Anthony Dibenedetto Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

Went to the informational meeting with Dr DiBenedetto on April 29th, 2004. My first impression of him after the meeting was a good one. Dr DiBenedetto is a very knowledgable guy towards obesity and cares about the well being of his patients and is very empathetic with us. Hes new to the Bariatric surgery but wants the best Bariatric program around, so is working towards his best. He did state that before he will even opertate on you he wants you to lose 20 to 30lbs. After the consult and if you are a good candiate you have to meet with a nutritionist and a psychiatrist. At the information meeting he stated he had done 10 of the surgeries and all went well. I called on April 30th and made an appointment to consult with Dr DiBenedetto. I had my Consult and met with a nutritionist and psychiatrist then the letter was sent to the insurance company and I was approved in less than 2 weeks and then I made a date for 10/04/04. Dr. D does let you know every office visit of the risks so that your aware. His office staff has been very pleasent with me. I have no complaints about Dr DiBenedetto. He was in to see me every day after the surgery anywhere form 1-3 times a day, plus his assistants would also stop in to see me. If the nurses had any questions at the hospital they could always get ahold of him. I have no complaints with Dr. DiBenedetto and personally feel that I could not have asked for a better Doctor. He has a very structured before and after program. Thanks Dr. DiBenedetto!!!!!!!

First question he asked was are you sure you want to do this.I said yes ,he said ok lets get started.
I feel he is really concerned for you . He is always caring in how he talks to you and your concerns. his office staff has been great to me. He is stern he lets you know the risks . He doesn't sugar coat things. He wants all Patients to loose 20 to 30 Pounds.He has an after care program.The risks are told every visit so you are well aware. He tells you if you have any reservations about having the surgery don't have it it is a life change.He also tells his office staff to be on the watch for Patients questioning if they should go Through with it.I rate him as good my surgery is dec 13 I will let you know more then .I want surgical competence and bedside manner. I don't believe he will be real great on the bedside manner time will tell. These are my views.GLORIA

I am a medical transcriptionist and have worked in the area hospitals for years. I have actually done Dr. DiBenedetto's dictation many times in the past and have encountered in him the halls, etc at the hospitals. My first one-on-one/in person was at the informational meeting on September 23, 2004 and I found him to be incredibly knowledgable and passionate about WLS. As I have read in posts by others, Dr. DiBenedetto doesn't play mind games or beat around the bush. He is very open, up front and blatently honest about all he says. He WILL tell you how it is - which I think is the best way to be. No one wants to hear half-truths or hear information that is sugar-coated to make you feel better in this process! I met his office staff on November 4, 2004 and was delighted and pleased with them as well. I had also met Theresa, Dr. DiBenedetto's wife (who heads up the support team) during the informational seminar and saw her again at my first office visit. Dr. DiBenedetto is commited to before-care, after-care and followup care at least one year following surgery. He wants to structure the very best WLS program possible. He adds that Lockport Memorial Hospital has a special Bariatric Wing - A special Bariatric Team caring ONLY for WLS patients as well as large-sized beds, gowns and chairs for the comfort and ease of his patients. Again, Dr. DiBenedetto is very honest about the risks, possible complications and the need for strict dedication on the patient's part before, during and after this procedure - or he won't do it - plain and simple! He requires his patients to lose between 20 and 30 pounds prior to surgery. Dr. DiBenedetto's exact words on this subject to me were " You owe me 30 pounds - you take it off and I will keep it off....I am going to make that scale your friend." I rate Dr. DiBenedetto a 10 at this point.....I don't expect my feelings to change during this process. I have been to my sleep study and C-PAP titration already (Yes, I tested positive for sleep apnea! ARGGGH!) I have also seen my PCP, Dr. David Bell, and gotten a letter from him. I am scheduled to see Dr. Mark Varallo for my psychiatric consult on 12/14/04, Dawn Copperthite, the Nutritionist on 12/15/04 and then back to Dr. DiBenedetto on 12/16/04 - Gonna be a busy week! I am told that as soon as each has provided their letter of necessity to Dr. DiBenedetto, they will be sent to BCBS/Traditional Blue for approval (which he says takes between 5 days to 6 weeks - but usually before 2 weeks!!) Once this happens.....I get a date!!!! Very excited!!

I have known Dr. DB (Dr Dibenedetto) for about 5 years now...he is extremely brilliant...a tremendously caring person who always puts his patients first...he cares about you as a complete person...physically, emotionally and mentally. Three years ago he saved my life...I would HIGHLY recommend him to any one who is need of surgery.

He also has a dedicated and very supportive 'team' that supports you and walks with you through the whole journey...his staff is very helpful, informative and supportive.

He has a complete before and after care program...after researching this type of surgery on-line, I realized that Dr. DB has the most complete and supportive program out there.

Basically...I would trust him completely with my life!

I had my first informational meeting with Dr. DiBenedetto September 23, 2004. He was very informative. He had 2 patients that he performed surgery on at the meeting so that anyone who had questions about what to expect after surgery, you could ask them.My first consultation was Oct. 26, I talked to the Physician Assistant first and we went over my medcial history and she did a examination before I meet with Dr D. I was very comfortable with talking with him and going over my concerns and he was very straight forward and to the point, which I like.His staff was very pleasant and helpful, before I left they made an appointment for me for a sleep study and gave me the numbers to make the appointments to see a nutrition therapist and psycologist. Which I was able to have all appointments in November.Dr D. wants his patients to lose 20 to 30 lbs and he gave me confidence that he knew I would lose weight before my next appt. the end of Nov.He also gave me a letter guide to give to my primary physician so that all the information that the insurance company needed for approval would be included to make sure that the process would go smoothly. I have Community Blue and he said the longest it took for approval from them was 3 days. I decided to have me surgery done By Dr.D because of his program. He has a Bariatric Team that follow you through the entire process from day one.

I liked him and felt comfortable at the informational meeting. My opinion of him really hasnt changed. The office staff is very nice, but they did seem to lose my paper work one time to many. That was upsetting to have to wait while it was tracked down. I really dont not like anything about him.They have a good after care program, they have started a support group for his patients.They address the risk of surgery very well, you have no doubts at all of what your getting into!He is very good,but he expects you to do your part. Which is a good thing, you need to be commited to this!

Dr. DiBenedetto first struck me as very serious, possibly leaning towards aarogant.
Over time, I began to realize that yes, he is serious and good at what he does- but his heart is in the right place. He has an understanding of obesity and takes a very empathetic approach. He believes in this surgery as a life saver.
His office staff is very nice.
What I like least about him is that he can be somewhat curt in his bedside manner, but he is very professional.
Future patients should know that he will no longer perform surgery without a 20 pound weight loss proir.
The practice is very aftercare oriented, and have set up support groups and the office staff are available by phone and will immediately ask the Dr. about any questions and promptly return the calls if needed.
Dr. D. definitely addresses the risks, and provides a three hour course with teh nurse before the surgery to re-emphasize the risks.
Overall, he is very good- highly recommended.

I think a surgeon with competence is much better than having bedside manner alone, but having both is great. Dr. D., like I said, can be curt, but also is very available to his patients and it is easy to tell that he cares a lot about thier wellbeing.




Update: I have had to call a few times with some pain issues, low iron, and hair loss. I have to say that I am very pleased with the follow up. Each time I have spoken with Dr. D. personally and he has given me tips and info. needed. I have had scripts mailed to me, very convienent. I feel very comfortable calling, and never hesitate to call with an issue. Kudos to Dr. D. and his office staff.

I wasn't sure if I would qualify for the surgery, so I went to an informational meeting with Dr D. To my delight, I do and have been to the doctors office alot. I've been approved for surgery by my insurance - only after sending in the request 1 time. My insurance never asked for any additional info. So far, the staff is wonderful - very polite and answers all my questions with no doubt.

I met Dr. Di Benedetto on March 4 at an informational meeting. I was very impressed with him. I had my consult with Dr. Di Benedetto on March 30 and feel even more sure that I have made the right decision in picking him to do my surgery. The staff was all very friendly. I felt very comfortable with everyone I came in contact with while there.
Since the informational meeting the doctor has made some changes to improve the program. He is now asking that patients lose between 20-30 pounds and is working on setting up an exercise program for pre-ops to build up muscle mass. The aftercare program is a structured one from what I know so far. I feel very confident in Dr. Di Benedetto and his staff. He was honest about the fact that Independent Health has not approved him yet to do Bariatric surgery which I appreciated. He said we could get the ball rolling and hopefully they will have approved him by the time I get everything else done.