The Center for Bariatric Surgery Bariatric Center

MY FIRST IMPERSSION OF HIM WAS THAT HE IS VERYYYYYYY KIND. AND INFORMATIVE WITH A SENSE OF HUMOR. I WOULD REFER HIM AND I HAVE TO ANY ONE. HIS OFFICE IS VERY CLEAN AND MODERN. HIS STAFF WAS JUST AS COURTEOUS. DR. ARTUSO YOU ARE THE GREATEST THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP WITH MY APPEAL I DO NOT KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT YOU AND LAURA TO ANYONE OUT THERE DR. ARTUSO IS THE MAN....

Even though Dr. Artuso is a great surgeon, I would not recommend him. This is why. I originally had a consultation with Dr. Thomas Cerebona in 1997. I let too many people talk me out of the surgery at that time. In April, 2001, after gaining another 100 lbs, I decided that I wanted to live. I called and made a new consultation appointment with Dr. Cerebona. When I appeared at the office, Colleen, the receptionist, asked me if I received her message at work that Dr. Cerebona had an emergency. I told her that I took the day off for the consultation. She asked me if I would like to see Dr. Artuso instead. I said that would be fine. After waiting a couple of hours (their office is always very busy, and you ALWAYS wait 2-3 hours for your appointment). I finally got to meet Dr. Artuso. He sat down with me and explained the procedure. He told me what to expect, drew a diagram of what was going to be done, and then asked me if I had any questions. He answered every single question I asked. He told me that I sounded like a good candidate for the surgery, and gave me a list of medical tests that I had to have prior to setting a date. I had them all done, and was approved for the surgery. After I completed all of the tests, I saw Dr. Artuso again on July 18, 2001. All of my test results came back good, and Dr. Artuso told me I could go ahead and book the surgery. Unfortunately, because he is so busy, my surgery date was set for December 3, 2001. I was not happy about the wait, but there was nothing I could do about it. Dr. Artuso's receptionist, Liz, made all of the arrangements with my insurance company. I don't know any of the details, but I do know that I was approved. So I waited, and waited, and waited for December 3, 2001 to arrive. The week before my surgery I went for my pre-op testing at the hospital. Then the day finally was here! I was excited and nervous at the same time. I knew I had to go through with it. The hospital is very busy, and the surgical area was like a zoo. The staff was very nice to me, and tried to make me as comforatable as possible. I was wheeled into surgery, and the doctors and nurses explained what they were going to do. They were all very nice. The next thing I knew I woke up in recovery. Dr. Artuso came by to see how I was doing. The staff in recovery was just wonderful. I had a morphine drip with a button that I pushed when I felt I needed it. I was not in pain, but was very sore (which I guess you can say was painful). I slept quite a lot, which was good, because I was very uncomfortable. I stayed in recovery for a day and a half. The nurses were just terrific, and Dr. Artuso came by to see me. My arm was swelling up like a balloon, and the nurse noticed that my arterial IV was infiltrated. They promptly removed it, and within a couple of hours the swelling started going down. I was brought upstairs to a semiprivate room the afternoon of December 4, 2001. I was happy to be in a room. That happiness did not last long. The nurses were the pits. They were very inattentive and uncaring. I tried to sleep as much as possible. Whenever I wanted to go to sleep I would give myself a jolt of morphine. The morning of December 5, 2001, a male nurse came in and removed my catheter. You think they could have sent in a female nurse to do that? I was very uncomfortable with it, but let him do his job. Now I was free to get up and go to the bathroom whenever I wanted, right? Wrong. I would have to call the nurse because I needed the railing undone on the bed, and I needed the IV disconnected. I would call, tell them what I needed over the intercom, and then wait for someone to show up. The first time I had to go I waited for over 1 hour. I finally managed to get myself out of the bed and pulled the IV machine's plug out of the wall and went to the ladies room. Some doctors came by and took me to have xrays taken to make sure that there were no leaks where the intestine was attached to my stomach. That went well. I was now allowed 1 ounce of liquids 3 times a day. Nobody ever bothered to bring my anything that day. The next morning the resident doctor came by and asked my how I was holding down the liquids. I told him that nobody gave me anything. He went ballistic and took off for the nurses station. The next thing I knew somebody brought me some apple juice. I held it down without any problems. Dr. Artuso came by to check on me and was happy with the way I looked and felt. A physical therapist came by and we went for a little walk. She was pleased that I was up and walking and sitting in a chair (which was much more comfortable than the bed). Nobody bothered to give me any more liquids for the rest of the day. The nurses just plain ignored me. The morning of December 6, 2001, I was "assigned" a nursing student as my "nurse". She gave me soap and warm water to get washed up, and said she would be back in a few minutes to help me get changed. I still had an IV, so I could not change my gown myself. Well, and hour and a half later the girl came back. I told her that I've been sitting there waiting for her to unhook my IV so that I could get out of my dirty gown (I had a drain, and my gown was bloody from the drain). She apologized and unhooked my IV. Dr. Artuso then came and told me I could probably go home that day. They wanted to make sure that I was holding down my liquids alright. He wanted my liquids increased to 3 ounces 3 times a day. I told him that they were not feeding me, and that the only "meal" I had was the previous morning. He stepped out, and within minutes I had apple juice delivered to me. The resident came by and checked me out and told me that there was no reason I couldn't go home, and that I just had to wait for the paperwork to be filled out. The physical therapist came by and we went for another walk. I told her that I had stairs in my house, so she took me to the stairs to see if I would be able to go up and down. I went up a flight and then back down. She said that I was doing great and did not need any professional assistance when I got home. I then called my husband to come and get me, and waited until I got the ok to leave. The first few days at home were hell. I was so sore, and it was hard to get in and out of bed. I felt sorry for myself, cried a few times, and wondered if I did the wrong thing. I felt sorry for myself. Especially when I was drinking my 3 ounces of juice. I then started feeling better. I went to Dr. Artuso's office for my first post-op visit. I had lost 19 lbs! I was thrilled! Dr. Artuso was very happy with my progress and told me that I was ahead of schedule. He also told me that I could incorporate some pureed foods into my diet. I was so happy! My second post-op visit showed that I had lost 33 lbs total. Dr. Artuso's office is always so busy and full of people waiting. You don't mind waiting for your appointment so much because everybody loves to talk about their surgeries. I always ask people how much they've lost and when they had their surgery. I ask people what they can eat and what they can't. And I share my information as well. I am so happy that I had this surgery. I am also very happy that I chose to use Dr. Artuso. He really is very nice, and, most importantly, a terrific surgeon! I would highly recommend him! The only thing that is unfortunate is he is affiliated with Westchester Medical Center. I am so disappointed with my hospital stay. I would never want to have to use that hospital again. It's a great hospital as far as procedures, but the bedside manner of their nurses is appalling.


After I had my surgery I did not get the proper post-op care. I had 5 (FIVE!!!) appointments cancelled on me. I saw the doctor twice within the first month after my surgery, and then not again for another two months. I finally got to see him 91 days after my surgery (I don't have to pay a co-pay to my insurance for the first 90 days post-op). I asked Liz to backdate my appointment for my insurance by one day, considering it was his office that was cancelling on me. Of course, she didn't do it. I then scheduled another appointment for May 1st (this was the beginning of March). I received a call one week before my appointment and was advised by Liz that Dr. Artuso no longer was affiliated with that office. The only reason they called me was to see if I wanted to see another doctor. When I asked her for Dr. Artuso's new telephone number she gave it to me and then abruptly hung up on my. Needless to say, they only just received my co-pay from my last appointment (March) a couple of weeks ago (September). I then called Dr. Artuso's new office and was greeted by a nasty receptionist. When I explained to her that I was a patient from his old office, she abruptly told me that I obviously had to make a new appointment, since the old date was no good (DUH!!). When I inquired about getting an appointment, possibly the latest appointment in the day that they can book, I was told that he had no openings - ever - for late in the afternoon. I have never in my life been told that. I was also informed that he no longer accepts insurance (or at least not mine) because he did not make enough money. I asked the receptionist a few questions, and then she abruptly hung up on me. I then wrote Dr. Artuso a letter, and mailed it with "personal and confidential" typed on the outside. Needless to say I have never heard back from him. He did a wonderful surgery, but other than that his office practice stinks. His office is totally unprofessional. I now hear him on the radio doing ads for his weight loss clinic. I am so disappointed with the way I was treated. I really liked him a lot, but his staff had total disregard for me and my feelings.

Having been here to read testimonials for months before I saw Dr. Artuso, I had already hoped he was the surgeon for me. After I met him for my first consultation I was even more certain that I had the very best surgeon for my needs. My first impression of him was great. He was not only patient and kind but compassionate and ultra knowledgeable. He never rushed me in that initial appointment and was happy to answer all my questions. I left his office feeling like I was ten feet tall and bulletproof. I was not only going to have the surgery, my confidence in my choice of surgeon was skyrocketing.

Add to my fantastic impressions of Dr. A, he absolutely bent over backwards to work with us and my sub-par insurance company. We went from being told "NO WAY!" to him working his magic and having a surprise call from said insurance company saying they had an authorization number for us!

Dr. A's office staff really did work with us, although I must admit that Lisa comes across as a bit curt and uppity. Often times I felt like my calls to the office were a great inconvenience to her and she sounded like she couldn't get rid of me soon enough. She has also been mildly snotty on a couple of my office visits. Although, to her credit I will say that she did take note that my mother died shortly after my surgery and did offer her condolences when I last visited the office. I do appreciate that.

Dr. Artuso offers a monthly support group with guest speakers that I am anxious to attend. He is just as caring and concerned with my aftercare as he was during the pre-operative weeks. He even let me have my second post-operative appointment via phone because I had to go to Oregon a mere seven days after my surgery was complete. It was in Oregon where I was three weeks post-op when I sat by my mother's side, said my goodbyes and watched her slip away. Dr. Artuso was so terribly kind and caring about all of it, our phone appointment went very well and his compassion for my ordeal was genuine.

Since my return to NY I have seen Dr. Artuso once. It was so nice to see his smiling face and to feel how positive he was about my progress thus far.

Overall, I give him a bright and shiny five stars. He performed my RNY bypass (lap) without any problems at all and was very attentive and professional while I recovered at Dobbs Ferry hospital. He came to my room two to three times daily and stayed as long as necessary to answer my questions and lessen my fears.

So when asked here: "Which is better, surgical competence, bedside manner, or both great?" I say that surgical competence is key, of course, but to possess all three attributes such as Dr. Artuso does is a true gift. A gift I won't soon stop being grateful for.

Dr. Artuso is the kindest man. I didn't know much about him when I first was referred to his office by a relative. He called me at home on a Friday night and explained everything I ever wanted to know about the surgery! He made me feel so comfortable with him and took alot of the nervousness away!

I had my appointment with Dr. Artuso today and all in all it went very well. It didn't take as long as I anticipated...I was actually in at 2pm...filled out paperwork...and as soon as I was done with the paperwork I was called in to see Dr. Artuso. I spent about an hour with him...and he was pleasant. He explained everything to me including the benefits and risks of the surgery. Liz, his secretary...was very pleasant to deal with in person...as she was when I initially called in over the phone. I think Dr. Artuso was comfortable in knowing that I had researched all about the surgery and pretty much knew everything he was talking about ahead of time....which made the appointment move that much quicker for us both. Overall...I am very comfortable with him as my surgeon...and I am happy with my selection. The only negative part about my visit today had NOTHING to do with the doctor....it is the hospital and location of his office. Trying to park is CRAZY...it took me 30 minutes to get a spot!!!...and to top it off they charge you to park....so be prepared and have at least $5 cash or more with you if you go to this location. (Westchester County Medical Center in Valhalla). Otherwise...all possitives for the doctor and his staff so far!
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UPDATE: 4/15/02...I saw Dr Artuso in his NEW office in Dobbs Ferry. Very impressed with the new office so far. Things are going well....they are helping me deal with all of the recent insurance headaches...and I am just glad I can continue seeing Dr. Artuso right now. I didn't want to start all over with someone new.
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UPDATE: 5/7/02...I received a phone call from Dr. Artuso's office staff...and I have to say they are such a great bunch of people to work with. I got my surgery date moved up to May 30th. I really trust Dr Artuso no matter where he performs my surgery. His new office number is 914-693-0055....Lisa and Rita are wonderful to work with.
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UPDATE: 9/12/02: It has been 14 weeks since surgery and I am just amazed at the results. I felt that Dr Artuso literally saved my life with his talents as a surgeon. His bedside manner is what all doctors should practice. He takes time to listen to concerns, problems or cares...and follows up with you with any problems/concerns. I am completely HAPPY with my decision to use him as my surgeon.
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Update: 4/11/03: I just have to add how much I truly "love" this man....Dr Artuso is the sweetest person you will ever meet. He worries about his patients and really shows he cares. Do you know that he called me the day after I had my plastic surgery last week?? I was in a hospital over 1 hour away from him, and he still took the time to find out where I was, and give me a call to see how I made out with my Tummy Tuck!! He didn't have to do that....it had nothing to do with his WLS procedure...yet he still took the time out of his day to call me in the hospital and see how I was! Now that is a caring and "real" surgeon and person! I was truly shocked to hear his voice on the phone...and VERY touched by his concern for me! I have said this many times...and will say it again...Dr A is the most down to earth, sincere, compassionate and "real" surgeon you will ever come across. His care for you before, during and after surgery surpasses any other I have seen. That is why it shocks me to read the very "few" negative comments about him some people left on this site. I have NEVER had a bad experience with him....he has ALWAYS been very caring when dealing with me and close friends of mine that are patients of his. He saved my life...I owe him my life...and I do honestly love the man! He is the best!!

I think Dr. Artuso is wonderfull
He takes his time with you, Doesnot rush
and he lets you ask as many questions as possible.I have been researching the surgery for about 7 months and was still so unsure.
After meeting Dr.Artuso I know I am making the right choice.

My impression of Dr Artuso is good
He was very informative and honest about the surgery. He felt that the band was a good choice. But in the end he is leaving the choice up to me Band versus bypass
His office staff was professional
I really cant tell how helpful
they will be when it comes to working
with my insurance company.
The wait to see the docotor was about 1/2 hr. The office is light and comfortable
I really cant say much more. I think
that the most important thing to look for in a doctor is his competance as a surgeon training skill and practice. I really cant judge these yet. But I have read some of his patients post and they have said good things about him

I first met Dr Artuso on Feb 7, 2003, and i want to say what a wonderful man he was. he took the time to review my history and took the time to go over the operation and all the information needed for after the surgery. he was very pleasent, and i am glad that i picked him as my doctor. the office staff was more then helpful. becasue i am coming from canada they helped us with hotel stays, and we always kept in contact with them and they are just wonderful people, all the people in the office.

My first impression of Dr Artuso is consistent with what I still feel. He's very knowledgable about this surgery and explains it in an easy manner.
I was very impressed with the time he spent with me, and I brought my sister along with me to pick up anything I missed, and he spoke to her as if we were both potential patients.
As far as his office staff, I'd like to say that Rita has been very helpful. She takes care of getting in touch with your insurance, and I'm not sure what her other responsibilities are, but I've asked for her everytime I've called. She seems understanding of patients and their sometime "lack" of patience!
I've called and "bugged" her quite a few times.....but I can always tell she's smiling over the phone, and that's hard to do when dealing with sometimes several different attitudes.
I'm sure I'll have more to say post op. But even before hopping on that slab??? Dr Artuso's office has been a blessing already!

My first impression of him was calming. which to say the least is hard to accomplish. My impressions only improved over time. His secretary Liz was wonderful, always remembered me as if we were friends for years. That he no longer takes my insurance. I would recommend him for any WLS or any surgery for that matter. He is big on follow up.His aftercare is very structured and still concerned. He was very blunt and to the point. Answered any questions that i had written down. I love him and trust him and miss having him as my surgeon. He is an A+++++
His bedside manner is second to none, and his surgical competence is right there with his bedside manner.