weight loss institute of arizona

hi everyone, just wanted to let you guys know that i just had my surgery at the weight loss institute of arizona and boy was it a GREAT experience...if anyone is interested in a LAP-BAND or any other surgical weight loss surgery that would be the place I recommend you go to..i know this sounds like a commercial but my expereince was that good so I just wanted to share it with everyone..here is their website http://www.wliaz.com/

Well, I did not have the same experience, I thought the finance guy, Paul, was rude and uncaring. The office staff was nice, one of the patients that works there now, was the best!  Jenn, She is like a poster child for the lapband!  She was the reason I went there in the first place.  I felt she really cared about me and everyone at the seminar.  She really knew what I was going through. I did really like Dr Orris.  He was a very good at the seminar I went to.  He seemed very smart and knowledgeable about the surgeries and I loved that he came and spent his valuable time with us. But I left at my first appointment because I felt that Paul lied to me and then tried to back track on what he said before.  I finally went to bridges and now am very happy with my choice, my out of pocket expenses were about 70% less than the weightloss institute.  So I would recommend you visit the bridges website  http://www.bridgesaz.com/ Its great to have so many choices for our healthcare!

thanks snlfan....yes, choices are great....I actually went to a bridges seminar but thought their program was less comprehensive and they primarily tried to push me towards the gastric by-pass surgery despite the the fact that   1. my BMI was a 34     2. I was paying cash for the procedure..... and yes, Paul i thought initially to be alittle to direct and uncaring  but after talking to him for a while i understood that he had a tough job of talking finances in a healthcare setting.....i thought he did a good job explaining to me my finace options in a trasnparent and easy to understand manner..unfortunatley coming up with the $$ was a necessary evil for me, but in retrospect it was worth every single penny.... now let's talk about the important stuff..the surgeons..dr. debarros and orrris are great..i also liked the fact that Dr. Debarros had the lap band procedure himself....he not only talks-the-talk...but he walks-the-walk......thanks again for the reply and yes jen is great!!

missazlapband, I find it hard to believe that Dr Fang would push anything let alone a bypass on a 34 BMI patient.  I think most would agree the bridges program is one of the best in the state.  I do admit that the doctors office is a little mismanaged and clumzy but over all a wonderful experience. I had a band (BMI 44)in august and he never tried to get me to do the bypass.  I even met with Dr Juarez and found him a little standoffish but a very good doctor.  I am glad you had a good experience with Paul, I have spoken to many that didnot and said that he was the single drawback of the practice.  Its like he is doing a job that doesnt suit him.  Maybe like you said its tough to talk finance in a healthcare setting.  Maybe he needs to realize that we are humans with a huge decision to make and he could be a little caring or at least act like he gives a crap. Its like he has a attention problem, he could not pay close attention to my question and I met with him 2 times.  Its his personality that makes him look bad.And maybe he should not  lie.  Tons of people join the program only to be denied insurance and the loose the money when he should have said upfront that we need a doctor supervised diet for 6 months or that we have a small chance of getting approved due to the insurance standards.  And they charge too much for a bandfill.  You paid cash so you know that its pricey.  Other doctors include the fills for the first year and then its like 100 a fill after that.its great that Dr Debarro had the band, as a doctor he knew that it worked.  I never met him but have heard great things about him.    All offices have issues and quirks, I just think people should share the bad experiences with others too.  It cant all be good. Do you like the support group?  How often do they meet? I just think all people should get the experiences of everybody and then make the choice so these are my opinions and hope anyone looking into having surgery will do good research before the choose. I am happy you are doing well, you are probably at goal already.  I am on track and hope to be at goal in about  a year from surgery.  Dr Fang thinks I can do it.  I am already off my insulin and BP meds.  I am needing to get some new clothes as the old ones are falling off me! Good luck,  Linda

Hi All,  I saw this and had to add my opinion since that what its for.  I used  Dr Debarros and Orris, they do it together.  Which is why I picked this office.  I think they are about as expert as one can be.  I am nearly at my ideal weight and think its due to the program and my eagerness to lose the weight.  Linda, you can not allow one bad apple to spoil the bunch.  While I understand the Paul issues, the fact that they offer it all right there was why I thought I could lose at a good pace.  You are both right about one thing, Jen is great.  She is the biggest reason I went there.  I knew that most lap band patients don't do as well as she did so quickly but she encourages us to get there in our own time and enjoy our successes. She is very humble and caring.  She is positive when everyone else seems negitive or discouraging.  She has confidence in us and that is what keeps me going.  They did well in hiring her.  Dr Orris, is awesome with my fills.  He seems kinda dry and boring but he is really nice and maybe even funny if you really hear what he says.  Dr Debarros is the fun one, I am not surprised he has the band now, he knows better than most how well it works.  Paul is a whole different story.  He is not truthful in anyway.  He is like a used car salesman, only he has no clue how to deal with people.  He lacks follow up.  I waited 2 extra weeks because he couldnt be bothered to call me back when I left a message everyday at one point!  He is very disrespectful, he yelled at one of the girls that works there in front of me and other patients in the office.  It showed his true colors and the fact that he is the worst thing in the office. Many of the patients have talked about this at support meetings and in the office. Most are unhappy that he seemed to have mislead them about fees and included/not included.  ( get it in writing!) I think Dr Debarros is the only one that likes him since they are family.  I honestly have know idea why he still works there. ( he is debarros family so I think that has a lot to do with it)  I really like the insurance gal, sheryl, i think.  She answered my billing question far better than paul could lie about them, if he ever called me back.  She knows her stuff.  Becky is very nice and she really cares about us. The office has been through a lot of changes.  I think for the better.  Mike the diet guy is the best!  I love him!  Mike and Jen really make the program seem easy and doable.  The doctors are awesome and the medical staff is too.  I hate over an hour for a fill but its worth it.  I hope they don't get too big and forget about us.  Just kidding, I know they won't. I hear that Jen started support on Saturday, anyone know about this?   Missazlapband have you been to a Saturday meeting yet?  Have you meet the new psycholgist yet?  I hear they have a new excersize person, how does that work now? Keep losing and loving the new you!!!

i have not been to the saturday support meeting yet, although i did hear about it...i just want to thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences..it does mean allot to me....i don't want to keep harping on the same subject but overll my experiene with the staff has been great including paul..from speaking with other staff memebers it just seemed like he was trying to do to much at the same time..at one point in the office he was pretty much doing everything (management, biling, customer service, seminars, etc, etc,)  i think now they finally have the staffing to seperate those departments and like i said in my first post i had a great experience with him and i've spoken to about 3 other patients that said the same thing.....hopefully we all can meet at the support meetings one of these days...i know they usually post all the support dates on this page: http://www.wliaz.com/members.php also i would urge you all to check out a video testimonial page on the lapband http://www.lapbandtestimonials.com/

Missazlapband, Do you work there?  You seem to have tons of knowledge about the office.  Far more than me and I have been going there for over 6 months.  And your attempts to defend Paul are a tad overboard.  Maybe he is your boyfriend.  It doesnt surprise me that you only found 3 other patients to say good things about Paul.   I have yet to find any patient, only the staff says nice things about him. I also looked at your profile, you said that you had the other office tried to push you into a RNY, with a bmi of 34 yet your profile says its 55.    I don't think you should make up stories about other programs to make them look bad.  I am sure the other office would disagree that they wanted to do a RNY on a 34 bmi.  As a patient there I expect more and I feel the office staff is awesome.   I hate waiting like I said before, over an hour for a 15 minute fill but its worth it.  I think I am losing more than others on other programs and I thank the office for that.  Its just odd to me that you are defending Paul in such a manner and promoting them like you are.   I try to refer people to them but they are not the cheapest in town.  Many cant afford them, Im lucky I could.  It is worth the extra money to get the results Im getting.  My personal opinion again, is, they are the best, exept Paul, he brings them down a notch.  I would not have gone elsewhere since he doesnt effect my weightloss and I can avoid him now.  Like I said be for, one rotten apple doesnt spoil the bunch. I just read about the walk from obesity, I am going to plan to be there.  If you are going we could meet there, I would love to meet and talk to you. Happy losing all!

winningatlosing....boy you are relentless....i thought we moved on already to a different topic...i want to talk about support and events coming up in the area..not about your experience with one individual..this community is about "SHARING" you experiences with others not "IMPOSING" your experiences onto to others....here's the deal:  you had a bad experience..so you decided to go elsewhere..pefectly logical...but paul is not the one doing the surgery so if anyone is making a decsion where to go the surgical outcomes should and more importantly a surgeons track record should the major thing to worry about....to answer your questions, no i do not work for them, and paul is not my boyfriend (although he is a very attractive man)......so enough already and let's move on to more productive postings...yes, i'd love to meet you at the walk next week....i'll proudly be wearing my "love your life" WLIAZ t-shirt.........see you then

p.s. your right wliaz is not the cheapest place in town but in my opinion they have the best surgeon and the most comprehensive program..and that's why i chose to go there....the old addage is true, especially in healthcare..."you get what you pay for"........can't wait for the walk next week should tons of fun....

 

 

Well arent you the pot calling the kettle black.  You started all this by "IMPOSING" your opinion on the forum.  Your profile would be a better forum for your support of your program.  When someone counters your post with their opinion and stated facts true to their experience, thats what this forum is all about.  Its ok to say we are not happy with something.  In case you missed the fact, I did have my surgery at the weightloss institute.  I said to snlfan, that one bad apple (Paul) should not ruin the whole bunch.  I had a wonderful experience with the office as I said before.  Aside from Paul being a total jerk and waiting quite awhile for my fills, everything is great there.That was me "sharing" my experience, letting others know of my disconcern for what happened to me, and others from what I am reading now.  By your very comment that Paul "is a very attractive man" leads me to think that you are either Paul or someone that is close to him.  Thats just the kind of thing Paul would pull IMHO.  Especially since you posted the links for the testimonials and the support  and you can't seem to read that I am a patient and support the office! Just so you know, I do recommend the weighloss institute of az to people.  I think the docs are the best in the state if not the world, Mike the dietition is the absolute best in the universe, Jen is an inspiration to us all,  and the medical staff and front office girls are fantastic, I have no issues the them.  I mearly stated my opion of Paul, which I am intitled to do.  I still think he is a dishonest,  money hungry, shark.  I guess on my next visit I will be sure to let the doctor know just what I think.  This is my opinion, but I see many others share it with me.  So get off the soapbox and quit making claims about other offices when we can all see now you are not who you claim to be.   I look forward to seeing you at the walk.  I will wear my tshirt to and then we can see the real you. Thanks Kristin for the Saturday info.  I saw Jen posted on the office website about the walk from obesity, I will email her and get info on both.    I hope to see you there!!

Ladies the walk is on Oct 6th - you can register at Walkfromobesity.com  $25.00 is going to buy you a great time . You can even register under your surgeon !!!  On another note , every office  has its problems ! you just learn to manage them to the best of your ability. AND every Surgeon is awesome - you will always feel closest to your and defend them to the end - cause they used their skills to give youthe greatest tool/ gift in the world and a second chance at a healthy life.