Martin Valley Bariatrics Bariatric Center

Dr Martin first impressed me with his knowledge of the history and complications of surgery. He continued to impress me by showing how the procedure has improved and decreased complications over time. Dr. Martin's office staff was very helpful in obtaining approval from the insurance company. The least thing about the experience I liked was the office. However since my surgery Dr. Martin has moved to another office wich is much better equiped to handle larger patients. The other thing I was not happy with is the fact that patients over 400lbs would have to be intubated for 24 hours post-op. I do not remember him telling me this. I would have been petrified had I woke up intubated. I am a nurse and would have started thinking the worst, not knowing this would be the norm. He is realy into after care and holds supprt group meetings monthly and mandates his patient attend at least one pre-op. The after care program is very well structured and specifically spells out what is to happen durring each phase of the post op period. He also spelled out the risks of not only general surgery, but of the type of beriatric surgery he was performing. I have had no complications and am doing absolutely great. So I would rate his surgical competance as top notch. Dr. Martin and his P.A.(physician assistant) both took alot of time pre-op and after surgery answering questions and being very patient with me and my supportive family. Over all if I would have to grade the office staff and Dr. Martin I would have to give them an A+.

I attended the informational seminar given by Dr. Martin, his assistant(I've forgotten his name) and his nurse Anne. I was very impressed and reassured by Dr.Martin's attitude toward obesity and wls.He seems to be a very caring and genuine person. I got the feeling that Dr. Martin looks at wls as a mission and not just a $$$ making process.Sort of like a crusader on the side of all us morbidly obese and I thank God for that. Dr.Martin was wonderfull about answering the many questions that were asked of him and did not seem in the least hurried or impatient. I go for my first consult on Dec.4th(I am both excited and nervous at the same time).There are quite a few things that you have to get together before his office will submit to the insurance for approval of the surgery. If you are not serious about this surgery it won't take you long to figure that out. At least with my insurance company anyway.The patient is very involved in finding doctors and dieticians and writing your five year diet history. I had the nutrition eval last week and will have the psych eval later on in the day in Kettering, Ohio after my consult with Dr. Martin. We live 4 hours away in Somerset, Ky so I am trying to make every trip to Ohio count as much as possible.I don't mind going that far for a doctor like Dr. Martin. I believe my opinion of Dr.Martin will be even higher after the consult.I will let you know. Oh yes!! I forgot to mention my opinion of Anne, his nurse! She is a wealth of informtion and a no nonsense type of person, I feel that she feels the same way about the patients and the sugery that the doctor does. I have had reason to call her many times in getting evrything ready to submit to ins. and she has been so helpful and courteous each time. He is blessed to have her on his team as are we. I also think that Dr. Martin's assistant is an asset. He will be the one to visit with you after surgery. He is younger than the doctor but seems just as positive. Looking forward to the consult.

Dr. Martin made a good first inpression. I liked his orientation or first seminar I attended. The procedure was completely explained even the risks. They answered all questions, While Dr. Martin did explain the procedure, Ann did the majority of the talking.

His office staff have been very friendly and professional. I like the honesty that Ann appears to have. (She seems to tell it like it is.) Honest and upfront. I like that.

Dr. Martin and Ann very strongly emphasize aftercare. They do have a support group that Ann conducts. I have attended only one support group and did enjoy it. I will continue to attend in the future. I have not had my surgery. I have a surgery date.
(12-21-03).

I have had my surgery I was hoping for a LAP RNY but that didn't work out. I had an open.

At the informational seminar I felt he was very informative. He was excited about the procedure and what it would mean to the lives of his patients.

I have had a very favorable experience. I feel that many of the complaints I have heard are that many people feel he should give them more attention but he is a surgeon not a family care doctor.

When I have had to deal with other surgeons(for other procedures) they are very matter of fact and to the point. There is very little "hand holding". So I was not expecting Dr. Martin to do more than explain the procedure and answer my questions. Since I didn't have any questions our visits were brief.

I had my children with me since I homeschool and he even asked them if they had any questions which I thought was nice. He has always been attentive and showed concern in the hospital and at my follow up appts.

I saw him for the 1st time in his office on the Thurs. before my surgery and my surgery was Tues. I saw him twice in the hospital but the last night I was in he wrote my discharge while I was asleep.

His nurse Anne is the one you deal with the most and she is very helpful and to the point. She could be intimidating to some but I have liked her. She stays on top of things though her work load it heavy.

They could use another staff person to help with the WLS patients so it didn't take so long to get a call back. At the time I had my surgery I was called back within 48 hours but I have had others who say it can take longer now.

They have scheduled follow up at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months , then yearly for 5 years. There is a support group. I have went twice. I really don't know if I'll go back since I have other WLS patients at my church and we give each other support.

Obviously I rate him well since I have given his name to people I know that are interested. I have since had the opportunity to go to another seminar of another doctor and did not find her any more informative or personable than Dr. Martin.

They are moving to a larger office space in the same building which is very needed and maybe plan on getting more staff. He has an associate now but I have not met him yet.

Although I haven't actually met my surgeon yet, I am thoroughly pleased with the office staff. After calling them and giving them my information, they called me the next day with a surgery date. They also said that there is a possibility of my date being moved up. Another great thing that the office staff let me know about is the fact that if I should have any problems with my gallbladder and should they have to remove it at the time of my surgery that they should be able to get my insurance to pay for atleast part of the hospital and anestesiology bill. And when you are paying cash, let me tell you this is a great thing. They are even going to fax my pre-op labs and ultrasound down here to my local hospital. B/C they are out of state.
Update: I finally met my surgeon and his staff. They did move my surgery date up and let me tell you that Dr. Fallang and his office staff are great!!! They are always willing to answer any questions the minute I call them and they are so friendly. Since I am traveling about 600 miles to have them do the surgery they even found me a hotel and gave me a detailed map with directions all around the town. They are truly a god-send.

I had an open RNY on 2/3/03. I was most impressed with Dr. Martins style of operating. He only used the procedures that were necessary for your individual operation. I had no drainage lines and my incision was closed with glue -- not staples or stitches. It healed so fast. He also only performs gallbladder removal if necessary. His office staff is very knowledgeable about everything he does. I have complete trust in everyone there. The aftercare that is in place makes me feel very supported in my decision to have the surgery. They don't just perform the surgery and never see you again. They treat all aspects of obesity through my office visits, support group meetings, and honest feedback. They leave no question unanswered and are very honest about the risks involved. He is a very busy doctor but it is well worth the wait. I trusted him with my life. Becky Werner

I went to Dr. Martin's seminar in February and had my first appointment with him in May. The seminar is over 2 hours long and offers an overview of gastric bypass surgeries, who is eligible, what to expect in terms of results and necessary commitment on your part, Dr. Martin's background and success rate, and insurance challenges. Most of my many contacts with his office were directly with Anne, his medical assistant. She is dedicated, knowledgeable and supportive but really swamped. Dr. Martin has done over 900 weight loss surgeries and is an extremely popular local surgeon. His policy is for you to first attend the seminar where you learn what materials you need to provide to Anne for her to forward to your insurance predetermination department. My insurance required an exam by the surgeon and this really upset his office routine. His patients normally do not see Dr. Martin until AFTER insurance approval. (This also meant I had to pay for the surgeon's exam although it was reimbursed to me AFTER my insurance determined I was approved.) I like Dr. Martin and have confidence in his ability as a surgeon. Anne spent a great deal of time with me during the office visit both before and after I met with Dr. Martin. Between the two of them I was given a good understanding of the procedure, a folder of pre-op, post-op, diet, and aftercare support. The risks of surgery were addressed more in the seminar than office visit. It's impossible to rate him overall until after my surgery but at this point in time I believe I have found the right surgeon. His web site is http://www.surgicalweightreductioncenter.com/index.html.

Went to informational meeting at Miami Valley Hospital in February 2003. He seemed very knowledgeable and empathetic. Had my consultation with him on 7-10-03 and again was impressed with his caring attitude. Took the time to address my concerns. Added another test to be done when I have my testing on 7-16-03. Staff seem to be very busy --- yet they do take the time to answer questions.

First impression of Dr Martin was that he was very knowledgeable in this surgery, I also appreciated the fact that he let us know every risk and complication tee coul e including death. I was very comfortable with him and felt that he really does care about his patient. His office staff is very profssional, Ann, his nurse is a weath of info, esp. whn you are new post op, they do hav a very busy practice, because he is a general surgeon, so some times, getting phone calls bck will take 24 hours.Dr. Martin does emphasize after care, and does have a structured support group that must be attended b4 your surgery, ad once a month they meet after that.I feel that both beside and surgical competence where wonderful, I would rate him a 10, Thanks Dr Martin

The first time I met with Dr. Martin was at his seminar in June of 2003. During his presentation he showed that he was knowledgable about what he does. He also proved that he has a sense of humor, which is rare in some surgeons. The information he gave was presented in a powerpoint format and really didn't tell me anything that I hadn't already learned from internet sites, books, and people who have had it. The staff was very organized when it came to signing people in, giving out the info. packet, and weighing people in. I found that one of the best parts of the seminar was them having one of his patients who is post-op give a little speech. The only things I didn't like about the presentation was:
Dr. Martin only answered a limited number of questions before turning the presentation back over to his staff.

I recommend that people who plan on attending this seminar get there early to sign in, the room fills up QUICK and the BMI/weigh in goes by first come first serve.