Hazem Elariny MD Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I LOVE MY SURGEON

Dr. ELARINY is the best surgeon hands down - highly skilled, great personality and wonderful bedside manner.

He's the full package.

I first met Dr. Elariny in 2013. I had already had my first Bariatrics surgery and even met my goal weight. However, 6 years after having the VSG and maintaining my weight I developed a problem with my thyroid and the medication caused me to rapidly gain weight.
When I met Dr. Elariny in 2013 I was 210 lbs., diabetic, suffering from hypertension, distraught and desperately trying to loose weight. He saved my life and gave me back my quality of life.

I will forever be in his debt.

From my first office visit until now I've always found Dr. Elariny compassionate, considerate and very knowledgeable.

He is personable and easy to talk to. He is always honest and straight forward with his approach and responses.

When it came down to making a surgery selection, he gave me options while making medical recommendation on my specific situation. Together we agreed the BPD-DS was the right Surgery for me.

His bedside manner is warm and comforting. I had a few minor complications following my surgery. He reassured me that everything would be ok. He gave me his cell phone number so that I could reach him during my recovery. I had some trouble with GERD and gaseous cramping early in the journey. It didn't matter when I called or what I called about, I always got a friendly voice on the other end of the phone.

I was impatient and eager to loose the weight. Between week 2 and 3 post-op I started texting him worried about the limited amount of weight I had loss so far. As busy as he is, he didn't seem to mind. He just continued to reassure me that the weight loss was inevitable. He reiterated the benefits of the surgery, the proven results and my need for patience. His confidence gave me hope. Ultimately, I loss 70 lbs in 3 months. I met my goal weight just like he promised. When I thought back to how foolish I had been at 2-3weeks out, I remembered how considerate and understanding he was of my desperation. He intuitively knew I was afraid that I wouldn't be successful but he continued to cheer me on.

Dr. Elariny and his office staff are like one big happy family. Their support pre-op and post-op were indicative of their level of committment.

My work schedule was hectic in 2014 and I had to travel oversees before and and after surgery.

Curtis and Alex helped me make sure I was able to complete all my pre-lab tests, medical releases and maintain nutritional requirements.

In my experience, Dr. Elariny spends quality time with his patients before and after surgery. He even takes time to educate the family. I have 5 children and a husband and all but one has at one time or another during my weight loss journey gone to doctors visits and chatted with Dr. Elariny. I never monitor the time I spend in the waiting room because I know the same time he's spending with another patient he will spend with me as well.

Managing vitamins and supplements after BPD-DS is a tedious "full-time" job but a medical necessity. When I ran into difficulty Dr. Elariny recommended a specific supplement and a digestive enzyme. He didn't let me leave the office until I ordered it right in front of him. He is dedicated to ensuring healthy living for patients post-op.

Dr. Elarinys post op plans aide patients in avoiding malnourishment, vitamin deficiencies and a host of other complication that can arise from noncompliance. When I found myself vitamin deficient and malnourished from low protein levels twice during the journey, Dr Elariny and his staff graciously aided in making sure I was nursed back to good health.

I live in Maryland but travel to Virginia bypassing my local hospital because of the excellent medical treatment I know I will receive from Dr. Elariny.

The BPD-DS and Dr. Elariny are the best gift I ever received.

I wouldn't trade either for ANYTHING!!!

Dr. Elariny has operated on me six times with the first literally saving my life. He has visited me late at night in the hospital and always showed the utmost concern for my well being. I read another review here that was so hateful and untrue, I had to write how grateful I am that he became a surgeon. He told me how much he loves helping people and I am very lucky to be under his care for ten years.

RUDE. INCOMPETENT. COMPLETELY UNPROFESSIONAL. The ONLY reason I gave Dr. Elariny one star is because zero is not an option. I recently found out that I’m pregnant. Seeing as I had my Gastric Bypass over three years ago in Mississippi, I had to find another doctor who could see me throughout my pregnancy. I didn’t know which vitamins to continue taking since I have now been prescribed prenatal vitamins as well. I am also anemic. So the entire purpose of this visit was to get blood work done and to find out what combination of vitamins I need to take over the next 9 months.

My appointment was scheduled for 11:30. I wasn’t called back to get my weight and blood pressure checked until 1:30. Only after waiting a total of 2 ½ hours to be seen by the doctor (another 30 minutes was spent waiting in his office) did he grace us with his presence. When scheduling my appointment, I specifically told the man (Curtis) that “I did not have my surgery done at this clinic, I’m pregnant, and I need to know what combination of vitamins to take at this point.”

Long story short, Dr. Elariny comes in and I begin to explain my situation. Not even 1 minute after I begin speaking, his phone has gone off twice. He proceeds to take another patient’s call in front of me (which wasn’t an emergency) as if I hadn’t already been kept waiting long enough. Keep in mind that at this point the conversation he is having with another patient is longer than the one he finally had with me. He gets off of the phone and says he needs to speak with Curtis and will be back shortly. Dr. Elariny comes back and tells me they typically don’t see patients if they didn’t do their surgery. And that there must have been a misunderstanding on the phone when I made the appointment. At this point I’m seeing red and trying not to snap on this “doctor.” I told Dr. Elariny that “there is no possible way Curtis could have misunderstood a single thing I told him because everything I just told you is what I told him.”

As he continues telling me that there’s nothing he can do, I’m getting more and more upset and it was clearly visible. He then gets an attitude and tells me “alright, I’m trying to communicate with you but you won’t even look me in the eye.” And then opens the door and silently invites me out of the office.

Never in my life have I dealt with such a rude, unprofessional excuse of a doctor. Save yourself a lot of time, energy, and patience and choose a different office.

I had my surgery six months ago and barely remember the whole thing. I blame Dr. Elariny for that. He is totally HOT; it is actually distracting. You can't focus on anything he is saying 'cause you are just staring. It's a good thing the guy actually knows what he is doing and is good at it too; otherwise...
Definitely recommend. A great surgeon and a very nice person. His reputation is definitely well deserved. Not so fond of his staff but they are professional and know what they are doing (hey, just because you work in the healthcare industry does not mean you have to be caring, courteous or friendly).

Dr. Elariny is the best. I've been trying to have this surgery for about 12 years. Dr. Elariny has been my only choice. His staff is great. He is very knowledgable of all the bariatric surgeries and can modify the procedure based on your specific goals. He has a dietician on staff to customize your pre and post op nutrician plan. He also performs the surgery at Fair Oaks Hospital, which is a Bariatric Center for Excellence. How can you go wrong?

Dr. Elariny and his staff were great in almost every respect. He personally was a little removed from the aftercare process, but his staff was not. I had complications during my surgery (DS) in that I was "malrotated". The surgery took a lot longer than what I anticipated and he had to do some stuff he didn't know he'd have to do. I think he is an extremely competent surgeon and would recommend him very highly. Just be prepared to have him do a little bit of a disappearing act after the surgery is complete. His office staff and other surgeons do a great job of stepping in, however. These are just my personal impressions of my own personal experience and I make no statements about what other people may experience.

I have to say, I am very pleased with Dr. Elariny and his practice. His office staff is very professional and friendly. Alex will never hesitate to go the extra mile or give you extra words of encouragement. She met my daughter once, briefly, and remembers her name and asks me about her every time we speak. The entire staff has been extremely efficient, informative and helpful. I completed all of my preop testing in just over a month with their assistance and referrals to very competent centers and Dr.s in the area.
All of my interactions with Dr. Elariny, Dr. Baraki, and any of the other clinical staff on his team has been nothing but stellar (and they did my colonoscopy, now that is saying a lot!). They had my insurance approval for surgery in just 2 days.

His aftercare program seems to be very well organized with support groups and regular office visits, however I am still preop so unable to personally attest to that just yet. I was required to attend a 4 hour class prior to surgery to ensure I understood the aftercare expected and all of the necessary life changes this surgery brings. Follow up meetings with his care team including a nutritionist are required as well.


The only drawbacks I have experienced are that he chooses to be out of network for certain procedures, and is therefore not fully covered by insurance. So, he does have a high surgeons fee, but to maintain the superior staff, service and top notch equipment he has provided, I feel it is more than worth it. My only other complaint is that his stellar reputation has gotten out and he is a busy man- so I have occasionally had to wait past my appointment time, or see another partner in his practice. But, I would rather wait for the best than be seen immediately by someone subpar.

His competence, experience, track record and bedside manner have all impressed me. I strongly recommend this surgeon, and practice.

My first impression - damn he is YOUNG! But he also had a very impressive record. I went to his seminars and really liked him from the very start. I like him even more 7 years later!rnrnHe had a awesome staff when I had surgery in 2003 and my understanding is that he still does.rnrnHe does emphasize aftercare and he does have an aftercare program. I no longer follow it because I am so far out and I now deal with my primary care doctor.rnrnAs with any surgery, all surgeons will tell you if they have any concerns of risk. Because Dr. Elariny has a battery of things that he would like to see (especially if you have other medical issues) he will see that all pre-test are done. I remember him saying that when he goes to do my surgery he wants to be focusing on it. If he has to focus on other medical issues, it may require other special surgeons to be in the OP room too...such as people that may have a heart condition, but still are able to have surgery.rnrnI rate him #1. His surgical competence is awesome! I saw him afterwards and he was great their too.

My first impressions where very positive towards him. Although he did not show for the weight loss discussion group that he was to lead TWICE. I drove to VA for nothing TWICE. When I did have my consult he was nice and answered all of my questions and I didn't feel rushed.rnrnI did my surgery and all went well and recovery has been a breeze. He is no doubt a good surgeon. He required a lot of money out of pocket even if you have insurance coverage, and don't be surprised if you don't see him after you surgery in the hospital or even in the office. After surgery I only saw his fellow surgeon...and never did he tell me this was the practice or say anything. I am 100% satisfied with him as a surgeon

Dr. Elariny, in my opinion, is the absolute best surgeon in the nation for bariatric gastric bypass.

I had surgery nine years ago, a laproscopic procedure where he completed a Duodenal Switch/BPD that has restored my life.

I lost 235lbs over the 20 months following the surgery. I listened to his instructions to take my vitamins, eat the right foods and monitor my hunger and food intake.

I've maintained this weightloss successfully and am in very good health.

He saved my life, and I will be forever grateful!

Brian Nahodil,

Catlett, VA