New to Rochester, looking for WLS PCP and WLS Surgeon for follow-up care

�Hi All, I recently moved from the Albany area to Rochester. �I am looking for a new weight loss surgery friendly PCP and a gastric bypass surgeon for follow-up care. �I just over one year out from my surgery - not having any problems right now but if I do, I want to make sure I have a place to call. � My insurance is Excellus Bluepoint 2 - I have tried looking on their website but it's pretty bad. ��

How about Dr. O'Malley?

I would check in with the Bariatric program at Rochester General Hospital.  I have spoken with several of their patients ( a couple  of new ones and a couple of long term ones) and they LOVE it there.  I am a patient of O'Malley and I learned something disturbing during a follow-up appointment earlier this week.  I had spent the entire month of April in the hospital and in a nursing home for rehabilitation (due to extreme weakness, etc.) and the PA doing my follow up had no idea!  She says the surgical stuff is considered in-patient and the follow-ups are considered out-patient and the info isn't shared between the two!!  This explains why every time I would end up in the Emergency Room, the doctors would ask why I waited so long to let them know I had a problem when I'd been in touch with the PA in their office on an almost daily basis and had been in their office at least once a week for months!  One hand really doesn't know what the other is doing.  So try General - I've heard wonderful things about the program and the doctors and the follow up care there!  They may even be able to recommend a PCP...

Wow Vivi- I am sorry that happened to you!
I have Dr O'malley and have been very leased so far with the office.  they have promplty returned my calls and my care has been good. 
I met a girl at the support group who works at Roch General and she does not like that program.  they have you eating baby food post op which seems to be a no-no according to alot of experts.  But, every one's experience might be different. 

I was pleased with O'Malley's office (if not with the man himself) too, until I ran into complications resulting from misplaced and untrimmed sutures from the surgery.  Then it was three months of complete nightmare!  I would call and go in and see the PA and she would tell me she was certain I'd get better and to wait it out another week.  Finally I ended up in the Emergency Room several times.  Each time the surgical team (O'Malley and his group of fellows/residents) would give me a hard time, asking why I hadn't let them know sooner but still telling me that nothing was wrong.  As if it's normal to not eat for two and a half months and throw up 6 or more times a day!  At one point, O'Malley even stated he thought it was all in my head that I was unable to eat!  I finally had to go to an independent gastroenterologist to find out that it was a result of O'Malley's work during the surgery!  They removed the sutures causing the problem and that was that.  Then I learned just this week that if you have a problem after the surgery and follow their procedures, the surgical team will never know about it.  And vice versa - if you go to emergency or are hospitalized, those doing your aftercare will never know about it.  They do NOT communicate with each other and work from a common file!!! 

The women I know were NEVER on baby food...  And, actually, a couple of them started out with O'Malley and switched over after experiencing the nuts in the office and having a meeting with him.

 Wow sounds like an awful experience... My boyfriend has a good PCP - they aren't accepting new patients right now so he is going to try and get me in - We will see.  I really don't want some one that doesn't have their act together.  With all the complications I had with my surgery and strictures and everything else I don't expect that an unorganized office will be able to give me the care I need.  Thanks everyone for the information - if anyone has any other suggestions please let me know :) Thanks!

There aren't really too many choices in Rochester.  There are just two major offices (more than one doctor per office) that handle WLS and both are affiliated with hospitals.  The one I went through is at Highland Hospital (Dr. O'Malley is the head honcho there) and the other is at Rochester General.  I haven't ever heard anyone NOT like that program.

The reason I went with the one I did is that everyone said that O'Malley was the BEST cutter in town and that's what I wanted.  Naturally, I assumed that I would sail through and follow-up and aftercare wouldn't matter so much.  Just goes to show how wrong you can be!  LOL

I'm going with Dr. Johnson at Highland Hospital and I too have BluePoint 2 select. So far I've paid $15 for the nutritional visits. I've heard of a lot of problems with Rochester General's program and well, Highland is the center of excellence, not RGH. That's what made the decision for me.

Hi April - I had Dr. O'Malley and found him to be extremely skilled.  But there are also a couple @ Roch. General or Buffalo way too.  Good luck to you.  Hopefully you'll never have any problems anyway though. ;}