Luciano A. DiMarco Bariatric Surgeon D.O., F.A.C.O.S.

My first impression of Dr. DiMarco was that he was caring, understanding of what I am going through with my weight and took his time with you. The office Staff was great, very frendly, always smiling, taking time answering questions for you and very understanding of what you have gone through and will go through after this surgery. One little bothering thing about Dr. DiMarco is that he was always late. Sometimes you have to wait 1 to 2 hours to be seen by him but once you were in his office, he was great and took his time with you. I reccomend anyone to see this Dr., he may be slow going at the beginning but once you get in to see him and get the ball rolling, then all goes well. I haven't had the surgery yet but I heard aftercare with Dr.DiMarco goes just as well as anything else. One good thing about this Dr. is that he explains this surgery very well, such as Risks and Complications and what to expect. I rate this Dr.a 9, only because he is late alot for appointments but all in all he is the greatest Dr.I have ever known.

He was very kind.

No

Very friendly.

He is so busy there is a wating list.







He lets you know the truth, pros and cons

10

CAREING AND INFORMATIVE

My first impression of Dr. DiMarco was his kindness and understanding of my problem. I had my first consult in april and I am a self pay so when I paid them on June 14, 2001 I was given my surgery date on June 22, 2001. My date will be September 21, 2001. Thank god and Dr. DiMarco. They whole office is great not a problem at all.

I am still awaiting my appoitment. Has anyone used Health Americia? I would be interested in knowing how complicated they make the approval.

I had my initial consult with Dr. DiMarco on May 24. As I've heard, he was running behind as usual, about an hour. But the time went quickly as I chatted with others in the waiting room who had already had this done and were more than willing to chat about it. The initial consult lasted about 30 minutes. He was very nice and described everything to me very completely and answered all my questions. He really emphasizes being seen back there in a timely fashion after your surgery for your post-op visits to avoid/detect any complications (I was hoping to be able to follow up closer to home since this is a 2 hour drive for me, but that's a No-No). The office staff is very nice, but I had one major problem with their lack of information. They assured me a few times that all I would need was my office copay (BC/BS) but when I got there and was in the back waiting for the doctor to come in a girl came in to tell me that BC/BS hasn't been paying for initial consult visits for obesity the past few weeks, so I would need to have the money that day or I'd have to reschedule (another 4 months out!). I was fit to be tied since I didn't have an extra $200 with me! Luckily my Mom was with me and put it on her credit card or I would have been in trouble. But I felt that was something they DEFINITELY should have informed me of ahead of time if there was even a chance I could have had to pay that then. But otherwise the visit went well. Now I just have to wait for insurance approval (probably 1-2 weeks for BC/BS) then I get to do all the pre-op stuff and schedule my surgery! Unfortunately it won't be as soon as I was expecting. I was hoping for late July but they tell me they're out 'till Sept already. I'm really hoping to get a cancellation earlier. I was a little disappointed that they only have Sat hours one Sat a month, though, as it's VERY difficult for me to take time off from work for this (they're not very supportive). But I'll do what I have to do to make this work. This is my priority now.

Dr. DiMarco was very informative and patient with all of our questions. The stafs was pleasant as well. He seemed very confident that I would have no trouble getting approved by my insurance, but I may have to wait until July for surgery. He seems to be avery popular guy. I met several of his patients while waiting. Both had very good surgery experiences and quick recoveries. They are both doing well, and really like Dr. DiMarco. If you are even considering this surgery for the first time, make your appointment now. You can always cancel. Once you decide to have the surgery, it is so hard to wait for it to actually happen. Don't wait. I'll let you know more after my pre-op tests and surgery.

Obesity is a very sensitive issue for most people and I'm certainly no exception. I had a hard time mentioning my weight problem to a doctor without shedding a few tears, I just felt so defeated. Dr. DiMarco made me feel very comfortable. He addressed my concerns in a professional and sensitive manner and made me feel good about the choice I'd made to look into bariatric surgery.

His staff has been very helpful and supportive. They've been quick to respond to any questions whether via phone or e-mail. The office is, however, extremely busy. I had to wait a month and a half for an appointment, something that's hard to do once you've made a decision to go ahead and see a surgeon.

There is a new support group forming at his practice, the first meeting will be in April and there is a registered dietician on staff. There is a pre-op appointment with the dietician that is required and follow-up appointments after surgery.

I chose Dr. DiMarco because he was the only surgeon in my area to do the procedure laparoscopically and, since I have two young children to care for, I could not afford a long recovery time.

For this particular type of surgery, I think competence needs to combine with a compassionate and understanding bedside manner. If he would have made me feel like he didn't care or would have made me feel ashamed of my weight, I would never have chosen him to do my surgery.

Negative things to say? I waited nearly an hour and a half for my first appointment. He seems to run late a lot of the time, but when I did see him, he didn't rush through my appointment. He took his time and was very thorough....which, in my opinion, is a good tradeoff. So no real complaints here.

My first impression was he cares. He took the time to explain the surgery and what will happen. Dr. DiMarco drew how the surgery is done and how it changes your life. My impression was wow this surgery is better than I thought. I must admit Dr. DiMarco does not run on schedule, you will wait but it is worth any amount of time waiting.
His Staff: Friendly and helpful.

Like Least About Him: I can't say there is anything I dislike about Dr. DiMarco. I so excited that it is now more of a reality than it was a week ago.

Future patients: Be prepared to wait.

After Care: You will have care after the surgery and checks up on a structured basis.

Risks of Surgery: He addresses the risks, and will answer any question you have.

Rate on a Scale of 1-10 (10 being the best): 9.5

Which is Better: I believe his surgical competence is a big plus, but his bedside manner makes him wonderful.

I liked Dr. DiMarco from the first time I met him. He took his time with me, answered my questions and told me all I wanted to know about the surgery, and somethings I didn't, but needed to know anyway.
My impression of Dr. "D" only got higher as I got to know him as he cared for me during surgery, after surgery, post-op visits and getting me through some problems that I experienced. I trust this man with my life and thank him for the changes that he has created in my life.
I would have to say the only negative things about Dr. "D" is that he runs late for his appointments. However, I can justify this just by knowing that he is taking his time with the patients he is seeing before me. I just take a good book and really enjoy the time in the waiting room relaxing. Maybe lazy boy chairs could be added to the waiting room. LOL
Dr "D" definitely addresses all the concerns and risks associated with gastric bypass surgery. Everything he tells you is helpful and food for thought.
The office staff is very good. They are friendly and helpful - always smiling and very courteous on the phone when I've had to call with questions or problems. They have always given Dr. "D" my messages and he has or one of the staff has returned my phone calls with solutions or have made an appointment with me to discuss things with the doctor.
I would highly recommend Dr DiMarco for this surgery and would go through it again.