Ki H. Oh Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

On January 17th I met Dr. Oh at an orientation class for those interested in the Gastric Bypass Surgery. He described what he does and they types of surgery that can be done. He was very informative and answered questions. He seems to really know what he is doing. He even had a little bit of a sense of humor. I met him on a one to one basis to go over my file and the infomation I had provided. I felt comfortable with him and he seems to really take pride in what he does. The office staff for me have been great and very supportive in getting my insurance approval and making sure all the necessary paperwork is there. I did get my approval!.
Dr. Oh at the orientation expressed strongly the aftercare program. He also has gone over the risk involved. You as an individual needs to do some research yourself regarding the surgery. I had my Endoscopy done and he was very comforting when I entered the room. Time will tell, but so far I am happy with him and he comes recommended by others.
Even though I went fairly smoothly through the first few steps my sister and her friend hasn't had such good luck. It seems that there files got filed away before the person could type their letter to the insurance company ---- so needless to say their information was a little late going out for approval. We are very anxiously waiting for that. We hope to have the surgery done together and support each other.

I liked Dr. Oh a lot. He was very serious, very professional, seems like he would be a highly skilled surgeon. (Actually, he did crack one joke with me, but I think that's rare for him.) He thoroughly explained all the details of surgery, possible complications, and all of the life-long commitments that I'm going to have to make to eating healthy, exercising, taking supplements, etc. His office staff are both incredibly nice. Especially Sherri, who had the open RNY surgery herself about a year & a half ago (she looks *incredible*!!).

February 2003 update: I've stopped going to Dr. Oh and I'm letting my internist do all of my follow-up stuff. Perhaps not the wisest choice, but there have been some changes in his office staff and I have a problem with their level of competency (or I should say lack of), as well as the conflict of interest that stems from having one of the local supplement dealers working in the office as a patient advocate. Hardly seems fair, given that there are so many other suppliers out there, and this one person is being forced on all of his new patients -- they aren't even being informed of their alternatives. It annoys me & I'd rather not deal with it, so I go to my local PCP instead. But, I must add that I still have a tremendous amount of respect for Dr. Oh & I'm glad that he did my surgery. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to operate on me except him.

Dr. Oh has been very informative. He has put my mind at ease. He has informed me of all the risk and informed me of all that I have to surgery. His office staff is wonderful. They also have been very helpful.

Dr. Oh is very knowledgeable. I felt as if I was in good hands.
My impression of him is still the same I'm glad he was the one "holding the knife."
His office staff has alot on their plate but they try really hard to be compassionate and dutiful.
There's nothing I like can say that I "like least" about Dr. Oh.
What "future" patient should know about Dr. Oh is he does not play around, he's very serious about his job and your health, so if you're looking for someone that constantly smiles and grins Dr. Oh is not the one, but if you're looking for someone he knows his "stuff," and will take care of you then you've come to the right guy.
He emphasize aftercare rigidly.
Yes he does has a structured aftercare program.
1 to 10 I would have to give Dr. Oh and his staff a "20".
To me surgical competence, my family and friends were there for my "bedside manner."

My first personal impression of DR. OH was he was in a hurry. I felt like he was trying to rush me out of his office. After being with him in the hospital for the endoscopy and meeting with him a second time in his office he was more attentive and took the time to answer my question in detail. I asked his office staff, who by the way is wonderful and supportive, if he is always like that. They tod me that he waits to see if you're serious about having surgery and makes sure you have chosen him to be your surgeon before he warms up and takes his time with you. I find him to be very knowledgable, competant, and caring. Sometimes he is hard to understand but when I don't understand, I ask again. He really wants to make sure you understand everything concerning risks, the surgery itself and your aftercare. I have heard that his bed side manner is great. He was great when I went in to have my endoscopy and am sure he will be the same on my surgery date. I would highly recommend him and give him a superb rating. I will let you know more after surgery.

Upon meeting Dr oh, my first impression was that he was highly professional, and very specific about all that the surgery had entailed. He walked through the different kind of procedures available to us in the seminar. He was a very kind man, with a great office staff working behind him. They also answered any questions that I had, and put me at ease with my decision. At first, his accent was a little hard to understand, but do to his friendly nature, it became easier over time meeting with him. I had been to other seminars and Dr. Oh seemed to be the most straight forward in the least amount of time. I had wanted surgery last November 2001, but at that time was turned down by Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) of florida. It was a very long and stressful process, especially since both my Mother and Fiancee had the surgery, and I was still "waiting in the wings", oh by the way, my Fiancee was approved in 3 days(CIGNA)...so it even made me a little more p.o'd that I had to jump through all kinds of hoops to get it done for me. I have since moved to the Seattle area, and have a job where my insurance is First Health...i didnt have to go through many hoops this time, and my surgery date is scheduled for FEB 4, 2003..today is JAN 16, and I am just now starting to get nervous about the surgery, any thoughts or comments to ease the nerves would be greatly appreciated. My last appointed before surgery with Dr. Oh is on Jan 20...and my last pre op visit to hospital is Jan 24.....so here I go......

My wife and I met Dr. Oh this evening a the discussion session at St. Francis Hospital. We like him very much. My wife and I have both decided to do this and have our first appointment on 31 Jan. Very excited to start this journey!!

My first impression of him was very good, it was an information seminar and he handled it, and the questions very well. He seems to have a very good aftercare program and the best office staff I have ever delt with. The girls are absolutely wonderful. They listen, they help, and they talk to you as an individual, not just another patient. Sherri and Kristina are great, they are the ones I have had the most contact with, but even the girls who work in the front office are eager to answer your questions or send you in the right direct to get the answers you are looking for. My first private interview with him was very brief, he is direct and to the point. I was told before I went that he wasn't good one on one. All I can say is that I didn't come away shaking my head and feeling like I'd made the wrong choice. I've been to so many doctors who make me feel like I'm somehow less of a person because I must have no will power to be were I am physically. They have no idea, and you just want to slap them. He gets it, he understands. Everything I've read and heard tells me that he is one of the best at what he does, I'm thinking that is the most important thing. If I get a smile or joke BONUS!

He seems to have a complete program, pre-op education and aftercare follow-up, and a strong support system. I'm looking forward to the new me that he will help me find.

Dr. Oh is a very serious person. Gets right to the business of things. On my first visit he came into the room and started asking question right away, no hello, goodbye. But as I was making my follow-up appointment he was patting me on my shoulder wishing me good luck and telling me everything is going to be alright. I really like him only after one visit. I have a hard time understanding his accent, plus the fact I'm hard of hearing doesn't help. So far his staff has been very helpful. Eagerly answering questions which I'm sure they answered 15 million times. As I continue with this I will update at later date.

My surgen will be Dr Oh in Seatle Washington. I have spoken to my Dr and he comes highley recomended. I allso found that he is on my ins. plan so I will be keeping him even though I live in the Portland area.Acording to my Dr I will only have to go back for a 6 week check up--my Dr will watch me the rest of the time.I have a wounderfull personal care Dr.I should here this week from my ins. co.Keep me in yours thoughts and prayers that I will be approved.By the way if anyone wants info on Dr Oh he has a web site---I typed in weight loss surgery and then clicked on --oh to be thin.His email [email protected]
Dec.4,2002
I called my insurance company and received the good news that I was approved for the lap band surgery with Dr.Oh. The surgery is scheduled for the 2nd week of Feb, no specific date as of today(12/15/02).