns her, as it does me. Cost is only one of the factors to consider.... it's certainly a huge factor with me as I'm also self-pay, a single mom, and taking the $$ out of my retirement - but it's certainly not the only factor. Experience, Board Qualified certifications, quality of care, type of facility (e.g. hospital or clinic), and even reputation are all also hugely important - at least to me.
Rosebud's later example of lasik really hit home, too. I had lasik on my eyes in July 2000 and paid premium for it at http://furlongvision.com/ (not covered by insurance). Dr. Furlong did Steve Jobs' eyes (think: Apple Computers). And the SF Bay football team. He was a pioneer in the field. It was the second best thing I've ever done for myself (adopting my daughters was #1). A couple of years later, when the price for lasik dropped, my sister went to a low-cost chain lasik place in Virginia. The technician used the wrong dilution of cleaning fluid on the machine that day, all day, and everyone who had surgery that Friday wound up in agony over the weekend - and had to have their lasik done over on Monday to clean the disinfectant out from under their corneal flaps. She has permanent starburst, can't drive at night or in low light conditions, and wasn't able to read for pleasure for almost a year. (Thank goodness she was a SAHM - had she needed to use a computer, she would have been unable to work.) Her eyes still tire easily, she has frequent headaches, and oh, yes, she has to wear glasses to see. That clinic is also out of business now.
I don't think for a moment that you need to pay the highest price for good service, tho. Dr. Averbach in Baltimore seems very nice, his staff is very responsive and friendly, but he quoted me a figure of $29K, which I can't afford, altho the appeal of having it done locally is not negligible. He's only done 50 VSGs, tho.
From everything I've heard on this board and else, I think Dr. Almanza in Tijuana is a fine doctor, and the cost, at ~$6000, is certainly appealing. However - and maybe it's all those years I spent in the Navy!! - I personally don't feel comfortable going to a clinic in TJ, and thus I'm willing to pay more for a full-service hospital setting.
Bottom line: do your own research, find your own comfort zone, and make your own decision.
There's no need to jump all over people who express an opinion in polite, not rude terms. The guy with the gun avatar yesterday - he sets the standard for rude, not Rosebud.
In my opinion, for what it's worth.
Peace!
Sheri
I've been fat, and I've been thin - and thin is better.
There is a better way. --Alaine of Lyndar
--------------------------
HW: 234. SW: 228 (18 June 2015). GW: 137. Specs: 50ish, 5'4"
This is a very old thread and you are not getting updated information. May we suggest you repost this on the surgery type forum you are interested in. I you want help finding a surgeon and or getting pricing I can help you with that. I have been doing this for 15 years and the south is cheaper than the coasts. Vegas has some of the lowest pricing and or course the lowest in having surgery in MX.
Let me know how I can help
Regards,
Kathy
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