Hilario Juarez Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

My first impression of him was he knows what he is doing. I felt and feel comfortable with him.

His office staff is trying hard to service all of his patients. The were very friendly to me.

The most important thing a new patient should know about him is that he is very VERY busy. There was standing room only in his 1st waiting room with another 10-15 standing in the hallway. Oh yeah, he has a second waiting room in back so when you think you are gonna finally see him, you are just moved into another waiting room.

Not only does he have a structured aftercare program but he pushes it strongly.

He was very thorough telling me about the risks of this surgery. It was a bit depressing actually, but I am glad that he talked about them.

I would rate Dr. Juarez with a superior.

As for which is better, surgical competence or bedside manner. . . I will have family holding my hand at my bedside, they cant do the surgery so I am relying on Dr. Juarez to keep me alive!!!!! Surgical Compentence is the most important to me.

I have a consultation in late Aug. 2003.
Will write more then.
I met Dr. Juarez and he seems very nice but very busy. He answered my questions and so did his PA who I saw first and then the doctor came into the room. I only spent about 5-10 min. with him and probably won't see him untill my surgery in April. I can't believe that the surgery is 6 mo. away. I hope it goes by fast. His staff has been very nice to me but I think the office could use some help. They seem to be so busy but saying that they do get back to me within 24 hrs. of my call. Thank you, and you know who you are, for all your help.

Dr. Juarez, Dr. Fang and Emil are all very nice. The office staff has been very responsive...although sometimes slow to return calls. One note, the office is VERY busy -- the few times I have had appointments, the office is brimming over with patients and it takes a long time to get in.

The entire process took me 15 months. 6 months to get in for the initial consult... another few months getting my file ready to send to the insurance and then once I was approved, it took another 6 months till my surgery date.

The insurance assistant, Angelea called me back immediatley to tell me I was approved (after one day) and I had surgery 2/18/03 and have lost a total of 156 pounds since starting the process and 129 since surgery. woohoo! :)

Dr.Juarez impressed me as a physician that was very knowledgable about this field of surgery and made me feel comfortable chosing him for a surgeon. He is a no nonsense man and does not sugar coat the process or that our success is up to us... He will do his part to give us the new tools to work with and a program to follow... the rest is up to the individual... and not to expect we will get the same results as another...H was very matter of fact and made the point that this is major surgery and as with all surgery's there are risks involved....he pointed many of those out... He was very open and honest about answering questions on any topic. That was all at the orientation... At the office visit... it was over before the chair got warm... he is quick... sort of now you see him now you don't.. He has a cold bedside manner but, that is fine with me... I am not looking for a new best friend...I want a surgeon that knows his business and will give me a successful surgery without complications... but, if they should arise I feel his expertise will allow him to act quickly and effeciently.... I expect to see him the next time in the surgery room... he has a support program you may attend, however I live far away and that is not possible... I must depend on phone calls, e-mails, online support groups and local help and hand outs... I am ok with that.. he stresses aftercare and I feel I am setting that up.... I am grateful to Dr. Juarez for helping to perfect this surgery so insurances are getting more comfortable allowing it to happen and he is helping to educate the public about the importance of WLS... Therefore giving those of us who have tried everything else a second chance at life... I know without this surgery I would not live a full life.. Many Thanks to Dr. Juarez and his support staff... You are the best... Sincerely, Sharon Griggs You ask how much I trust him.... I am also trusting him with the life of my daughter, my only child... that says it ALL!!!

I first met Dr. Juarez at the beginning orientation/information group session. He appeared to be a highly motavated man who was pleased to offer a service to those of us who are obese and have tried everything else.. He has dedicated his time to perfecting his skills and improving the way WLS is done... I was very impressed with his expertise and how open he was in answering any questions anyone had...even the difficult questions... In my opinion he did not sugar coat the process or give false hope. He explained very clearly the down side as well as the successes.... I made up my mind that day that if I could get approved I wanted Dr. Juarez to do my surgery. My impression of him has not changed over time...I have seen him twice in his office and although I would not say he is a warm and fuzzy sort of person...he KNOWS his business and how to get the job done....and that is fine with me... I am not looking for a new best friend... I want a surgeon that knows what he is doing and that has an excellent track record and has preformed hundreds of these procedures...I feel confident that if a problem arises during or after my surgery he will be more than able to handle what ever happens. He did mention the aftercare and how important it is.... I am in a situation where I live a long distance from Phoenix so I will not be able to take advantage of the many programs he offers, I am going to have to find local support and work closely with my PCP.. who is willing to learn with me and help me be successful. I would give Dr. Juarez an excellent rating. I know I am going to be a difficult patient due to my health problems, it has taken me over 2 years to get to this point... (to be healthy enough to have the surgery)... I am just so thankful to be at this point... It has not been easy for me but, I know it will be worth it. I am grateful to have him for my Dr. I have learned from experience over the years that surgical competence far out weighs a smooth bedside manner.

Dr Juarez is a very good surgeon... He just has no personality. The man is wayyy to busy and looks nervous when he does his big seminars when he is speaking. As far as surgeons go I think he knows his stuff inside and out.. If you have questions for him make sure you corner him and ask so you get your answers.
Best people on his staff: Emile and PAT!!!!

I liked Dr. Juarez right from the start. He was direct and to the point, he answered my questions thoroughly and I'm looking forward to my surgery with great confidence in him.

I first met Dr.Juarez when my girlfriend has bypass surgery and I went to visit her in the hospital the day after her surgery. My 1st impression of Dr. Juarez was that he is very business like. However I was not yet is patient. But when I asked him if he could answer a few questions that I had he took the time to answer all of the questions that I had. And that really impressed me because alot of Dr.'s are so busy that if you are not the patient or family member they don't have the time to answer your questions. But Dr. Juarez makes the time. When I went to my first office visit my PCP had not gotten the authorization for the visit and Dr Juarez staff got it for me so that I wouod not have to reschedule. St Lukes Hospital has a very good before and aftercare program with support groups and the Dr himself see's you often after your surgery. Dr Juarez and his staff are a 10 in my book. And for me personally surgical competence is much more important than bedside manner.

I liked Dr. Juarez very much. I felt extremely confident in his abilities and expertise. The office is always busy and it takes forever to get an appointment or questions answered. I had one complication with surgery, and had to go back into surgery again and that got scheduled right away. The aftercare program with him is very good, nutrition and support groups.

Over all I would give him a 10+ in surgical competance and a 5 in bedside manner.

I recently met Dr. Juarez at his seminar at St. Lukes in Phoenix. He seems like a very nice man. He has a great sense of humor and didn't mind cracking a few jokes. He was very thorough in explaining the whole process of RNY and the differences between it and other types of surgery. I did notice as many others before me that he's a very busy man and seems somewhat rushed. I do look forward to my consult with him in September.
On the other hand, his office staff seems a little incompetent when it comes to scheduling appointments. When I called to schedule my appointment with Dr. Juarez the woman I spoke with scheduled me with Dr. Fang, who unfortunately is not covered by my insurance at this time. She also told me the wrong appointment time. The only reason I discovered this mess was because my mother was trying to schedule a consult near the same time as mine as to avoid driving an extra 200 miles roundtrip. The office told me I was mistaken and did not offer an appology. The woman I spoke with did correct my appointment but now I have to wait another month. I hope this isn't an indication of how they treat their patients.