She's probably referring to Duke Durham because they are notorious for having front office issues. That said, if you keep good records and are respectfully persistent with them, even that issue is manageable. Their medical team is absolutely top notch. I have worked with both the Duke Durham and the Duke Raleigh teams. Duke Raleigh is a smaller, more intimate program, so if you want a smaller, more intimate experience, that might be the way to go. Either way, you are not going to have a technically or medically inferior experience with either program. 

All of the surgeon's are well versed with the RNY, so I think you'll be in good hands with any of the surgeons. At Duke Durham, I particularly like Dr. Dana Portenier; he did my husband's surgery and he's not only technically competent, but he's wonderful at communicating. If I had to choose someone from the program, I would choose him, but that is totally from a personal perspective. I also have met with and Dr. Jin Yoo at that the Duke Raleigh office and I am very, very comfortable with him as well. That said, all of the surgeon's are all very competent and are all well versed with the RNY. 

If you want to meet the various surgeons, you might try going to the seminars on different days to hear them speak. You might even be able to call the office to find out who is hosting the seminars. You could explain that you want to hear the different surgeons speak. I'm sure that they would be willing to work with you. 

Generally speaking, when you are approved for your surgery, you are automatically slotted with the next available surgeon, but are also able to request the next available slot with the surgeon of your choice; that's what I did.

If you have specific concerns that you'd like addressed, please let me know and I'll do my best to do so.

Wishing you all the best,