Aviv Ben-Meir Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

My first impression of Dr Ben-Meir was that he was (is) very confident but thats a good thing, he is a very skilled surgeon who takes pride in his work and record. He went over his stats compared to the national stats, which is very impressive and explained that since he does take pride in his work he has very little complications if at all. He explains everything so that you can understand what the surgery entails before, during and after and also the risks involved both minor and major ones. I feel that I made the best choice when I decided to go to CCBS, even though I didnt get to choose my surgeon, im very confident in the choice that was given to me ..

Dr. Ben-Meir is very intelligent, young and pleasant to talk with. He explained away my fear of anethesiology. He has a very high success rate. I feel very confident in his talents.

The staff are very down to earth. People just like me. Nice, funny, and helpful.

They have 4 pre-surgery classes. Pre- admission testing day is also an eduction day.

I get to have a single room.

I am having laproscopic so I will walk 2 times after surgery the first day. Dr. Ben-Meir does not want me to eat beef for 6 monthes.

I give him an A+ today. Grades will be out again after my surgery!

I will let you know about his bedside manner after the surgery!

Dr. Ben-Meir is an extremely skilled surgeon, specializing in laproscopic RNY. My first impression was that he's a little arrogant, but in a positive way -- I want a surgeon that's confident, and proud of his record, and he very much is. He's got a great record -- the St. Vincent's program has many fewer complications and morbidities than the national average, and his is much less than the St. Vincent's average. His bedside manner is wonderful -- he's gentle, compassionate, friendly and not above cracking a joke or two. He's very focused on making sure you understand what you are getting in to, the risks, and the lifelong commitment you are making by getting bariatric surgery.

The office staff of Cleveland Center for Bariatric Surgery is a little overworked and harassed, but still fairly friendly and helpful. When I'd call to follow up on something, they'd sometimes be a little short, but I really think it was how busy they are. Their process is set up to see people in groups -- something that they don't explain when you make your first appointment, so it takes you unaware when you are there HOURS for just a surgical consult. Plan a half day and take a book whenever you need to go in.

Aftercare and changing habits for life is strongly emphasized in the practice, and there are support groups and nursing and nutrition hotlines to help you make these changes.

Dr. Ben-Meir gets an A++ in my book!

My first impression of Dr. Ben-Meir was very good! he answered all my questions and did't make you feel rushed at all. I felt like if I needed to be there all day and ask questions that it was totally okay with him. He went over everything in detail, told me all the risks involved, told me what his stats were against the national stats. The office staff at svch is very helpful and supportive they have called me on occasion to see where I'm at in the process to getting approved and offer help if they can.

Dr Ben-Meir is a compassionate, knowledgeable doctor. He made sure I fully understood the procedure on my first visit. He has kept close tabs on my weight loss since it was so rapid. He spends as much time as I need answering questions. The entire St. Vincent bariatric team is SUPER! They provide before and after seminars to make sure we all have success. They really encourage us to participate. Everyone in the office is there for US! I feel Dr. Ben-Meir was wonderful. I'm so grateful for his expertise in the RNY lap procedure.

My first impression of Dr. Ben-Meir is that he is a very busy person. I also liked the fact that he went to Case Western for undergrad and through Medical school. When I went to his office for the first time, he was very upfront about the procedure and risks involved. His staff is excellent. I mainly talked to Jill in his office. Even when I was complaining about all the hoops I had to go through with the insurance company, Jill listened and if I left messages, she called back the same day.
The only thing I liked least about this experience is having to see so many doctors and specialists before surgery. I know this may be a precaution with elective surgeries, but I really didn't like having to see so many people.
I had surgery on July 14, 2005. Dr. Ben-Meir came in to see me before surgery and then afterwards he came by to see how I was doing. The nurse told me that he was not going to be there before I left to go home because he had office calls, but he was there before I left to make sure I called if there were any problems, and to make sure I was ok to leave.
I really like Dr. Ben-Meir and would highly recommend him and his staff. St. Vincent's Charity Hospital also has a great bariatric unit and the nurses are excellent.

Dr. Ben-Meir is an excellent surgeon. I liked him right off the bat. I knew he was extremely qualified and felt very comfortable with him performing my surgery. The staff at St . Vincent's is excellent. Everyone that I dealt with in the office and in the hospital was caring and professional. St. V's has a terrific program from pre- surgery to post-op. I knew the risks going into this. Dr. Ben-Meir has a very low complication rate, which was one of the reasons I chose him in the first place. 1-10, I would rate Dr. Ben-Meir a 10!

Dr. Ben-Meir was/is a very excellent surgeon. He makes you aware of every aspect of this type of surgery. I did a background check on Him (yes, I paid for it because I wanted to know EVERYTHING about him). He told me about the risk, what meds I would have to stop taking. He did an examination to check my abdomen, palpitated my liver (I'm sure to check it's size), He looked @ my c-section scar & said I would be able to go "Lap", He told me I would have to quit smoking (3 mos. prior to surgery). Best thing I did (as of 12-10-04, I am 1 year no smoking Wha HOOOO! ( I started smoking for the 1st time when I was 41. Dr. Ben-Meir is very "matter of fact". If he tells you something it would be in your (the patient's) best interest to listen to him. He is very picky, which is fine w/me. His patient's are told not to eat beef for 6 months after surgery. Why? Because he said (no, really beef is hard to digest & I can see how one might choke on beef. Also, I had to stay in the hospital an extra day because my temp was up a little (I think it was 99 something). It would be in my best interest to stay another day. I did not have a problem with his orders. From the 1st time I had my consult 11-19-03, to my surgery on 6-25-04, & admitted back into the hospital on 8-28 to 8-30-04 (ulcer), Dr. Ben-Meir remain the same. (I believe he is a perfectionist which is a GOOD THING!) This is said from another perfectionist (me!) The office... let us just say... is a zoo! LaTonya Riley on the other hand, knows her job. I give her the same grade of 100% as I give Dr. Ben-Meir. I can not say there is anything I did not like about Dr. Ben-Meir. His outer office is the only negative thing I would like to see a lot of improvement. I understand that there is few of them compared to patients, but they should have seen that coming. With the aftercare program, meeting w/nutritionist, their transitions program for post/op & readiness for pre/op patients. Sometimes the outer office can be quite snappy or short fused.
Dr. Ben-Meir had an excellent bed side manner with me, his competence far exceeds
his age (he must have been a 4.0 student in
medical school). He knows his business. I would not have gone anywhere else to have my surgery. The doctors at St. Vincent Charity Hospital are a (*****) 5-star group of doctors. I have already sent 2 people to them. Now people for the Oscar Award on the best hospital for Gastric bypass in NorthEast Ohio goes to ..... Drs. Schreiber, Sonpal, Patterson, & Ben-Meir. This is my story & I am sticking to it & with St. Vincent Charity Hospital
Thank you Dr. "B"

Dr. Ben-Meir was great. Very friendly. He made sure that all my questions were answered and that I thoroughly understood the implications and complications of the surgery. I would highly recommend him. The program at St. Vincent Charity Hospital in Cleveland is the best. They have a great after care program as well as many informational meetings prior to surgery, during your hospital stay and in transition. I would rate Dr. Ben-Meir a 10 on a scale of 1-10.

My first impression of the Dr. Ben-Meir was that he looked nervous. After speaking w/him he explained to me that he was good at what he does and comfortable.His staff was very pleasant and even called my supervisor to let him know I will be a little late. I liked everything about him and his staff. Future patients should know when looking at him don't get nervous because he's a kind man. He explained the risk of the surgery very well and I understood very clear. I havent had my surgery yet but at the time I will rate him and his staff as a high 9 I wouldnt give him and 10 because he ws running behind schedule but overall very well pleased!!!!!!!!!