Keith S. Gersin Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

After reading some of the posts on here about Dr. Gersin's office, when I went to their information session, I went with a huge attitude. Since then, I have gone to 2 sessions, and there is one reason for that: Jessica, Dr. Gersin's program director. She is amazing. When the session I went to in September was overbooked, she stayed late and held a second session for just 5 people! She truly just wants people to be informed. I went to another session this month, and again, she stayed late to discuss the procedure, the doctors, etc...with just 2 of us! Jessica is organized, meticulous, does not bullsh*t you about anything, and is genuinely a friendly person. As busy as she is, she is adamant about follow up and follow through. All of my pre-op appointments are set for the next 2 weeks, including the meeting with Dr. Gersin. After speaking with Jesica and other patients of his, I think I have good idea of what to expect. Of course, I will update this afterwards.

My Surgery is September 11th, 2002 I hope to make something great happen on a day that we will always remember with sadness.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Keith Gersin and his partner very nice guys and very educated on this surgery.... I am having the LAP YEAH!! They were really funny when I finally got to go to my visit with him I was soo excited and goofy, they walked into the room and appologized for their attire and I was confused because they were dressed like Surgeons so I said YOU ARE DRESSED LIKE DOCTORS!!! And they laughed.... and said no, we just got out of surgery and did not have time to change.

He was very honest with me regarding the diet what to expect and the works Great Bed Side Manner!!! Hard to find with Surgeons Trust me!
Dr. Keith Gersin will not even see you until you go through the diet class. And I know that is good he is thinking about us and making sure we know what in the heck we are going to have to drink and eat and how our lives have to change.

I know Dr. Gersin makes us go to after care workshops and they seem to be great. If anyone has had this surgery and you are gaining weight then you need to re check your diet.

Dr. Keith Gersin has people to do that for him regarding what could go wrong etc. And yeah they are very honest and kinda scare you to death but it is our choice and it is worth the risk. I could die in surgery or die from a massive heart attack. I want to go for it and that is just me. But again you cannot go into the hospital and be shocked at how little you get to eat for goodness sakes wake up this is why we are doing this surgery.

I have to give Dr. Keith Gersin an A+ that is how I would rate him. He is like I have said not a drive through service kind of a doctor.... He really cares or is one heck of an actor. Great on Pre Op!, Great Bedside Manner and I will have to update you after my surgery.... So far he could not be better.
Good Bed Side Manners cannot really be taught you are born with them and if your doctor is a good caring person then The Bed Side Manner is a there.


I would love Patch Adams to be one of my doctors because I think better bedside manner is very important. I know when my brother was sick with Cancer his doctors Dr. Robert Thaler and Dr. William Shriner at Christ were a riot and they made him feel better just from being uplifting and awesome doctors. So yes bedside manner is very important. For not only the doctors but also for the nurses the kitchen help, and you name it. Goofy happy people heal people everyday.

Now when you are in surgery you do want someone who knows how to use a knife and use it right so yes you want them to be very competent otherwise you could die.

I will update all of you after My Surgery September 11.2002

Hi, I just saw Dr. Gersin and like him alot. My first meeting with him was Aug. 16 and my date for surg. is Aug 26th. He will joke with you and is still able to be up front at the same time. I feel he was honest and all will be ok.
The office staff was very friendly. Jessica did tell me she would see me the day after surgery and keep in touch for about 12 weeks.
Things are moving fast now and he is going to do the lap. surg. which the healing time will be faster.

I will not meet Dr. Gersin until 9-5-02. My only other appointment has been with a Nurse Practioner Kimberly Cain, on 6-6-02.
The biggest problem I've had is with the Psychiatrist, Dr. Hima Kode but the story had a happy ending for me. When I met with Kimberly Cain, Kimberly told me I had to have a psych eval, the only place I could get the eval was from Dr. Kode, that Dr. Kode wanted $150.00 up front and I had to file my own insurance claim. When I called BCBS to inquire as to how to file a claim, I was told Dr. Kode was a preferred provider for my insurance plan and had signed a contract, agreeing to bill BCBS for any visits AND that my total cost would be $15.00 for my co-payment. I called Dr. Kode's office with my good news and after explaining all the particulars, was told Dr. Kode would not file my claim and I had to pay $150.00 up front! I was told that Dr. Kode was afraid she would not be paid, up to the contract amount so she would not file the claim! Don't people sign contracts, so they are paid an agreed upon amount? BCBS made numerous calls to Dr. Kode's office, assuring them the claim would be paid, especially since it turns out BCBS also requires a psych eval and that my co-payment was $15.00. Dr. Kode still refused to file the claim. I contacted the NP Kimberly Cain but the only other option she gave me was to call her (Kimberly) back after the 4th of July to see if she had the phone number of a 2nd Psychiatrist named Marcia Kaplan, who was going into private practice. Here's the kicker - Kimberly said Dr. Kaplan would ALSO require $150.00 up front!
I filed a complaint with BCBS provider relations about Dr.Kode. I finally sent a fax to Jennifer at Dr. Gersin's office about the psychiatrist problem and asked to speak to Dr. Gersin. Jennifer called me that afternoon, and assured me I could go to anyone on my insurance plan, for the eval! I chose a super psychologist, Dr. Janice Bending 859-341-9888(by Thomas More College, in Kentucky). She is very personable and understanding and I plan to see her after the surgery, if needed. I paid her $15.00 and she filed my claim for me. I have not received an EOB yet, so I do not know how much Dr. Bending earned for the visit, but it was far less than $150.00!

Due to the type of insurance I had, I was not allowed to pick my surgeon of choice or I would have gone with Dr. Patricia Choban of the Columbus Bariatric Treatment Center. I made an appointment with the physicians office that my insurance did approve of. My first visit was with a Nurse Practioner. I was never overly impressed with anyone in the office. It was difficult to get past the operators, much less to get a call back from the person you were trying to reach. I was told who my doctor would be during the interview with the nurse. She hit the high points, took all my previous records from other docs and it was pretty much don't call us we will call you. I had been trying to get the surgery approved for the past year and a half and didn't expect much from the docs office, insurance people or staff. I was wrong. Before I even made it home she was back on the phone with me saying I had been approved. My surgery date was September 27th. I was told I would received a letter finalizing my date and setting an appointment with my doc about 2 weeks before surgery, this was in May. About 2 weeks later my husband brought home a letter telling me my date was July 5th and my doc appointment was the last of June. Dr. Gershin, like most surgeons is not a personable man. My appointment with him took less than 15 minutes. And the only thing he told me I didn't already know was that I would have a 2 foot incision down my stomach! He told me the risks, didn't sugarcoat anything. I don't remember seeing him before surgery, but his flock of residents made up for it. They were wonderful. My surgery went without a hitch. All aspects of complications or even a hint of complications were addressed quickly.
How would I rate the staff, residents and doc? The staff leaves a little to be desired. You HAVE to do your homework. YOU have to be proactive about your care. YOU have to make them listen when you think something is wrong. And don't take no for an answer. The residents were wonderful. And I have the highest marks for them. Doc Gersin? I didn't care whether he had a bedside manner or not. I wanted a doctor that knew his business and that is exactly what I got. He made sure I was comfortable pain wise. He took every care to make sure the incision inside and out was strong. He made sure I was taken care of. Personality scale? He is a 4. Surgeon scale? 10+. You are in good hands with this surgeon. And a personal note...the hospital of choice with Dr. Gershin was University Hospital of Cincinnati. The nurses were the best. I am a nurse of 27 years and I didn't go in expecting much, I was proved wrong many, many times. Thank you ladies.

Dr. Gersin is a very nice man. He is willing to answer any questions you might have. His staff is great and fast in getting you in to the dietition. His staff that comes to the hospital is a great bunch of men who try to make every thing easier on you. If I had to do it again I would pick Dr. Gersin :)