The Surgical Specialists of Louisiana Bariatric Center

When I first met Dr. French, he displayed the utmost professionalism and he had excellent bedside manner. My impression of him never wavered over the course of our Doctor/Patient relationship.

The office staff was wonderful and very helpful. They answered my questions in such a way that anyone would understand.

I would recommend Dr. French and the Surgical Specialists group to anyone considering the bariatric surgery.

Dr Lavin is great.
He was very understanding and really wants to help his patients. His office staff is very friendly and understanding and some of them have had the surgery too.
I would recomond Dr. Lavin to anyone who was thinking about having the bypass or the lap band.

He seems very confident and answers all my questions very clearly. I like the straight forward approach.

The office staff is VERY good. They are always able to deal with any problem.

My first impression was one of complete faith. He did seem to be in a hurry on our first visit, but that did not change my mind about him. I knew of tw people that had surgery and recommended him completely.

I did not see Dr. Thomas before my surgery. I was on the table and everyone was laughing about him not being there yet. At 0730, I heard someone say, "He is here. Let's go." I don't remember anything else except waking up in recovery feeling fantastic. I did not see Dr. Thomas or anyone from his office until the next day, late in the afternoon. My family was quite upset. Being a nurse, I know how busy physicians can get, but I do think he could have had someone see me in the hospital.

The people in his office were fantastic. Anytime I had a question, all I had to do was call. Chris Nelson, NP was very helpful.

Thus far, I have no complications. I can only say that if I had it to do over again, I would have Dr. Thomas do it, however if someone is looking for a physician with a bedside manner, he is not the one. I am a nurse, so I understand, but others may not.

Dr. Thomas and Chris have both stressed the importance of after care and following the rules to the "T".

I knew of all of the risks since I had checked into this for quite sometime, however Dr. Thomas and also my primary physician emphasized all of the risks.

Overall I would rate Dr. Thomas' surgical competence A++++++ and his bedside manner A. I do think that someone should see the patient the evening of the surgery and the morning after without fail.

As I stated, I would go back to him because thus far, I have had no complications.

I had a very good first impression of my surgeon. He allowed as much time as I needed to ask questions. He has a very professional manner. I have seen him now for 2 fillings. Each time I see him, he is very caring and ready to help me.
He has a nice staff. They are willing to answer all my questions at any time. It is obvious that they are very busy.
If you plan to use Dr. Lavin, be assured they will prepare you adequently for your surgery. There were no surprises for me.
He really emphasizes exercise, support groups and how you eat.
I was told about all the risks that were involved with this surgery in a positive way.
I would rate him from 1 to 10 as a 10!
The only unpleasant experience for me was my post op visit (1month). The Dr.'s assistant saw me. It was an unpleasant experience. I now ask for Dr. Lavin and I always get to see him.

My first impression of Dr Lavin was that he was the most successful obesity surgeon in the region. After meeting with him and his staff, I found a comprehensive program with an outstanding support group. Dr Lavin and I discused the different options of surgery and the history of all of my other surgerys. We concluded that the Laproscopic RNY Gastric Bypass was the best procedure for me. The office appointments are sometimes long and waiting to see Dr Lavin can be time consuming as he sees patients in between performing surgery's. The office on St Charles is usually crowded and conversations with helpful tips are frequently offered among guests in the waiting room. I wanted someone who wasn't going to rush me and actually spend time explaining all the scenarios. Dr Lavin takes the time to ensure your understanding of the procedure, potential risks, course of action and follow-up. Dr Lavin emphasizes exercise, protein supplement meals, vitamin/nutrients post op. They have become my mainstay. I would rate him overall Superior. I would also rate Touro Infirmary as Superior. His surgical competency and bedside manner are AWESOME. His staff is available to me 24 hours a day/7 days a week. As for the process, I started this road in July thinking that getting approval from my insurance would be a breeze since I knew they covered the surgery. This did not happen. Dr Lavin wants you in your best optimum health and puts you on vitamin supplements immediately and on a diet. I lost 8 lbs preop. Going through the process was somewhat frustrating since he requires a sleep study, psychological evaluation, history and endorsement from your general physician. It roughly takes about 4 months to go through this process. And everyone charges you for these documents. His staff will not schedule you for surgery until the insurance company authorizes the surgery. So not having a surgery date to look forward to was frustrating. Finally, it all came together and my surgery was on Nov 15th. Since that date I have lost 39 lbs and feel great. I am following up with monthly support group meetings and tri-monthly with Dr Lavin. I had no complications with the surgery.

I was very impressed with Dr. Lavin from the first time I met him at the seminar. He was so real. He talked about how he understood the struggle with weight and even shared some personal things about himself. He was not in a hurry and answered each and every question honestly and thoroughly. At my consultation, I was very happy with his office staff and the care I was given. Dr. Lavin treated me very respectfully and had a great bedside manner. He let me decide which WLS I wanted. Although he does many types, he didn't try to influence my decision at all. He didn't rush me or hurry me out. My only complaint was that I was there for several hours and most of that time was spent waiting in the waiting area. Even though I've looked at other doctors because I am self-pay I keep coming back to Dr. Lavin because of his reputation and my comfort level with him and his staff.

After attending a few seminars in my area, I chose Dr. Lavin as my attending surgeon. He was the best choice for me. He was very friendly, understanding and possessed that self confidence which, I need in a surgeon. Being in the healthcare profession, I shopped very carefully for my surgeon. I chose to go out-of-network with Dr. Lavin which, meant that I had to accept reduced benefits. However, I have no regrets thus far. The office staff is extremely busy but most friendly and helpful. If I had to pick a least favorite quality, I would have to say that waiting for to see him in the office is often time consuming and can be inconvenient for my tight schedule. Future patients should know that he as well as his staff are always willing to go the extra mile to meet the patients needs/requests. He certainly is very talented and knowledgeable at what he does. The entire office is very upfront with the course of post-op care and invite any questions/concerns. The aftercare program is structured consisting of support groups and informational seminars. Dr. Lavin was very open about discussing the risks of the procedures he performs. He also took the time to address possible prognosis as well as additional procedures warranted to handle various complications, which could arise. He definitely gets a 10/10 in my book. While I certainly think that there needs to be a balance between competence and bedside manner, I think surgical competence is more important to me! In fact, I did not see Dr. Lavin while I was an inpatient (post-op). I saw one of his associates who, was equally as knowledgeable and most compassionate and understanding. The team is great!!!

Dr. Thomas and his staff are very caring and dedicated people trying to help us out any way possible. They inform you from the start all complications and risks of the surgery. They have a planned aftercare program to give you all the tools and care you need to get 100 percent out of this drastic step. Dr. Thomas in my opinion is a excellent surgeon. I did't get to see him much to rate his bedside manner. I met him once before surgery for the pre op visit and once day of discharge. He came in said everthing was good and I could go home. It was fast but I already had all the info and it was New Year's Eve, so I guess I forgive him. I would recommend him in a heartbeat. They also have a wonderful insurance advocate named Danielle working for them. She will help you all she possibly can.

I'm reserving my judgment until after the surgery.