Cleveland Clinic Florida/Bariatric Institute Bariatric Center

I met with Doctor Rosenthal briefly.
He was friendly and acknowledge I was making the right decision regarding my surgery.
His nursing/office staff was very helpful and very friendly.
At the orientation, Dr. Rosenthal put great emphasis on aftercare, the risks of surgery, and the risk of obesity. It was very informative.
6/3/03

First impression - group info meeting. Ok, informative. A bit arogant.
Second impression was zilch. 5 minutes (billed insurance $375), patronizing, not impressed at all.
His nurse was super nice. The reception, billing and schedule people are twits.
I will up date more as I learn more. This is just me experience and opinions. Your mileag may vary.
All tests complete and met with all of office staff, due to issues with what tests are needed. One nurse was refusing to return calls. Office appears to be too busy. It took a major blow up to get attention and to move my file along. Bedside manner of the office is poor. Again - this thus far is my experience and your mileage may vary.
3/31/03
Major improvement. The receptionist called me! and announced I have been approved. She confirmed my appointments with the Dr. and the anetheisiologist.
5/10/03
Post op visit. Staff was pleasant and DR was corgial. I just think he has very little for personality. Nutricianist came in and was helpful. Overall a good visit.

I met him today and he is very nice. He wasn't in a hurry and he even took time to answer evey question my mother and I had...he even reassured me about having lap over open surgery. His office staff is so nice I met a couple of them at the info session. And when I went to the office today to meet him they were very helpful and answered all of my questions. We did not really talk about aftercare today because I have to meet with him again before surgery and we will probably go through that then. But we did talk about the recovery time and how it will effect my life after surgery. He did tell me that having lap is alot better the having open with less chance of affection from the wounds. I will give an overall view after surgery................

Dr. Szomstein makes a very lasting first impression. When I first met him, my thought was 'this man's going to help me save my life'. I had my first appointment with him in January 2003 and he went over the process of the surgery and the pros and cons. He also informed me that the Cleveland Clinic would help me get through all of it with no glitches.

I have 100% faith in him and his staff. The nurses, office staff, and nutritionist are top notch. They have been so encouraging and patient with my millions of questions. This is a life altering decision and I couldn't have picked a better doctor.

The thing I liked the best is that the program is so structured. If you follow the formula, you can succeed.

Also, they are very accessible. I did not have to wait forever for any of my appointments, nor my surgery date. (January to April)

What do I like least about them? Can't think of a thing. I have been thoroughly impressed the whole way through (and I admit I'm not necessarily medically compliant)

Dr. Szomstein is a sweet heart, he is an awesome person and an excellent surgeon.Great bedside manner. The office staff leaves alot to be desired.

Was originally to have Samuel Szomstein as my surgeon, but when I called to get my surgery date, they said Dr. Rosental would be performing the surgery. I haven't met him yet, hope to meet him soon! Met with Dr. Rosenthal on 02/14/03. He told me that he does all the surgeries on larger persons because he has more experience than Dr. Szomstein. The visit was brief, but he answered all my questions and was confident of the success that I would achieve.

A post-surgery note: Dr. Rosenthal is awesome. He completed my surgery in about 1.5 hours, everything went smoothly. He and his staff and the Cleveland Clinic made my stay very comfortable and they did not rush me home until I was really feeling recovered. Thank you Dr. Rosenthal for saving my life and giving me a second chance to LIVE!

On the last Monday of each month, Dr. Rosenthal holds a support meeting at 6:00pm for WLS. He is almost always there in person to answer questions and discuss this life saving surgery.

From the very begining De Szomstein was very informative and through out this whole process he has been wonderful. I am very grateful to him for taking the time to assure my mother's fears on the morning of my surgery and for keeping her informed through out the process. Drs. Szomstein and Rosenthal and their staff are wonderful.

He is very polished, and wishes to be considered among the foremost leaders in this field. It is with this primarily in mind that he performs his work.
The staff is excellent, helpful, and friendly.
There is a structured aftercare program.

DR. SZOMSTIEN IS VERY INFORMATIVE. HE HAS ANSWERED EVERYONE OF MY QUESTIONS. THE STAFF AT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC ARE ALL VERY PROFESSIONAL AND FRIENDLY. I WOULD DEFINITLY RECOMMED THE CLEVELAND CLINIC.

First Impression? Very Warm..so friendly! He could very well be somebody in my family! My mom gave him a bit of scene.(he understood) He was willing to answer questions..and asked us all clearly one by one if we were sure about this. He assured my parents that when i was in his care that he would treat me as if i were his own daughter going under the knife. He calmed my nerves with the way he conducted business...and nobody else tus far has been able to calm me in a doctors office! haha. There really isn't anything i can say i liked least about him. He requires that you go to pre-op support groups, and encourages speaking with others. He went out of his way and gave me the #'s of two people my age whohad done this. One who had complications and one who hadn't..so i can hear both sides of the story. I thought that was great of him. His aftercare seems very consistent. I've been told he will call you if you dont make the right aftercare steps..so thats some positive reinforcement for those who wont be willing to keep up. He adressed risks with us straight up but also threw in that he does NOT make mistakes. (guess he's super human, eh? haha!) On a scale of one to ten i give him a big fat 10. His credentials and personality are a great combination. I really feel as though i couldn't have placed my life in better, more competant hands than Dr. Rosenthals.