David Lourie Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.
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Dr. Lourie is a competent talented, intelligent surgeon.
I felt that way continually with Dr. Lourie
His office is competent, but some times obtuse.
He is a surgeon, not at PCP.
His after care is structured if you follow it.
Told me the possible consequences and went to the seminar where it again was stressed.
I think Dr. Lourie is a bright and talented surgeon. I would recommend him to anyone.
He is very, very competent, his bedside manner made him available after my surgery, but there was nothing unusual with my surgery.
Dr. Lourie is wonderful. He really knows his stuff, and I feel like I'm in great hands. He has a great bedside manner, and was very patient and answered every one of my questions. At their office they have a huge empasis on aftercare, and offer support groups 2x a week. They also have a up front fee of $500 (can't be paid through insurance) for their program. They also have a mandatory symposium that you must attend before they allow you to even schedule an appt. I think it's very helpful, and really outlines all the risks and bennifits of the surgery. More than anything else, they want to make sure each and every one of their patients is well educated before making their decision. I'm so lucky to have Dr. Lourie as my surgeon!
I was sent to Dr, Lourié by my Gastroenterologist because I failed medical treatment for my GERD. Dr. Soltani is great and was very careful about when he felt comfortable sending me. At my initial visit, Dr. Lourié discussed options to help control my GERD. He brought up the RNY and, like an idiot, I said no. He was very understanding and listened - not just waiting to talk. His office staff is great. Monique is very helpful and easy to talk to. She is my main contact and is very prompt about returning calls. I had a fundoplication which ended up failing due to early retching on my part. Now 11 months later I am looking at a re-do or the RNY. My research taught me the RNY was the best way to go. Even knowing how much I know, Dr. Lourié still explains everything to me in detail. For me, it is a little over-kill, (my sole negative impression) but I know he wants to make sure I understand what I am doing. The RNY is just a tool and not the real cure. So now I am back starting to get set up for the RNY. Though my goal is acid control, I know the weight loss will be a major added benefit. I am starting to practice post-op habits and am learning tons about my eating habits. I have been to the Symposium, the Mentoring group and I am part of the on-line group. I think getting to know the members of the support group before surgery is very helpful. I do not like support groups, but I understand it is part of the aftercare. His strong emphasis on aftercare is part of what makes his program one of the strongest. Knowing as many surgeons as I do, bedside manner is not as important as surgical competence. I have seen him in action and I know the competence is there.
I first heard Dr. Lourie speak at his WLS seminar at Huntington Memorial Hospital. I was very impressed with his ability to communicate and knowledge of the various types of bariatric surgeries. Having met Dr. Lourie, my feelings of well-being increased, and I felt I had chosen the right person for the surgery.
It was my experience that His office staff first came across very cold over the phone. If it weren't for his reputation, I would have gone elsewhere. Another negative is that they do not have a toll free phone number. They are nice face-to-face, but still don't come across very personable. Luckily, the young lady who worked as a receptionist (when I first started with scheduling appointments) no longer seems to work there. The new receptionist is very warm and helpful.
The first thing I noticed was that they don't say who they are when they answer the phone. When I was still in the testing stage I could never get a call back and this was an issue because it took me more than two calls to get in the queue for appointments. When I called the staff, I felt like I was bothering them when they answered. It was very rare to get a call back, unless I expressed that it was urgent. The urgent messages I made were responded to quickly and professionally. Just an addition as of my last appointment. I was treated quite differently, with lots of courtesy and smiles. Nurse Monique even came out and gave me a bottle of water, when I asked for a cup.
Dr. Lourie has a mandatory seminar and requires attendance at his support group meetings. The risks of surgery are addressed in great detail at these events. He also repeats them at his consultation with you.
He directs you to a very well produced nutritional class (also mandatory).
I understand that there is an aftercare program (besides the support group) but I'm not clear as to what it is. If this is explained to me, I'll post the info.
Wow! He is at the top of the scale in experience and communication. He was and is worth the effort, even after my big phone bill.
Dr. Lourie's surgical competence and bedside manner are both excellent - you couldn't make a better choice.
I was pre-auth'd to have a consultation with a different surgeon through my insurance. I did not feel comfortable with this person, and I did not feel comfortable with his bariatric coordinator, and the answers I was getting from her. I was told that it could take 3-5 months up to a year to get authorization for my surgery. I had a BMI of 51%, had HTN and was on BP medication. Well, I had to call continuously for follow ups, and what would happen next. I finally was frustrated enough that I took the advice of my fertility MD and called for a consultation with Dr. Lourie. I was told to attend the symposium that he has at Huntington Memorial Hospital every first wednesday of the month. I attended with my mother. Every question I had was answered. I also thought to myself that Dr. Lourie was confident, well-mannered, kind, and patient. He answered everyone's questions, even though it was getting late. He cared. That's the surgeon I wanted. Cynthia his Bariatric coordinator was very professional, and even though they did not take my medical group, was very helpful with alternative ways to have the surgery done by Dr. Lourie. These alternative ways didn't work though, but she was very kind. After much thought, I decided I wanted this surgeon to take care of me, even if I was going to pay cash. Which I eventually did. Prior to surgery, Dr. Lourie, was very kind and again answered all my questions, eve though I had researched this surgery for the last how many months, he put some of my fears at rest. I saw him the day of surgery, as well as his intern, and when I awoke, he was there again. He came in each day while I was in the hospital.
My initial consult with Dr.Lourie went really well. My husband and I met with him for about 45 min. He went over everything and answered all of our questions. He was also sure we understood all the risks as well of benefits of the procedure. Dr.Lourie was very nice and easy to talk to. My first visit to the office was my appointment with my actual surgeon which helped in our decision to choose Dr.Lourie. His staff is very polite and helpful. So far, I am very satisfied with their service. There is a $500.00 program fee for their aftercare program that includes a lot of information.
AFTER SURGERY*****
Surgery went really well and Dr.Lourie came in to see me before my IV was even started. He also came to see me before I left the next day. I am truely confident he did everything right. I follow-up with him in about 10 days. Everybody at Huntington Memorial was wonderful. I almost didn't want to come home. They did everything they could to make me comfortable and tended to my every need. I'm very happy that chose this doctor and this facility.
I was recommended to him by a friend and was very pleased with him and his office.
My approval took some special efforts and Cybthia in his office is the greatest. I felt like she cared for me as if I were her own family. I was very grateful and very comforted by her. He is very thorough. He will not let the surgery proceed until all i's are dotted and all t's are crossed. very very impressed. he came to visit me after surgery 3 times in 1 day as i was sleeping the first 2 times. he said he did not want to wake me, i thought that rediculously conscientious and greatly appreciated his desire to make me comfortable before thinking of himself. surgical competency was amazing. I had heard he was good. If you saw my stomach, you would not know I had had major surgery. He did an impecable job. Bedside manner was just as impressive. I would recommend him to anyone....no matter the distance. In my case he was tops.
My wife and I met with Dr. Laurie for 50 minutes in May 2004. I had done a bunch of research and came armed with lots of questions. He patiently answered them all including many having to do with the risk of surgery. He concluded that I wasn't ready to have the surgery (right!) and suggested that I attend the two support groups that are associated with his practice. He also suggested that I check him out with the state licensing authority and by talking with his former patients.
My first impression of him was that he was informative, non-judgmental, not defensive, helpful, smart and good. After research and talking with others, and most importantly, after the surgery, all of these impressions were confirmed.
Dr. Laurie puts a strong emphasis on aftercare. One of my biggest concerns was that WLS patients, on average, lose only 63% of their excess weight. Mind you, that is vastly better than any existing alternative, but it still seemed to me that there was no point to having the surgery if it still left you obese after all was said and done. Dr. Laurie noted that there was considerable benefit to losing all that weight. He estimated my pre-surgery stroke risk at 100 times normal. If I only lose 63% of the excess weight, my stroke risk drops to twice normal. There are similar drops in risk across all the co-morbidities associated with super-morbidly obese status.
My internist's take on this issue was that I would do far better than 63%. I said "that's nice, but why are you confident?" He said "because you understand that you are getting a very powerful tool and not getting a magic wand." For me, the real issue became could I (can I) follow the post-surgery "rules" and make use of this tool or will I fall back into bad old habits of eating and essentially subvert the process?
Answering this question took me 6 months. I eventually made a deal with myself that if I went ahead with the surgery, I would take maximal advantage of it. Four and a half months later, I can say "so far, so good."
The relevance of this to Dr. Laurie is that I believe the aftercare process is key. The support groups are very good -- helpful, informative, etc. I attend probably once a month (others go twice a week, still others twice a year). His practice really emphasizes the aftercare stuff.
Concerning surgical competence, Dr. Laurie's record is objectively outstanding. I give him my highest rating.
Straining to say something negative, I guess I would note that he is not someone I would ever consider a friend and that he keeps a strong wall up (IMHO) between himself and his patients. I'm not even sure that this is inappropriate, it's just not the style that I prefer.