T. Paul Singh, M.D. Bariatrics Bariatric Center
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My first consult with Dr. Singh was July 15, 2004.
Dr. Singh was very nice and explained how he would do my surgery. Since I had done all the footwork and knew exactly what the risks are for the procedure, our meeting was brief. I was impressed that he offered to meet with me again, if necessary, to discuss any further concerns I may have.
The front desk receptionist was very nice. However, his secretary, Debbie, leaves a lot to be desired as far as being courteous. This is the 2nd week after my visit, surgery scheduled for Sept 1, and she has not sent paperwork in to insurance carrier. I have called her 2x and the answer I have gotten each time is,"they'll get it when I get around to sending it to them." Watch out for Debbie.
MET WITH DR.SINGH ON JULY 15.I WAS VERY IMPRESSED.HE SPENT AN HOUR WITH US EXPLAINING EVERTHING ABOUT PRO AND CONS OF SURGERY.OFFICE STAFF (DEBBIE) SEEMED VERY HELPFUL AND EAGER TO HELP...SO FAR SO GOOD!
He is a no non sense man, that doesn't hold back. He denied me my surgery date, and I was pissed, but I totally understood his reasons, and that helped me to make it happen, and at the next visit, I got my date.
If you are to go and see this Dr. make sure you have all your paper work with you, copies even if your other Dr's have said they sent it, he will not even see you if you don't have this. Go to support group meetings, they help, and he requires it.
Dr.Singh is a great surgeon, he may not have the best bedside manner, but when all is said and done I would rather have a competent surgeon, rather than a hand holder.
Jun04:
There is only one secretary that works with Dr. Singh. No one else does her job, if you call they tell you you have to wait for her. When my appointment to set a surgery date had to be cancelled because Dr. Singh was going to be out of the office, she set me up for a full month later. When I called to see about getting in earlier she told me that was impossible. I started to cry at the thought of having to wait another month and she said 'don't cry, that's not going to get you in any sooner' I asked to speak to the surgeon and she said 'that's not going to get you in earlier either so don't even try it' I deal with people everyday for a living and I was mortified at her callousness and down right rude tone of voice. Rather than risk her postponing my appointment further because I offended her in some way, I opted to wait out the month and go from there. Well, I got my date, but all I can say is this...
You better make sure that you have multiple copies of your paperwork. You call your insurance company yourself to make sure they get the proper paperwork and they get it in a timely fashion. She insisted she didn't have to fax it to both Empire and United even though I told her United wanted me to get a pre-determination. I told her this on 5/27. I reminded her on 6/4. It took until 6/8 to get her to fax it to them. She didn't fax it marked 'rush predetermination for 6/28 surgery'. When United didn't received it, they actually put me on hold to call her on my behalf. She wasn't in the office and NO ONE else could do her work. I called United the next business day and they told me that she refused to refax my paperwork. I called her myself and asked and she still refused to do it. When I started to cry out of frustration she said 'you don't have to cry about it' and when I used a more aggressive tone she said 'don't yell at me, its a 30 page fax and I'm not pulling your file and I'm not refaxing it, they can do their job and find it'. Finally, 2-3 days later when the original fax STILL hadn't shown up, I called and asked again...she still wasn't going to do it. I asked, what if the original really is lost? She said, well, a week before surgery, if approval hasn't come I start calling...so I said, well, you won't have to call if you'd just refax it to this special number now so they can walk it through the process like they told you they would. She said she would 'try to get to it' and they finally got the fax on 6/16 (for a 6/28 surgery).
She has little compassion and even less professional courtesy. I think that the way I was treated was absolutely dreadful. It's her job to make sure the paperwork is properly filed and approvals gotten in a timely manner. That's how the doctor gets PAID. I was terrified that because of her failure to submit the paperwork right away, then her stubborn refusal to refax it, I would have to cancel my surgery. What if she'd forgotten to fax something and I got denied? The paperwork delay was bad enough, but she behaves downright nastily if you question anything. Thankfully, I was approved on 6/18. I haven't gotten the letter yet, I can only hope that it's for the right procedure.
I don't want to scare anyone off of using Dr. Singh. This is just my take on his staff. You might have a completely different experience...and I hope that you do. As for Dr. Singh? He's a very good doctor. I would recommend him to anyone.
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5/04:
when I had my pre-surgery appointment with Dr. Singh I was really impressed. He was friendly and answered all my questions. He made me feel confident in both my decision for lapband and my choice of him as my surgeon
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I met with Dr Singh on 1/6; when I first went in to the examination room, a nurse weighed me, figured out my BMI. Then, Dr. Fallon (??) came in and I talked to him for over an hour. He was great...I was nervous at first because he was young and kinda of attractive, but he put me right at ease and was really informative. He went over my whole history and explained all the different types of WLS they could do. He answered my questions, and I had alot of them. He left me for about 10 minutes saying that he'd be back with Dr. Singh. When Dr. Singh came in, I was a little taken aback because he was more abrupt. At first he made me feel like I was looking for a 'easy' fix, but then I realized that he was really making sure I knew that I would have WORK to do and that the surgery was only a portion of the solution. He gave me a list of things I had to do, tests, exercise, counselling and such. I have to go back with all my 'proof' that I did my homework then he will put it all together to go to my insurance co and set a date. I think that overall my impression was favorable after I got past his abrupt manner-he also looked really tired, red-eyed, so I wrote his manner off as him having a bad day.
My first impression was that he is caring because he isnt just there to make the money on the surgery. He wants you to know that it is a life long commitment on your part and is'nt just an easy diet fix. He wants you to make sure that you realize that before he will procede with the surgery. My impression never changed over time I still feel the same way. His staff was nice and his secretary has a very hectic job but is always friendly and helpful no matter how busy she be. Dr. Singh does emphasize that afercare is just as important and giving the patient the risks of surgery are important which he did. Dr. Singh has alot of knowlege when it comes to doing this particual surgery and helps that he does have a good bedside manner as well.
I went to the required group session with Dr. Singh. I found him to be very clear and blunt. I really like that. There was no confusion about what he expected and how he felt about the surgery. He explained everything so that anyone could understand and seem very organized. He emphasis aftercare A LOT. So far I would rate him a 9. I have my consult with him on 4/13 so I will update after that.
I saw Dr. Singh today for my initial consult. I honestly did not expect to leave with a date. I had everything done except my 10%. Then to my suprise I finally come across a doctor (other than my endocrinologist) who understands PCO. Dr. Singh gave me a date. He was very pleasant and honest. I really respect his forwardness, So far I give him a 10!
Dr. Paul Singh is the most compassionate, caring, highly professional doctor I have ever had. I was totally impressed at my first visit to him, he came highly recommended and I was not disappointed.
I never had any insurance problems whatsoever and that amazed me. It all went so smoothly. My hospital stay went very well, I was only in a day and a half. I think I was the perfect patient, up walking immediately and therefore was able to be released sooner. I have had 3 visits with Dr. Singh since my surgery and have been extremely pleased each time. He's such a great guy.
I was never nervous or afraid, he was very informative at my initial visit and told me if I had any concerns to call him anytime.
I believe he has a total overall perfect mannerisms as a doctor, his bedside manner and surgerical competence is unbelievable.
He is just one terrific doctor!
I first met Dr. Singh in his office for a consultation in July 2002. He has a very calm demeanor, but he's no pushover. He asked about my determination to go through with this surgery, why other options hadn't worked in the past and what I would be willing to do to qualify for the surgery. His office staff was very nice; he's a very busy surgeon, so very often (I have since found out) his follow-up appointments are late or have to be re-scheduled. Since I live three hours away, I choose to wait.
He required a myriad of tests to be done before surgery such as echocardiogram and gastroscopy to rule out any preexisting conditions. He also wanted me to lose some weight ahead of time. When I had all my ducks in a row, I scheduled another appointment six months later, in December 2002. He went over my test results, and after talking some more about my determination to have this surgery, he set my date for the end of January 2003. He was very up-front about the risks involved in gastric by-pass, but then again, there are risks involved in any kind of surgery. He outlined what the follow-up would be, including visits to Albany on a regular schedule.
My surgery went on as planned and I found him to be a caring and exceptionally competent surgeon. His resident, Phil Dickenson, was equally caring and competent. Both men saw me daily. I was released after four days. However, I returned to Albany a day and a half later with unexpected complications, not because of the bypass but because of the surgery in general. I developed fluid behind my old stomach and spleen and fluid began collecting on my left lung. I spend several days in ICU; the radiology department botched a drain procedure, which resulted in them puncturing the remaining portion of my stomach. Dr. Singh and Dr. Dickenson rushed me back to surgery and were able to fix the problem and used the same lap sites in the process. Because of my complications, I saw Dr. Singh much more than I normally would have on susbequent visits to Albany. My last visit, on my sixth-month anniversary, was in July; I see him again Jan. 29, the year anniversary of my surgery. Overall, I would say I hold him in very high regard. If you have a good sense of humor and use it with him, he *gets* it. I like that in my medical-care personnel.
In my opinion doctor Singh is a pleasant, professional both in his attitude towards preparing patients for surgery and keeping family members informed on surgery day. I was impressed with his easy attitude with me and his concern that I was informed of all the risks involved. Looking forward to completion of surgery on 17 December 2003.
