Frank H. Chae Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

I had VSG/Sleeve Surgery in November 2010. <P>I selected Dr. Chae based on his location and reputation and first attended an information seminar in early 2008. After finishing about 1/2 of the 6 month qualification process for my health insurer, Cigna, I dropped out.

I was slated to have the Lapband and has misgivings about it. In early 2010 I contact Dr. Chae again and restarted the qualification process.

I completed my steps (nutritional consults for 6 months, nutritional class, psych evaluation, physical and questionnaire) in August 2010.

It took Dr. Chae's office about two months to get me approved and initially they made a mistake and got me approved for Gastric Bypass when in fact I had decided to have the VSG/Sleeve. That caused a lot of unneeded stress because it wasn't discovered until about ten days before my scheduled surgery.

They got back in touch with the insurer and eventually got the VSG/Sleeve approved. The outcome was positive (I had the surgery) but the process was more stressful than it needed to be.

While I found everyone in Dr. Chae's office to be friendly, I constantly felt that *I* needed to be on top of every step of the process because if I wasn't, it felt that it wouldn't have gotten done.

While I am happy with Dr. Chae and the outcome (so far) of my surgery, his office staff/processes leave a lot to be desired.

In the end I would do it all over again, I just wish there was a little bit more attention and communication.

Update 12/26/2010: My weight loss has continued to progress and I'm now down about 70lbs in about a month and three weeks.

Also I have been told that when the mistake was made that caused me to be approved for the wrong procedure (Gastric Bypass instead of VSG) that Connie (Dr. Chae's office manager) stepped up to the plate and called Cigna daily. Thanks Connie!

I had Gastric by- pass with Dr Chae two years ago, I did great and still doing great. Dr Chae is the most caring Dr I have ever known. in fact my husband is getting ready to do the sleeve, I have a BFF that Dr chae did her surgery and she doing great.If u need to have this surgery Dr Chae is the one. he has a great staff very caring people . Everyone in my support group cannot say enought nice things about Dr Chae.

My first impression of Dr. Chae was that he seemed to care right off. As I continued with the appointments, I found his demeanor stayed the same. He really cares.
The staff now is the greatest. Connie, Pam and Kelly are ready to listen if you need to talk.
This was the best thing I could have done. And picking Dr. Chae and his staff was the best decision I have made in a very long time. I honestly think they saved my life. Because my health was going down hill but fast. He knew of my risks and was positive that the surgery was the best thing for me.
The aftercare program is just what the doctor ordered. Please excuse the pun. Without it, you are floundering.
Overall, I would rate Dr. Chae as a 10

I met Dr. Chae when he came to the family practice office I work at. He brought a lunch to our doctors and showed them the Lap Band and how it works. He was very imformative and even stayed to answer my questions even though he was there for the doctors. I have gotten to know him more now that I have had the Lap Band procedure. He seems quiet at first, but the more you get to know him he warms up to you. Connie, his office coordinator is wonderful. I love her friendly, bubbly personality. She is so positive and nice and will try her hardest to answer any of your questions. If she doesn't know the answer, she will find someone who does. I spoke with Pam today. She is part time RN and she was also very helpful. She help me find this wonderful web site. Dr. Chae presented me with a video to show me the whole procedure at my first visit. At my preop visit he went over all the before and after rules of the surgery. As well as the risks. He was very patient to listen to all my questions. I did run into some pain from a pulled muscle in my stomach shortly after surgery, and he returned all my calls in the same day, and assured me everything was alright. Over all I feel Dr. Chae is very confident and has a lot of knowledge in what he does. I felt very safe having him perform my surgery and he has a very caring bedside manner after my surgery as well as at my first fill.

Very impressed with his knowledge and excellent skill--had NO post-op problems--first 6 months was a piece of cake, thanks to his excellent nutritional counseling. I think he is outstanding.

Dr. Chae is great he is personable and easy to talk to. He is easy to get ahold of. I would recommend him for anyone considering bariatric surgery.

He was very professional. I would highly recommend.

Working with his billing after surgery has been easy and they will work with you.

I did a lot of research on my own, before deciding on Dr. Chae. We went to a seminar he hosted on bariatric surgical options & I was very impressed with his low-key & approachable persona. For me, I felt confident in being able to really discuss concerns. He had an extensive background in surgery & understood my special health issues.
I would have appreciated a more approachable & friendly attitude from some of his staff,I felt that I was a bit of a hassle for them, but they were efficient & I was able to have my surgery done before a major deadline.
Because of pre-existing conditions, I ended up staying at the hospital a couple of extra days. I was SO grateful that Dr. Chae seemed to understand & was prepared to help me with whatever it took to get me through the process in the best possible way.
He is kind & compassionate, two traits that are hard to come by. I would reccomend him (and in fact, already have).

I liked Dr Chae a lot. He is very kind and calm. He made me feel more relaxed about the journey I was on, especially since mine was sped up due to medical reasons. I had very little contact with him since I am with Kaiser, but he is a great Doctor and I would recommend him to anyone.

Met with Dr. Chae for the consultation and was very impressed! He is both professional and knoweledgeable!