"Checking in was fast easy. I did have some issues with them not wanting to allow both my mom and my sister back in the pre-op area, although several patients had more than 2 people with them. The first night I was there, the nurse I had was not as attentive as nights proceeding."
"My first impression of Dr. Gandsas and the Mt. Sinai surgical team was great. The office was obviously busy, however, the staff was friendly and efficient. The waiting room was filled with comfortable chairs that weren't restrictive. At least 2 of the staff members have undergone bariatric surgery so it really feels like the people in the office are not only knowledgeable but really sympathetic to the woes of being obese.rnrnDr. Gandsas was also friendly and to-the-point, but not in a way that made me feel like just a dollar sign or just another surgery. He asked which surgery i was considering and after looking over my info, agreed w/ my decision as the sleeve being a very viable and good choice. He explained to me how the next 6 months would go since i hadn't completed the 6 months mandatory weight loss and handed me over to a member of his staff that gave me a packet of pre-op testing i'd need (EKG, barium swallow, etc.).rnrnSince then, i've gone to the office every month for a quick meet with Dr. Gandsas and to weigh-in so that we could have documentation for the insurance. Although it was hard to get specific information about insurance requirements (the person handling that was retiring and busy training a new person), my overall experience has been great. rnrnFor future patients, It seems that Dr. Christina Li (the other surgeon), is out on maternity leave. Dr. Gandsas has taken on all her patients, however, the only change i've really seen is that i'm now having a couple 'group' weigh-ins a month for all patients needing documentation. its not a big deal and it hasn't worried me about my standard of care. rnrnThe aftercare components appears to be extensive. After speaking with the dietician i've found that there is a large network of support groups and activities associated w/ those groups. Also, the $150 program fee covers unlimited meetings with the dietician for up to a year after your surgery, which was the lowest program fee i found and she is very good and nice. rnrnThe only really frustrating thing was trying to get started with the sinai group. I went to the initial seminar, filled out all the paperwork, and sent it in, however, no one called me about setting up an appointment. When i called, i was told they had not received it but i should give it a week. I ended up waiting 2 weeks and they still hadn't gotten it. I was told to bring it the seminar that day and hand it personally to one of the program directors ( who perfusedly apologized for my inconvenience). When i arrived at the seminar, i was told that my packet info had been found and that she had personally tracked it down. i got an appointment a few weeks later. The whole incident put me back 1 month, but, the handled the whole thing very well and was very apologetic. Nothing of the sort has ever occurred again. "
