Questions for Dr. Baumans patients

Hello Everyone, I had the mini gastric bypass 7 1/2 years ago and I want to be revised to the RNY.  I was planning to have my revision in Fl but I am having 2nd thoughts due to the distance.  My insurance approved me a month ago to have the RNY in Florida.  My question are these did you have to pay a program fee and if so what did it cover?  Was the office staff real helpful with trying to get you approved and get you a surgery date.  Last but not least if you already had the surgery did you have complications afterward?  Thanks to anyone who can help.

Not only is Dr. Bauman my surgeon, but I am a nurse on the bariatric unit his patients recover on.  :)  1.  Program fee:  I paid for the consult with him on my initial visit (not covered by insurance, out of pocket, and I believe it was $200 or 250 -- can't remember now).  I saw him for the initial consult, then again for preoperative orders, then again in the OR.  All I pay when I go see him now is my insurance copay ($35).  I saw him a week postop (included in the initial visit/surgical fee), a month postop, 3 months postop, and 6 months postop, and now I won't see him again until my 1-yr followup.  You will have to follow up with one of his nutritionists in the office.  Their fee is $500 for 1 year's worth of followup on a monthly basis.  You do not have to pay that up front, can make installment payments until it's paid, and it is out of pocket and not covered by insurance.  2.  I found the office staff very helpful.  I had some issues getting insurance approval and they did help me find the right people to talk to and talked to people on my behalf, as well.  I got my approval one day and a surgical date the next day, which was less than 2 weeks from the date of insurance approval.  It still took me a while to get TO that point, but then things moved quickly. 3.  I had my RNY 3/12/07 and have been complication FREE!  I had one "stuck" episode which was no one's fault but my own, and I occasionally get the "foamies".  But as for complications, I have had NONE.  And I can tell you from a professional standpoint that his patients do VERY well, too!

Dena, Thanks so much.  I am going to try and make an appointment with him today.  I hope you don't mind if I contact you if I have additional questions.

You can contact me any time -- trust me, I do not mind.  Feel free to send me a private message if you'd like. 

I had Dr. Bauman's partner, Dr. Pirrello.  Had my RNY on May 18 and am thrilled with his work!  I had a strangulated hernia four days after the RNY (not as a complication of the RNY, the hernia had been there for a while) and Dr. Pirrello was right there for me in the ER.  I love the practice and would recommend them to anyone!  Office staff ROCKS!  (So does Dena, BTW - she was my nurse when I had the hernia).  As far as I know, neither Dr. Bauman nor Dr. Pirrello has had any fatalities in their WLS practice. 

Robin,  YOU are a sweetheart!  I'm glad to see you're still doing so well.  And check out that weight loss of yours, girl!!!  You're right, no WLS-related deaths with their practice. Dr. Bauman did cancel a surgery this week because the patient gained weight, though ... he tells you that he will but people don't believe him!  It's not the first time he's done it.  I was determined I wasn't going to gain a pound in the preop period because I knew he meant business.  We are fortunate ... no, BLESSED that they are so serious about their patients' health and wellness.  These 2 docs are committed 100% to making sure their patients have the best outcomes.

I had heard he had only gained 2 lbs, had the IV in and Dr. Bauman canceled the surgery. Can that really be true for only that little weight gain?

I can't testify to the correctness of the facts, but when you consider that we're asked to lose 10-15 lbs or more in order to shrink the liver, then a two pound gain is really 12 pounds more than they want you to be and it impacts the liver first.  It's the price we pay for not having to have the two week liguid diet that lots of other practices have.

This can never be backed up because of HIPPA - so we can throw this rumor out the window. I can vouch for this - 2 pounds can be the difference in changing sizes for some people.  Go ahead and laugh.  When I was a size 22 it didn't matter 2lbs, 10lbs the size 22 fit the same. Now, I'm a loose size 10 - a 2 pound loss or gain could make me go up in clothe sizes or down. I know it's a bad example but this can change things drastically. You also don't know the whole story as to what went on with that patient.  If they could not stick to the request not to gain, then they might not be able to adhere to life after the surgery. My 2 weeks of liquids was HELL.  I dreamt of meat balls and couldn't wait to eat a soft boiled egg. It was all I wanted, not a twix an egg.  This is a journey and were in it for life.  If you mess up your gastric bypass, it's dr B's name on the line.  He cannot defend himself and if your uncompliant then you've cheated everyone, the dr, yourself, the insurance company, everyone. I am not 100% in compliance everyday, but my pouch is in effect and works.  I've lost my weight and i'm thrilled.  I've had complications and I know they were fixed and any future ones will be fixed too.  These complications were directly related to my WLS.  Sorry for the rant but I hate these he said she said things.   Dr B's taking a risk performing these surgeries and the super obese are really at risk and he takes the chance, so yes, comply.

It can indeed be true for only "that little weight gain" because he tells you point blank not to gain weight in the preop period or he will cancel your surgery.  His patients know ahead of time what he expects, so by the time you are at the point of surgery day, you should be fully aware of what you're in for.  People who comply with what he directs you to do have the best outcomes, and I don't blame the doctor one bit for making sure his patients are compliant with his directions since their outcome definitely impacts his "numbers".  He has an excellent track record and intends to keep it that way.  Can't blame him for that.   If a patient will cheat a little on a preop diet ... who's to say they'll be compliant postop?  And I'm not saying the patient cheated ... could have been just a fluctuation that day or something.  But I'm sure there's more to it than a mere fluctuation or he wouldn't have canceled.  I don't know this particular patient's history, and even if I did I couldn't share it here for obvious reasons, but I'm sure that Dr. Bauman knows the history and had reasons besides just those 2 lb or whatever the amount was.  Perhaps that was just the straw that broke the camel's back, ya know?