Houston Memorial Hermann-MC WL Seminar 9-26-09 Review
Hello all.
I went to the Houston Memorial Hermann-Memorial City weight loss seminar this morning and wanted to talk about my experience. The "seminar" was presented by Dr. Carlos Ferrari. I was basically forced to go the seminar by the staff at the weight loss center before I could get an appointment by referral to Dr. Garth Davis by my doctor, which was a sticking point as I have been before some years ago and my wife is 3 years out from her own RNY. But I had to go to the get the "packet" and learn all the "new things" I was told. I found the "seminar" quite useless and nothing new as the doctor was hard to understand, being either Hispanic or Italian, and the information was presented with outdated slides that the doctor corrected during his talk and of little substance compared to what is available online. There were even some other visiting hospital staffers in orange smocks in the group, one of which slept the whole time! The doctor's staff was on hand to pass out 1 form, no packet, as a sheet for HIS office to contact you to "get the process started." He may be awesome, but I have no interest in Dr. Ferrari, and I have never heard of him before today, so I was uninterested in their form to fill out. No mention of the other bariatric doctors at the center and their qualifications and backgrounds was made during this time. Basically this was a sales presentation for Dr. Ferrari. I suppose the doctors at the center have a round robin process for these seminars and they force everyone that is interested to go to spread the patient load.
I actually started this process almost 1 month ago. My doctor gave me a referral as mentioned to see Dr. Davis. I called the center to make the appointment with Dr. Davis when this 3 ring circus started. The office manager would not let me make an appointment until I went to this seminar. I told her I had already been before (which they had record of) and was unnecessary. She persisted and I scheduled the seminar in appeasement. The seminar I initially registered for was canceled the day before it was supposed to take place because the doctor would be unavailable. Through email the office manager offered a one on one with another doctor if I wanted to do something before the next seminar, which would be today's slot. I agreed and she said she needed to confirm a time with another doctor. That was 2 weeks ago. I am still waiting to hear on that one and one consultation. I registered for today's seminar since I had not heard from anyone at the center and I evidently need that reservation...
So far I have been quite unimpressed with the center's staff and how it is run, as this is supposedly the premier center for bariatric surgery in the US. The hospital's administration should seriously review their leadership and process structure for the center if they want to continue to grow and be leaders in this segment of health care.
I'll post more on my weight loss journey moving forward.
Thank you!
I went to the Houston Memorial Hermann-Memorial City weight loss seminar this morning and wanted to talk about my experience. The "seminar" was presented by Dr. Carlos Ferrari. I was basically forced to go the seminar by the staff at the weight loss center before I could get an appointment by referral to Dr. Garth Davis by my doctor, which was a sticking point as I have been before some years ago and my wife is 3 years out from her own RNY. But I had to go to the get the "packet" and learn all the "new things" I was told. I found the "seminar" quite useless and nothing new as the doctor was hard to understand, being either Hispanic or Italian, and the information was presented with outdated slides that the doctor corrected during his talk and of little substance compared to what is available online. There were even some other visiting hospital staffers in orange smocks in the group, one of which slept the whole time! The doctor's staff was on hand to pass out 1 form, no packet, as a sheet for HIS office to contact you to "get the process started." He may be awesome, but I have no interest in Dr. Ferrari, and I have never heard of him before today, so I was uninterested in their form to fill out. No mention of the other bariatric doctors at the center and their qualifications and backgrounds was made during this time. Basically this was a sales presentation for Dr. Ferrari. I suppose the doctors at the center have a round robin process for these seminars and they force everyone that is interested to go to spread the patient load.
I actually started this process almost 1 month ago. My doctor gave me a referral as mentioned to see Dr. Davis. I called the center to make the appointment with Dr. Davis when this 3 ring circus started. The office manager would not let me make an appointment until I went to this seminar. I told her I had already been before (which they had record of) and was unnecessary. She persisted and I scheduled the seminar in appeasement. The seminar I initially registered for was canceled the day before it was supposed to take place because the doctor would be unavailable. Through email the office manager offered a one on one with another doctor if I wanted to do something before the next seminar, which would be today's slot. I agreed and she said she needed to confirm a time with another doctor. That was 2 weeks ago. I am still waiting to hear on that one and one consultation. I registered for today's seminar since I had not heard from anyone at the center and I evidently need that reservation...
So far I have been quite unimpressed with the center's staff and how it is run, as this is supposedly the premier center for bariatric surgery in the US. The hospital's administration should seriously review their leadership and process structure for the center if they want to continue to grow and be leaders in this segment of health care.
I'll post more on my weight loss journey moving forward.
Thank you!
I'm sorry you had so much trouble with all of this!!! I did a one on one consult with Dr. Ferrari and it was a lot easier with him than having to do the seminars and everything. I will have to say he is a bit hard to understand, but he was able to answer all of my questions, plus he has a 0% mortality rate, PLUS he was physician of the year last year if that makes any different. After my one on one he had me deal with one nurse only from that point on(She did all my processing insurnace papers and answered all my questions at work and on call at her home). I don't know if this will help you any, but maybe you can give him another shot. I'm not trying to throw a sales pitch to you at all though! Good luck! :)
*C*A*N*D*Y*
Not really that bad, I just expected more from them. I am sure Dr. Ferrari is great or he would not be there. I just have an issue with their office management style and lack of leadership. The hospital is pouring big money into that complex and that department is not where it should be from an adminstration standpoint. Medically they are top notch or I would be done with them. I sincerely hope it improves moving forward.
I have two friends that used Dr. Ferrari and had a great experience with him. His requirements are not as strict.
Dr. Davis has a lot more requirements (medical tests, psych eval, nutritionist, pre-op diet, etc) and is very thorough. It takes longer to get in to see him and there is a definite protocol you have to follow before you can get in the door.
If you can get your hands on the correct packet of info from Dr. D's office, there is a checklist of the requirements step by step and what you have to do before you can make the initial appointment with him.
Good luck!
Dr. Davis has a lot more requirements (medical tests, psych eval, nutritionist, pre-op diet, etc) and is very thorough. It takes longer to get in to see him and there is a definite protocol you have to follow before you can get in the door.
If you can get your hands on the correct packet of info from Dr. D's office, there is a checklist of the requirements step by step and what you have to do before you can make the initial appointment with him.
Good luck!
Sorry you had such a bad experience. When I went to the seminar, Dr. Garth Davis was presenting, and it was great, but that was many years ago. I went a few years between the seminar and surgery because I coudn't get insurance to pay, but I didn't have to go to the seminar a second time. Once I got new insurance that payed, Dr. Garth Davis did my RNY, and his abilities are worth any trouble I might have had to go through to get him to do the surgery. I see you have Dr. Robert Davis. I know he is just as good as Garth and they assist each other. I had the surgery when Dr. Davis was still at Methodist Hospital, but I now drive the extra way for my follow ups rather than changing doctors. I still go to the support meetings and such at Methodist Hospital since I started there, I love them, and it is alot closer to me than Memorial Herman. When you see Dr. Davis, you should tell him about all of this. The doctors are fabulous, so they need to know if their staff or the hospital staff isn't.
I initially wanted to use Dr. Davis, but because of all the hoops his office wanted you to jump through (seminar, psych evals, preop diets), even though my insurance didn't require any of it, I decided to go with someone else. I ended up with Dr. Ferrari and couldnt' be happier. He's from Argentina, so his accent is thick, but it's not bad when you're one one one. Is Dr. Davis working out of Memorial Hermann - Memorial City now, or was that just the soonest place you could get in for a seminar? I have had two surgeries at MH Memorial City (RNY and gallbladder removal) and they are awesome! Especially as compared to St. Luke's. That place stinks.
Anyway, I agree with you - the seminars are worthless no matter who is presenting them and I can't figure out why any doctor would require them unless it is just to weed out those who don't qualify. There is one doctor that I know of here in Houston that actually charges you $150 to attend the seminar!!! That is unbelievable to me!
Anyway, I agree with you - the seminars are worthless no matter who is presenting them and I can't figure out why any doctor would require them unless it is just to weed out those who don't qualify. There is one doctor that I know of here in Houston that actually charges you $150 to attend the seminar!!! That is unbelievable to me!
xoxo,
Tricia
SW-231 (37.9 BMI)/GW-140/CW-128 (21 BMI)
5'5.5" @ Goal in 8 months!!!
Tricia
SW-231 (37.9 BMI)/GW-140/CW-128 (21 BMI)
5'5.5" @ Goal in 8 months!!!
Houston Memorial Hermann Memorial City Drama Update 10-1-09
Monday
After completing the required aforementioned seminar on Saturday morning I called the center to make my appointment on Monday morning. I got a voice mail. No big deal I left a message. Afternoon rolls around and I call again, voice mail mail again. Now this is the main advertised number for the Bariatric program for the hospital. No big deal it's Monday right...
Tuesday
Morning and afternoon comes and goes no call back. So I call again late afternoon, voice mail. Now I am not too pleased. I call the main hospital number and ask for someone that is over the bariatric program. I get an admin in the "Administration Office" of the hospital. I tell her the story and she shoots me over to the head of nursing. They answer the phone! I tell them the story. She calls down to the centers office herself and....voice mail. Now she is really not to happy. She tells me that she is having them paged and someone WILL call me back before the end of the day. No problem I say looking forward to it. 4:50pm comes around no one calls. I call the head of nursing back to tell her no one has called, voice mail, they are gone for the day at 4:50! I call the administration admin back as this is getting comical. She answers! She remembers me from earlier and I tell her the story again with updates. Now she is really not a happy camper and vows to get it handled in the morning and takes all my information. She tells me if no one calls by late morning Wednesday to call her directly and gives me her direct number.
Wednesday/Yesterday
Morning comes and goes no call. I call the administration admin back and she is seriously ticked. She told me someone would call within the hour as she was paging them. 11:30am the director of the bariatric center calls me. Same person I had spoken to last week. She gives me a song and dance about being busy blah blah blah. I told her we are all busy, but I return calls. I tell her I was at the Saturday meeting as she required me to and I need to make an appointment with the Davis' . She asked me why since Dr. Ferrari is great and why wasn't I using him. She gets a short answer. She then tells me about Davis' seminar that night and I should go to that one. She also gives me the Davis' appointment number. I call that line and try to make an appointment. No dice. I have to go to THEIR meeting. Of course I told them that I had been to theirs before AND Dr. Ferrari's on Saturday. Did not matter to them I had to go again!!! They shoot me over to a booking person to make me another reservation for that night's seminar. 6:30pm I am sitting in ANOTHER seminar hosted by Dr. Garth Davis. Even though by now there is nothing about this surgery I do not know Dr. Davis' presentation was MUCH better and his insurance specialist who also spoke was stellar. It does appear that the Davis' do put you through more hoops but it is nothing at least in my case that my insurance does not already require.
The only thing I can think of is that the hospital it actively trying to steer patients away from the Davis' and give the other doctors a shot. When you book online for the seminar it just gives you dates and times, not who the doctor is. That should be useful information to someone thinking about starting this process to make sure you get to the seminar of the doctor you want to use or to go to several and compare.
Monday
After completing the required aforementioned seminar on Saturday morning I called the center to make my appointment on Monday morning. I got a voice mail. No big deal I left a message. Afternoon rolls around and I call again, voice mail mail again. Now this is the main advertised number for the Bariatric program for the hospital. No big deal it's Monday right...
Tuesday
Morning and afternoon comes and goes no call back. So I call again late afternoon, voice mail. Now I am not too pleased. I call the main hospital number and ask for someone that is over the bariatric program. I get an admin in the "Administration Office" of the hospital. I tell her the story and she shoots me over to the head of nursing. They answer the phone! I tell them the story. She calls down to the centers office herself and....voice mail. Now she is really not to happy. She tells me that she is having them paged and someone WILL call me back before the end of the day. No problem I say looking forward to it. 4:50pm comes around no one calls. I call the head of nursing back to tell her no one has called, voice mail, they are gone for the day at 4:50! I call the administration admin back as this is getting comical. She answers! She remembers me from earlier and I tell her the story again with updates. Now she is really not a happy camper and vows to get it handled in the morning and takes all my information. She tells me if no one calls by late morning Wednesday to call her directly and gives me her direct number.
Wednesday/Yesterday
Morning comes and goes no call. I call the administration admin back and she is seriously ticked. She told me someone would call within the hour as she was paging them. 11:30am the director of the bariatric center calls me. Same person I had spoken to last week. She gives me a song and dance about being busy blah blah blah. I told her we are all busy, but I return calls. I tell her I was at the Saturday meeting as she required me to and I need to make an appointment with the Davis' . She asked me why since Dr. Ferrari is great and why wasn't I using him. She gets a short answer. She then tells me about Davis' seminar that night and I should go to that one. She also gives me the Davis' appointment number. I call that line and try to make an appointment. No dice. I have to go to THEIR meeting. Of course I told them that I had been to theirs before AND Dr. Ferrari's on Saturday. Did not matter to them I had to go again!!! They shoot me over to a booking person to make me another reservation for that night's seminar. 6:30pm I am sitting in ANOTHER seminar hosted by Dr. Garth Davis. Even though by now there is nothing about this surgery I do not know Dr. Davis' presentation was MUCH better and his insurance specialist who also spoke was stellar. It does appear that the Davis' do put you through more hoops but it is nothing at least in my case that my insurance does not already require.
The only thing I can think of is that the hospital it actively trying to steer patients away from the Davis' and give the other doctors a shot. When you book online for the seminar it just gives you dates and times, not who the doctor is. That should be useful information to someone thinking about starting this process to make sure you get to the seminar of the doctor you want to use or to go to several and compare.
Hair,
Yes the Davis' are part of the Bariatric program at Memorial Hermann Memorial CIty. That hospital is making a major move to be the dominate bariatric surgery location in the US. They wooed the Davis' away from the hospital they are actually partners in, Univeristy. Their new offices are still under construction. It is going to be a one stop shop. Everything you need for bariatric. They even just hired a specilist weight/diet/excercise management doctor from Duke that is joining the program in December. They were talking last night that even the nurses there are specifically trained for bariatric patients and are permanately assigned to the center unlike other hospitals. No cardiac nurses rotating on to the bariatric floor passing trays of food to patients that have just come out of bariatric surgery, which evidently happened at Methodist.
They still do however work out of both Methodist and University. Some people's insurance requires other hospitals supposedly.
Yes the Davis' are part of the Bariatric program at Memorial Hermann Memorial CIty. That hospital is making a major move to be the dominate bariatric surgery location in the US. They wooed the Davis' away from the hospital they are actually partners in, Univeristy. Their new offices are still under construction. It is going to be a one stop shop. Everything you need for bariatric. They even just hired a specilist weight/diet/excercise management doctor from Duke that is joining the program in December. They were talking last night that even the nurses there are specifically trained for bariatric patients and are permanately assigned to the center unlike other hospitals. No cardiac nurses rotating on to the bariatric floor passing trays of food to patients that have just come out of bariatric surgery, which evidently happened at Methodist.
They still do however work out of both Methodist and University. Some people's insurance requires other hospitals supposedly.
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