Gary Pearlstein Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

My first impression of Dr. Pearlstein was a very good one! He was very attentive and listened to all of my concerns and questions regarding WLS. His office staff was great! And his nurse Linda is the TOPS! His bedside manner is awesome and aftercare is the best. He addressed all the issues of surgery and I knew exactly what I was going into. Overall I would rate him an A+! His surgical competence and bedside manner are equally incredible!

I have met Dr. Pearlstein and his assistant, Linda Allocco, twice. They both seem competent and compassionate. Linda always responds to phone calls right away and is very helpful.
I selected Dr. Pearlstein because he is close by and I wanted a smaller hospital, after seeing the reviews about Albany Med.
I have not had surgery yet but he seems very focused on aftercare. For example, he stopped in at the last support group I attended.
POST-OP ADDITION:
Linda was as patient as anyone could be with all my pre-op phone calls and questions. Dr. Pearlstein was great. I trusted him with my life and both I and my family were very pleased. He was very dedicated, knowledgeable, decisive, and responsive. He came to the hospital one night when I had a problem, and called me on the weekend to check on me. He has high standards and is very forthright, and is also a very nice and caring doctor with a sense of humor. He is very accessible and I HIGHLY recommend him and his assistant Linda. The office needs remodeling (badly)- don't let this deter you - the care was excellent.

i like dr.pearlstein and linda they are good people.good.dr.pearlstein office is a good place.nothing at all.that is a good doctor.i don't know want waiting to have surgery.yes,they do.ever good.10.i don't know yet.

When I went in for my consulatation I was immediately impressed with Dr P's staff. When I gave them my name they "knew" who I was and made me feel right at home and comfortable. Next a quick conversation with Linda (who is hard to not like right away !) made me feel like I was at the right place. When Dr. P came out to give his presentation I knew I was there and didn't want to look any further for another surgeon. He was up-front, honest and I knew that he would do whatever he had to do to take the very best care of me. He did mention that just because I had been there for a consult did not mean that I HAD to pick him as my surgeon. He didn't try to "sell" himself or his practice to me... Dr P will tell you what you need to know in order to make an educated decision.
I can't wait for the process to continue !

I have has an open RNY on 5/23/05. (I was open becuase I had complications) I updated this because most of the reviews were not AFTER the experience. I live in upstate NY and had a very negative experience with another group in Albany - Dr. 'S' whose staff is rude and disagreeable. Dr. Pearlstein and his staff were HELPFUL, ANSWERED ALL QUESTIONS plus more and stessed both pre and post care. Before surgery I had many questions- the staff had been receptive and polite. Dr. P called me back and answered a question when I did not even ask him to phone me- he is, I believe, available to his patients. He is honest, direct, to the point and is there for his patients.

If you want this surgery you better be prepared to change your life and your habits. If you are committed then he is the surgeon for you. Why do I say this? becuase he has the tools to make this a success- great before and aftercare.

AFTER SURGERY- My opinion of Dr. Gary Pearlstein and Linda- his RN and assistant has grown. I was a complicated case and my blood decided not to clot. We were almost cancelled. He discussed everything with me before the fact, arranged for the wondeful Dr. Wu, a hemotologist, to take over my case 9with regard to theis big clotting problem that I had for years). Frankly I felt I was in great hands. Every precaution was taken. Despite the tubes, pain and discomfort I did well. he had a private Nurse/aide sit with me for a few days after I got out of ICU. His staff at Columbia memorial loves Dr. Gary Pearlstein and they treat you with the dignity he demands. When I developed a fever I was IMMEDIATELY phone back. When I developed a rash he saw me at his office on a Sunday! Linda answered all my questions- and promptly- I was given great aftercare- I attribute my ability to fuction so well 5 weeks after to this fact.
While the site reminds us that not all reviews can be 100% positive I cannot think of one negative thing to say except that I would like to redecorate his office! There is not a single bad experience I had!

My first impression was that he is very caring and I have to say very informative. My consultation was 3 hours long! In included meeting with his assistant Linda, a powerpoint presentation, questions/answers, and then a packet advising me of all the pre-op tests required. As for the office staff, I really only deal with his assistant and she is wonderful too. Future patients should know that this Dr. is very through and doesn't ice over the topic...he puts it straight out there for you. He will not even consider surgery for patients if they are smokers. For their own safety after the surgery, he explains about the importance of strong lungs. There is a mandatory support group that you must attend prior to surgery as well. Aftercare is explained in the packet you receive as well as during the initial consultation. Additionally he holds a support group for pre and post ops on a monthly basis. So far I rate him as excellent. As for my opinion of sugical competence or bedside manner....will have to let you know soon.

I have met with Dr. Pearlstein once. My impression of him is that he is very thorough and knowledgable. He seems to really care about his patients and wants to do everything possible to insure our survival with no complications. I was surprised that he is as personable as he is because my impression of surgeons is that they generally are not friendly. I will wait to see how he is in the actual hospital setting. He was very firm about not operating on anyone that smoked.
His assistant Linda is very helpful as is Heidi his receptionist. The support group is interesting and I always enjoy hearing what others have to say.

My surgeon is Dr.Gary Pearlstein. My first impression of him is a very honest up front and intelligent Dr. My impression has only gotten better. There isn't a negative thing I can say about him. His office staff is top of the line in knowledge and caring. I trust them completely. The office is involved from day 1. The aftercare is very importent and Dr.Pearlstein has support group meetings every month. Overall I would rate Dr.Pearlstein as high as possible. He has raised the bar for all other surgeons and in doing that raised the care for all of his patients.

I have an appointment scheduled for Tuesday, November 16. I have talked to office staff only, but they seem really nice. I will update once I have met the Dr. in person.

January 9, 2005

Can't believe I didn't update this part yet. Oh well. I went to meet Dr. P. and I really liked him. He's very down to earth and doesn't beat around the bush. His office staff are very pleasant, efficient and helpful. I'm now getting all the testing I need to have the insurance company approve the surgery. I have made contact with a couple of his other patients and nobody has a bad word to say about him. In fact, they all say he's super attentive post surgery and is at the hospital "all the time". He does have a structured aftercare program. He definitely addressed the risks and emphasized that this is not a magic potion - it's hard work. I'm sure I made the right decision. I could have done with a little more personal attention, but assume that will come when I have my presurgical physical.

I met with Dr.Pearlstein on March 23,2004 for my inital consult.I found him to be very friendly and very professional.He spent at least an hour explaining everything to me down to the last detail about the RNY surgery.He answered all my question in a professional manner.He was up front and honest about the risk and complications of the surgery.He was also up front about this is not a quick fix,it is a wounderful tool but, will need your actions to be truly successful.He made me very comfortable with my decision to have Him to perform the surgery.His staff I found very helpful,professional and courteous.Linda is very knowledgable,she would answer any questions I ask of her.She is a sweetheart!!
8/3/04
Dr.Pearlstein is a awesome surgeon I would reccommend him to anyone who may thinking about have this surgery done.He is very carring and take's care of his own patients.His surgical competence and bedside manners are both great.