"Dr. Tugetman is very kind and compassionate, with a very warm office manner. His interest in his patients' well-being is evident in the questions he asks, the time he spends with you and the follow-up information he provides as needed. I am the first post-op bariatric patient he has treated (Lap RNY, March 2002), but I am impressed with the amount of homework he did to better educate himself on the surgery. Dr. Tugetman wasn't put off by me bringing in my own literature for my chart. He read through the information and was glad that I am now proactive about my health. I've had other doctors who would have become defensive or thrown the information away after I left. Dr. Tugetman is now treating three other bariatric patients, some pre-op and some post-op, for their general healthcare needs."
"I originally found Dr. Inabnet through my insurance company’s Provider Directory. The time from making the consultation appointment to the actual appointment (Nov. 19, 2001) was about two months. The front office staff is unprofessional. I have found this to be consistent on every office visit.
I only met with Dr. Inabnet once before my surgery, at the initial consultation. Dr. Inabnet put me at ease with his soft-spoken and friendly manner while discussing the general information about weight loss surgery. Since I came with some research in hand as well as my medical records and photos of myself over the course of my life, we were able to quickly narrow down the type of surgery that was best for me. Dr. Inabnet was thorough in his questions to better understand my long-term life goals and my expectations about the surgery. He was very honest about the surgical and lifetime risks involved. Since one of my life goals is to get married and have children, Dr. Inabnet was very thorough in explaining the risks to getting pregnant before 18 months after surgery. I was very scared that I would not be deemed a candidate for this surgery since I did not have any of the comorbids. Dr. Inabnet was confidant that the surgery would benefit me tremendously and that my insurance would cover the procedure.
Dr. Inabnet introduced me to his Physicians’ Assistant, Robyn Kessler, and explained the team approach to pre-op, surgery and post-op care. Robyn is the person I spoke with most often about clinical questions, test results, surgical dates and other information. The transition was handled in a very professional manner. Robyn is quite nice and very quick to answer questions or find out information. Because Dr. Inabnet is so busy with surgical procedures, patient follow-up, teaching and research, he really relies on the support team to handle the day-to-day tasks of getting patients to a surgical date. The key to getting in touch with Robyn or the nutritionists is via e-mail or a voice mail. I found that the staff returns phone calls and e-mails, usually within a day.
On the day of the surgery I met Dr. Inabnet’s Fellow who escorted me into the OR. Dr. Inabnet saw me briefly before the surgery to reassured me that everything would go well. Again, Dr. Inabnet was very soft-spoken and efficient. Dr. Inabnet spoke with my friend after the surgery and was very reassuring that the surgery went well and explained where I was and when I might be moved to a room.
Dr. Inabnet saw me the morning of my first post-op day to explain a test he had ordered and to review some of my vital signs that were low the previous night. He also came by in the evening to see how I was and to check on a problem with the nursing staff resulting on my low vital signs, again. Dr. Inabnet also saw me the morning of the second day with the wonderful news that I could go home that day. I consider his surgical skills, reassuring manner and follow-up to be outstanding.
I highly recommend Dr. Inabnet to anyone considering bariatric surgery.
"
"Meredith takes the time to listen to your
questions and concerns. She also is quick
to respond to e-mails. Meredith is very
knowledgeable about the needs of post-op
patients and is quick to offer alternatives
if a supplement or food is not working."
"Overall I received excellent care from my surgeon and the surgical support team, including the recovery room. The nursing care left something to be desired. I had problems with the nurses and aides on the day shift, which surprised me. They were indifferent and had the attitude that you were bothering them. On my first post-op day my IV came out. I called my nurse who came and tried to restart it. She said she would find someone else to do it because she stuck me twice with no results. My friend inquired an hour later before she left and was told it would be restarted in a few minutes. I fell asleep and was woken up by another friend visiting me. I didn't look well and she asked if anything was wrong. I was in terrible pain and felt bad. The IV had not been restarted and the elapsed time was 5 hours. My firend called my surgeon's office and complained about the IV. Soon people were running in and out of my room to get things in shape. Either the aides never took my vitals during those 5 hours or they ignored the blood stains and vital signs. My surgeon came to visit me later that evening and asked me to recount the events of the day. He said that because I didn't receive any fluids or pain medication for 5 hours my vital signs were low again. This meant that I probably wouldn't be able to go home the next day. I want to mention that every time my friends went to find a nurse, they were standing around having a coffee klatch, talking. I received excellent care from the nurses and aides during the evening and overnight shifts. I learned that if I ever need to be hospitalized again I will either have someone stay with me 24/7 or opt for private duty nursing. Another member of this site mentioned about bringing your own medications to the hospital. I did that and I am glad I did. I was never given my antidepressant or allergy medicine. I told the pre-op nurse and the anesthesiologist about all medications I was taking. If you cannot go without your medications for more than a day, bring a supply. I was a little nervous taking medication that wasn't "on my chart" even though Mt. Sinai was told about them three times. I've been told my hospital stay was average and the fact that I was able to go home the morning of the second day was a good thing. I did recover better once I was home."
