Springfield- Mercy, Fiallo and Keroack- My scoop.

I switched over to Mercy's program after finding that my insurance didn't consider Baystate to be a full program and I also didn't have the best experiences there. (Sorry Baystate surgical but it was true) First- you don't apply directly for surgury at the Mercy program. You are prescreened and evaluated by Dr. Keroack. Dr. Keroack only does weight management- he is not a surgeon- which is what most insurance companies want so there isn't conflict of interest in signing off the physicals and dietician's notes. It takes about 6 to 8 weeks to get in to see Dr. Keroack and you meet with him for 1 private hour and receive a full weight evaluation. He addresses any current health issues and agressively promotes quality of life in the here and now- he believes that health changes should start immediately- not the day of WLS. After he screens and fixes up he decides with the imput of a dietician and psychologist whether to refer you for WLS. His role as a gatekeeper keeps the Mercy program from being overloaded with people on the intake track- with high expectations- that may be unsuitable or unqualified at the present time for surgury. Your dietician's meetings at Mercy are one on one. They aren't going to group meetings at the present time because of privacy issues and because they want to keep their client population resonably small in order to meet their needs. Dr. Fiallo performs the WLS and he is an extremely experienced LAP surgeon. He can operate out of Mercy or Baystate but prefers Mercy. They work with Health NE as well as all major insurances. Fiallo does his lap bypasses in about 50% less time than Munshi right now- speed isn't bad- it just comes with experience. Less anesthesia time but he also doesn't bypass as far- I was told 45 to 75 CM and Munshi at Baystate does 120 CM. Each length has its pros and cons and you have to decide how agressive you want to be. After you see the surgeon- Fiallo- you could look at surgury in as little as 8 weeks. It seems quicker because you have already jumped though the sleep apnea study, GB ultrasound etc with Dr. Keroack. Mercy is moving Dr. Keroack's offices into the Rehab building and they are going to be great. Mercy has also outfitted a whole floor to meet the needs of bariatric post ops and other MO persons in for other surguries- the wide beds apparently tilt into a supported sitting position and you walk out of them!! Cool. I hope this helps. I am not trying to promote or bash either Baystate of Mercy but I hope this information helps those wishing to start with knowing which program they want to go with. Smiles!! Christie

Hi Christie - I must agree with you. I had my surgery at Mercy on 7/21 and they certainly do their best to make the patient as comfortable as possible. Drs. Keroack and Fiallo are great. I have heard many horror stories about the program at Baystate, it frightened me away. Good luck on your surgery. ~Louise