Gary Anthone Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

I had my initial consult with Dr. Anthone on June 4th. I'm from Colorado, so we flew to Omaha & back the same day. (On a side note, I highly recommend Frontier Airlines...they were great!) rnrnMy appointment was at 10:30am and it was close to 11:15 before they finally called me back. Dr. A's nurse, Kathy, introduced herself & got my height, weight & picture. Then she started doing basic paperwork & giving me the rundown. She seemed in kind of a hurry, and she indicated more than once that she really wanted me to watch the video of the seminar, because she said just about everything is explained in it. rnrnWhen I had scheduled the appointment, I'd been told that it would take about 45 minutes, so I scheduled our return flight based on that. I'd later heard from others on OH that their appointments were taking 2-3 hours. As a result, we were going to be running short on time to get back to the airport. So after I explained that to Kathy, she said that Cindy (PA) would come in, then Dr. A, then Christy (insurance specialist) and then Kathy herself would come back & if there was time, we could watch the video then. rnrnI got the impression that Kathy's not too big on people doing their own research on the internet. She made a couple of comments during the appointment like \"despite what you read on the internet\" blah blah blah.rnrnAfter the initial paperwork stuff, Cindy came in & talked about recovery, hospital time, how they do things with out-of-town patients, etc. She was really nice. Then she had me lay down on the exam table so she could check out my tummy, and she explained where the different tubes & things would be after surgery & what they were for, etc. rnrnAnd at the moment, Dr. A came in. I hadn't expected his first impression of me would be on the table with my gut hanging out, but he didn't seem to care! rnrnI liked Dr. A right away. He was very personable & friendly. Since I was already laying there, he checked my tummy as well. Then he sat down & started showing us the pictures of the surgery & discussing what would be involved. I could tell immediately that he really is extremely passionate about what he does. His expertise is evident.rnrnAfter his explanation, he asked if I had any questions. I pulled out my (HUGE!) list, but a lot of my questions had already been answered during the course of the appointment, so I had to sift through what I still wanted to ask. At that point, Kathy came back in. Dr. A asked to see my list, so I handed it over. As he was reading it over, Kathy not-so-subtly reminded him he had another appointment. That did bother me because he hadn't even been in with me 10 minutes. He told her he'd go in just a few minutes and then good-naturedly snickered at my \"where did you receive your training\" question. rnrnHe answered a few more questions & then Kathy jumped in again & said that she could answer most of those so he could go. I really felt like I didn't have very much time with him and like things were very rushed. From what I've read, though, my experience was the exception because it sounds like Dr. A is willing to sit down and talk to most patients at length. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt & assume they were just having an especially busy day.rnrnAgain at Kathy's urging, Dr. A said his goodbyes & left. She went out with him (and my list of questions) and then she came back in & started doing the appointment wrap-up. I asked if I was going to see Christy because I had some questions about the financial end of things & she told me that Christy had gone to lunch, but that she'd give her all the documentation I'd brought for the insurance company. She also gave me Christy's card so I could call her.rnrnKathy kind of glanced at my list of questions & said that if I would just watch the video, most of that would be answered. But at that point, we needed to grab some lunch and head back to the airport, so I asked if I could watch the video when I came back for surgery since I'd have to come in a couple days before. She also signed me up for an online information something or other and then kind of ushered us out. On the way down the hall, she gestured to all Dr. A's certificates hanging on the wall & said \"THIS is where he got all his training.\"rnrnI have mixed feelings about the appointment. The time I actually got to spend with Dr. A was very short & I don't feel like I got all my questions answered, but Kathy gave me the impression that that's my fault for not watching the video. She'd seemed very nice at first, but I kind of felt like she was mentally rolling her eyes at me because of my internet research & list of questions. Again, maybe it was just an busy day.rnrnAll in all, though, I'm glad I chose Dr. A. I felt very comfortable with him and his expertise. I also really liked Cindy. His receptionist, Lisa, has been very nice as well.rnrnA few days later, I called Christy to verify that she'd gotten all my paperwork & to make sure she didn't need anything else from me. It took a few days and more than one voice mail to hear back from her, and then she told me she hadn't even gotten the file from Dr. A yet. She called me again a few days after that to let me know that she'd gotten everything & would be submitting to insurance that day. A week later, insurance still hadn't received it, so I again had to call a few times to ask Christy to fax it a second time. My insurance company finally received everything a week later.rnrnThat's as far as I've gotten in my journey at this point. Now I'm just waiting on insurance approval.

A surgeon that you can call \"friend.\"

My first impression of Dr. Anthone was at the WLS seminar in September 2008. He struck me as very intelligent and he seemed to be very down to earth and have a great sense of humor. I had my initial consult with him on Feb. 9, 2009. He was wonderful and very patient. He took his time with me to answer all of my questions and put me completely at ease. His office staff has been amazing! I have to laugh because I'm sure I must be driving them crazy at times, but they have always been so pleasant and understanding. I can't wait until my surgery (I'm hoping for March 18th) and feel confident that I will be in great hands.

I met with Dr Anthone today and was very impressed. He has a quiet, almost shy, friendly demeanor. He is brilliant and answered all of my oddball medical questions in great detail. I did not feel rushed, and he was very gracious and unhurried. Very attentive. His office staff is very nice and very professional. When I had spoken to them on the phone a couple of times prior to the appointment, I did not get the best of impressions. I think a less experienced employee must have answered the phone and given me misinformation. But at the appointment I can see they have their act together. The office is very pleasant and each wall in the office has a positive message/affirmation tactfully painted on the wall. I felt like I was in very good hands. Dr Anthone laid out an aftercare plan which involves him working in tandem with my PCP to remove my feeding tube in my home state and assist my PCP with giving me the best aftercare possible. The staff gave me a list of tests to have done, and once they are I will receive my surgery date!!!! I'm so excited. I'm hoping to have my tests completed by Feb 10.

Dr. Anthone and all of his office staff have so far been great! He tells it straight in his seminar, the good and the bad, and is able to competently describe why the DS is a better choice for the morbidly obese. I am 6-7 weeks away from my surgery date (my estimate), but I am really looking forward to the life change.

It's been well over two years since my surgery, and my opinion of Dr. Anthone remains the same (if not better) than the day we first met.rnFrom the time I had my first group \"seminar\" on bariatric surgery, I felt that I had found a surgeon who was not only an expert in the field, but a remarkable person with a great deal of empathy for those battling obesity. That seminar was - as many of you will know - gruesome - weight loss surgery is never anything to take (pardon the pun) lightly. It is massive, invasive surgery and it is only by balancing the dreadful costs of staying obese and the related co-morbidities that one can even contemplate this road.rnDr. Anthone and his staff were caring, supportive and above all - human. I had long ago given up on doctors and surgeons being \"people\" - the term \"bedside manner\" had seemingly been terminated long ago. But Dr. Anthone is definitely not one of those cold, clinical individuals. Every dealing I've had with him has indicated that he has a great deal of compassion, understanding and care. The fact that they also have a good sense of humor was also invaluable. Make no mistake - this \"bariatric surgery\" is a business - however, this business made it possible for me to enter a new phase of my life, one that I have enjoyed wholeheartedly every day since surgery. Is it for everyone - no. It shouldn't be. There are emotional costs, as well as that drastic surgery. Getting sliced from chest to navel should never been seen as a cure-all. Instead, you must view this as a tool to help you learn a new way of living. rnFrom day one, there were no punches pulled - it was always made clear what the risks were, what the complications could be, and the investment that would be involved in terms of my commitment to the procedure. I feel that every phase of pre- and post-op care were exceptional, and have nothing but the most profound respect for Dr. Anthone and his team.

Dr. Anthone was fantastic! I went in for a panniculectomy on Sept. 29th and I saw Dr. Anthone every single day I was in the hospital. He is so caring about his patients and their health. His staff is great - they really keep in touch and work hard to make sure that everything surrounding the surgery goes well. I would definitely recommend Dr. Anthone to anyone looking to have the same surgery I did.

Dr. Anthone is a very wonderful and caring doctor. I could tell this from my first visit with him and my impression of him stayed the same after my surgery. He has always answered my questions when I email him. He usually wants me to call after I email him so he can \"talk\" to me about it too. I can't think of anything that I didn't like about him. He works with you on your after care if you are from out of state. As long as you have someone in your area to take care of you he will let them do that as long as they send him lab results. Before my surgery he even called one of the bariatric surgeons in my area to see if he would do my follow-up when I returned home. He does want to see you again within the first 6 months after surgery if possible. Although I am not able to make his support group meetings, he does have them on a regular basis (monthly - I think). He addresses all of the risks of surgery and answers all of your questions about anything you are concerned with. His surgical competence and bedside manner are both great! I highly recommend him to anyone looking into weight loss surgery. rn

My first impression of Dr. Anthone was at his seminar. He seemed very matter-of-fact and to the point. With that being said, he did not seem to me that he thought he was better than anyone else. He was professional and answered all the questions that were given to him.

My first one on one at my doctors appt. I had to bring my 3 daughters with me, ranging from 2 to 10. I am not sure but I think Dr. Anthone was having to deal with some issues at the hospital and our wait was well over an hour. When we finally met with Dr. Anthone, I think he talked more to my girls than me. He talked about his children and he made us feel right at ease. Just a friendly down to earth guy with exceptional skills.

His staff, mainly Lisa and Christy have been extremely patient with me. His other staff that works there have been very friendly, but I have not had to interact much with them. My impression of everyone there is that they want to help people who need it, and they are more than willing to do it.

Dr. Anthone is my hero. He is such a precise surgeon and really cares about his patients. I researched possible surgeries and surgeons for two years before I took the plunge. I'm glad I did my homework because he has been a blessing in my life. He is a very talented man who has nothing but your best interest in mind. I will never regret having my surgery with him. My fiance, although he knows about my surgery, barely notices my scar because Dr. Anthone is such a careful surgeon. I recommend him with no reservations! (Anthony Bourdain reference, lol!)