Nilesh A. Patel Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS

My first impression was wonderful of Dr. PatelrnI haven't had time for it to change yet.rnHis office staff have been wonderful to me and very polite and professionalrnI so far would rate him on a scale of 1-10 about a 9 or 10.rnI feel that both surgical competence AND bedside manner are very very important!

Dr. Patel was one of the friendliest men I've ever met. He's young, good personality and seems honestly interested in me. The staff was fantastic and everyone was trying to help me. I have a little difficulty walking due to two bad knees so I use my cane and they were all helping me to get around and get comfortable. He told me all about the program, what my insurance would cover, and before I left, told me I was accepted for surgery. He gave me a book that we all call our Bible because it tells us step by step what to expect, who to call if we have questions or an emergency, everything. My main concern was my age. I'm 69 and knew that I was nearing the age that they don't want to do surgery. He accepted me right away and was thrilled over my recovery after surgery, but so am I!! rnIn my book, he's excellent. In competence, bedside manner, just totally.rnI think I love this man. LOL.

I was impressed when I went to the orientation to hear about gastric bypass. The doctor came in. He was real down to earth. He spoke with knowledge & sympathy. He was very personal & I believed he was the best. My first impression slightly changed. He now seems to have more patients than he can handle. His front office staff & clinical staff are so unhelpful. I got the runaround from all of them everytime I called. I liked his MA. She was helpful & informative. No one else seemed to care about the patients. I do not like the fact that 20 people have their appointments scheduled at the same time. We end up waiting for an hour & a half just to have our 10 minute follow up. I think his clinic is too small for all the people who are there for their appointment. When the doctor spoke of the risks of surgery, he didn't make a big deal out of them, but he was sure to discuss them & make sure you understand them. I think Dr. Patel is an excellent doctor who could use better structure in his clinic & a more caring staff. I've worked front office in different clinics & I have never seen anyone more dis-interested in the patients as his staff. They didn't bother to give me any direction when they gave me my lab orders. They didn't tell me where to go. I ran all over town trying to find a lab, to find out that I needed to be fasting. That would have been crucial info from the front office staff when I told them I was headed to find a lab. Instead, they were more interested in what the others were doing after work. I think Dr. Patel is very knowledgeable.

The BEST EVER! My impression of him never changed over time. He will always be there for you.

I first talked to Dr. Patel on the phone and I was so shocked that he would call me personally that it took me a moment to pick my jaw off the floor. How often does a doctor call a (not yet) patient who hasn't been calling and complaining or making some sort of threats?! I was impressed. Then, I went to a seminar that was presented in Corpus Christi and once again he was personable and ready to stay as long as needed to answer any questions I might have or concerns or forbid - complications that I dreaded... He is very educated in his field of expertise and gifted on his abilities. A confident man!! I would go for confident any day! I know his staff were overwhelmed and busy, but at the same time... they were doing A LOT of work! If I had been working for this office, I wouldn't have sat down either! That shows committment!! The other thought on the crazy-busy of the office is that if there are THIS many people getting help/surgery/follow up care from Dr. Patel... HE MUST BE GOOD!!! I am on my preop diet and awaiting pre-tests so I can schedule my surgery. I wasn't sold on the surgery until I talked to him. Bug

He was nice, very friendly. He knew allot of information. He was great before surgery and was ok afterwards. It was hard getting a hold of him after surgery to ask questions. The office staff are very nice. It was just hard reaching him after surgery and the staff seemed very busy all the time.

When I called to make my appointment they were wonderful. I drove 2 hrs to get there and took off work, it was important to me. I filled out the enourmous amount of paper work, listened to the siminar and saw the DR. He told me, my insurance wasnt going to pay, I had the worst insurance for WLS. I could either self pay or ... he listed other employers in the area that used the right kind of insurance and after that 5 minute conversation I was kicked to the curb. They asked for my $20 copay, asked me if I wanted to stay for the psych eval and dietician. the dietcian was free but the psych would be $300 because of my insurance, and then I was out the door. I felt like crap. It was like..\"oh well, sorry, bye\" pat me on the back. SO that was my experience. I guess I expected them to try to help me with my insurance like their site says they do. So bascially if you dont have certain insurance, they dont care about you.

I have found that Dr. Patel was very informative. First impression of him was great and he seemed very knowledgable. Although I have found that his staff are very rushed, unfriendly and no customer support unless you fall into an insurance group that does the procedure right away. I have been seen by Dr. Patel at a seminar and then for the very long first appointment. I filled all necessary paperwork. I was seen by a nutritionist and the psychiatrist. My appointment was in the beginning of Februrary. Not one time has anyone called to check on my progress. Not once person has anyone called since I sent in my lab work. Not once has anyone called to say that they recieved my paperwork from my PCP. I have called them everytime to follow up. They were told at my first appointment to get my records from PCP and I called several times to find out and they never did so I again requested it and it was AGAIN overlooked until I called again to check a week later. This was one month later after my appointment. I have found that the process is difficult as I have very much expected but it seems to me that if your insurance doesn't cover the procedure right away then they just move on to the patient that does have immediate coverage. Also I was billed 900.00 through my insurance company for the psych visit that was very rushed and less than 20 minutes. They billed me for future visits which is completely inappropriate. The psychiatrist asked for cash up front to pay for the visit and all I had was a debit card on me. I was never told that I needed to come with cash. She seemed a bit put off about that and for all of those reasons I have decided to change surgeons. I want an office staff that knows my name. Not because I call them weekly (usually pissed off) to find out if they had progress but because they have called me to check on my progress. Not one time has Dr. Patel's office called me back when I requested information. I have had to call everytime even when someone said they would call me back. I am a nurse so I know the importance of customer service in a doctor's office and this one is very poor. I'm sure Dr. Patel is a great surgeon but I will never know.rnrnrnrnrn

My experiance with Dr. Patel has been very good. Pre-Op and Post-Op. The surgery went well and I have had no problems so far.

I attended a seminar in San Antonio Saturday Feb 10th, and was amazed and relieved to find a surgeon that is so passionate about what He does and the help He can offer to obese patients. Dr Patel without doubt is not the average Surgeon.....this Dr makes it possible to have direct contact with him via telephone and email......I've never seen this before and after having the opportunity to sit down one on one with him it was very clear to me He really does care about his patients and His goal to to Help them have successful weight loss....... and the aftercare that was described is fantastic as well. I look forward to taking the next steps in making this dream a reality for me. He offers a way to getting your life under control and the opportunity to having a better quality Life and a longer healthier Life.