Blessing Bariatric Institute Bariatric Center

I'll be seeking care with another area bariatric center after intially seeking care with this office. The center offers very little help working with insurance providers, always reminding the patient that it is up to them. The health system is overall quite slow moving and provincial. (Though their Urgent Care is great.) They don't utilize their own patient portal system to help the patients or communicate with them. I was treated horribly by a lab technician when getting an EKG and never got through to a patient advocate. Other hospital systems are much more user-friendly. And they are much more interested in their quality of care.

No patient satisfaction surveys. No email appointment confirmations. No text messages. May their target population age gracefully, not realizing their they are not prisoners to a health system. They are health care consumers in an open market.

So while surgery may in fact be performed more skillfully here, the experience of being a patient is thus far better at a for-profit center. Why not go with the better experience?

This review is of the Institute for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery center. Not the Surgeon as I have not had the surgery. I started the process in September 2013 and had all the blood work and ultrasounds required by the center. I had the interview with their Psychiatrist and Dr. Bonanni on 11/5/2013. We talked about the specific surgery I was to have and he said I need to schedule an EGD test which I did in Jan. At no time did I receive any indication that I needed to see a Psychiatrist and therapist for 1 year before I would be approved for the surgery. So now I have a bill for $500.00 from Abington Surgical center for the EGD. I never would have had that last test if I knew I failed the Psychiatrist valuation review. They refused to credit my account and I have a major problem with that. They refuse to correct the situation and won’t let me speak to Dr. Bonanni.

Had my surgery with Dr. Bonnani on Dec 17, 2012. I had the VSG. I lost 66 lbs since the surgery date and 88 lbs total including the preop diets. I'm happy with the results. Now I just got to keep off the weight but that's my job. About DR B. He is known to be a very safe doctor doesn't cut corners to do it the easy way. He handles his surgeries with TLC. I highly recommend him as one of the best in this area! From what I hear at the support groups the other doctors on his team are very good too. (DR G and DR N)

Had my surgery on May 13th 2013 at 7:30 am with Dr Bonanni for a VSG, hernia repair and two biopes; Dr bonanni said surgery went well -no complications, hardly any bleeding. But I did have a high heart rate and he could not figure out why, he put in a central line in my neck, gave me two pints of blood, ct scan and he stayed with me all night all, kept checking on me ; never left the hospital; was with me until the next morning -in case I got worse he was going to take me back to surgery to stop the bleeding -but thank god he did not have to. I was very impressed that Dr Bonanni stayed all night long and the next day. Most drs would have had his residents check in on us. Dr Bonanni made me feel very safe and I trusted him to do the right thing and it showed me how much he cared about his patients. Great man, great surgeon-can not say enough good things about Dr Bonanni -I feel very luckly to have had Dr Bonanni has my surgery -he is a great man -thanks Dr Bonanni , Mary Coffey

Dr. B really went above and beyond the day of my surgery. He took the time to calm my husband (who at the time was a lot more nervous than I was) and answered any questions before I went off to sleep. He made sure to come out to the waiting room & inform my husband of any updates or he would have the nurse come out and keep him updated. He was very attentive during my stay at Abington and even called the following day to make sure I was still feeling ok. The whole entire experience was wonderful and I would highly recommend him.

I am now 5 years out from my surgery and I have kept off almost all. I love Dr Bonanni and Maggie they have helped immensely on my weight loss journey. I do need to lose 15 lbs, any suggestions.

I love Dr. Bonanni, he is very outgoing and informative. He truly makes you feel like family. His bedside manner was great, he let my family know everything detail by detail. I would recommend him to everyone.

Outstanding!! I'm coming up on my 2 year anniversary. Prior to my surgery, Dr. Bonanni laid out all of my options and the pros and cons of the procedures. He insured I had all of the information I needed to make my decision. He was compassionate but truthful about the procedure, possible complications, and follow up. Everytime we met he stressed, that bariatric surgery was NOT a magic bullet. After the surgery, I would have to eat right and exercise or I would regain the weight back in 5 - 7 years.

His post surgical care was outstanding. He was there after my surgery to tell me about my procedure. He PERSONALLYmade sure I was comfortable and had all I needed. His followup was just as attentive. His staff is compassionate and caring. I highly recommend Dr. Bonanni!!!

Dr. Bonanni is a very caring kind man! He is the best surgeon ever! I would go back to him and do it all over again if I had to! He is very honest and is there for you for any reason! This is your Dr. if you are in this area! The whole team is awesome! I give A 100%!

I had a bibliopancreatic diversion with Duodenal Switch with Dr. Bonanni on 6/21/11. Tomorrow is my 4 month anniversary, and I have lost almost 125 pounds total... 25 before the surgery, and 100 after.

The guide to reviewing the Dr. says to include negative things to make the review more credible. If I ever encounter anything negative, I'll put it on here. Literally 100% COMPLETELY thrilled with everything about my decision, my surgeon, Abington Memorial Hospital... all off it.

There was one individual nurse I could complain about on the 'overnight shift,' but that has nothing to do with a surgeon's review.

Every appointment was absolutely professional, surpassed my every expectation.

I would recommend Dr. Bonanni to anyone and everyone. He gave me a second chance at a fuller and happier life. I experienced no major side effects. I had pain the morning after surgery (of course you will.) The second day I took some pain meds. On the third day, I went home, was climbing stairs that day. I never took my pain meds that were given to me upon discharge. I didn't need them!

Within a week I was walking 2 miles a day. Some issues with gout since then have kept me from walking as much as I would like, but every bit of excess weight that I lose makes it easier for me to be mobile and active.

The office staff at Dr. Bonanni's is incredibly helpful. The nutritionist is unbelievably knowledgable, and when I was researching various types of vitamins, she took the time to do in depth research on products she wasn't already familiar with. The nurses and P.A.'s in the office are incredible. The P.A. that handled my discharge gave me his private cell phone number to contact him if I had trouble because I was a high risk patient (on coumadin and a risk for excessive bleeding.)

Dr. Bonanni has a great support system in place for his patients, but he doesn't brow beat anyone to get there. I am a very busy professional, and I am also a very independent person. While he certainly suggests the use of the support network, I never have felt pressured to do so. I'm getting AMAZING results, following all of his directions to the letter.

Dr. Bonanni was extremely clear that I was a high risk patient. I was also at high risk just trying to stay alive at 425 pounds. As a patient on coumadin, that made me an especially tricky patient. He handled every bit of it, and informed me every step of the way.

I literally can't say enough positively about this office, this Dr., and this procedure. If anyone is looking for a surgeon, and wants to confirm that this isn't some sort of fake posting, just contact me through OH. I have it set up to notify me via email anytime I have a message. I would be happy to meet with anyone, and talk to them about my experiences, and answer their questions. If you are morbidly obese, and you haven't been able to get it under control through good old fashioned diet & exercise, maybe this is the right decision for you, too.

Mark Morris
North Wales, PA