David Oliak Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

My first impression was that he was so young. But I liked the way he presented himself, he was confident and not cocky, he is very knowledgeable in the Bariatric field, but what I liked most was how fascinated and intrigued he was by what fat did to the body and how overweight people were treated. I liked him, he has a sense of humor and seems geniunely interested in his patients. I feel very confident in his abilities. The office staff was hard to get ahold of at times. I became very annoyed on several occasions by their lack of response. And when I was able to get ahold of them, they seemed hurried and not very empathetic. This was only one or two particular people. I also felt I waited longer than necessary for my pre-op work and was given inaccurate information on the pre-registration process and wasted time and energy following their incorrect instructions. The surgical and dietary information I received was very thorough, detailed and structured. I feel surgical competence is better than bedside manner, but of course both would be ideal. Dr. Oliak is very personable and skilled. I highly recommend him. He was who I had chosen after deciding not to go with another doctor, that only performed Open, distal GB.
These comments are based on my personal impressions of my own personal experience and I am making no statements about what other people may experience.

For those of you looking for a Doctor I would highly recommend Dr. Oliak. He is absolutely professional and knows what he is doing, and the office staff at Coastal couldnt be better! They made my overall expreriance go from a scary uncertain experience to one of the best things i could have ever done in my life. Alot of the office staff at Coastal has had the surgery and they are so helpful and have alot of answers for the unweary.

Dr. Oliak is my surgeon, he is based out of Orange County CA. I met with him for the first time today and he was absolutely wonderful. I HIGHLY recommend him. He was very patient with me and spent about an hour going over my history, explaining everything that I would encounter and hopefully not encounter, and making sure that all of my questions were answered. His bedside manner was excellent and he took his time with explaining everything in detail. He made sure that my medical history was covered thoroughly and that I have had all of my pre-op clearances. I have done extensive research and came in with a long list of questions. He was very helpful with making me feel confident that this was the right thing to do. He did not sugar coat anything and he shared all the pros and cons of having the surgery. He did not try to sway me one way or the other but presented the facts. He is very confident in his surgical abilities and so am I.

The staff at Coastal has been wonderful through the whole process. I have been stressed and anxious about the surgery and preparation for it. They handled the whole process of having the insurance approve my surgery and the scheduling of the many pre-op appt. They have helped me through the extensive process step by step and have made it much less complicated. They have many staff members who have had the surgery and all know first hand what it is we are going through as patients. Coastal has two different support groups in the area and have a large number of post-op patients in attendance who are very helpful and supportive of the “newbies.”

All in all my experience with the surgeon and his staff has been excellent. I know how important it is to find a good surgeon that you are comfortable with. I would recommend Dr. Oliak to anyone considering this surgery. But please do not take my word for it, his disposition, bedside manner and track record speaks for itself.

If you would like to know any additional information about my experiences with Dr. Oliak and his staff please feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]

My first impression of Dr. Oliak was that he looked so young. That was not necessarily a negative thing. As he spoke to us, I realized that he is an experienced Doctor, and my confidence in him is complete.

The office staff at Coastal Center for Obesity is wonderful. Nancy does the insurance and really fights for approvals. The rest of the staff is compassionate and friendly. They take the time not only to make sure all the ducks are in a row, but to make sure the patients are calm and cared for.

Hes absolutely wonderful. Hes seems to be a caring person and very familiar with Bariatric Surgery. I know I am in good hands.

11/26/02 TriCare has referred me to Dr. Orloff. I had a little problem getting an appointment, his secratary seemed a little out of sorts over moving their offices. You must register with the UCSD Medical office before scheduling any appointments, and the receptionist there was very helpful and polite.

I won't be able to see Dr. Orloff until April, that's almost a five month wait just to have the initial consult. Can't say I'm happy about that, but at least I'm on my way.

12/04/02

I have has TriCare change my referal to Dr. Owens in Orange, Ca. His secratary said I could possibly have surgery as soon as January. I'd be darn happy with February! I'm going to attend the seminar on sat. the 7th. I'll update then.

12/18/02

Wow, I went to the seminar and met Dr. Owens and Dr. Oliak. I'm very comfortable with the change in Dr's and believe I'll have good medical care at Chapman. I've been approved and have been scheduled for my surgery on Monday the 23rd! I can't even begin to say how wonderful the staff at Coastal Bariatrics has been! Whne I told them my husband is only here in town until the 26th, they found an open date with Dr. Oliak and scheduled my tests in a snap! Thank so much!

Very nice young man who did not rush through the pre op visit but took time to answer the long list of questions I had. I've also contacted him several times after the surgery with minor problems and he called me back promptly.

He was very frank in discussing the risks of surgery and the possible future complications.

The Chapman Center for Obesity has a very comprehensive followup program and provides excellent nutritional guidance.

I would have no problem recommending him or Dr. Milton Owens to friends.

10/26 I attended the Saturday seminar. I was surprised all (3) surgeons and quite a few of the office staff attended. They took time and answered everyone's questions. The all seem genuine. I decided to try Dr. Owens after reading reviews on this website. Many said he lacked time and bedside manners but was very pleased with the surgery. That is the most important thing to me.
11/05 I'm approved, Yeah! Now waiting to schedule to see the surgeon and set a date.
11/19 Changed my mind. I'm going with Dr. Oliak in Dr. Owen's office. He seems to have more knowledge and experience in Laps.

I first met Dr. Oliak at Coastal Center for Obesity's Saturday semionar. I was very impressed. Even though he seems young, he seemed very competent. In as much as I need to have a Laproscopic proceedure, and that is his specialty he seems the logical choice.
I had been involved with a different surgeon at a different facility, and had my lap cancelled when he stopped doing lap proceedures.
I met Dr Oliak again yesterday, for my preop. Again, I felt confident that he is the one to start me on my journey to the other side.

Very Professional