The Miriam Hospital Bariatric Center

MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS THAT HE HAD A GREAT UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT I WAS GOING THROUGH. HIS OFFICE AND STAFF WERE WONDERFUL AND STILL ARE ALWAYS THERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. I LOVE DR. V MORE AND MORE EVERYDAY. HE HAS TRULY GIVEN ME BACK MY LIFE. THERE IS NOT ONE THING I DON'T LIKE ABOUT DR. V. BOTH HIS BEDSIDE MANNER AND HIS SURGICAL SKILL ARE WONDERFUL.

Okay, one week post-op and here is something new to say about my surgeon......My mother really liked him!!!! I ask you, what higher praise is there?

I found Dr. Vithiananthan to be a kind, caring, and dedicated surgeon. He spent a great deal of time discussing that various surgical options with me and my husband. He did not push any one procedure, but gave me the information to make an intelligent choice. He carefully explained the risks, benefits, and alternatives to the various types of weight loss surgery.

I've also found Dr. Vithiananthan's bariatric coordinator to be very professional and knowledgeable. She promptly submitted my information to the insurance carrier for approval and I was approved very shortly afterwards. I was spared the anguish of dealing with the insurance company myself.

Dr. Vithiananthan holds informational sessions once a month for all his weight loss surgery patients. Each session deals with a different topic. I went to lecture and found it interesting, but I am not sure I would attend another one.

I liked him very much and I still do. His staff is great and there is a great emphisis on after care. As far as anyone not being able to be the "best" as mentioned below, I'd have to say, this Dr. and his staff come pretty close. I have nothing negative to report about my experience.

Update Nov 2004 : My New Surgeon

Dr. V is very strict, very straight foward, and easy to talk too. He put me through a tough round of tests until he was able to figure out exactly what was going on with me. Over the last year I gained back about 40 pounds, so that was my first clue something was wrong. I actually found Dr. V for a friend and ended up going to see him myself since Dr. Driscoll retired about six months after my original surgery.

Dr. V's office and staff is wonderful!!!! 5 stars!!! His coordinator is Karen, who helped me initally but now I work with Carol since Karen just had a baby boy!! It's easy to get an appt and they are great about referrals for tests.


Dr. Driscoll, is very professional and available to answer any of your questions. His staff is wonderful and supportive.
He works with Dr.Goodman, and if you had to compare the two Dr, Goodman is more of a talker so if you are someone who needs a
lot of communication with your doctor he would be a better choice, but I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Driscoll, and he does accept GHI
as payment. As far as aftercare goes, both doctors have a nutrition and group therapy type of session available to all patients before and after the
procedure.
At my initial consultation Dr. Driscoll explained the entire procedure and it's benefits/risks to me fully and since I had done much research on my own,
he just served to renforce my choices.

I would give Dr. Driscoll ****
My only complaint is that his bed-side manner needs a little work,
Because another patient who had her operation the same day as I did, had a
complication, Dr, Driscoll did not come to see me until the next morning after
my procedure, but overall he was a very supportive and competent doctor.

I thank him from the bottom of my heart for helping me start a new life.

10-24-00

Update: The more I talk with Dr. Driscoll, the more I like him. I have had endless questions both big and small, and he is always available to answer them.

I found Dr. Vithiananthan very thorough. His staff was excellent and extremely caring. They all made me feel very comfortable. I was young when I went to consult with him about the procedure and he still gave me his full attention and outlined all of my options.
He supports the bariatric group meetings and is always in attendence himself. I love that when he can not make it he shows up and lets us know that he will not be able to stay. He visited me every day in the hospital. I brought along my boyfriend with me to all of the appointments so that he would understand fully everything. Dr.Vithiananthan and his superior staff were always more than happy to clarify all of the changes that would occur and are still available to answer any questions that we might have.

My first impression was friendly doctor. Impression has not changed . His staff was extremely nice. He has a very supportive staff.

I first heard of Dr. Vithiananthan thru his support group meetings. I was inspried to make a consulation visit with him. I was greeted by his warm and informative staff and right from the start was made to feel right at home. Something did not seem right, LOL. As I sat down to fill out my paperwork I was asked to step into the examing room. The waiting period was short which for me was very unusal. I submitted my paperwork and before I could even pick up a magazine to start reading Dr. V entered the room. Strangly enough I was not rusjed out of the office and every question I had was anaswered in detail with diagrams and plenty of take home material. Dr. V was very informative and I was not made to feel like every other doctor basically telling me close your mouth, stop eating, exercise more, here's a number to a nutrionist. Dr. V understood this was a battle for me that I struggled with. I could not just stop. I mean would any doctor say just stop to an acholic or a substance abuser. I left the office that day with a sense of hope for my future.

First consult 02/19/04 Dr. V was very well spoken and informative my first impression of him was great.

I still think he's a great Dr. he is always willing to help his patients all the way.

His office staff is very very friendly I had a great first consult experience.

There is nothing I could say bad about him.

He's always there to help you know matter what.

If you are not going to follow up with after care it doesn't make sense to have the surgery because your risking your own health.

He does have a well structured aftercare program.

As for the risk of surgery he told me plain and simple and to the point very informative.

I would rate him an 12 on a scale of 10.

I haven't had surgery yet but I do believe and from what I heard his surgical competence and bedside manner are both great. I would reccomend him to any one else who is thinking of having surgery.

My first impression of Dr.Vithananthian was that he was friendly and personable...and i was more than correct. His staff is helpful and informative in every aspect, not to mention fun and friendly! I have nothing negative to say about either Dr.V or his staff. His after care is in depth, he sticks with u for the rest of your life. He went over everything in a 2 hour meeting with me...including risks, he is extremly informative. i would rate Dr. V and his staff an 11 on a scale of 1-10. Bothe his manner and competence are extrodinary.