Lake Health Bariatric Surgery Center Bariatric Center

She seemed very sympathetic to my situation and seemed very knowledgeable about bariatric surgery patients. She offered good advice for ways to cope with the surgery and the new way of life. I would recommend her highly.

My first impression was that he was very competent and easy to talk to. He reviewed the procedure completely and stressed that this is a tool to lose weight and not a total solution to the weight problem. He also discussed the risks and complications.

At the end of my visit though he had me talk to a member of his staff that had had the gastric bypass. She was very discouraging. She discussed that I looked like a good candidate on paper but I might not be a good candidate in reality. She encouraged me to look into other methods of weight loss. I felt bad, and eventually became mad. They were my last hope and I had already tried everything else. Why would some other method work? All of the other staff had been so nice and helpful and then this total turnaround. The doctor wanted me to have a psychological exam, not required by my insurance company. I was upset at the implication that my weight problem was caused by a mental problem. I'm convinced it is not.

I thought about it for a couple of weeks and then decided not to give up so easily so I scheduled a psychological exam.

The exam went very well. They psychologist was very nice and easy to talk to. I voiced my concern about the need for a psych exam. I didn't understand what I had said to indicate it. She discussed it with the surgeon and found that he was concerned about my current eating habits. The psychologist found that it was not an ongoing problem.

So the surgeon was being cautious and I now see this as a good thing.

If you do see him go ahead and ask all of your questions. He will make sure you understand and take the time. I needed to ask a couple of more questions and it would have saved me my anger and delay in my process to schedule a surgery date.

The do have a very good structured aftercare program. There are support groups and people available to answer your questions.

I WENT TO SEE DR BEN-MEIR WHO IS NOW IN CLEVELAND AT CCBS, ON FEB 5TH..HE WAS VERY THROUGH IN ANSWERING ALL MY QUESTIONS AND EXPLAINING MY PROCEDURE. I REALLY FEEL THAT I HAVE CHOSEN A GREAT SURGEON. THE OFFICE STAFF WAS EXTREMELY HELPFUL AND CARING. THEY HAD PEOPLE WHO HAD THE SURGURY WORKING IN THE OFFICE, SO YOU GOT A FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE OF THE OUTCOME. THERE NATIONAL AVERAGES FOR COMPLICATIONS ARE WAY BELOW THE STANDARD..MEANING THEY HAVE FEWER COMPLICATION THEN MOST OTHERS...I RATE THIS DOCTOR AND GROUP A 9 OUT OF 10.
5/5/2003
DOCTOR BEN-MEIR WAS WONDERFUL VERY COMPASIONATE AND VERY KNOWLEDGABLE. HIS OFFICE STAFF LEAVE SOMETHING TO BE DESIRED. PHONECALLS AND EMAILS TAKE DAYS TO BE ANSWERED AND THE WAIT IS ALITTLE EXCESSIVE. HIS IS DEFINATELY WORTH THE HEADACHE THOUGH!

I met with Dr. Ben-Meir on 4/16/03 for my consult. He is very polite and has a great sense of humor. He seems to have all of the time in the world to talk with you & answer questions, though I know he's very busy. After talking, he also did a brief physical exam. I had been to the office before, as my husband has surgery scheduled 5/15/03 with Dr. Schreiber. Dr. Ben-Meir is not better or worse than Dr. Schreiber; both are very competent, patient, and thorough. However, I did love Dr. Ben-Meir's sense of humor. He does emphasize aftercare and has a structured program. He also has a structured program of what you need to do before surgery--changing meds, learning to eat slower now, and not gaining weight. The risks of surgery were addressed as well as expected outcomes. He does not seem like the type of guy who would appreciate folks not following his orders. The office staff is noticeably busy, but I am hopeful they will work hard to get me through this process. Dr. Ben-Meir is excellent in my book and so far I would highly recommend him to anyone seeking LAP!

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Ben-Meir during my first appointment. He was a very sincere and compassionate doctor who took the time to explain the surgery. I felt very comfortable and satisfied with his explanations. I highly recommend him for lap surgery.

Follow-Up: I am 6 days post op and can't say enough about Dr. Bem-Meir. He was an excellent surgeon and a great human being. He truly cared about me and my family during the whole process.

A very nice young gentleman, he seems to genuinely care about his patients & there health. He was very thurough about explaining the operation procedure, and results. He took the time to answer all mine & my husbands questions. He also went over all the possible risks of surgery as well as the benefits of surgery. He was very easy to talk to.
The office staff were all cordial, upbeat, & just wonderful people.

I cant seem to say enough about Dr. Ben-Meir.
I am actually Matthews Wife. Matthew is in the hospital recovering. This is his first day post -op.
Dr. Ben-meir was so in tune with our family and so attentive to our needs. As soon as the surgery was completed he came and talked with me in the waiting room and stayed with me as long as I had questions. At one point he seemed to be gettign up to leave and then looked at me and said..."You still have questions don't you" AND HE SAT BACK DOWN!
The whole staff at the Cleveland Center for Bariatrics is WONDERFUL! The nurses are great and the office staff is superb!
While leaving the hospital on Matt's surgery day Dr. Ben-Meir stopped me in the hall to see how everything was. How impressive... He just does not act like he cares.. HE DOES CARE! I give him and the whole program a 10 out of 10 and Matthew agrees!

He appologized for what he consider making
me wait. That was a very good start. He
gave me all the answers to questions before
I had to ask them. I feel very secure in having him for my surgeon. The staff at
St Vincents was extremely kind . The lady
working with me was very efficient. I had heard you wait. I was fortunate and only
waited about 10 minutes in any area.
PATS are this Wednesday Mar 19 . Surgery
Date is April 3 2003

When I first met Dr. Ben-Meir I was very nervous but he was so relaxed and made me feel so at ease. What impressed me the most was his statement about why he does this type of surgery. He said he could be doing oncology work or other types of surgery....but doing baratric surgery was more rewarding to him than anything. He just loves being a part of giving new life to his patients.
The office staff was okay. They were nothing compared to the doctor himself. The staff seemed a little unorganized and overwhelmed because of the rush of people wanting the surgery after the Al Roker segment appeared.
There is absolutely nothing that I dislike about Dr. Ben-Meir.
In my opinion of all the surgeons at CCBS, I think he is the most structured on aftercare. He is the only one that does Lap surgery here so maybe that is why he has different guidelines for us to follow. He did address the risks of surgery and spared nothing. I give Dr. Ben-Meir an A++++++ He is extremely surgically competent and has an awesome bed-side manner which are both important to me.

`Dr. Ben-Meir spent a lot of time with me on our first visit. He explained answers to our questions in great detail. Although busy, the office and staff were very accomodating and took care to make us feel comfortable and at ease. An extremely encouraging experience!

He has a great 'track record' and even a sense of humor! He took everything we said quite seriously and didnt take any short cuts.