Demesvar Jean-Baptiste??

Hi Sheri, Congratulations on your success!  I wish I was where you are now. I have been hearing great things about Dr. J-B, but I didn't hear about the program fee.  It is going to be a little hard for me, I was expecting to go thru my insurance with very little out of pocket.  I am going to the meeting on Thursday and I will see what they say about the program fee. Thanks.

I had rny with Dr. JeanBaptiste last year and it was the best decision i have ever made. He comes very highly recommended by all that have used him  and i think he is the best ever!!! See you all at the support group!

I had a RNY with Dr. JB on April 12th and have nothing but the best things to say about him and his staff.  They've been wonderful! 

Hi: I have been reading that Dr. J-B charges extra fees for different things, are you aware of any extra fees that he will be charging me?  I have my initial consult on Friday and want to be prepared. Thanks, Jackie

You know, no one ever says anything bad about surgeons on this thread, so I feel funny saying this.  I haven't had any surgery yet, but I really didn't like the way doctor Jean-Baptiste talked to me during my consultation - he was beyond condescending.  I didn't like the fact that he told me that he was in network for Cigna, when in fact that was no longer true at the time of my consult. Finally, I didn't like the fact that when I went in for a consultation, they had me meet with the nutritionist, which came with a $150 out-of-pocket fee. I went in under the impression that the consultation fee was all I was going to have to pay, and because the doctor was in network, I expected to pay my specialist co-pay amount. Instead, I received a $187 bill for the balance of my visit. It is true that his staff was extremely kind and tried to be as helpful as they could. I just felt like the doctor himself didn't have the kind of respect for me that I deserve. Maybe, since so many people seem to adore him it was an off day, but it was the experience that I had. Tami

Thank you,  I appreciate you being honest with me.  I am going on Friday for my consult and hope they don't hit me with any extra fees.  I have a $30.00 co pay.  Good luck with your new doc. Jackie

Wow Tami, I'm really shocked by your experience!! I had surgery with Dr. JB and have been dealing with his office since January 8, 2007, not once have I had a less than wonderful experience in the office, his team is wonderful and Dr. JB has always been the consummate professional.  I too have Cigna and it was in network for me, I'm currently having a few issues with them since they are charging me a big balance indicating that they don't pay for bariatric surgery, meanwhile there is a letter of approval in my file from Cigna.  One of the main reasons I went to Dr. JB's office was because they accepted Cigna, I made countless phone calls to local doctors (I live in Newark, NJ) and finally found Dr. JB, I do not regret it one bit despite the 'distance'.

So he's in network for Cigna, now? Figures. Like I said, maybe he had an off day, but I really didn't like the way he talked to me. I wanted the lap band, because my primary care physician recommended it to me. Dr. JB said I wouldn't be able to succeed with it. When I told him that I also had a consultation scheduled with Dr. Nusbaum, he said, "Fine, he's just going to tell you what I'm telling you". It seemed childish at the time. It seemed more so when Dr. Nusbaum didn't tell me the same things that Dr. JB did. I'm really glad that all the people who are happy with him are, indeed happy. I just wasn't.

I called Dr. JB's office in early December 2006 and asked if they accepted Cigna and was told yes, and I am an in-network patient ****il July 1 when we are switched to Oxford).  I originally went in for lapband as well but when I spoke to Dr. JB what he explained to me lapband vs. Gastric Bypass made a whole heck of a lot of sense and I decided on the gastric bypass....I wish you the best of luck on your journey.

How did your consult go?  I didn't reply to any posts sooner as I was having my RNY w/him on 6/25 and got home on 6/28 and am just now catching up.  I am happy with the surgery so far (6 days post op) and his staff is very helpful.  I would recommend that you find out the specific details of his new program fee.  Good luck in your decision.  There are many good surgeons in NJ, I chose JB because I live so close to the hospital and if there are issues I'd be in range of my dr and I also go to the support groups and didn't want to have to travel too far each month.  It's been a great convenience so far.