Joseph Afram Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

hi all i had my consult with Dr.A to day 3/22/02 and i must say i liked him right away his office staff was very nice no one made you feel bad about being over weight and Dr.A put me at ease right away i really didnt have to many questions to ask, he pretty much covered every thing plus i had already found out a lot of info about the surgery on this site and his i would recommend Dr.A in a heart beat he is experinced and confident thats what i look for in a Doctor later i`ll tell you all about his bed side manner when i get to that stage.

hi all i had my surgery on the 14th of may and i have to say that Dr.A was everything i could want in a surgeon compentent,caring and very campassionate he visted me every morning while i was in the hospital he was very friendly and i found his beside manner to be great i would not change a thing as you can see i`m a big fan i would highly recommend him to others wanting the surgery.

Dr. Afram is very pleasant and knowledgable. He seems to have a very practical way about handling his business of helping people. He uses past experience(s) to build a better format of helping his patients. Everyone in his office is nice and helpful. It makes the process much easier to handle. Dr. Afram is very real in explaining the procedure and it's seriousness.

He and his team (as he calls them) have a good system in place for pre-op and post-op. I have attended many of the support group sessions. The group sessions are very informative and realistic.

Dr. Afram explained the possible risks associated with any surgery. I am comfortable with his care. He has completed over 2000 successful operations.

I have heard that Dr. Afram's bedside manner is excellent.....from many of his previous patients. I have a friend(former co-worker), who had the surgery in 1997.......she just raved about Dr. Afram and the surgery. She looks and feels good today......

I liked him right away and found him personable and informative. I don't know about his bedside manner, but I have high hopes. He's a highly sought surgeon in our area and other places ... his staff are nice and really good to deal with. He likes to get through his information before you ask questions. I was warned up front about that, so I waited till he asked me if I had questions. He seemed pleased that I had a written list.

At first, I wasn't thrilled with Dr. Afram. He's not very personable. He is, however, an excellent surgeon, and caring. He visited me in the hospital every morning by 9 am, and when I had a problem and paged him, he called me back within 10 minutes! His office handled all the insurance info (although they took almost 6 weeks to get my info to BCBS!!!), and I'm really happy I went with him now. Also, he's done more of these than anyone else in DC, so in terms of experience, no one can even touch him.

I met Dr. Afram for the first time last week. I was drawn to his program because it was the most comprehensive with particular emphasis on the aftercare. I had done a lot of research prior to the visit so I didn't have many questions. The few questions I asked were easily answered. Everything was done very efficiently, although in a way that was offputting because it had a "assembly line" feel to it. However, I saw a second surgeon today who does the procedure laproscopically (to get a comparison) and now appreciate the efficiency of Dr. Afram's program. Dr. Afram now operates at GW so that's a plus too.

Dr. Afram and his staff are very knowledgeable about the Open RNY Procedure and have completed over 2000 surgeries in the past. I was very pleased with him at my initial consultation. His staff at Weight For Life take care of all the insurance information and the approval process. It is driving me crazy to take the 'hands-off' approach, but reviews from other patients tend to be very positive about their ability to 'handle it'.

SO far, my first visit was prelimiary. Dr. Afram was thorough and knows his stuff. I am not worried that he won't take care of me.

His staff is great and on my first visit, I met a post-op person whose life has totally changed. She was so happy and not ashame to tell anyone who would listen.

My date is set. Wish it were sooner, but I can wait, I think

He was very nice and easy to talk to. Full of knowledge and has done over 2000 surgeries. The office staff wer really nice and very laid back, that made the first appointment less stressfull!

I have begun the "approval" process with the assistance of Velma Spriggs from Weight For Life. Velma is an insurance advocate that works for Dr. Afram in assisting his prospective patients get though the jungle of approval demands made by most insurance companies.

I have not met Dr. Afram personally but am looking forward to doing so when the time comes.

The reasons for which I chose Dr. Afram are quite simple. 1) His staff works with you to get your insurance approval, even to the "appeals" level. 2) Dr. Afram has performed countless GB surgeries and has a very low complication/mortality rate. 3) Dr. Afram's after-care program and structured support group both in person and on the internet are second to none. 4) All the risks and benefits are laid out in simple terms so you can make a well informed decision about your health care. 5) Dr. Afram's surgical abilities and bedside manner are 110% equal and his post-operative patients are very pleased with their over-all care received.

My first meeting with Dr. A was on Nov. 16th. His staff members were very warm and friendly toward to me and everyone else in the waiting area. My impression of Dr. A was WOW, he is really laid back! He took his time to explain the procedure and what is expected of me before and after the surgery. His demenor made me feel really comfortable and at ease.

3/06/02- I had my final consult with Dr. Afram today, it went well. I had only a few questions for him but per usual he made me fell really relaxed. I had expressed to him that I hadnt received any info back from my sleep study and he got started to handle that issue with great urgency, which was good to see.