James Rifenberry Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

My first impression of Dr. Rifenbery was how serious he is in his profession which made me a little nervous, but his confidence in his ablities won me over. I decided that he should be my surgon because he did laproscopic and was the only surgon in the area that accepted my insurance. He addressed all my concerns for the surgery and told me of all the risks and benefits. I would rate him a 9 out of 10 for his confidence and performance in a surgon. I trusted him 100% with my life durning surgery and would do so again in a heartbeat. Dr. Rifenbery is a great surgon and I would highly recomend him. Dr. Rifenbery's Post op care is also grea.

My first impression that he was all business, he had a plan and that was the plan we would follow.
After having about 10 different surgeries, I think I recognise a surgeon. Their bedside manner may not be the best, but then- they do their work when we are asleep!
I feel that he is an awesome surgeon, very knowledgable and that he expects his patients to be as knowledgable as possible as well. I like him.
Misty is really wonderful, love her, and she is the one you will do most communicating with.
Dr. has pretty rigid guidelines for aftercare, but that is because he knows what works and only wants you to succeed.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend him to anyone... I know many people who have used him and no horror stories that I have heard. Sugically, he is more than competant.

First Impression: Seems personable, willing to answer my questions wasn't rude or short. He took the time to make sure I was comfortable. He did not rely on his staff or his patient advocates to do this. I am going to have my surgery with him for better or worse. He was highly recommended by other Doc's in the area that my mom works with. He has been a general surgeon for years and only recently (past 18 months) started the RNY.




These comments are about my previous surgeon DR KI OH. They in no way reflect how I feel about Dr. James Rifenbery. Thank-you.


First Impression: fine seemed nice enough.
Totally changed over time because he has absolutely no bedside mannor.
Staff screwed a few things up which caused me to move my surgery date.
I least liked the fact that he made me feel stupid & foolish when I asked questions.
Do all your research don't expect him to answer any specific question about YOU!!! to quote him, "I don't know you, so I don't know what's best for you." Excuse me but aren't you the specialist?
He emphasizes aftercare & does have a structured aftercare program.
Overall I would give him an average grade he seems to know WHAT he's doing but I need more personal interaction.

I really liked Dr. Rifenbery but like every other Dr. I went in blind because I wasn't told that I needed to follow up on a claim that wasn't excepted. How much do we the patient have to do to get the surgery done?

My initial impression of Dr. Rifenbery was that he had a regular old surgeon's personality - short, to the point, bam bam bam. That is still my impression, but I have warmed to him. I appreciate the business end of his personality. He doesn't pull any punches and really tells it like it is. I like the structure that he provides after the surgery. As long as you follow the program, there should be no problems. I did have to hound Misty a couple of times to get things done (not much for them to do, as I was a self-pay), so I understand others' frustrations.

DR.RIFENBERY AT FIRST SEEMED QUITE RESERVED. HE TURNED OUT TO BE A KIND, CARING, WONDERFUL PERSON. HE HAS A SPECIAL NURSE JUST FOR HIS WLS PATIENTS HER NAME IS MISTI AND SHE IS A DARLING. THE HARDEST PART OF THE ENTIRE SURGERY IS THE WEEK PRIOR TO SURGERY YOU ARE ON A LIQUID DIET.. AFTERCARE IS STRUCTURED AND I LOOK FORWARD TO FUTURE VISITS. I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH CHOOSING THIS DOCTOR. HE WENT OVER RISKS AND EVEN HAD ME TAKE A TEST TO BE SURE I UNDERSTOOD EVERTHING!.. IF I OR ANY OTHER MEMBER OF MY FAMILY NEED SURGERY DR. RIFENBERY WILL BE MY FIRST CALL. THANK YOU DR. RIFENBERY!

I am meeting the Dr. Rifenbury on June 24th. His office staff are super. I transferred from another doctor of whom I was not impressed with. If Dr. Rifenbury's staff is any indication, I am sure this doctor will be ten times better!
Any one who has had the surgery, I would love some pointers. Thanks!

I have met with Dr. R once and was very impressed by his calm demeanor and the time he spent with me, answering all my questions without being hurried, condescending or rude - all of which I have encountered when asking other medical professionals about weight-loss surgery. He was very methodical, which I appreciated because I was very nervous about making the commitment to go all the way after thinking about it for two years and I probably asked some questions more than once - not a problem, he had the right answer every time. His staff is all wonderful but Misty is a gem when you link up with her regarding insurance, preparation, anything. The procedure, the risks, the benefits, what to expect at all times, how my approach to food will be affected, were all addresses in sensible, easy to understand terms. The surgery will be in July, we set the date on June 10th.

I had my consult on May 7th. I was lucky and got worked in early because of a cancellation. The office staff there was very helpful. Dr. Rifenbery was very nice and thorough. I asked him lots of questions and he was patient with me and answered every one of the. He liked that I had done so much research on this. And that I had questions. He went over the surgery with me. I asked how many calories we consume post op and he told me he didnt know which threw me for a loop....Then he said you count protein not calories...Wheew that was a close one. Also, he has a 0% loss of life. He did say that if you do enough of these, there would be a loss...Lets just pray That i am not the one.. I really liked him...Now I am playing the waiting game....Tick tock.

I was so very nervous around him, but after talking with him I started to relax. I liked him. He new his stuff.
I think he's impatient, but he does want to make sure you understand all that is going to happen.
His staff is very nice and seem to be very busy.
Yes, he does address the risk of having this surgery. To tell you the truth I'm scared to death.