Lake Health Bariatric Surgery Center Bariatric Center

I met with Dr. Ben-Meir Friday, 1.7.05. I was extremely excited; I have heard wonderful things about him and the program, and was excited to hear what he had to say.

He was professional, took time to make sure I understood all of the risks associated with the surgery, as well as the benefits. His post-op complication rate is the lowest in Cleveland, which is why I am especially excited to be working with him.

At no point did I feel "fat". He was sensitive to the needs ot his patients - the chairs were oversized and the staff was kind and caring.

Overall, I would rate him as excellent. While I have only just begun this journey, I am thrilled to be working with hthe SVCH staff.

What a wonderful, compassionate surgeon!
As time went on, the feelings only intensified - what a wonderful human being! His staff was so supportive, always available for questions no matter how trivial they may have been. I love everything about Dr. Ben-Meir, his staff, the Cleveland Center for Bariatric Surgery, etc. Every aspect of the surgery was thoroughly covered, the before and after care was excellent, and I'm 13 months post-op and still able to contact anyone at the center for help at any time.

The doctor and hospital and staff gave 100% plus, my surgeon has done more lap surgeries than anyone in the area, his bedside manner was so comforting it just doesn't get any better than Dr. Ben-Meir and the Cleveland Center for Bariatric Surgery at St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio.

I recently met with Dr. Ben-Meir and was put at ease very quickly. Although his appointments were running behind, he never rushed me. He appears to have a great sense of humor which is a huge plus in my book. I did enough research ( I thought) but he was able to correct my misconceptions, explain the pros/cons and procedure and allowed me to ask even more questions.

He does stress the importance of support groups and the need to be as involved in this process as possible. He states the surgery is just a small portion of this whole lifestyle change. I was taken aback to hear that their are failures that occur if people aren't willing to change their attitudes, eating styles and other things. Thus, the importance of the all around program offered at CCBS.

So far, so good.

The office staff are very nice. I was impressed with the educational seminar which was a pre-requisite to scheduling to see the surgeon.

The first impression that I had of my surgeon was that he was a little nervous but very careful. He was a great surgeon. I could not have been happier with him. He was great to me. He was a fantastic surgeon. I had no complications and would refer him to anyone and everyone. I did have a little problem with some of the staff at his office though. A lot of them did not seem very organized and it was hard to schedule follow-up appointments. Also the dr. that you see after the surgery was not quite as thorough as my surgeon. I felt much more comfortable with my surgeon. Most of the office staff was really nice it just seemed like the scheduling was an issue. Also when I went in about 4 months post op I had just found out I was pregnant. It was not planned nor expected. I was scared and happy at the same time. The nurse who saw me at this visit was very rude. It was very obvious that she was not happy with me being pregnant. I was very turned off by this and it is one of the reasons that I will not go back to the office. I now will just go to my PCP to get tests run. I know that you are not supposed to get pregnant that soon after surgery but I ended up very happy and healthy and so is my perfect little girl. I did not expect to get such an icy reaction from the nurse.

Dr. Ben-Meir seemed very thorough, meticulus and a bit reserved. He was very willing to answer all of my husband's and my questions thoroughly and honestly. He has a great reputation as a top-notch lap doctor, but was modest when I mentioned this. He wasn't the least bit arrogant and when I questioned him about how he would handle a leak, he indicated he had never had one and would immediately tap into his partners' experience with this issue. I liked the fact that he didn't automatically claim to know everything and was willing to ask for help if he ever needed it (which he hasn't in over 700 surgeries). He was very patient with our questions and never tried to rush us, even though I was the last appointment of a very long evening. His assistant, LaTonya, was very pleasant, thorough and processed my info to be sent to the insurance company in just a little over a week. Now I am waiting to hear their verdict...To explain the surgery, it's risks and benefits there was a 1 hour seminar with a Power Point presentation conducted by a nurse. Then, after completing a very thorough medical history, there was a video presentation going into more detail and outlining the risks again by Dr. Ben-Meir. Finally, I met directly with the doctor and was given the chance to ask any and all questions as well as concerns or issues specific to me. I would rate him and St. Vincent's process excellent, so far. Will update after surgery, when I know more.

seemed nice

still seems nice

very swamped with work

nothing

only does lap

very much

yes

absolutely

very good

surgical competence

I love Dr Ben-Meir. He is very direct with his patients. No one needs to try and figure out what he means by what he says. His bedside manner was nice. From the surical staff that work with him....they say he is not just competent but "gifted." He is strict about what a patient needs to do after surgery to promote good health. The staff at the hospital were great. I couldn't have chosen a better place to have the surgery. I also would recommend my surgeon to anyone, anyday.
This is my perception of the insurance approval process. First and formost...it is a very stressful time. It was not unusual for my phone calls to go unreturned. You have to be persistant...to find out which doctor did not send the information. There are high volumes of people attempting to get approval..keep on top of what information is missing. Do not wait for someone to call you and tell you that you are missing information. That way you can make the phone calls to be sure the assistant has all of the information needed. Otherwise you will wait...and wait...and nothing is happening. Remember the people helping you get aproval are EXTREMELY busy...help them as much as possible. Sometimes a doctor says they are going to send information but is does not get sent for one reason or another. Hopefully you will not make the mistakes I made by assuming all of my information was there. The assistant needs all the information BEFORE submitting your request to the insurance company.
I have no negative things to say about my surgeon or the hospital staff. The insurance approval issue is behind me now and it seems minute now but at the time I was completely frustrated and ready to give up---DO NOT GIVE UP> just be persistant! Once the approval came everthing else was down hill. Overall...I can truthfully say I am not unhappy about anything from the office staff, or my surgeon, or the hospital staff.

Dr Ben-Meir is a very confident surgeon. I only met him the one time but he was thorough and personable. Office staff is busy but always helpful. There was nothing that I didn't care for. He asked me to lose 20lbs. Frustrated with that and only lost 12 lbs but really tried. Dr Ben-Meir is direct and to the point. He is good though and that is why I chose him. Never had any complications and I don't want to smear his record. His staff emplasized after care quite a bit. The office has an extensive pre and post op program. Dr Ben-Meir actually had me crying during our inital meeting. He seemed like he was trying to discourage me but he was ultimately making sure this is what I wanted and really understood the whole process. I rate him high on my scale. I pray that his surgical competence is wonderful.

9/7/04 - The morning of my surgery, Dr. Ben-Meir came and spoke with my husband and I. He inquired about our questions and/or concerns. All I wanted to know was whether or not HE was having a good day. Told him that it was now all up to him and I wanted to be sure that HE was having a good day. His response was, "Well, my wife kicked me out and I got a speeding ticket on the way to the hospital but other than that I am having a great day." His humour was exactly what the momment and I needed to feel at ease. Twice following the opertion, he came into my room to check on me, answer questions and assure me of how well things were going. One of the times he came in on his way to vacation. That impressed me. His collegue (as promised) had already checked on me. But Dr. Ben-Meir still came in. That really made me feel important. Everything he has told me to date has happened exactly as he explained. That makes me feel relieved. I have truly been in good hands.

8/31/04 - My impression of Dr. Ben-Meir was at first that he was arogant. However, as I spoke with him I came to realize that he is very confident and experienced and is proud to tell you of it. He stated (as best that I recall) that he had performed over 700 procedures and had only three incidences. One clot, one leakage and one block. All three were taken care of quickly and without further concerns. He took all the time I wanted to answer all of my questions. I didn't feel rushed nor did he make me feel that my questions were silly. He asked me questions that helped him to determine how serious I was about having the surgery and how much I understood what I was getting into. He was very forthright in discussing all of the risks of the surgery and gave me time to ask questions. Overall, I would say that Dr. Ben-Meir met all of my expectations. I left his office feeling like I had chosen a good surgeon. My surgery date is just around the corner and time will tell if my impressions were accurate.

He was very infomrative, ready to answer as many questions as I had. Surgery went well and when he visited me after surgery he spent time making sure my questions were answered.
My impression has reminained the same.
Hi office staff is helpful. Thye were able to get me approved under my insurance quickly and get me in for surgery. His nurse, Julie is not as apporachable as some, but she does try to be helpful.
After care is emphasized a great deal. The St Vincent Hosptial has an entire bariatric surgery system, with helpful literature and support systems
The risks were addressed with me and explained. This center has worked to minimize the risks and has statistics of problems lower than most others
I woudl rate this surgeon very high.
Both surgical competence and bedside manner were great.