Helmuth T. Billy Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

1st Impression;
Gentle, Knowledgeable, Composed with a sense of humour, welcoming.


Office Staff;
Very nice and helpful





He comes Highly reccomended








PRE Op Patient


Beside manner and surgical competence go hand in hand to me. Surgery is scary no matter how big or small and both of these are important for a surgery to go well for all involved.

My wife and I first met Dr. Billy (advanced Laparoscopic Surgeon who only does a L Lap Band in Truckee, Ca and a Lap RyG Bypass in Santa Paula, Ca) in Sep with a wonderful group first time orientation presentation. Put at ease is the word of the day. Answered all questions from entire group and also addressed the Insurance issues. We found out the news about the dreded BC Insurance (we both have duel coverage BC via our employments). Dr. Billy is not a BC provider. We knew then that a Lap Band procedure will difficult to approved by BC for me. 50/50 chance for approval for my wife. We made our second appointment for our first consulation. Dr. Billy did our consulations together, we very much liked that, also we would be Dr. Billy's second Husband/Wife pat. Answered all personal questions and concerns with full empathy and compassions, and what incredable strong hands. Filled out all forms and received our check list and Dr.Billy took his time explaining why and howcome on each procedure he required to be completed before a decission was made. I must admit the office staff is slow to respond to emails, phone messages. Once we completed our complete check list, the next appointment was made, BeforeDr. Billy approved us both he made is very clear about the risks and explaned the entire procedures for both of us. He also made it very clear about how important after care and following his directions are. Dr. Billy has recently got his first L Lap Band approved by Bc. So we decided we would try for a LapBand for Judy (JuJu has many medical conditions as well as a severe form of sleep ap. just had a knee replacement, and needs a complete hip replacement, but WLS was RYG Bypass (250 miles south of Lake Tahoe). We are blessed that Dr. Billy is blessed gifted L Surgeon

March 2003. I feal I was so blessed to fine Dr. Billy, my L RYG was done Jan 20 2003. I did have a small contained leak. Dr. Billy made two visits per day for 11 straight days to monitor me. I was totaly at peace over the leak. He also made every effort in lamin terms on explaining every detail. No wonder Dr. Billy is consider by experts to be one of the very best.

I haven't had Bariatric surgery with Dr. Billy yet. I do however have the unique experience of having a laproscopic hernia repair so I can tell you of his bed side manner.
Dr. Billy is a very tall, impressive figure. He projects a feeling of friendship and caring. I had a real hard time right after the surgery due to the "apron" I already have just pulling on the new patch inside. I was in alot of pain, he insisted that I stayed a extra night in the hosptial.
I had no compications with the procedure, and felt he did a bang up job!

I can't say enough about Dr. Billy and hope that we'll be working together again soon.

On another note, If you have the procedure done with Dr. Billy, try to go to Tahoe! The staff at Tahoe Forrest Hospital are great from the Nursing staff down to the Maintence engeniers. You couldn't get better care.

I used to live in this comunity and had to move out of the altitude due to the oxygen depravation.

I REALLY LIKE DR. BILLY AND THE OFFICE STAFF THEY ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE. I HAVEN'T HAD MY SERGEY YET . I GO FOR MY SECOND APPOINTMENT WITH HIM NEXT WED. THE 26. I AM VERY EXCITED AT THIS POINT . JUST HAVE TO WAIT FOR AUTHURIZATION FOR BLUE CROSS.

Dr Billy is awsome! He is very thorough..
From the first visit to the most current his
professionism has impressed myself and my husband. His office staff can seem a little over burdened at times, dont let that get to you... He is very interested in making sure this surgery works for you, if your not a good candidate he will let you know. He is a 10 in a 1-10 scale

Dr. Billy is a regular guy doing amazing things with his career as a surgeon. He is straight-to-the-point and very eager to answer all his patients' questions.

The staff is obviously a busy one, having had to wait 1.25 hours to see him my first time. I had already met him at a mandatory seminar prior to my appt with him so I knew we really just had to go through the routine stuff.

He gave me list of all the things I needed to do before I got my surgery date. I finished the worksheet rather quickly which is why I got approved so fast. He takes all precautions to educate you as much as possible about the risks involving surgery. The more problems you have, it appears to be more risky. Fortunately, I have good bp (117/60) and my triglycerides and hdl/ldl's are excellent also. But my knees and back hurt a lot and that cuz of my injuries which of course now with the added weight gain is not helping.

I cannot rate him overall yet. I think he's a bit overwhelmed and although an organized staff tries to help as much as possible, he still needs more help. This surgery is becoming more popular.

Surgical comptenance on Dr. Billy's behalf is not for me to judge but I believe the two people I personally know who are in his care have never regretted using him.

He has an excellent support group on Thursday nights.

I really like my surgeon. His office staff really works with you on appts and insurance stuff. He has a very matter of fact attitude. He has great follow up procedures. He goes over all the cons more so than the pros an important thing in my opinion.

Very complete interview. Frank and answers questions readily.

Dr. Billy is a very caring and wonderful man. I truly feel blessed that God led me to him as my surgeon. My impression of him only improved over time. He has a very helpful and caring office staff also. The thing I liked least was that I had to travel for five hours to get to him as he is in Nevada and I'm in California. Future patients should know that they are in very good hands and that you will do fine as long as you follow his instructions. There is a very good aftercare program in place and I felt very secure in knowing they were right there if I needed them. He was very open and honest about the risks of this surgery but we also discussed at length the risks I was in being so obese. I would rate Dr. Billy on a scale of 1-10 at an 11. Yes, he is that good. He has a wonderful bedside manner and is extremely competent.

Dr. Billy is truly a great surgeon on every level. He has a very casual demeanor about him that puts you at ease and helps you feel able to ask questions or voice concerns. His office staff, particularly Patricia will make sure you have a wealth of information about different procedures Dr. Billy performs, all laproscopically. They are certain to make sure you are educated about the procedure and will even try to talk you out of it to be sure you understand the risks as well as the benefits. Between Dr. Billy and his staff, they spend an incredible amount of time with you between the first visit through post op. In fact, his office assistant Patricia meets you at the hospital and stays with you until you are taken to the operating room. Although I mentioned Dr. Billy's casual presence, let me assure you, he is very serious when it comes to his patients. After reading many of the comments of the post op patients on this site, I appreciate the time Dr. Billy and his staff took to educate me on the aftercare process. My sister and another friend are also going to Dr. Billy and have their surgery dates set. They are equally as thrilled about our surgeon as I am. They truly care about their patients on a personal level. I will always be greatful for what they have done for me. On a scale of 1-10 he is an 11.