Cleveland Clinic Florida Weston Bariatric Center

I was impressed with Dr Rosenthal experience and his low error rate. He also seems very caring and kind. His staff was patient and very helpful and quick to respond to questions. I was impressed with a very indepth nutriental couseling preparing me for what to look forward to after surgery . They also gave me a list of protein drinks acceptable before surgery, a list of vitamins that I will need after surgery, and a list of allowable fluids before and after surgery. I would rate Dr Rosenthal a 10.
Surgical competence is what I was looking for when I found Dr Rosenthal but I was lucky in finding a caring surgeon also.

He looks very nice and that he has a lot of experiense.

I saw him only one time.

His office staff is Excelent.

He seems like a nice person

and very professional.

I had a good feeling about meeting and having my surgery with Dr. Szomstein. The whole Clevland Clinic staff is friendly and helpful. I had never been in the hospital before so it was like a field trip! Every single person that helped me was sincere and kind. I did have a complication and Dr. Szomstein wanted me in ICU for an extra day. My blood pressure and heart rate were really high and it was because of the pain I was experiencing. As soon as we figured out what the problem was, I was so much better. So note, if youre in a lot of pain, tell them! The do not want to see you in pain.
The aftercare is extremly important. The nutritionist wants to see you every month and they schedule blood work to be done. They also hand out a booklet/notebook for you to use. It's a good tool to have, lots of information.
I had surgery on July 15, 2004 and just went back for my 2 week check up this week and lost 20 pounds. I'm feeling great, people cannot believe that i had surgery two weeks ago and im so alert and okay!

I felt that Dr. Szomstein moved quite fast and I am not use to that. He was very knowledgeable about the Insurance and Surgery, positive and straight to the point.

I've only met with Dr. Szomstein once. My next appointment with him is August 4th so then I will be able to elaborate more about his personality. I hope this time we can sit and chat ;)

I am very impressed with the Bariatric Staff. They are really busy and sometimes they can get overwhelmed. But they are great, Nurse Karen was very helpful and Anita was supportive, I guess that comes with the territory. But they are great and Cleveland Clinic is a number one facility. Everything is there, all you have to do is get there and no matter how many different specialist you may have to see please know that Cleveland Clinic has it. I couldn't have picked a better facility.

Aftercare is very important to the Bariatric Staff at Cleveland Clinic and they didn't sugar coat what would happen to you if you didn't follow their recommendations pertaining to Aftercare.

I'll rate them at a 9. Which most likely would increase after my 2nd Appointment with Dr. Szomstein ;)

After having been in Dr. Rosenthal's office and after having my surgery, I'm definately not a fan of this doctor. In the several times I was in his office before and after surgery and in the hospital, I saw him for a total of about 120 seconds. He did absolutely nothing to answer my questions, nor did he help with my fears. The only reason I stayed with him was because I heard he was the best technically. I'm sure I could have gotten better service elsewhere. The most irritating problem I had was that I was told to be at the hospital by his staff at 5:30 in the morning. I found out when I arrived at the hospital that my surgery was and had always been scheduled at 12:35. I was not allowed to go home, but had to sit, not only for those 7 hours, but for 2 more waiting, along with my family. That isn't the worst part. One of the staff members told Dr. Rosenthal, while we were waiting, that we were upset. He told that staff member, who told my family, that he had people come in that early just to see who would show up! I was appalled, to say the least. Not only had I not gotten a good night's sleep, I had to sit there, anxious, just so my "doctor" was sure that I would be there. Unfortunatly, the residents under him, who I saw the most of, are learning his unprofessional lessons. I'm sure that he is surgically competent, but I should have gone elsewhere. These are my own views.

7/21/04
He has a good sense of humor and was kind to me. Another doctor was with me at first that is there for a fellowship and when Dr. Szomstein came in he said that he sends the other doctor in first because he is better looking to warm us up. He didn't spend much time with me because I didn't have many questions. The staff set me up with all of my appointments over 2 days so that I would be able to get it done as quickly as possible with as little disruption to my work schedule since I drive about 120 miles to get there. They were very accommodating and I was setup to see the Nutritionist (mandatory) for that afternoon. I will be done with all my pre-cert appointments by August 10th, 2004. The Cleveland Clinic seems to have everything streamlined and under control and tells you exactly what you need to do as well, since it is not entirely in their hands to get approval. They stress aftercare and give you all the positive and negative information so an informed decision could be made. I feel very confident that I will be taken care of and I am in very good hands with the surgeon and his staff. It appears that he has great bedside manner in addition to surgical excellence.

Doctor Rosenthal was very professional and said he believed that I was a very good candidate for the surgery. His staff was friendly and very helpful. He has an aftercare program which may prove difficult for me to participate in because of distance.
He was very open and direct concerning the risks and possible complications that surgery may present. His record of 1400 surgeries with only one death impressed me greatly and the fact that the surgery will take place at Cleveland Clinic was very reasuring for me.I will post more after my RNY lap surgery is completed on August 18, 2004.

1st impression: He was a very busy man, but took the time to listen to you.
continuing impression: the same
The office staff were also very busy, but really tried to help. During office hours the Dr. or one of his fellows would call you back if you had any questions or problems.
The one thing I do not like now is, I am having continual pain ulq before, after, and during eating and this has been a problem for 9 months. I have had complications and the Dr.'s have been excellent.
CCF Weston has a structured aftercare program.
I was aware of the risks of surgery. Unfortunately, I developed a stricture (1.0 cm) and was perforated during an EGD and had to have an emergency surgery (free air in the abdomen). I have had to be dilated 6 plus times. Then I developed an ulcer at the anastomosis. I had surgery 3/20/2003. May 16 2003 I had the surgery for the perforation. In Oct. 2003 until late Nov. I was liquids only. Dec. 20 2003 I broke a blood vessel below the anastomois, and was vomitting blood. I was in ICU for 3 days and had 2 units of blood.
I have had alot of discomfort and pain and vomitting, but it has been worth the problems. I was 338 and now I am 172.
Dr. Rosenthal is an 8 out of a 10.
Dr. Rosenthal has a good bedside manner and good surgical competence.

I found Dr Rosenthal to be a very upbeat and positive person. He seems to really want to help with my weight problem. I did feel a bit like I was on a production line with my first visit. They have a very set routine and just kind of hit you with the requirements but didn't really explain how best to go about getting the tests done that they require. I ending going to my PCP and working through her to get the tests I needed. My feeling was that the entire office was a bit overwhelmed with the volume of patients coming in trying to get this much needed surgery. Thanks to the insurance companies tossing in the 6 month medically supervised diet requirement (note the sarcasm here) it has slowed the volume of patients and therefore has smoothed out the process. When I first visited Dr. Rosenthal's office, they were booking surgeries out 4 - 5 months. By the time I acutally got approval for my surgery (14 months later), they are booking out 6 - 8 weeks. I was approved by the insurance company on June 30 and my surgery date is August 11th. I resented the 6 month diet requirement, but I did it and then I was approved, so I suppose it was worth it. As far as the obesity program at the Cleveland Clinic goes, it is great. They require you to see teir on staff nutritionist. You have to pay out of pocket for this, but the fee is reasonable and it provides you with a years consulation with the nutritionist. They have a very thorough pre-education system as well as monthly post op support groups. They have recently added an additional mid month chat session for post-op patients. The have workshops each month for the pre as well as post op patients on topics of concern to the morbidly obese such as cardiology, sleep disorders, nutrition, just to name a few. I feel that the risks of the surgery were explained adaquately and although I'm a bit nervous, I know I'm in excellent hands and will do fine. He requires his patients to begin a liquid diet regimem two weeks before surgery. It is required to shrink you liver to help make the surgery go more smoothly with less complications. I feel it will also help me mentally prepare for the changes that will occur immediately following the surgery. I like Dr. Rosenthal and think I have made a good choice. His years of experience and his preference to doing the procedure laproscopicallly were the reasons I chose him. Although I haven't had the surgery yet, I know I will fine and he and his staff will take excellent care of me.

I had truly wished to have my surgery with U.S. Bariatric in Celebration. It's much closer to home and everyone is terrific. Sadly, in November of 2002 Dr. Krahn moved back to California and is practicing there in San Bernadino. Their gain and a huge loss for Florida. Due to these circumstances, I will be having my surgery done at the Cleveland Clinic Florida Weston; just west of Ft. Lauderdale with Dr. Rosenthal.

Dr. Rosenthal's reputation proceeds him as he is well known, respected and liked. I read all of his comments from patients and found nothing negative. So, the Lord knows best, and it appears I will be in even better hands and care than even I had wanted, thank you Jesus.

Dr. Rosenthal is awesome. A very busy man, but has taken the time to spend with me and meet me during my visits. Also stopped in to see me everyday post-op. Briefly, but he did stop in. I've had no pain or complications, he's excellent. If there are any faults, I've yet to experience them.