Robert Althar Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

I met with Dr. Althar for the first time in 1999 when for gallbladder surgery. On May 28, I met with him for consultation for the RNY. He said that he could definitely perform the surgery laparoscopically, and that although I didn't have high blood pressure or diabetes now that I would without losing weight. I feel comfortable with him, and his staff is great.

My first impression of Doc A. was that he took alot of pride in what he was doing for other people. I've been to support meetings where there is nothing bad said about this doc. His staff is very very helpful and pleasent to work with. I never had to contact the ins.co. at all, They did all the work for me. The only thing that I can think of that I didn't care for in Doc A. is his stiff bedside manner. Although he cares about his patients and has a PT team on call for his post op patients. He went in to the detail of the surgery and the risks that were involved he didn't hide anything and that's one of the things that impressed me about Dr. A. Like I said before, as far as his bedside manner, that leaves something to be desired, but I know this man has surgical competence and trust him in his effort to help me with morbid obesity. I would recommend him to anyone considering the surgery.

I met with Dr Althar this morning...he was quite serious,at first I was thrown by that. But as we spoke I realized he wanted to be sure I knew exactly what this surgery entailed. After speaking further he felt I would be a good candidate for wls. I feel Dr. Althar is sincere in his efforts to help take control of morbid obesity,especially when he told me we would have an ongoing relationship...actually for the rest of my life because he insists on monitoring his patients long term. That made me feel alot more reassured. He specifically stated that he wanted my husband to meet with him so there would be no questions unanswered. The office atmosphere is quite nice, very inviting and Melissa is very sweet and helpful. I am not comfortable giving a number rating on a physician but will definately elaborate as time progresses as to the quality and competence of my care. Bedside manner is nice but surgical competence is mandatory. For the time being I believe I made the right choice in Dr. Althar
04/04/04- My husband and I met with Dr Althar this past Friday....the more I see this man the more confident I feel about my choice... I have done a background check on Dr Althar and am very pleased with my findings...He graduated in 1981 and has practiced as a general surgeon until recently when he opted to perform bariatric surgery only. I have met with many of his former and present patients and all had wonderful things to say about him...actually I met one of his first patients and when she heard Dr Althar was performing my surgery she was thrilled and spoke very highly of his abilities. Dr Althar is most comfortable performing the surgery lapriscopally, he feels he has better visual with the camera rather than open. I am so thankful to have found this surgeon and would highly recommend him to anyone seeking surgery.

I met Dr. althar and was very impressed with him from the beginning. He has his stuff togrther and would send anyone to him in a heartbeat.

Dr Althar is not at all what I expected; I thought he was a doctor from another country who preformed Gastric Bypass Surgries. As a matter of fact when I was in the Local Hospital Emergency room with Gall Bladder trouble; I refused to consider him as the surgeon and went to the phone book and picked a surgeon at random to do it because I was under the impression that Dr Althar was less than a stellar Doctor. After several co-workers choose him to do their procedures, I just raised my eyebrows and even told one of them "I would wait to see if they lived" before I would consider using him. I know now it was fear and being uneducated that caused me to avoid Dr Althar. I had misconceptions that delayed me in my journey and hopefully I will only have regret for the time lost and not loose time from the delay.

Dr Althar treats each patient individually; the co-workers have had different pre-op hurdles to clear before getting on the operating room table. I admire this in a doctor to take it so seriously it means it can take up to a year if necessary to get it all done. I was not rushed in anyway and was encouraged to attend a support group before I have the surgery to speak to patients who are in all stages of the journey. It was very enlightening and reasuring to hear and see the joy and admiration on their faces for Dr Althar.

He requires to see your family member who will be going to the hospital during your last appointment to ensure all questions are asked and to be sure everyone knows what is exspected of him or her. Dr Althar's staff has been extremely helpful and available anytime I called and called me regularily to update me on my insurance claim and any appointments that I needed to attend.

I thank Dr Althar and his staff for all they have done for me and all they will do for me after the surgery. I highly recommend anyone who is considering this surgery to get as much information about your surgeon and make an informed decision. Don't waste years like I did because I got bad advice from strangers.

My first impression of Dr. Althar, I was looking at a man who took his job seriously and made sure that I understood that what I was asking him for was a serious matter. He took the time to explain things to me so I did understand. Dr.Althar made me realize even more what a life style change I would experience. He makes sure that I can handle the surgery by asking me to see the other Dr's. Dr.Althar's staff is the best! Melissa took care of me from the time I walked in to the time that I left. Dr. Althar's aftercare program is very structured from what I have seen, I will post more after I go through it. He did let me know the risk of the surgery he did not try to candy coat anything. I would rate him as a Dr. at a 9,because I haven't had very many appointments with him as yet. I prefer a Dr who has great surgical competence more then bedside manner. Why? If he doesn't know what he is doing in surgery there may not be a need for bedside manner!

My first impression of Dr.Althar was that he was truly a professional in all aspects. The more I get to know him, the more I realize what a great surgeon he is. He really stresses on keeping aftercare appointments and also utilizing the local support group. He is up front and to the point when it comes to the risk involved during and after surgery. But, he never believes that any question you may have is unimportant. Dr.Althar may not seem to be the friendliest person, but I would take surgical competence over friendliness anyday. His office staff (Holly,Melissa and Shelia) are the greatest, and is always there to answer any questions.

Anyone looking into having Bariatric Surgery and you are wanting the best, then Dr.Althar is it.

I must tell you, I was very nerveous and very excited when I fist met Dr. Althar and his staff. I love his office staff. Melissa and Holly are wonderful. I called and made an appt to see Dr. Althar. They sent me several forms to fill out and medical releases to get my info from other doctors. I was shocked at the detail of all the questions that was asked. I now understand why all of it was needed. I guess thats why I was approved on my first letter to the insurance company. Then I got my appt. When I first stepped into the office, I was really shocked. It was very pleasant. Burning candles everywhere. It put you right at ease. Then the big moment came when I finallly met the doctor. He is great. He is very serious about the surgery and he wants to make sure you really understand what your getting into. I had to take a test, thats right, a test on my second visit. That is so the doctor understands that you realize what your doing and what the risk are. I love Dr. Althar and his staff. It may seem to be unconvential how they do things, but I now understand the purpose in everything I had to do. If anyone is looking for a surgeon, I would recommend Dr. Althar and his staff, very highly.

I first met Dr. Althar while int he hospital for an abscess of diverticulitis. He was a very good, very thorough surgeon. I was very impressed. That was the first time I spoke with him about the Roux-En-Y. I met him at his office on Dec 19, 2002. I really was impressed by his thoroughness and his willingness to just sit down and talk. I spent almost an hour in his office, just talking. He explained everything to me, all the benefits and risks. I really like Dr. Althar. I haven't had a negative experience with him yet.

Honestly, when I went for my first consult with Dr. Althar, I immediately bagan to question my decision to let Dr. Althar perform my procedure. However, this opinion was developed before ever seeing Dr. Althar. Allow me to explain. When I got to the office, and went inside to sign in, I was asked by the receptionist if I had filled out some form, and I said that, no, I had not. Melissa, the receptionist, made the comment that I should have recieved it in my packet in the mail, but come to find out, there were several things I had not recieved because I had recieved an older verison of the new packet, or some forms were not put into my packet. So, I immediately had thoughts like, "How throuough are these people?" and "I wonder if something will be forgotten during my operation?" I know, I know. It may seem like I was over-reacting, but I pay lots of attention to detail. Anyway, to move on... After I waited for a while I was called back and the nurse immediately asked me to get on the scale. I told her that I weighed more than 350lbs and that the scale she had would not weight me. Of course, this brought up more negative thoughts... I thought, "How is a bariatric surgeon not going to have a scale that will weigh someone more than 350lbs?" We then went into an exam room and she asked lots of questions, seeming vary not-chillant (not sure if I spelled that correctly, sorry). In fact I even thought, these people must not take this very seriously. After all the questions, she handed me a paper gown and asked that I remove all my clothing, as Dr. Althar would be in shortly.

I think I waited 10-15 minutes, which seemed more like an hour because I had never been examined by a physician while completely nude before, and being as self-concious about my body as I am. Finally Dr. Althar came in. To describe him in one word... INTENSE. Dr. Althar was very serious; he listened to what I had to say; he never broke eye contact. In short, he sold me on himself. Up until that point, I had serious doubts. But, Dr. Althar took all those doubts away.

And, you know what. I honestly believe that I was being overly critical because I was really stressed and nervous about my first appointment. And, I feel that it is really important to tell these things, because others of you may have some of the same things going on or have the same thoughts. Just don't let things like I mentioned get you down or lead you to believe that maybe you shouldn't get the operation.

I have not seen Dr. Althar since then. However, I have seen many other doctors and such in my pre-op process. I do go for my pre-op appointment with Dr. Althar in the morning. I'm really excited and somewhat nervous, but I don't think reality has set in as of yet.

Luckily, I was accepted the first time. In fact, I was accepted the same day my letter of necessity from my PCP was sent to the insurance company. I haven't had to deal with them at all.

I would like to say that since my initial appointment with Dr. Althar, Melissa, the receptionist, has been plesant to work with and very helpful. I have trouble getting through sometimes and I sometimes feel like I'm being rushed, but I know that the office is extremely busy.

I'll let you know how my appointments go tomorrow. I see the physical therapist at 9:00am, the dietician at 10:30am, and Dr. Althar at 1:00pm.

Disclaimer: The above discussions are personal impressions of my own personal experience and I make no statements about what other people may experience.