Fernando Otero Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

I think Dr Otero is a fabulous surgeon. He is a very caring man that I am proud to say did my surgery. The lack of complications or pain are testimony to his level of skill and expertise. I don't regret seeing him one bit. He was kind enough to talk to my wife while I was in recovery and to calm her nerves. This has been a wonderful experience from beginning to end thanks to him and his staff at Mt. Diablo. Anne and Shirley are the best as well. They are both very caring and good at what they do.

Dr. Otero is a miracle worker. He is the most involved surgeon I have ever met. I cannot sing his praises enough.

He takes the time to talk with me when I see him. He has a great sense of humor and is truly interested in helping people improve their lives.

I cannot imagine what my life would be like without having him in it. He gave me back my life.

His staff, Anne and Shirley, are the BEST! I have never had a problem in any way shape or form. I moved to Texas six months post op and Dr. Otero, Anne and Shirley continue to be a source of support, information and encouragement.

If you are anywhere in the country, he is worth the flight to California. I trust him implicitly.

very committed and empathetic to help those who truly want the chance to have a healthier and happier future. Dr. Otero ,makes it clear that this is a serious commitment to candidates lifestyle, that the surgery is only a tool and that it will not work if commitment is not within us.


n/a




committed as well, one staff member is a post wls.



n/a




Dr. Otero - very kind human being

i thought mr. otero is a nice gentle understanding man.

my impression is still the same.

the office staff are great anne and shirley are very supportive and helpful.

I really like Dr. Otero from my initial meeting. After our meeting both my husband I felt I would be good hands. The staff at Mt. Diablo is absolutely wonderful. They are extremely professional and so knowledgable. Anne Timberlake is the nurse manager. She has a wonderful, kind manner about her. She knew exactly what I needed in terms of insurance requirements and pre-op testing and walked me through every single step before I even met with Dr. Otero. Apparently Aetna will no longer cover this surgery beginning 2005. Since Anne knew how hard I was trying to meet all Aetna requirements, she went ahead and "penciled" me in for a surgery date several months before I was even approved. she did this so that I would be able to have my surgery this year. When it came time to submit my paperwork for insurance approval, the nurse/receptionst, Shirley, handled all contact with Aetna. She was also wonderful and tenacious. Before I knew it, I was approved and everything went very smoothly from then on. I have nothing but good things to say about the entire staff I dealt with at Mt. Diablo. Loved my surgeon and his staff and highly recommend them!

Dr. Otero is a great man and doctor. When I first went to Mt. Diablo Surgical Weight Loss Center I saw Dr Christine Chu. She told me I was not a candidate for gastric bypass surgery because of all the medication I take for my bipolar disorder. She told me I would have trouble absorbing my medication after the surgery. I was crushed and felt like no one was going to help me. A few months after being rejected I emailed Anne Timberlake over at Mt. Diablo and told her my psychiatrist said we could always change my medication if it was an absorption issue. She told me she was going to discuss my case with the head surgeon and get back to me. Thank god the surgeon did not agree with Dr. Chu. I was then given an appointment with Dr. Otero. He approved me as a candidate and 5 weeks later I had my surgery. I still have a distaste for Dr. Chu in my mouth and probable always will. Because of her I had to waite another year and a half for my surgery. I could be thin now if I had gotten the surgery when I first went to Mt. Diablo. The staff at Mt. Diablo have been great! They quickly respond to all of my emails and seem to really care about the patients. They do have a support group for after care that meets once a month. I don't attend because it is so far away from where I live. The only thing I have a complaint about is you are kinda on your own with what you can eat and pretty much have to find out if you can eat it by eating it. Their stage III diet only consisted of about 25 foods and I was not told there was other stuff I could be trying. I was never told how long to stay on the stage III diet. Before I had the surgery I thought that was it forever. Dr Otero's competence and his bedside mannor are wonderful. He really wants to help his patients.

I liked my surgeon alot. I could tell he has a lot of confidence in himself. He's not one for a lot of chit chat. Very professional, very businesslike. He went through all the potential risks with me and my husband. The nurses at the hospital told me he is quite the expert at laporascopic procedures. They also said he helps teach other surgeons how to do LAP procedures. I liked that. I felt like I was in very good hands.

Dr. Otero is a soft spoken person that will take the time to answer your questions.
Anne Timberlake, the Nurse Manager for Bariatric services is a very sweet and kind person. She and her kind assistant Shirley will get all the answers to your questions. Mount Diablo has a wonderful program. They made it so easy to move forward with everything we needed to complete the pre-op tests and paperwork. Part of the program is meeting with a nutritionalist where you learn all the different ways you can supplement your diet with vitamins so your body doesn't suffer nutrient loses after the surgery.

Dr Otero has been a joy to work with, he is very caring and spends as much time as you need to discuss the procedure and aftercare. The staff at Mt Diablo Weight Loss Center are incredible. Anne Timberlake is the coordinator and you couldn't ask for a more caring person, Shirley in the office has been through the surgery and is a great help, they handled all steps and gave great instructions on what to do. They are very informative. I received my approval from the insurance company only 3 days after the letter was sent by Anne and Shirley. I'm still pre-op my surgery is March 11th. At this point I have nothing negative to say, there are alot of step to take to get to this point, and it takes time. Some step seem overly cautious but I understand the reasons.