Cleveland Clinic Florida/Bariatric Institute Bariatric Center

My first impression of Dr. Rosenthal was that he is very confident in his profession. I didn't feel any different over time. There is room for improvement with his office staff, especially the appointment setters. Emily Swartz and Michelle Lefkowitz are awesome. They are there for you every step of the way as far as nutrition goes. The only thing I would want different, is to be able to see Dr. R more often, instead of his fellow doctors. Future patients should know that if they are going to the Cleveland Clinic in Weston and Dr. Rosenthal will be attending them, they are in EXCELLENT hands.

They emphasize aftercare and have great monthly support groups. The give you a structured diet to follow post op. In the orientation meeting, they go through every detail of the surgery and address all the risks. I believe his surgical competence and bedside manner are both great!

I liked Dr. Szomstein the at my first meeting with him. He was confident and told me right away that I was a good candidate for WLS.

I did not see Dr. Szomstein for my pre-op visit but did see another member of the staff at Cleveland Clinic.

My stay in the hospital was the most trying of this ordeal. The Cleveland Clinic is understaffed for nurses and nurse assistants. If it were not for my brother who came to help me from Texas and my friend Nanci, I would probably still be in the hospital trying to get into or out of the bathroom. The bed was awful, you had to put the bed into an upright position to get into and out of the bed (try doing that in the middle of the night by yourself because no nurse would come to help). Plus you had to unhook yourself from the leg machine (for clotting), unhook the oxygen I was using because the line was not long enough to get to the bathroom, drag the IV machine to the bathroom (the cord was only long enough to fit outside the door and you had to stretch to get to the toilet).


I attended a support group for post-surgery one week after getting out of the hospital. It was well-organized and run by the doctors and nutritionists at Cleveland Clinic who are part of the WLS program.

I was very happy with Dr. Szomstein, Dr. Rosenthal and the other physicians but not happy with the hospital stay. The only nurse that took any time with me was Mrs. Cosman, RN. She was wonderful and very attentive to my needs. I know it is not the fault of the nurses that the hospital is understaffed and they were doing the best they could under the circumstances. I do appreciate everything that was done for me during my hospital stay.

From the first time I met Dr Rosenthal I liked him, I really felt he really cared about all his clients. He understood obesity and If it was up to him he would help everyone that was overweight. His staff was helpful always but a very busy office. There is nothing that I did not like about him, infact when I did have my surgery march 1st he came in everyday with 5 or 6 other dr that he was training, and they all were wonderful. They ran special test on me because my legs were swollen to make sure I did not have a blod clot. What I liked the best is he has never had a death from all the surgerys he has preformed. And that is very important to me as it should be to new paitents thinking of bypass. I am thankful for him everyday of my life. He is truly a wonderful man. After care with him is a must, now I see him once a month.He did informe me of the risk of the surgery but did not make me afraid to have it either. I put all my trust in him and it turned out fine.

Dr. Rosenthal is wonderful..I cannot say enough about him and Dr. Szomstein. The are truely amazing men and having literally saved my life! I will always be truely grateful to them fo giving me this second chance at life.

My first impression of Dr. Szomstein was great; he came into the room smiling, sat down, and began to load me with information. All, which I was eager to hear and learn about. I also had a list of questions myself which he answered all of them to where I understood the answer and didn't make me feel he was in a rush. I felt I had his undivided attention for as long as I wanted it. He does have a structured aftercare program, which is mostly talked about with the dietitian. We went over the risks of surgery and he explained it all. I would have to say he has a great surgical competence, bedside manner, and made me feel like I was his only patient. After meeting him, I realize I had made a good decision :)
The staff was great, they are all apart of a team and it really shows. They work well together to get the job done in a proficient and professional manner. Everyone of them were very informative.

2/15/04
I just emailed Dr. Rosenthal about my circumstances of being in school 5 hours away but still wanting to take initial steps toward a Lap RNY surgery. He responded within minutes...on a Saturday! He was so courteous and understanding in his email. He definitely seemed like a surgeon that cares about his patients and potential patients. He told me that he would be available during the time I will be home for Spring Break. I have to schedule a consult and meet him.

3/15/04
Well Friday I had my consult with Dr. Rosenthal. Although he answered all my qustions, it seemed that he was in a rush. Which is understandable I guess. But I made sure he answered them all!

I have really only seen Dr. Rosenthal twice for a total of 5 minutes as a patient but he did give the seminar at the support meeting. However, he did do the surgery. He is a very nice man, very sensitive and proud of his record of so many surgeries and no fatalities. He and his partner at Cleveland Clinic have surpassed 1000 WLS.
Dr. R.'s staff is extremely competent and any doctor who trains under him (for a year as residents) is a very well qualified doctor. His clerical staff is understaffed so you do have to be very patient with them and they get the work done, not quickly, but it gets done.

The aftercare program is excellent as is his staff of nutritionists. His support meetings are excellent, too.

I would rate Dr. Rosenthal as an A++++. Highest rating possible!!

<b>8/6/02</b> - I saw Dr Szomstein (Dr Rosenthal's associate) for my consult. He said I'd be an excellent candidate for surgery. YAY! Now I have MANY doctors to see for a clearance and MANY outpatient tests to complete. Dr Szomstein said he and Dr Rosenthal would probably both be in the operating room together and it could be lap or open, it just depends. Great facility though, fantastic staff! Completely happy with my choice of surgeons.
<b>10/15/02</b> - I have a surgery date!!! January 13, 2003! Wooohoooo!!!
<b>12/27/02</b> - I'm approved!!! And just in the nick of time!! My surgery is in 17 days!! I didn't have to do a thing... Dr Rosenthal's office took care of everything with my insurance and got me approved in 2 weeks! Surgery... here I come!
<b>1/28/03</b> - Surgery went fine and Dr Rosenthal took VERY good care of me. He is an excellent surgeon who really cares about his patients. I am so happy with my decision and I feel fantastic!
<b>2/28/03</b> - My checkup went great! I've lost 72lbs in 6 weeks!!! This surgery has been a Godsend. <b>3/7/04</b> - A year has passed and I have lost almost 200 lbs altogether! I have finally gotten my life back and I am so happy I had this surgery a year ago!!

Dr. Rosenthal was highly recommended to me by several people. I am an xray yech and I asked as many radiologists in Weston as I could what they thought about any post op problems he has. They all said he has very few post op complications and has done many of these surgeries. Although the office visit was short, he answered any questions I had and I liked him immediately. Now, I have had a few problems with his staff. Some of them are quite overworked and it shows in how they deal with people. Phone calls never returned, short, curt replies to legitimate questions. But, overall, they did what needed to be done and got me approved after the first try.

My impression of Dr. Rosenthal was a very competent Surgeon.
My impression will never change.
The office staff is wonderful and caring.
I like everyone.
Future patients I wouls highly recommend him as he is caring and well qualified and really knows what he is doing. I researched him out awhile before I decided to have my surgery with Him. I would do it over again with him and his team.
The aftercare is very important, he has given you an opportunity to be able to live agian, but this is only the tool you have to do everything they ask of you to do in order for things to go right.
I am taken care of the the nutritionist that works with Dr. Rosenthal and they guide you along the way. You are never alone. You have acess to email them personally or call them.
The risk of surgery were well told to me and I knew the risks.
I would rate DR. Rosenyhal and his team as EXCELLANT.
Both surgical compentance, bedside manner was great and caring.