"My first impression of him was that he seemed professional, but somewhat impersonal. He came in to meet me after I had already talked with the PA. I think she handles more of the interpersonal stuff. He gave me what seemed like a rehearsed briefing on WLS, discussed how health risks are tied to BMI, and asked if I had any questions for him. rnI really got to interact more with his PA who spent more time discussing details, tests, complication rates, liver reduction diet, etc. The office staff are friendly and helpful. They have been good about rescheduling since I had to go out of town unexpectedly. They also accept walk-ins for initial appointments, so on the day I was there for the first time I had no appointment, but was in to see the doctor within half and hour. They were knowledgable about my insurance plan, called and made my appointment for my stress/EKG, initiated my referral to a dietician, and gave me a list of psychiatrists and psychologists I might contact.rnOne thing I found a little surprising was that on that first appointment they already went ahead and started with some of the pre-op testing and appointments for testing. I sort of thought it would be a little more complicated than just walking in and saying \"I'd like to have Lap Band surgery\" I guess they accepted that I had already researched the various alternatives, because I told them I wanted something less invasive and reversible and the PA or Doctor would have told me if they disagreed with my choice.rnThe initial visit cost me $100 up front in addition to my $20 co-pay. I guess this ensures they get something for their efforts even if insurance or pre-op testing result in your not qualifying for the surgery. According to the paperwork they supplied me, they charge a fee of $315 dollars which is not billable to insurance to cover diatician consult after surgery, follow-up visits, and group support sessions. I also have to pay out-of-pocket for an intitial dietary consultation and psych eval (although my insurance will actually cover psych care)rnIt was stressed to me that aftercare and lifetime followup is extremely important for long-term success. The PA discussed complication and mortality rates with me for both the Lap Band and for comparison purposes the Gastric Bypass. I believe that this doctor used to only perform bypass surgery here at this center because I was originally looking in to having this done at medical center in a nearby town, then heard that he was offering the procedure locally in addition to the bypass."
