Miami Hope Center Bariatric Center

Dr. Rabaza is an accomplished, highly sought surgeon. Your appointment with him will be scheaduled months ahead and waiting time for scheaduled surgery will be long. But the benefit of having such a professional and compassionate doctor far outweighs the waiting time. Dr. Rabaza is a respected surgeon with an impecable reputation and impressively pleasent demeanor. He and his partners, Drs Verdeja and Gonzalez are experts in the field of bariatric surgery. If you are considering this type of surgical procedure and live in the Miami area, do yourself a favor and go see the best surgeon, Dr. Rabaza. I consider myself lucky to have had this this doctor. He and this procedure, have changed my life forever, and for better. But don't take my word for it, find out for yourself.

Dr. Gonzalez was great...I didn't quite appreciate the 3-hour office visit (with an appointment), but after waiting 3 months for the initial consultation, what's another 3 hours, right? I guess he's in high demand!

The visit consisted of him explaining what the surgery was, how it was performed, what the risks and benefits are, etc. I was pretty well informed before my appointment, so I didn't have too many questions for him.

Now I'm just waiting for my surgery date to get here....

I really like Dr. Gonzalez. Had seen him a few times prior at the support groups.

His office staff is great, although I had a few minor incidents that were resolved.

It's a long wait - be patient.

My surgery is being done by one of Dr. Verdeja's colleagues, Dr. Gonzalez. I met with him for the first time yesterday. He comes highly recommended. I sat in with him on a visit with my mother-in-law. He was a very pleasant and professional man. He seemed to be very genuine, him and his staff went above and beyond their duty to make me feel welcome. I am convinced that he is competent in his work. I would recommend him to anyone that I know, his staff is very kind and professional. I am anticipating the next time we meet. Dr. Gonzalez does emphasize aftercare, he explains in great detail what to expect from the surgery and what is expected from "you" the patient. Just like crossing the street there are risks with this surgery, and Dr. Gonzalez was sure to share with me what risks were involved and the percentages that these risks had occurred...I would rate Dr. Gonzalez AND his staff a 10...I am not sure as to his surgical competence at this time, however after April 17th, I will be able to answer that question. I feel that each person is different, and I would suggest that you pick the Dr. that is right for you, just because Dr. Gonzalez is the right physician for me, does not mean that he would be the "perfect" one for you, Good hunting...and God Bless!!!!

Dr. Gonzalez was brief and to-the-point. He
explained the surgical risks and different
procedures. I did not spend a long time
talking to him because I have done a lot of
research myself on this glorious web site.
My appointment was on schedule. Carmen (the
surgical coordinator) was efficient. Overall rating for his practice so far is very good, except for 3 month wait for a consultation. His office has a support group meeting once a month at the hospital where I had my WLS.

He was very informative, thorough, to the point and professional. My impression has not changed. His office staff is extremely friendly and personable. He was a little too much to the point. :) I highly recommend him so far... He does have a structured after care program and he did address the risks of surgery. Since I haven't had the surgery yet, I think it would be too early to give him an overall rating, but, so far he is definitely an 8. I have, however, spoken to one of his patients who had the surgery in January, 2000 and he thinks he is God!

My Surgeon, Dr Jorge Rabaza, is very thorough in his explanation of the procedure. He works with two other doctors in the same office, Dr. Juan C Verdejo & Dr. Anthony Gonzalez. The office Staff is also wonderful & very helpful. I have no complaints about any one of the doctors nor the staff. They are highly sought surgeons & initial appointments may be in 2-3 months. They also have structured a montly support group and although every one is welcomed most of the group consists of patients of the three doctors. I rate them all very highly & recommend them to everyone.

My initial consult with my surgeon was quite rushed to say the least. I was surprised that I didn't get to ask more questions. He did draw a diagrahm of the surgery for me and explained the outcome will be as long as I follow along with the program as recommended. I know my surgeon is good at what he does because I did my own research and found out that he has had no complaints by any of his former patients. That did make me feel much better. The office staff was very, very busy but everyone was professional. I haven't gone over aftercare yet but will in the near future. He did go over the risks of surgery with me. I would rate Dr. Gonzales as a very busy doctor. I have yet to experience his in hospital bedside manner, but I have been reassured that his surgical competence is above average. I'm looking forward to the expereince.

I have not yet met Dr. Rabaza, but I am impressed with the fact that he has group meetings for people who have not had the procedure. These meetings are to gain information, ask questions, and receive any help that you need. The office staff, so far, have been very helpful. I think both surgical competence and bedside manner are wonderful and necessary, especially when you have had a procedure like this.

On Sep 4, 2001, I had my first appointment with Dr. Rabaza. He was very knowledgeable (good thing!) and explained everything. He appeared to be patient and supportive. He answered all of my questions in depth and took time to respond to my fears. His staff were very helpful and took time to deal with some of my issues. They all appeared to be positive and supportive. I can't speak to his bedside manner yet, but if his office manner is any indicator, we have ourselves a winner!

I assited Dr. Marema's mandatory infosession on 020501 and I was scheduled for a three hour mandatory class on 041101. I took my husband along and we both decided this team really has things together, know their business and work effectively. At the three hour class I attended I wasn't convinced with some of their protocol, specially the part that's going to hurt my pocket. I now have an appointment with "Miami Hope Center" I will let you know the outcomes.
8/15 met with Dr. Gonzalez, I felt comfortable with his explanations, he also requested me to explain what was I going to go thru, we discussed pro/cons and life changes and expectations. Overall he was easy to talk to and he listens to my concerns.