Ellner Bariatric at Alvarado Hospital Bariatric Center

rnMy Surgeon was Dr. Julie Ellner.rnTruely a gifted person, a perfectionist and I will forever be greatful for what she and her staff did for me.rnrnA huge part of this is Dr. Daniel Hiser. WOW He has helped me in the eight months since my surgery.rnrnThey are at Alvarado Hospital.

Dr. Ellner is the KINDEST, most COMPASSIONATE surgeon I have ever met. She does not hesitate to sit on your bed, hug you, present you with a stuffed teddy and just be a GENUINE, caring and loving individual. She put me at ease, made me feel good and she calls ALL her patients PERSONALLY every month to see how they are doing. Now, tell me, where can you go and get that level of care?

My first impression was very positive. A very knowledgable person who talked to you, not down to you. The staff is quite helpful and knowledgable. Very much on the ball. Great followup. I will know more after surgery. The risks of surgery well explained. A structured aftercare program. I selected on surgical competance. But has a reputation for great bedside manner. I am distant from San Diego and may not have been in touch or as inquisitive as some. (Did an awful lot of homework a couple of years ago, and did not get surgery because insurance turned claim down. New employer and new insurer and it is now approved.) But her staff has been keeping in regular contact with me even if I am not in contact with them. My contacts with Dr. Ellner herself have been brief so far, but again, I have not been trying to reach her. However every contact has been very professional and thorough. Her assistant \"Meesh\" (Michelle) is the best!rnrnThe above was written before surgery. I am now post-op. I cannot say enough good words about Dr. Ellner and her staff and team. It is truly a team at Alvarado, and Dr. Ellner has built this team. Her skill and professionalism is unequaled. If you pick her as a surgeon, you get her, not a trainee. She pays attention to the smallest detail, and encourages patients to talk to her about anything at any time. She answers questions with as much detail as one desires. She is willing to spend as much time as it takes, and never seems in a rush. When I first went in, my surgery got \"bumped\" because of swelling in my ankles. She wanted to rule out clots or clogged arteries in legs and had me go through a complete cardio workup. (Chemically induced stress tests are now ranked above root canal on my least favorite medical procedure.) But, as she said, she has never lost a patient, and didn't want me to be the first. She is quite fastidious in her work habits, her review of all medical information in the file, and her checking with nurses on how you are doing. I was highly impressed with the anetheseologist, the internal medicine speicalist, and the lab people. She picked these folk, and boy are they winners!rnrnAnd she is VERY accessible. If you call and want to talk to her, if she is there, you talk to her and if she is not, you will get a call from her very shortly. Her knowledge is amazing. And her answers are clear. rnrnShe embodies what the medical profession should be about.

I had my phone inteview with Dr. Ellner yesterday and she was one of the nicest people I have ever met. She really cares about the patients and is very profesinal as welll.rnrnI had my surgery on june 20, 2006 and Dr. Ellner and her staff were wonderful. She was planning to do a lap surgery but ended up having to do the old fashion open surgery.rnrnAfter care was great I have been to see her several times and she has been great.rnrnThe best doctor ever!!!!! She is so wonderful!!!!!!!!

My first impression was how personable she was. I realized what a great person she was after numerous conversations we had. The office staff were always very helpful. Others should know that she is a very skilled and likeable physician. She has a great followup program. All risks were explained thoroughly.rnI would rate her a 10. Surgical competence and bedside manner are both important and I believe Dr Elner has both.

Dr Ellner is wonderful! I liked her from the moment I met her and that hasn't changed in the two years since my surgery!. She is such a people person and has a type of compassion and empathy that you see in few Dr. I think patients should know that once you become her patient you are just that ,for life! Aftercare has been fantastic! Dr Ellner encourged me to facilitate a support group here in Fairbanks and even helped arrange some training. Not only does she rate 10+ in both compentance and bedside manner, but a 10+ in caring and compassion.

I was very impressed with Dr. Ellner from the first time that I met her. Dr. Ellner probably wears a size 4 and despite my earlier views of how thin people treat the obese, she was very kind to everyone who attended the seminar.
Before surgery Dr. Ellner took as much time and my husband and I needed to feel comfortable about the entire surgical process and to give us the assurances we needed about my pre-surgery health and any long-term health issues.
Surgery normally takes 90 minutes, Dr. Ellner was able to perform my surgery in 45 minutes.
Dr. Ellner told me that I had the internal organs of an 18-year old thin person ... no fatty deposits on my organs. As a then-42 year old woman, I told her that I hoped that she'd let the 18-year old thin person out!
Dr. Ellner was really encouraging about how quickly I was healing while I was still at the hospital and was really stressing the need for following up with her.
I highly recommend Dr. Ellner to anyone considering Lap RNY. One of the reasons that I wanted her as my surgeon was because she was a lap surgeon before she became a bariatric surgeon ... I knew that meant that I was sure to be able to have lap surgery. I was back at work in 3 weeks and would have been back in 2 weeks if it hadn't been for an unexpected complication (that was related to my body and not the surgery).
I had surgery on 9/16/03 and I've lost 127 pounds and now weigh 140 pounds (7 pounds less than Dr. Ellner's goal for me) and I wear a size 8 ... I used to be 267 pounds in a size 24/26!
Thank you Dr. Ellner!!

My first impression of Dr. Ellner was confidence. She is intelligent, has a sense of humor and is very caring about her patients. In her own words, " I just love my job". It shows.

Dr. Ellner's staff are very nice. They answer your questions and if they do not know an answer they will get back to you when they find one.

The thing I like most about Dr. Ellner is the personal "one on one" attention she gives her patients.

I cannot say enough good things about Dr. Ellner. She is a "Super star" in my book.

I first 'met' Dr. Ellner at a seminar she held on a Saturday. I felt an immediate connection to her the moment I laid eyes on her. I knew she was the one. (Sounds like a romantic episode HaHa). She exuded total confidence in an easy, laid back way.
I called her office on Monday morning and said, "where do I sign? Put me on the schedule"!

With the help of her competent and friendly staff, the things I needed to get done in a hurry, (i.e. labs, psych, etc.) went like clockwork. I was scheduled for Lap RNY in less than 2 weeks!!

I admire a person, especially a professional, who tells it like it is and in the end was exactly as expected. Dr. Ellner is exactly that person. She told me everything about the surgery, from the curious questions my husband had about the mechanics and tools of the procedure, (She even had the lap tools in her office and let him check them out!) to my concerns regarding pain, recovery and aftercare. She doesn't sugar coat the procedure and emphasizes that it is major surgery and there are risks, as in any surgery. Nonetheless, I confidently placed my very life in her hands without a single iota of doubt in my being.

Everything she told us was true!! Everything went as planned, no surprises since she invests time and effort into making one a well informed patient. She visited me each day in the hospital(2) and was as excited about this adventure as I was.

I am very lucky to live here in San Diego so that I can see her for my monthly check ups. I look forward to them.

Dr. Ellner is the most unpretentious person I've ever met. She's so funny and beautiful but most of all incredibly intelligent. If you bumped into her on the beach or saw her catching a wave (yes, she's a surfer!) you'd never imagine she is one of the top bariatric surgeons in the WORLD!! (And the first woman to EVER do this procedure!)

If I had to use one word to describe her it would be GENUINE.

They don't just send you on your merry way following the surgery. You'll have to call in on Mon.morning and go in for a check up on Tues. following the check up, you'll attend a Diet class which is actually a "How to live as a thin person, and the care and treatment of the new little tummy". Following that is a class on exercise, as that will be a big part of the adventure if you want to be successful. They're there to hold your hand forever and are always a phone call away should you have ANY concerns or questions, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. They really do make you feel special.

If you're considering this surgery I'd recommend her over anyone else. If you have to travel to San Diego (there are worse places!) then come here for a week. Make it a week vacation. She's well worth the effort and expense. You won't regret the decision.

Dr Ellner's office staff is very nice and helpfull. They got all required approvals and question answered in a timely fashion. The first time I met Dr Ellner was at my pre-op appt the day before surgery. She was a very nice well educated Dr. She spent a long time answering question and I never felt rushed. After the surgery Dr Ellner and her staff were very easy to get a hold of with any questions and I had alot. I still do my monthly follow ups by phone with the Dr.