Joseph Caruana Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

Had my initial consult with Dr. Caruana and from the first moment I met him he seemed very profressional and caring. He took the time to answer all my questions and even gave my husband and I the opportuntity to ask more questions after he explained the procedure to us. What truly impressed me was Dr. C seemed to genuinely care about my worries and cares concerning surgery and he made eye contact with me the entire time. And an added bonus, he has a wonderful smile. All in all, I felt extremely comfortable with Dr. C and his office staff.

Dr. C is fantastic, very caring,understanding and willing to answer any and all questions. Ronda is a GEM!!!I had an ins. problem at my first appt and made a trip to Buff. from Jamestown for nothing, howerver after getting things straightend out she got me back in in 2 weeks. I saw Dr. C on Monday July 2, and I am waiting for insurance approval so we can set up a date.

I thought to myself...this man is a miracle worker. I was impressed at how strong the response of his patients are to him. I mean I met, about 22 of his patients and all except one, adored him. His office is clean and neat. Other than the chairs that have the arm rests that kind of squeeze into your hips, everything else is geared towards the larger-sized individual. His cute assistant Mark doesn't hurt either. The only thing I can think of is that an HMO insurance doesn't really give you enough time to foster a relationship with you physician, you have to seek it out yourself. After one appointment, the next time I get to see Dr. Caruana is on the surgery table! Dr Caruana is a strong advocate for his patients. He is known as fiecercly protective of his patients. He was very much indepth regarding the risks and the complications also in addressing followup care in his office. On a scale of one to ten. I would give him a solid 9. Surgical competence and bedside manner are important to me, because it just makes me feel safer regarding the whole process overall. You know what I mean? lolol

My first impression of Dr C. was warm, friendley and caring. Very willing to talk to me and answer any questions. Felt very comfortable with him from the start. He has a great office staff, my main person I deal with is Rhonda, she always has time to answer
any questions you have.Dr C. has discussed all aspects of the surgery with me, and I would rate him very high.

Post-op comments:
I have to say that Dr. Caruana is absolutley the tops when it comes to surgeons. Even though I had some complications Dr C. was with me the whole time. He gives of himself unselfishly. He never lets you feel like you are alone, he is available to you 24 hours a day. His office staff is tops also, Rhonda is so friendley and offers to help in anyway she can, she is a great listener also. And last but not least thanks to Dr C's PA Marc, keep up the great work and keep those smiles coming.(they do help)
So for anyone thinking of this surgery, and lives in the Buffalo area and surrounding suburbs, check out Dr Caruana and his staff. You won't regret it!!!!!

Dr. C. is a very friendly, has a good sense of humor and is very thorough is explaining the surgery and aftercare. His office staff are also very friendly and informative. I would recommend him to anyone!

My first impression of Dr. Caruanna was that he truly seemed to care about helping the morbid obese. My opinion is still the same. The office staff is very helpful but I find since they are all new to this surgery that I wish I had more information on nutrition, vitamins and what they are needed for. Since I am unable to take vitamins since they seem to make my appetite out of control, I have no idea what to do to supplement. They do have a local support group but I have been unable to go as of yet. Dr. Caruanna has always responded quickly any time I had to call his office after hours. He never makes you feel like you are annoying him and genuinely seems to care. The risks of surgery are covered in writing and you must sign a risk sheet. Dr. Caruanna is a very competent surgeon and I would recommend him to anyone. My only reservation is that I was his heaviest patient as of my surgery date, which made me nervous but I feel he did a good job. I was 450 lbs at my time of surgery and could hardly walk. My only complaint would be the hospital, I feel they are not as prepared for the morbidly obese as I would have liked. They didn't have a blood pressure cup to fit my arm, nurses seemed impatient, room was very hot. The first shift was great, but 2nd and 3rd maybe were too understaffed. Maybe it was just my experience but all I know is that I didn't feel the hospital stay was up to snuff so to speak.

My initial impression is that Dr. Caruana is a sweetheart. He explained everything very clearly - the good and the bad. The his secretary, Rhonda is also very competent and friendly. I had expected that I may leave the office feeling very odd, but that did not happen. If anything, I am more excited about having the surgery than I was before. Also, they referred me to a local WLS support group.