St. Vincents Charity Hospital

Greetings I need information regarding St. Vincents Charity Hospital, Dr. Ben-Meir and the staff.. I would like to know how you where/are treated, how did you pay for the surgery, how long did it take for them to return your telephone calls, how long did it take to receive your date, what is the time frame from your pre-op until your surgey date, and any information you are willing to share postive and or other wise. Thank-you in advance

Hi! I did not have my surgery at St. V's but a lot of my friends did and had very successful results. I was going to have my surgery there but they did not accept my insurance so went to University Hospital. I had Dr. Jasper and loved both my surgeon and the hospital. The whole program is great there! Good luck on your journey! You will be in very good hands there! Sue 325/130 goal/122 current

Hi,,,i just met Dr.Ben-Meir today 12-1-6. I have just started my journey, and this was my first consult. Truthfully i found him, kind, informative, funny and concerned. He took his time and did not rush you, Listened to your answers, and answered my questions. As far as returning phone calls Stacy is on top of that and helps me every time I call. I feel comfortable and safe with him. If he would have been a man with another style, I would not continue....Hope this helped, I,m in Akron...feel free to write....Rayleeen

Mabel, I had RNY at St. V. last year, and would recommend the program, I had open surg., so I did not have Dr. Ben-Meir, but I know several people, and 1 relative who has. They have given me positive feedback about him. Have you attended the seminar yet? That is a requirment. So much depends on insurance these days, so while one person might get immediate approval, the next may have a hard time. I was start to surgery in 4 mo., no trouble w/insurance. The office staff seems overworked at times, but they are super. Have you looked up the Dr.'s profile here yet? That may help. Good luck, Doug

Mabel I had my surgery at St V's on May 31st of this year I had the open procedure so I had Dr. Schreiber, he's the director of the program. It took me 2 months from start of paperwork to surgery but like another post said it depends on your insurance and other things. Dr. Ben-Meir was covering the one Saturday I was in the hospital after surgery and the little contact I had with him then he seemed very nice and caring and very knowledgeable. The staff on 5B and the whole staff at the Doctors office are great especially Diane H. she rocks. So if you choose St V's you'll have NO worries cause you are in EXCELLENT hands. Good luck on your journey. Jim

HI Mabel, I had Lap RNY surgery 9/26/06 with Dr. Ben-Meir @ St. Vincents. It took me 17 months from attending the seminar to having surgery. Yes, a long time...but gave me lots of time to think about if this was the right decision for me. I HIGHLY recommend Dr. Ben-Meir and St. V's to anyone. I spent about 25 days at the hospital afterwards, just one complication after the other, which I was the "odd duck" and this has not happened to anyone that I know. I attend a support group on Wed. that is almost all St. V's patients. I would recommend you try it, and you can get lots of information to answer questions. The call backs from Latonya were not too great, she is one of the insurance specialists. My insurance covered 100% of my surgery, I was lucky. I wish you luck on your journey and feel free to ask any more questions! Michelle As of today, 60 pounds gone!

Hello I had my surgery 3-27-06 I had Dr. Ben-Meir. I LOVED HIM ! and I loved the program. I would recommend them to anyone. I started my pre op tests in Jan. 06 (had attened the siminar ealier in the year of 05 but wanted to wait till 06 for surgery). So i began my journey in Jan 06 and had surgery March 06. All i had to do was complete my sleep study and heart tests and evaluation. It went very fast. And so was the weightloss Good luck with what ever program you decide to follow. Teresa 280/177/130

I had my surgery 04/25/06 with Dr. Ben-Meir. He is very intelligent, comes across well, and is an excellent surgeon. Even in the hospital, I found him to be supportive and concerned about his patients (I had a minor complication and had to stay an extra day to make sure I cleared up a lung infection), he even tracked me down one day because I was out walking with the gal across the hall that was in my pre-op class. The entire staff is supportive and willing to give you support along the journey. I recently ran into one of the staff while shopping and she remembered me and gave me good feedback (I was in the middle of a 4 week stall and feeling very negative that day). The staff at St. Vincent Charity hospital was very supportive during my stay also. The Bariatric unit is on the same floor as the rehab/step down unit and their therapists and nurses gave a lot of positive 'thumbs up' when they saw us walking the hall. I was fortunate that my insurance paid all but $1000 of my total fees (Dr, Hospital, Echocardiogram, psych eval, sleep study, and vascular surgeon consult) but that was partly because I had to meet my yearly deductible. I had my initial consult on 1/30/06, surgery on 4/25 ONLY because I asked to wait until the end of April as we were going to be traveling out of state right after Easter for my hubby's Godson's baptism and Confirmation for our other Nephew plus had committed to a day long Pre-Cana class. I think the original date they offered was the end of March. I'm 7 1/2 months out and 78 lbs lighter! Melissa

Mabel, I am curious as to your experience with St. V's. I met Dr. Ben-Meir and he was great. However, I have had a terrible time getting any type of response from staff. I was approved two weeks ago by Medical Mutual. After leaving several messages with St. V.'s, I have yet to have anyone call back with a surgery date or next steps.