Ernest Rehnke Bariatric Surgeon M.D.,F.A.C.S.

I found Dr. Rehnke to be a very accomplished surgeon with a sincere and caring bedside manner. His office staff is very knowledgable and capable.

I am awaiting insurance authorization, and during this period of time, whenever I contact his office I am always treated courteously and professionally.

I have heard great things about the staff of Palms of Pasadena Hospital, as well and am anxious to use their facility.

My first connection with Dr. Rehnke was at a support group meeting that I attended with my husband on April 6, 2002. After the meeting Dr. Rehnke was circulating around the room and I had a few questions for him. When I approached him he was very friendly. While speaking with Dr. Rehnke he never seemed to rush me along and he always made eye contact. Being in a professional field myself, Law, I find eye contact to be very important. I have found Dr. Rehnke to be both professional and personable. I would recommend him to anyone seeking the necessity of a surgeon. He is wonderful.

1st imp:professional, respectable, christian,
? change: respect has grown
Staff: busy, friendly, efficient, reliable
liked least: office telephone often busy, you don't see him untill you have done the entire packet of pre surgery stuff.When you call for your first appt they make it for 6 months from then and send you a packet to complete. once the packet is complete you take it to the office to be reviewed and if it is satifactory they will move the appt sooner.
future pts: be patient it is worth the wait. He is what a doctor should be.
aftercare: highly encourages support group meetings which he his nurse practioner and the "shrink" attend and lead
Risk: he tells you 2 in this room of 100 are not going to survive the surgery and does not assure you that you will be fine.
Rate: excellent
Better: Excells at both. He was friendly and never rushed me out of his office gave me time to be sure I had no more questions. He also has a good sense of humor. I will say that other than a handshake at inital meeting and of course during the surgery, he has never touched me, no exam, never listened to my lungs etc... He only saw me once in the hospital, (his nurse rounds on pts in the hospital unless some complication developes).

My first impression od Dr.Rehnke was he was very caring for his obese patients. His office staff was all extremely friendly and helpfull. He explained the risk of surgery in good detail and makes sure to answer all your questions. Overall I would rate him as a very skilled and caring surgeon.

My first impression: Caring/compassionate

Impression has NOT changed

Beyond excellent - extremely helpful and like Dr. Rehnke very compassionate/caring
First met at a grp counseling seminar - not
enough time
Outstanding reputation

Entire success is based on both aftercare &
programs/seminars
Yes, monthly seminars (past & present patients)
Is totally honest and up front

So far - 10

Haven't seen the bedside manner/surgical competence - surgery isn't until June 14. If his reputation holds true both are outstanding.

4/18/02 - I was told by Dr. Butler's staff that he does not take my insurance even though the insurance company says otherwise. So I have scheduled with Dr. Rehnke on 10/21/02. 4/13/02 - I met with Dr. Butler at his support group meeting. He was very well informed and compassionate at the same time. He seems to take a real interest in his patients and remebers each one by face. At least he did in the meeting. I'm very excited to have found someone like him, who has experience and is still passionate about what he does!

Dr Rehnke is very nice, straight to the point and informative. He tells you right from the beginning that this is going to be a hard road for you to travel and the risks associated with this surgery; but he also tells you that it's no more riskier than staying at the weight you are right now especially with all the weight related problems obese people have. I've meet him twice and both times were wonderful, I came to my preop appointment (3-28-2002) armed with a long, long list of questions and Dr Rehnke took time to answer each and everyone of them. The ladies in his office are wonderful (and Patti - she's the absolute best) - they are efficient and fast to say the least. My rating on a scale of 1-10 ... Dr's staff *10* and Dr Rehnke *10* - I would highly recommend Dr Rehnke to anyone that is considering this surgery.

Dr. Rehnke is very nice, informative, up- front about the risks and benefits of RNY. He took his time talking to me and my husband and answered all our questions. His staff are very nice and efficient.I feel comfortable with my choice of surgeon.

I have been familiar with Dr. Rehnke for a good while as I am a nurse and have taken care of some of his general surgery patients in the past. This is why I initially chose him- I knew he was an excellent surgeon. After my first consult meeting, I was even more impressed. He sat down with me, knee to knee, made eye contact, and stayed seated until I ran out of questions for him to answer. He didn't do any of those "busy doctor" things like look around instead of at you, tap his foot, refuse to sit, or stand by the door. This is very important to me. Hi office staff is the greatest- not one bit of that 'looking down the nose' business. Eye contact, friendliness, and respect is all you get from them. Anyone planning to have surgery with him is in good hands. I found out yesterday that he is rated the top wls surgeon in Florida by the insurance regulation entity of this state. That's pretty impressive in my book and just further comfirmed my decision. The only downside is that the aftercare program is not structured. You are expected to be an adult and take care of yourself. They want you to see a counselor regularly for emotional support and to attend the support group meetings but it's up to you to do it. Overall- he is a 10 out of 10 for me.

I have met Dr. Rehnke through his support group meetings. Very knowledgeable and friendly doctor. He was very comfortable talking to the group and answered all questions posed to him. Still have not met him for my first consult, but excited about learning all I can about him and his staff. His nurse was very kind and friendly and feel like I was able to share with her with no problems.

Well had my consultation on November 28, 2001 and surgery scheduled on December 21, 2001. Although Dr. Rehnke was a no-show at my bedside, his nurse Julie showed up to talk about how things were going, etc. My stay in the hospital was five days and everything went well, no complications.

I am doing great, had staples out on January 7th, 2002 and have lost 19.5 lbs.

Dr. Rehnke is a very good doctor and always shows up for support group meetings.