Beryl Harberg Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

MY FIRST IMPRESSION OF DR. HARBERG WAS HE'S G
GONNA TELL ME LIKE IT IS.

Vicki was just wonderful. She took on the insurance company and won after two months. I couldn't be happier!

Somewhat distant but I liked his sense of humor.

I still like him but sometimes feel a little bit in the dark.

Busy but nice.

Sometimes little or no communication. Would have liked a well-rounded aftercare program.

Has an unusual sense of humor and manner but technically is good.

None

None

In a video and brochure.

Good

Surgical competence

he had a very dry sense of humor but he was very
informative and knowledgeable .he does have a very funny side to him .tammy and vicki are very helpful.he could have been a little gentlier removing my staples but the doc knows his stuff .

I HAD MY FIRST MEETING WITH DR.HARBERG MONDAY:11/08/99.THE OFFICE STAFF WERE GREAT,MY SISTER & I HAD DROVE INTO HOUSTON FROM AUSTIN,ABOUT 150+ MILES.AFTER ARRIVING AT THE DR'S OFFICE,WE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE VALET PARKING,(ONLY $7 & IT WAS WORTH IT !!)WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WAIT VERY LONG AT ALL BEFORE THEY CALLED MY NAME.....TO GO BACK & SEE THE SHORT VIDEO OF DR.HARBERG DESCRIBING IN DETAIL THE SURGERY & WHAT I COULD EXPECT AT EVERY PHASE OF THE PROCEDURE....THEY WERE
CORRECT IN SAYING THE VIDEO SHOULD ANSWER ALMOST ALL YOUR QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THE WHOLE PROCESS.AFTER WATCHING THE VIDEO,I WAS PUT IN A ROOM,& IN ABOUT 1 MINUTE,DR.HARBERG CAME IN.I WAS IMPRESSED..HE SPOKE WITH SO MUCH CONFIDENCE & EXPLAINED EVERYTHING IN DETAIL,ANSWERED ALL MY QUESTIONS,& MADE ME FEEL AT EASE.HE STRESSED THE RISKS OF ANY SURGERY,& DID POINT OUT THAT AT MY AGE & WITH MY HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE,I WAS AT VERY HIGH RISK.DR.HARBERG SAID HE WOULD BE SENDING IN PAPERWORK FOR MY INSURANCE APPROVAL ON TUESDAY:11/09/99,& SAID WE SHOULD HEAR IF IT WAS APPROVED IN ABOUT 2-4 WEEKS....I CAN HARDLY WAIT,I'M SO EXCITED!!! & I'M SORRY...BUT IF IT CAME TO TAKING A HARD SLAP IN THE FACE...OR GIVE "JUST ONE" NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO MY VISIT TO DR.HARBERG'S OFFICE.......YOU'D JUST HAVE TO SLAP ME !!!

Dr. Harberg seems to be a little gripey at times, but he knows what he doing and trust him totally. His office staff is great. They are very positive and outgoing.

Dr Harberg is an older no-nonsense kind of guy. My first impression of him was that he does know his stuff and he's been doing this for a while. He's very hands on( he takes your blood pressure, weight, and any other testing). On the consultation, he had me watch an in depth video on the procedure and then I met with him and he explained it again. He then answered any questions I had.His staff was really great about returning calls and getting all the paperwork my Co. needed for my Leave Of Absence in immediately. After my surgery, Dr. Harberg returned a late night call I had about a concern immediately. I was impressed by that. He's very strict about following his written instructions and after care appts.He was very honest about the risks of surgery.He has a good sense of humor. The only problem I have with him at times is he talks very fast and can be slightly dismissive. Overall, I'm happy with him as my Dr. and I would recommend him to people.

I first met Dr. Harberg at work. I work in the operating room at one of the hospitals where he works. He is an excellent surgeon. His technique is superb and I am utterly impressed with him.

His office staff is wonderful. Vicki and Tammi are always eager to help.

When I had my office visit, It was very informative. Dr. Harberg has a video that answers any question about the vertical banded gastroplasty that you have. After the video, I sat down with him and he answered any additional questions that I had. He also stressed the fact that the surgery alone would not cure this disease. He emphasized the fact that I am going to have to change my eating habits. Exercise and walk daily if this procedure is to be successful. He told me that this is going to be a life long job.

Like other patients, I found Dr. Harberg very charming. My family couldn't stand him because of his "bedside manner," but I truly like Dr. Harberg. Although his office staff is very helpful, I would not say that they're organized. They failed to fax needed paperwork to my employer thus resulting in the denial of my LOA request. They also required that I pay my copayment up front--it turned out, however, that my insurance payed Dr. Harberg at 100%. Getting the copayment back from his office ended up being a long process. My insurance advised that it was not standard procedure for a doctor to operate this way, but I do not have any other documentation to confirm this. All and all, I wish that I had some sort of support network before and after the surgery. Although I found Dr. Harberg informative, there was nothing in the way of support or counseling.

I had my first appt with Dr. Harberg today. He really knows his stuff. His office staff is great! Tammie is so sweet and helpful. I'm now waiting for insurance approval, so we'll see. He is very informative and detailed. He lets you know everything up front. All of my questions were answered before I could ask.