Dr Eagon or Dr De La Torre

I am in the process of selecting a surgeon for my lap RNY. I am finding the process a bit frustrating! From what I can tell, both are quite seasoned in their field. However, their offices do not provide much transparency in getting an appointment! If someone is going to change my anatomy, I'd like to interview with them first, before I plopped down $500 to Wash U (for the psych eval, etc.) They want you to go through that process before seeing the surgeon. Anyone else run into this problem of selecting a surgeon?

Dr De La Torre.....I dont think you can get better than him or his partner Dr Scott. My insurance paid for the psych eval, but NOT before I had even seen him......Email me if you have any questions

I had Dr Richardson and I thought he was great I am almost a year out now and he has taken care of me very well. I would do it all over again I had mine done at depaul where Dr De la Torre is But my dr said he works with him also so it was very nice that i had the best of both worlds as De La Torre assisted mine. And I had my psych eval at washinton missouri and it was only 150.00 and my ins paid for that also. Maybe you should look around a bit for your psych eval.

I never met Dr De La Torre till I was already approved for surgery and it was during my pre op class that I finally met him. But for me, I had many friends that used Dr Scott in the past and I knew that Dr Scott and Dr De La Torre worked together and from what I researched on De La Torre I knew I didn't want anyone else other then him doing my surgery. My insurance paid for my pschy eval so that wasn't even an issue for me. As for going through the process before meeting the surgeon, there are many people that start the process who either decide that they don't want to fini**** or the insurance won't approve them or any other problems arise and they do not end up going through the surgery, therefore if the surgeon's took the time to meet everyone before they did all the leg work then that could be a lot of wasted time for the surgeon. If you would like to speak to others who have used Dr De La Torre we have our support group tomorrow night at De Paul Hopital in Bridgeton at 5:30, Pre Ops are always more then welcome to come and ask questions.

This is an important decision that you have to make...I remember having to do the research myself. I have no complaints with Dr. De...and if I had to have surgery again I'd pick the same surgeon. But, to be honest...we are lucky to have such great surgeons in our area...can't remember who it was but...someone on this board really liked Dr. Eagon....said he was very good! Good luck with picking your surgeon and on your WLS journey!! -Kelli

Choosing surgeon is an important and personal choice. Personally, I really like Dr De La Torre. I have never met Dr Richardson. As far as the psych eval is concerned, you may want to check into your insurance plan; it maybe a covered benefit. My insurance covered mine except for a small co-pay. The process is frustrating but well worth it in the end. If you have any questions feel free to send me an email. Good luck with your decision. Pam

My surgeon is De La Torre. I had the opportunity to briefly meet him at the informational meeting in which he delivers a portion of the presentation. The next meeting in May 4, 2005 at 7pm. Give the Weight Loss Institute a call to register. The number is 314-344-6800. On the psych eval, Dr. Joyce conducted my eval. My insurance co paid for the eval, I paid a $20 co-pay and a $55 report fee. She is very personable. She can be reached at 314-576-3690. Good Luck! B Marie U

Dr Eagon is an EXCELLANT surgeon. I would use him again for any surgery that I needed. The hospital it self left something to be desired but as far as Dr Eagon and his staff went they were the best. You need to make sure that you are comfortable with the decision you make since you are trusting them with your life. Both surgeons are tops in their field and either one you choose will be extreamly competant in the procedure. Good luck in your choice and let us know who you settle on. Wayne

FYI - If you have insurance in Missouri, all insurance companies doing business here are REQUIRED by state law to provide two visits per year for "diagnosis or assessment of mental health". Since this is the reason for the psych visit, the insurance has to cover the psych visit, and they are not allowed to limit your choice of the provider of services. The only loophole might be if your employer is based out of another state, but not sure if they can get out of it that way or not. My insurance tried to deny mine because he wasn't in their network (surprise, there were NO psychologists or psychiatrists in their network), but when I sent them a copy of this reg, they quickly backed down and paid. The state regulation is 20 CSR 400-2.160.

del a toro has great rep. assisted my doc richardson. never heard of other doc....though i have been absent from message board for quite some time.