The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana Bariatric Center

Dr Lavin is a wonderful doctor. His staff is just as fantastic. I had research the sugery and interviewed people who had had the surgery for 2 years prior to deciding to have it. Dr Lavin's office makes you attend a 3 hour course prior to surgery telling you exactly what to expect. It not only verified what i already had learned, but also gave me even more information. After surgery, I took another class (again required by them) that lasted 1 hour and was with a dietician. Very informative. Everyone in his office and in the Fairway Medical center were extremely nice and made sure I had everything I needed. I would definitely recommend Dr Lavin and his staff to anyone.

I've met Dr. Warden once at my first consult. I was pretty impressed by his ability to speak to me like a normal human. Don't get me wrong doctor's are great, I'm married to one, but sometimes that have a way of treating you like you're an idiot. Dr. Warden wasn't this way. He was very laid back and approachable. rnThe office staff was great. The nurse who assisted me was very nice and helpful. I was anxious and started asking her questions that I probably should have waited for the doctor to answer but she calmed my fears by answering the questions that were racing through my mind.

I loved Dr. Moore she was honest with me from the beginning. She and her office staff were helpful and very professional.

Dr. Warden is a wonderful surgeon. He makes you feel very comfortable with everything that he will do and what you can expect. At the time of my surgery, Dr. warden was in Ocean Springs, MS. The group I worked with still contact me after all this time to check up on me. I'm sure that is team now in Louisiana is just as wonderful.

I like Dr. Thomas. He is very direct and informative. The office staff is very helpful and friendly. They are chronically late! Accept it and give yourself and extra hour for everything. If you are looking for a touchy-feely, nurturing doctor, Doc Thomas is not your guy. I actually prefer his style, I don't care for someone patting me and calling me \"hon.\". Aftercare is emphasized by everyone in the office. The band is a tool to get you where you need to go, but I still have the majority of the work to do myself. We addressed all the risks of surgery and alternatives. I give Dr. Thomas a 10. All my parts seem to be in working order. I also give Chris, the PA, a 10+, she is fantastic. These are all my personal opinions and I would recommend Dr. Thomas and all the doctors in his group to anyone thinking of WLS.

He is very informative on WLS. I felt at ease with him and confident in his ablilites as a surgeon. His office staff are great. They are well informed on WLS and are able to answer any questions you may have concerning the surgeries. Aftercare is emphazied greatly and he has a wonderful aftercare program. I would rate him as excellent. His bedside manner and surgical competence are both great. I would recommend him to anyone thinking about WLS.

My research indicated he was the best in my area and is a national proctor. I met him at a seminar and was quite impressed. I've met with the nurse practitioner of his practice twice now. She is really great. My patient advocate is the best and everyone else I've spoken with is very helpful. rnrnI attended the pre-op education class, which I found very informative and thorough. They covered everything I could think of and I really had no questions afterward. They gave us some really great samples of many vitamins and protein drinks that we could use after surgery. rnrnI will be meeting with Dr. Lavin for discussion of my surgery and signing consents on October 12, 2006. I'll update after that.

Dr. Lavin has a very structured program with informational seminars, support groups, and follow-up care. Everyone in his office in Metairie and in Covington have been wonderful. They are nice and are genuinely concerned about your well-being. He also has patient advocates that can answer questions and will help to get your insurance coverage if this is a possibility. Risks are covered in the informational seminars as well as questions are anwered. There are usually post-op patients with rny and lap band there to answer questions as well. Dr. Lavin talked about risks again at pre-op appointment and his personal record for the most common complication, leaks. I think surgical competence is more important than bedside manner because that is where the surgical risk comes in. However, I found Dr. Lavin to have both, although patient's do not see Dr. Lavin very much as most of aftercare is handled by Nurse Practitioner Chris. While upset about this origninally, I can understand that this frees Dr. Lavin up for more surgeries and to keep the cost down, as 1 year follow-up is included in cost and I am a self-pay patient.

I was very impressed with Dr. French upon our first meeting. He is very knowledgeable and patient. He answered every question I had, and even some that I didn't know to ask. Dr. Matthew French has an outstanding reputation and bedside manner.The entire staff of Surgical Specialists of Louisiana are very accomodating and answer all questions in a friendly and timely fashion. I would recommend him and his staff to anyone. The before and after care programs are wonderful and quite informative. Because I was paying cash, I had my surgery in Slidell at Southern Surgical Hospital and I must say, the entire staff was so accomodating to me and my friend also, who stayed with me for the two night stay. Everyone was very professional and caring. Since bariatrics is a specialty at this hospital, I was treated like a queen! I highly recommend Dr. French and would not hesitate to recommend Southern Surgical Hospital to anyone whether it be a friend of family member.

First impression was one of competence and experience. He is relatively young but was trained when laproscopic surgery was becoming possible. His staff is great . They are with you everystep of the way with critical information and support. rn I had the lap band procedure and when I have needed to have it adjusted they are very accomodating. The nurses really pull for your success. rn They were very sure to inform patients of the risks. A psychological test was mandatory.rnI rate the entire experience A Plus