SurgiThin Bariatric Center

I have met with Dr. Paya two times, once for the consultation, and again for the seminar. I was immediately put at ease by his manner. He was very professional and caring at the same time. He explained the procedure, and let me know that he can help me.rnrnHe got my insurance to approve it, and before I knew it, I was called to schedule a surgery date.rnrnMy impression of Dr. Paya did not change. I still think he is amazingly professional and compassionate. His office staff is great, and all are very supportive. There is a structured aftercare program and support group at West Hills Hospital.rnrnHis surgical competence is at least equal to his bedside manner. He is a very skilled, wonderful surgeon. He also performed a hernia repair and gall bladder removal surgery on me with the same level of care that I received with my RNY. I would use him again, and would recommend him to anyone without reservation.rnrnMy only complaint is that the wait to see him at the scheduled appointment time is often very long, sometimes an hour or more.

My Dr.was/is great. He always takes time to talk to me and answer all my questions, his staff is just as great. No problems here.

My first impression of Dr. Paya - I'm pleased I found him, I am excited about and look forward to my journey.

I was originally sechuled for Dr. Quillici - but when I called for my consultation appointment and it was going to be 3 months away, I called my referral office to see if I could change my Surgeon to Dr. Paya. I am so glad that I did, I had my surgery with Dr.Paya the day before I was suppose to have my consultation with Dr. Quillici.rn My First Impression of Dr. Paya and his staff was comforting, sincere and willing to help in any way. I am 6 months post op and had my 6 mo. check up. I have lost 74 lbs. and Dr. Paya, Crystal, Shelley and Stephanie were so encouraging and excited for me on my progress. I would recommend Dr. Paya and his staff to everyone I come across who is considering surgery (and already have). The one thing that really stands out to me is the sincere caring and individual attention you receive with Dr. Paya and his staff, they make you feel like one of the family (no stone cold bedside manner, or just a number here)

He was confident in what he was doing, I am 5 days Post Op and so far no my impression is the same. The office staff was helpful did answer my questions and would come back with an answer no less than 24hrs. Dr. Paya and his staffs priority is definitely Pre and Post Op there is a team of nutritionist and nurses that do make sure you understand after care. Dr. Paya was upfront about any complications and did give me statistics I also did my own research on the possibility of the complications. Overall I have had nothing but great things to say about Dr. Paya and the Northridge hospital team.

Dr.Paya is great. He's very experienced and knowledgable. He made me feel real comfortable about having the RNY and his staff is excellent. Crystal and Shelley were sooo nice they made the scheduling very simple and made sure that I was aware of what to expect and were there to answer any questions or concerns. I was in the hospital for almost 4 days due to pain level, but Dr.Paya made his rounds to make sure I was ok. I really appreciate having Dr.Paya as my surgeon, his surgical competence and bedside manner are both great.

He is very personable, and handsome, he didn't make me feel like I am disgusting, i was very comfortable.

Dr. Paya made a great first impression. During my wait in the waiting room, I was able to watch a National Geographic show on obesity and bariatric surgery. Dr. Paya was one of the physicians interviewed for that show. When I met him in person that day, I remember feeling comfortable speaking with him and not intimidated. It felt like I was talking to a friend, not a big scary doctor. The office staff, specifically Shelley (RN) were very helpful, funny and well organized. They have taken me by the hand and made this whole ordeal very \"user-friendly\". The risks and benefits were explained in great detail and the aftercare program seemed pretty comphrehensive. If anything, I actually felt more informed after speaking with them and realized what a huge deal this surgery is. They did not underplay it. For now, my few interactions have been very good and I am happy to be using Dr. Paya. No negatives so far. Dr. Paya was 1 hour late for my appointment, but that was only because his last surgical case was taking longer than expected. I would hope that when I'm on the table, he would make appointments wait for me too. His tardiness spoke well for him :).rn

Had my Consultation with Dr. Paya yesterday. I thought that I would be using Dr. Quillici, but my insurance referred me to Paya instead. I had already researched Dr. Paya because I knew that my Insurance might refer me to him, and so I felt comfortable. He and his staff were very kind and he took his time answering all my questions. He asked which surgery I wanted, and asked me why I came to the decision to have RNY instead of Lapband. He agreed that the RnY was right for me. I am excited to be finally moving forward.rnrnDr. Paya is a skilled and compassionate surgeon and my surgery went very smoothly. No complications, no leaks. He was kind and caring, answering all my questions and never made me feel rushed. He also had a very kind Doctor who assisted with my surgery, Dr. Kokkalera. All of the nurses and Northridge Hospital love Dr. Paya, and are in awe of his talent at such a young age. They told me that Dr. Paya's patients are very successful. I feel lucky to have had him as my surgeon.

My first impression of Dr. Paya was on this website. I was debating over having Dr. Paya at Northridge Hospital (my hospital of choice) or Dr. Qualici at St. Josephs in Burbank. rnrnAfter talking to a couple of former patients, there were very little discouraging words regarding Dr. Paya's care or office staff. And, best news of all, his office processed patients far sooner than the other option I was given. rnrnFor me, surgical competence is more important than bedside manner, but what is MOST important to me is my ability to contact the office for information. rnrnThe \"guy\" Dr. Paya is friendly, confident, professional and very cute. lol He was honest on how much weight I would lose, and how much weight I COULD lose. He is a busy guy and when I was in the hospital I only saw him pre-op. His associate, Dr. Kokkalera, saw me each day while I was in Northridge Hospital. Dr. Kokkalera is very nice and thoughtful and had a friendly sense of humor. rnrnMy medical group (Facey) has an extensive bariatric surgery preparation procedure, so I don't have a lot of information on what Dr. Paya's office offers. I did meet with a nutritionist with detailed pre-op/ post-op/ maintenance diet information. I met with a Dr. Paya's nurse with a detailed explanation of pretty much every aspect of the process, which included all the \"realities\" of what does/doesn't work with bariatric surgery. Finally, I received a simple psychiatric evaluation from one of NR Hosp's staff psych MDs.rnrnThe office staff was stellar when I was in the hospital. Crystal and Shelly visited me every day at least once. Both doted over me in pre-op, making sure my husband saw me before surgery and having my paperwork for disability processing the minute I was in surgery. They made sure my post-op pain meds were waiting in MY pharmacy for pickup on my drive home!rnrnI would be remiss without mentioning my frustration when someone made my first appointment with Dr. Paya for 4PM, but it was entered in his system for 3:30. I was deemed a \"no show\" and he left before I arrived at 3:43. I was DEVASTATED! Fortunately, Crystal made an appointment for the very next week, so I had my surgery exactly when I was planning...the last week of April! The one way out of this frustration is to make sure to call the office and verify the appointment before going in. The office staff is professional and friendly and phone messages are returned quickly. rn