Elliot Goodman Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

My impression of Doctor Goodman is that he is very nice and he dosent put you through the ringer like other Doc's do. He listened to me and I learned alot. He is very understanding and we had a good laugh together at the end of our meeting. I would recommend him to anyone. He's great.

PROS:
I had done my homework, surfing www.ObesityHelp.com day and night for months.
I was on a quest to find the best surgeon for my needs. His office staff was nice enough.
He called me personally after I filled out an initial email inquirery. He took the time and answered my most pressing questions over the phone. I made an appointment and met with him a few weeks later. His staff was fast and efficient in requesting approval for my RNY.
Thanks Dr Goodman. ;)

11/2001
I drove more than 150 miles from my home, stayed overnight at a hotel the night before my surgery with my husband and 2 children in tow, AND I went out of my insurance network for his services, that's how impressed I was with Dr Goodman.
Now almost 5 years later, he emails me back very quickly when I have a question or a concern.

I wasn't looking for warm and fuzzy, at this point I had interviewed (9) WLS surgeons. The fact that he was friendly and made me feel comfortable was bonus. I had met with surgeons from The Hospital of the University Of Pennsylvania, Cooper Hospital in Camden and every bariatric surgeon I could find, I met with surgeons in and out of my insurance network within a 200 mile radius of my home. I live in Cape May County, NJ. Cape May is Not an area where you want to have major elective surgery. I met with surgeons who had their reasons for performing different types of WL surgeries, even traveling all the way to Wilkes Barre, Pa. to meet with a surgeon who only did DS surgeries. DS in 2001 didn’t seem like it had yet been perfected.

Dr. Goodmans services far exceed those of Pascack ValleyHospital, which seemed more like a nursing home with a cranky staff than a hospital. One of my Nurses (Rn) told me to suck it up and stop complaining about the pain. Nice, huh? I bet she didn’t think that I would tell the whole world.
Thank you obesityhelp.com!!
I heard Dr Goodman changed hospitals Thank Goodness!

I emailed Dr Goodman’s patients who had posted here on Obesityhelp, many were kind enough to call or email me. Every single one of them had positive things to say and suggestions to make things easier for me , so here are my suggestions for you:
~Best Wishes to you on your quest ~ feel free to email me if you have a question~

Things I wish I had done:
I should have asked for something to calm me while I waited to go into surgery. It was like being strapped into a bungee suit waiting to jump and watching the clock. Don't be brave; if you have to wait more than an hour in pre-op ask for something!
I should have asked for my post op medication prescription a day before I was discharged, so that my husband could have had it filled BEFORE he picked me up from the hospital.
I should have hired an aid to sit with me 24/7
I should have researched the hospital he was using at the time, a little further, I think I would have been better off in the NYC hospital.


CON:
Pascack Valley Hospital Sucked!!!
Pascack Valley Hospital Sucked!!!
Pascack Valley Hospital Sucked!!!
Pascack Valley Hospital Sucked!!!

Dr. Goodman is a kind, caring Physican/Surgeon. He is well trained and does 95% bariatric surgerys. One of a few docs that can reverse the procedure. Office is always courteous and friendly. Makeing rounds in hospital at 1am did surprise me but as long as he shows up everyday its ok, he's worth it. I would choose him again if needed and also highly recommend him to anybody who is seeking a well qualified surgeon. If you need to contact him, emails are always answered within a couple hours..sometimes minutes. Hes always reachable

I first met Dr.Goodman when my sister was having WLS. I went with her to the hospital on the day of her surgery. He seemed to be very confident of a good outcome. He came to talk to her before hand,he was very pleasant. I went with her on her office visits and everyone in the waiting room praised him.
Within the next few weeks I decided that this surgery was what I needed to do. I really had been looking into it for years but never had the courage to do it until my sister did(she did wonderfully).
My sister had done all the research on Dr.Goodman before hand so I didn't have to do that much, but when I did, I didn't find a bad word about him anywhere. Everything that I read about him was positive. I had seen first hand the care my sister received and was impressed.
When I went for my first visit I found it to be very informative. He went over the procedure and all the risks. He encouraged me to ask as many questions as I liked. I found him once again to be pleasant with a good sense of humor. That's important to me. If your not funny you might as well be dead!!!
I was sent to see a psychiatrist and a nutritionist.
I had surgery on September 22, 2003.It was the best decision I ever made. It changed my life. Choosing Dr. Goodman was also one of the best things I ever did. Every time I went to see him I was confident in his abilities and was very comfortable speaking to him about anything. I e-mailed him a few times and always got a quick response(no matter how stupid the question).
I had a complication in September of 2004. I had a bowel obstruction. It manifested itself and after several hours of pain I decided there was something wrong and called the doctor in the wee hours of the morning. Within 5 minutes he called me back. He asked me a few questions and advised me to go to the ER. As it turned out I needed another surgery. I had every confidence in Dr. Goodman and again had a good outcome.
I believe Dr. Goodman to be an outstanding surgeon and a wonderful person. He saved my life not once, but twice.

Like most of his patients, I simply love the man. He lives up to his name. He is so kind and patient with "newbies". He will answer as many questions as you have (especially during the initial consult) and will respond via email.

From what I understand, he has "fixed" a number of procedures from other doctors. He is competent as well as personable.

Right now, he is only in Teaneck on Tuesday nights for appointments. He is in Manhattan the other days. Teaneck patients are operated on in Teaneck - making it convenient for NJ folks.

The only real problem that I have is that his nutrionist quit right shortly after my surgery and for a while, I was kind of floundering about what to eat. She also ran the support group so that has come to an end.

DR.ELLIOT GOODMAN

HE WAS A GOD SEND!

Nice enough I guess, but

Very Rushed and little time for his patients.


Lack of concern & medical attention I got after surgery when i had complications.

His time is very limited and u will wait for hours upon end in the NJ office and if u have any problems regarding your surgery afterwards...u better find yourself a good Dr. who truly cares about your situation to help troulbeshoot and try to correct and help you with your your problems or u will suffer.



I would rate him a 5

MY first impression of Dr. Goodman was, wow is he young ... and that he obviously liked the Yankees! He seems incredibly competent, honest and caring. His staff is extrmeley supportive, especially Linda, who I think is the office manager. Dr. Goodman answers all of his email in a timely manner, but I do have a little complaint ... his answers are short .. of course I understand that he's busy and must receive hundreds of emails. Dr. Goodman stresses aftercare and has a well structured aftercare program. He also clearly addresses the risks of surgery, going over each and answering any concerns. I would rate him a 10!

Now that I've had surgery (November 3, all I can say is WOW! ... everything worked out so well, its been 3 months and I've lost about 80 pounds. My opinion of Dr. Goodman is still the same, very competent, great 'bedside' manner ... he really does care about all of his patients! I rate him a 10 out of 10!!!!

(1-17-03)
I haven't met him yet but we have corresponded twice through e-mails and both times he responded back promptly. I also spoke on the phone with his office staff and they seemed very professional and kind. I will spend 6 hrs. with him on 5-15-03 so I am sure I will be able to give you a better opinion then.
*************************

(5-19-03)
Ok, I met Dr. Goodman on 5-15 and he was every thing I prayed he would be and more. I had very high expectations going into his office because of all the wonderful things I read about him here on Obesityhelp. I was shocked at how relaxed he made me feel. I left his office feeling very confident about the decision I made to have the surgery and felt TRULY BLESSED that he is going to be the one performing my surgery. This man really knows his stuff and his nurse Michelle is very nice as well. The office was very clean and every patient in the waiting room was very happy with their choice they made to choose Dr. Goodman. His office is very busy but he is worth the wait. Honestly, I would suggest anyone considering this surgery to go and visit Dr. Goodman, whether you live near or far away.

DR. GOODMAN IS A 10!!!A NO-NONSENSE APPROACH TELLS YOU BOTH SIDES AND WILLING TO ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS.ALSO ABLE TO SCHEDULE THE SURGERY IN A RELATIVELY SHORT TIME. HE USES HOLYNAME HOSPITAL IN TEANECK AND I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT IT. ALL THE PEOPLE ARE FABULOUS.I HAD MY SURGERY ON A MONDAY AND WAS HOME THURSDAY MORNING.NO COMPLICATIONS WHATSOEVER.HE DEFINITLY WAS WORTH THE 1.5 HR. DRIVE.!!