Kim Bariatric Institute Bariatric Center

My first impression of Dr. Kim was made at the weight loss seminar. I felt very positive towards him. After meeting him in person prior to surgery- I was not so sure. He was very short with me, and put off by my questions, stating that all of that would be covered by his nurse in the pre-op information class for pts. and their family members.rnrnOverall, he is a good surgeon, he did however lack in pain control. I was in severe pain, crying d/t the severe discomfort. But no change was made to my pain management. At one point, I even asked the nurse/directed the nurse to call him- but they declined. Dr Kim was very unsympathetic to my complaints. rnrnAlso, he insists on leaving a JP-surgical drain in, in all of his patients. This is not common practice, this is his practice. A lot of my post-op discomfort was directly related to the drain.

I could never say enough kind words about Dr. Kim. He is such a wonderful and encouraging man that loves his job and loves helping people. He is always so excited to see you and very genuine about his concern towards you and your personal health. rnrnMy surgery went extremely well with no complications. I think the reason Dr. Kim and myself get along so well is the fact that I respect him as a doctor and a surgeon. I have tried to do all that he has advised me to do. And it has worked extremely well. So when choosing a surgeon I chose Dr. Kim because of his attitude and understanding of what overweight people go through and his desire to give them a better quality of life. rnrnI love Dr. Kim because he helped change and save my life.

'Dr Kim & staff are awesome. What a relief to meet a Dr (other than my wonderful PCP

Dr Kim practices on the side of caution. He shoots from the hip is always honest. I think he is a wonderful doctor.

'I attended his seminar last night and was really impressed with Dr. Kim. He and Pam (his RN) seem very honest about caring for his patients. rnrnHe talked about the various stages of surgery

I really loved my surgeon he is just wonderful! His staff is wonderful and pam was really great to help in the hospital. The nurses were fantastic. AS an alround experience I would rate it at 100%. I have absolutely nothing to complain about , it was a pleasant experience and just alround quality care.

I attended a seminar a few months ago and learned a lot and appreciated how many others are struggling as I am. The speakers really gave me great hope for the future and I will make sure I follow through to give myself a chance of living a long life. Dr Kim was caring and articulate and along with his past patience I have strong confidence in him. His coordinator must have a large workload so you will need to keep trying in my experience. The result awaits.

Went to a symposium on 01.12.2006.
I was really impressed by his way of speaking, enthusiasm, understanding of the mindset of an obese person, and knowledge.

Dr. Kim does not sell surgery. He is most interested in doing what is the right thing for the individual he is working with. I attended many "seminars" prior to selecting him as my surgeon. His approach was both professional, as well as friendly. He provided me with all the information without coloring that information to his personal preferences. He also has a follow-up program that in my opinion is second to none. He strongly encourages the support group and attends these sessions as often as he can. He took the time to get to know me as a person. His coordinator, Pam, is also very involved with each and every patient in the program and was a huge help in navigating the insurance labyrinth. On a scale of 1-10, I would rate Dr. Kim and the entire North Hills program an 11+!

My first impression was that he was a very kind and considerate person with my best interests at heart. He is a little standoffish and a little short on words. However, with my medical background, this is typical of surgeons. His office staff is very efficient and caring. They all have a good sense of humor. Be very honest with him. He is very strong on aftercare. He gave me very specific instructions regarding what I needed to do and how to do it. His staff answered every question I had. He does have a structured aftercare program. He laid out all the problems I had and what could happen. He wanted me to have lap band instead of RNY because of my heart problems. Aetna wouldn't pay for it. Unfortunately, after opening me up, he found my liver had a real problem and I got approved for lap band. He and his staff worked hard to make everything possible. I am very happy with him. I would rate both Dr Kim and his staff as excellent. I think both surgical competence and bedside manner are important, but, I would go with surgical competence. It is my life in his hands, after all. He is a fine surgeon.