Dr. Bipan Chand Cleveland Clinic
Lisa...I am having my lap band surgery on July 1st at the Cleveland clinic by Dr. Philip Schauer. I can't tell you anything about Dr. Chand, because I didn't choose him as my surgeon. My husband and I are finally getting to know our way to and around the Clinic, but since it is a very big hospital, we use the "helpers" along the way to ask how to get to a certain area of the hospital, along with watching the signs. The hospital is under construction outside and inside and makes it difficult to manuever around the place. I feel very confident at the Clinic considering we have to make a 4 hour trip one way to get there from our house. But the staff has made arrangements for us to get a lot of my testings and consults done on the same day to save on gas and time to get there. The one thing I don't like about the bariatric clinic is that there are so many doctors and nurses working there, that it is almost impossible to be able to talk to any one of them over the phone. Almost everytime I call for a question, I get an answering machine or a voice mail. And hardly ever get a return call to answer my questions. I'm having a problem right now getting in personal contact with Dr. Schauer's bariatric nurse over a matter I need to discuss with her ASAP BEFORE my July 1st surgery.
I welcome you to read my profile, as I have updated my visits to the CC and told of my journey getting this far.
Susie
Allergan 10 cc band: First fill: 4cc'c 9/8/08 Second fill: .9cc's 10/13/08
Third fill: 1cc 2/11/09.... Total in band -- 5.9cc's Very slooooow weight loss!
BW- 273 / CW -250 / GW- 170 Total weightloss to date: 23 lbs. ( in 10 months ) 
Sept. 22, '09-- Had .2 cc's removed from my band. Slowly gaining back the weight. Up 10 lbs. CW- 260 Lapband not working for me!
hi i didnt have dr chand as my surgeon i did have dr schauer do an open rny 7/11/07 and had great results.i do agree however with the previous poster u do not get return calls at all or in a timely fashion. i do understand they are busy but we r having a major surgery and we do have to pay a major price for there services. i think that the pre op t4esting they do is standard i dont remember ever seeing anyone that i had previously met before however they are a huge hospital and this is how they do it. dont worry keep calling and calling untill u get a answer it is important to u. best of luck.......krista
I had Lap RNY 3/31/08 with Dr. Chand. He is a wonderful doctor and has a great bedside manner. He is very knowledgable and was able to address all of my questions. My experience at the Clinic was great. I had no complications and have lost almost 40lbs since surgery. If you want to talk feel free to contact me.
I had Lap-Band with Dr. Brethauer. I started working with Dr. Chand and was transferred to Dr. Brethauer. In my case, it didn't matter which surgeon I chose. I saw Dr. Chand once at my initial consult, and Dr. Brethauer once 2 weeks before surgery. I have not seen a surgeon since, all of my fills and appointments have been with one of the fellows, usually Dr. Crowe. Dr. Crowe was present for my surgery, I have no idea if Dr. Brethauer was actually there...
Ruth, Dr. Chand and Dr. Brethauers nurse, has been as abscent as the surgeons. For my pre-op appointment she was supposed to meet with me and discuss pre-op preparation. She never scheduled the appointment. She called me the day after my surgery (I was still in the hospital) in a panic, she was afraid I would not be prepared for my surgery. I called her back and asked her to come to my room and see me - she never did. On average it has taken a week to get a call back from her.
Deb, the person in the insurance department has NEVER returned a call. I was calling her daily for almost three weeks and never heard from her.
I do have to say that Ruth did go out of her way to get me scheduled for my last fill. Dr. Brethauer's patient get fills on Wednesday only. My new job does not allow me miss four plus hours of work on a Wednesday. (1.5 hour drive each way to CCF). She made arrangements to have someone meet me at 7:30am on a Monday to do my fill.
Would I go to Cleveland again for my surgery - probably not. There are surgeons closer to home that would probably give me more personal attention. If this was not the case, I would go to Cleveland in a heart beat. It is not personal, but they are good at what they do.
Blessings, Shari 
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