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

I met with Dr. Liem on wednesday May 8th he was very nice he does not think I will have a problem getting approved because of my health problems.I am going to his seminar on Monday he requires you to go to at least one of his classes to get a better understanding of the procedure. I now have to get all the diets together and at least 3 have to be commercial or by a doctor and I need a letter from my pcp saying that I need this surgery for medical reasons. I will tryed to get the paper work in by Monday Im so nervous about my insurance company. Well thats about all for now I wil keep you updated.

My first impression of Dr. Liem was he is very soft spoken, but answered all my questions.

His office waiting room is very cramped, especially for this type of patient. His staff seemed harried.

The thing I liked least about him was one of his staff spent over 30 minutes discussing the surgery, etc. with me, but just jumped right in like it was a taped message. When Dr. Liem came in he expected that all my questions would have already been answered.

We didn't discuss aftercare at the one appt. I've had.

The only risks of the surgery that were discussed were answers of my direct questions, such as mortality rate, past history of post-op difficulties, etc. I supposed if I had asked more questions, I would have been given more information.

I'm not comfortable giving Dr. Liem an overall rating based on only one visit.

To me surgical competence is much more important. He doesn't necessarily have to treat me like a friend, just be skilled and professional.

Dr. Liem was very informative, patient, and comforting to me. His staff is truly great. I read alot of testimonials over the net about his staff and I must simply agree, they are wonderful. They did all of the work for me in getting an approval, all I had to do was wait (that alone was hard enough)I called about every seven days and I knew I was getting on their nerves but they were so patient with me. My paperwork was submitted on 2-08-02 and Maria called me on 3-18-02 with the news. I was at work and nearly fainted, I woke up the entire office with my screaming, I couldn't hold back the tears of joy. I have a surgery date of 4-11-02 and I am driving everyone around me crazy.

My husband went with me on my first visit with Dr.Liem and we both left his office with a very good feeling. We knew much more about the surgery and what to expect. We also met with Maria and felt very comfortable with her. It by chance, had been the day of his monthly meeetings at JFK. Both Dr. Liem & Maria, told us we were more than welcome to attend and bring anyone we wanted to. After talking it over with my three grown children, we decided to go and see what this was all about. We are an extremly close family, I'm proud to say. I would never go into anything this extreme, without their support. One of the first things that really impressed me, was Dr. Liem had just met me earlier that day and remembered me by name. From the minute I stepped foot in that door, I felt like I belonged. Finally people that understood,ME!! There were no questions unanswered and everyone was eager to share their experiences. Since than I have even made friends with others that have had the surgery. They have been extremly supportive,& patient with me. My story is more complicated because I suffer from RSD (Reflex Sympathic Dystrophy.) After going over all the pros and cons. AND all the research each one of us had done. We decided this was the right choice for me. I was told that Cigna HMO, was one of the tuffest to get approved. After thinking about the most effective way, to get my case noticed..I realized that, pictures do not lie! I rounded up before & after pictures of myself from the last 20 yrs. Some luckily, had dates on the back. Even used, graduation pics of my children, with the yr. on them and put a pic of me standing next to them with their cap and gown on. I put all this in one of those small albums you get with your developed pics. Glad to say, I was approved the first try!!
April 4, 2002 will never be the same for me!

Dr. Liem is a quiet man. I went into his office after being advised by a doctor that I have been working with for over 6 mo. that he could no longer do the procedure because he no longer accepted my insurance for payment. I walked into his office, his nurse explained the procedure and then Dr. Liem came in and explained it in great detail, including all of the risks. When I asked him about his surgical mortality rate for this procedure he advised me that his is 0.00 and he performs the procedure 7 times per week and has been doing it for over 15 years. He answered all of my questions and I left his office with full confidence in my decision. When I received my insurance approval his office staff called to make arrangements and appointments for my final pre-op testing. He gave me a sheet detailing exactly what I needed to do and to eat (or not eat) for the 3 days before surgery. I entered the hospital 3 hours before the surgery and Dr. Liem started exactly on time. I awoke with little pain or discomfort. He kept my medication at a level where I was not in pain by not "doped up" either. When I got to my room I was given literature about after care and post op meals. Every day Dr. Liem came to check on me and answer any questions I may have had and advise me of my progress. I had physical therapy every day I was in the hospital. I am 11 days post op and feel ready to return to work although my insurance company say I have 30 days more to recooperate. I now know why Dr. Liem has a 0.00 mortality rate. HE IS THAT GOOD.

I liked Dr. Liem and his staff. His office was rather old, but no worries. Maria went over everything and Dr. Liem was very caring. My intitial consultation showed that I was 4 lbs UNDERWEIGHT and I had to return to re-weigh in order to ensure a possible approval by UHC. Maria assured me she's on top of UHC(thank God!). Dr. Liem's class @ JFK is very good and very informative.

I have only gotten as far as making an appt. for the initial consultation. I am waiting for a referrel from my PCP. Who knows if she will agree with my wishes to have bariatric surgery. I am only 77 lbs. overweight according to the charts so I am not completely optomistic, but still I am hopeful and will continue with my pursuit to have the surgery.

I thought Dr. Leim's office was awesome. I met with Maria, his nurse, more than him, and she was very very nice. She was very willing to answer all of my questions, and didn't make me feel as if any of them were stupid or unreasonable. When I did meet Dr. Leim, I thought he was very nice as well. Quiet, but nice. The whole experience was very positive. I went in there with the thought that I might not be accepted by them for the surgery, and it went way more smoothly than I could have ever hoped. They made me feel like this was truly the right option for me, and was willing to work with me being out of state. They addressed the whole proceedure and explained why and how they do everything. I was very pleased with the whole experience.

Dr. Liem, Maria and his staff are the absolute best. They handled every detail of the surgery from start to finish. They are very patient to answer all questions and to keep you informed of exactly what to expect. I am very pleased with the surgery and would recommend Dr. Liem to anyone considering Weight Loss Surgery. I will forever be greatful to Dr. Leim. He gave me my life back. I was 46 years old and weighed 469 pounds. I was very close to losing my independence. It was only a matter of time until I could no longer even drive my car. I was to big to get behind the wheel. I had quit going out because I couldn't fit in restaurants booths or chairs with arms. My quality of life was quickly leaving me. Since the surgery I have lost 270 pounds. I feel like I did when I was 20 years old. I have tons of energy and my self esteem is mending itself. I now hold my head up when I go places. I talk to perfect strangers. I am happy than I can remember being in a very long time. I am living again. I have been to Disney twice and flew on trips to visit family. These are all things that I was unable to do before. Dr. Leim has saved my life. I will always be greatful to him. I want to help as many people as I can to regain their quality of life. There is a support group meeting at 6:30 pm on the 2nd Monday of each month at JFK Hospital in Lantana, Florida. Come by and meet some of Dr. Liem's former and future patients.
Dr. Pillersdorf of Lake Worth, Florida performed my tummy tuck on 8/14/01. He did an absolutely incredible job. Hardly no pain at all. He not only removed 18 pounds but it made the most incredible change in my apperarance. He is such a sweet man with a great bedisde manner. I would recommend him to anyone.

MY SURGERY IS 1/17/02
I MET WITH DR LEIM IN OCT. WAS APPROVED IN NOV. I CHOSE TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE HOLIDAYS.
I FOUND EVERYONE IN THE OFFICE VERY NICE AND HELPFUL. DR. LEIM WAS VERY INFORMATIVE AND PROUD OF HIS RESULTS WITH HIS PATIENTS. I HAVE TALKED TO DIFFERENT HOSPITAL EMPLOYEES THAT SPEAK HIGHLY OF DR. LEIM. THEY ALL SAID THEY FELT HE GENUINELY CARED ABOUT HIS PATIENT'S. I FELT THE OFFICE WAS VERY BUSY. I FELT A LITTLE RUSHED. I HAVE CALL THE OFFICE SEVERAL TIMES AND MY QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED PLEASANT AND COMPLETE.
I FEEL THERE COULD BE MORE HAND OUTS AVAILABLE ON THE PROCEDURE, DIET, SURGERY, AND AFTER CARE. MAYBE EVEN A SAMPLE MENU.
I WILL FOLLOW UP AFTER SURGERY