Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery Associates Bariatric Center

Dr. Higa was recommended to me by my pain management doctor. I took him a list of local bariatric surgeons and he crossed off every name except Dr. Higa and Dr. Boone. I started doing research about Dr. Higa and found that he is highly educated and has performed thousands of gastric by-pass operations. He also travels the world teaching other physicians how to perform LAP RNY. When I finally met Dr. Higa for my consultation, it was very obvious that he had actually READ my chart and knew about my back and neck injuries. I had to have only one extra test done before my paperwork was submitted to my insurance. I was approved for surgery within a week. My surgery was at the Fresno Heart Hospital which is like visiting a fancy hotel. I only had one nurse that was horrible. Dr. Higa came to see me before he left the hospital at midnight. Dr. Boone checked on me the next day, TWICE, and then released me on Sunday. I would highly recommend Dr. Higa or Dr. Boone for WLS.

My first impression is that he is all business.rnI did not have alot of contact with him. Saw him pre op appointment then right before the surgery. I never saw him after surgery just his partner Higa. The surgery has gone great. No complications and I am at the fourth week. I made it through alive so he did a good job.

This is probably the best surgeon there is for this procedure. I have read alot about Dr. Higa prior to surgery with all comments being very positive. And now I will add yet another positive comment about him, myself. rnHe has a great sense of humor, and I had complete trust in him prior to going into surgery. My father was very impressed with Dr. Higa also. He advised us fully of all the risks prior to surgery and after surgery ... he advised my dad that he had found what was called \"a mess\" going on inside of me, due to previous hernia surgery not being done correctly. He stated that while he was in there, he straightened everything out, and that things look great now. rnI would recommend Dr. Higa to anyone consider surgery, he is very competent and gave me so much peace each time he saw me. I have nothing but high praises for Dr. Higa!!!!!

I was impressed with Dr. Boone's manner the first moment I met him. He seemed very compassionate, I found that my first impression was not wrong.rnHis staff is very polite and helpful, very busy -- but they do their best to be helpful and thoughtful to the patients.rnrnWhat I liked most about Dr. Boone is that he takes the time to explain things to you. He talks to you like a person and not an object that is beneathe him. He answers any questions in terms that are easy to understand.rnrnAny future patients that are considering Dr. Boone, I would recommend him 100%.rnrnHe was very careful to emphasize how to care for myself after my surgery. He explained why, how and answered all my concerns and questions. He has a very structured aftercare program, I trust him to follow all his recommendations. I know he has my best interest in mind.rnrnDr. Boone advised me that there would be risks for me. I knew this as I did a lot of research. He told me he would take every care to minimize those risks. I feel that he kept his word. He did everything possible to keep me from risk and make me comfortable and heal faster.rnrnOverall, I think Dr. Boone is one of the most outstanding doctors I have ever met. He is caring, concerned and treats his patients with respect. I did experience bleeding after the surgery. I don't believe Dr. Boone did anything to cause this as he was very careful. It was just one of those things that happen sometimes. I called him with concerns about it and he called me back at home to check on me, not just once but two or three times. The bleeding didn't stop and I trusted him more than the doctors in my home town and I told him I would rather drive back to Fresno. When we got there I was surprised to find him standing behind me in the emergency room. He took care of everything to get me admitted quickly. I was very scared at this complication, but he put me at ease and took care of the problem quickly. A few days later I was back to feeling good and on my way home. Dr. Boone called me at home again and checked on how I was doing. I have only had one other doctor do that -- it makes me very confident that I chose the right doctor for my surgery. rnrnI think both surgical competence and bedside manner are very important. Competence is needed to have trust in your surgeon, the bedside manner makes recouperating much easier and relieves fears when the doctor takes the time to explain what is going to happen.rnrnI never had any fear going into the surgery itself. I trusted Dr. Boone that much. Later when I did have some fears, Dr. Boone was quick to put my mind at ease. So far everything he told me has been the truth. Dr. Boone excels in both competence and bedside manners -- that is something very rare in these days.rnrnBelieve me if there was anything negative to say about Dr. Boone -- I would say it. I honestly have not seen anything negative in his care or his attitude.

Dr. Boone is a kind, soft spoken person. I really like him. My meetings with him were informative and brief, probably because I didn't have many question as I had done lots of research. He really alleviated many of my fears. Surgery went great! No problems. What I really liked is that he gave me my prescriptions to fill at my pre-op appt. so I didn't have to do so after surgery. I think he is a very skilled surgeon who has an awesome bedside manner.

I had originally scheduled with Dr. KinterrnI have been scheduled for orientationrnDec.6, 2000 and first appointment is Jan. 11th. I was not impressed with Dr. Kinter. I am going to keep looking & researching. I am scheduled with Dr. Higa April 9, 2001 for my first appointment. I've heard he is the best. 4/9/01 I met with Dr. Higa and he seemed very nice and concerned about my health. His staff set-up appointments with a cardioligist, a pshycholigist & sleep tests. After all of the tests I was called to come back in for follow-up. 6/22/01 I again met with Dr. Higa at that time he informed me that I was a candidate for weight lost surgery. Yes! but I already knew that. Now, it is in his hands to get it going from here. I was so happy to think there may be a end to this soon. I hope it will not be long!rn

First impression: great, was very clear in relating info and answering questions, friendly and encouraging. His office staff was pleasant, but next time will take along reading material or work as waited one hour past my appointment time to be seen. UPDATE: Dr. Higa moved offices as of January, 2006. The staff is much easier to contact, and returns calls promptly, and I only waited about 5 minutes for my appointment (which was good because the magazines were mostly for guys - mostly sports but not any I was interested in, like Bicycling). As usual, Dr. Higa was great, very supportive and understanding, and took the time to completely answer any questions. Dr. Huga has a new website, alsamg.com

'he seems pretty cool turns out is the best on the west coast

'I first saw Dr. Ho which she is an Awesome lady

'My surgeon was recommended to me by 2 other friends who had wls by him and said he was very good. I have to agree with them. He was very informitive at his seminar which I attended on a cold night in February '06. There must have been 200 people there! I had to turn in a copy of my insurance