Philippe Quilici Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, Medical Director

Dr. Quilici is an amazing surgeon but don't expect to spend a lot of time with him. I had my surgery on 9/15/06 and haven't seen him once since a week before my surgery. In fact, I often joke that if I didn't know better, I'd think that he didn't even operate on me. All my follow ups have been with his associate, Dr. Tovar. In fact, I never once saw him or Dr. Tovar in the hospital. A new associate came in to release me. So, not high points for bedside manner. That said, what may be lacking in human contact is more than made up for in skill. When someone is cutting into you, you don't need him to be your friend, you need him to be the best surgeon you can find - which I believe he is. To date, I've lost close to 100 pounds and have had no complications or problems whatsoever. My dear friend had the surgery 6 weeks before me with Dr. Quilici and has had similar success. For the first time in almost 20 years, my diabetes and blood pressure are under control and I am soon to be off all my meds. I couldn't be happier with the results!!! Word of warning, and others have mentioned this as well. Bring reading material to your appointments. I've had to wait as long as 2 hours for my scheduled appointments on several occasions. Again, you can't argue with the results so it is all worth it!

I had a consultation with this surgeon and WHAT A WASTE OF TIME!!rnrnWhen I set up my appointment, the office staff gave me a total price of the surgery. Come to find out, it was TOTALLY incorrect. Actually, noone could give me a price, it was so obvious that they did not want to state the price to me.rnrnI had a 2 oclock appointment, and soon I found out that the 12 oclock patients were still waiting in the waiting room. I got seen at 245 only because I threatned to leave. The only thing they said about that was that they informed me it was going to be 2 to 3 hours in the office. But who would have known thats waiting time!! I thought thats how long the consultation took.rnrnThe dietician is a total joke. She took me and another patient into her office and then proceeded to ask me private questions. I became so angry that she violated my privacy and that of the other guy. I let her know and she told me that I could step outside and wait if I was not happy with it. I decided to stay and hear her out since everything was out on the table already, but I was really mad.rnAs I was listening to her speak, you could tell that she had gone through this shpeel a hundred times and she totally sounded like a robot. Her eyes kept rolling back into her head and when she looked at me I felt that she was looking and talking right through me. rnThats when they spring the \"other\" charges on you, $200 for psych consult, $600 for support group, etc etc.rnShe insisted I make an appointment with the pysch guys, but i told her to hold on, I havent even spoke or met the doctor.rnFinally, after being there for over 1 1/2 hours and insisting to see the Dr. before I learn about anything else, I met the guy.rnHe walks in, No handshake, no introduction (he was probably told that I was a bitch, who knows)rnand his answers to my questions were met with a smirk and a cocky attitude. he just kept saying over and over again that he had done this ALOT and thats all he really had to say.rnWhen I asked him about the costs, he also gave me the run around. Frankly, if they do this ALOT, then they should know approx how much the total thing costs. I have blue cross PPO, a very common insurance carrier, so please, just give me the number, since I'm responsible for 40% of it.rnWhen he left the room, no goodbye, nothing, actually he seemed hurried and was standing by the door the entire time.rnThen I wanted to talk to the billing people so I could ask them about prices and they didnt know either. When I told them the price one of the staff had given me, she said, oh no, its much more than that. More than $18,000?? Well, they should have told me that on the phone.rnThe office staff are terrible, everyone is robotic and when you ask them a question, they ignore you.rnNot friendly, not polite, not informative, NOTHINGrnThere was a lot of pissed off people there, the people in the waiting room waiting for hours, the guy who went in to the dieticians office with me and some others that were there getting an adjustment. rnrnAnd I feel that I should mention that I am an Operating room nurse that has met and worked with a lot of surgeons and have also been to lots of doctors, and I have to say that this office was one of the WORST offices I have ever been to.rnBad staff, bad pompous surgeon, bad experience.rnrnSummaryrnrnLong long wait time (about 2 hours)rnViolation of privacyrnRobotic, non friendly staffrnHidden costsrnHIGH pricernPompous Surgeon with BAD BAD beside mannerrnrnSure you want your surgeon to be skilled, but listen folks, laproscopic surgery is NOT that difficult, actually, its one of the easist surgeries performed, thats why they call it the band aid surgery, you literally leave with a band aid and its also one of the least invasive surgeries performed.rnrnIf you are considering Dr. Quilici, I would keep looking, Lap Band surgeons are just like a bus, if you miss one another one will be coming around the corner in a few minutes...rnrnMy impressions and opinions of my experience..

My first impression of Dr. Quilici was that he was friendly and very helpful. He made me feel at ease about any questions that I had. I researched him on the internet and he is an excellent surgeon, not just WLS but for all types of surgery, this made me feel better because he has a broad knowledge base from which to work with. The only drawback is that the person in charge of scheduling the WLS is arrogant, lazy and doesn't do her job well (IMHO). The rest of the staff was really great and I am looking forward to having my surgery soon. His emphasis on aftercare is very good, he stresses making changes even before surgery and is emphatic about post surery follow up. He really encourages you to join a support group in your area. I have read that alot of people think that he is like the doctor on that show House, but I did not have that impression of him. He was as frienly as any other doctor. On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd say that he is 9 3/4 only because nobody is perfect.

Dr. Q was very straight forward with me and has a wonderful staff. Julie the nutritionist is wonderful. The only thing that bothered me was after surgery no one came out to tell my husband I was okay. He saw all these other dr.s coming out talking to family members and no Dr. Q or even a nurse to tell him I was okay. He waited an extra hour before finally asking someone at the front desk to find out about me. They told him oh this Dr. usually never comes out. My gosh...he should really have a nurse come out. I finally saw him 3 hours later in my room. I loved having my surgery at Cedars Sinai, LA. The nurses and clinicians were wonderful. Had my own room to! I love Dr. Tovar. He is the dr. all the post ops see. He is wonderful!

Excellent surgeon-I highly recommend him to anyone seeking WLS.

The first time I met Dr.Quilici, he seemed very nice and friendly. He even joked with me.rnHe asked if for my history and wrote it all down. Asked me if I had any questions or concerns, and since I had none I was on my way. I needed to get a cardio clearance, that proved to be harder then getting approved for surgery! But after a bunch of tests, my doc signed off and sent the papers into Quilici's office. They called me with a bunch of dates for this and that and gave me a surgery date for 5-17-07. I meet again with him next week. I expect it to be as pleasent as the first visit.rn

The first time i met with Dr. Q, I felt I had made the best choice. He's confident, direct, rnand adorable. My impr4ession over time grew to value his expertise, professionalise. I have tremendous respect for him. This is a man who truly cares, from his staff in the office to the support groups he provides for his patients. Dr. Q wants us to be as successful as possible. Dr. Q has done close to 4000 surgeries with surgical competence. Dr. Tovar is part of the team, and He is a caring Doctor, and just as adorable as Dr. Q. I have had no side affects or complications, because of his post op prep, and after care. He's the best. I recommended him to my own 2 sons. They have had surgery with great results. I have not had any negative experiences with the doctor, staff or support groups.

Excellent surgeon answered any and all questions easy to talk to.

I met Dr. Quilici for the first time today (1/15/07). He was very nice and helpful. His staff was great and the office is beautiful. I'm looking forward to working with the Dr. and reaching my goals.rn3/19/07 - My surgery (3/8/07) went well with no complications. Dr. Quilici and his team were great!

An amazing doctor,with an amazing staff,no surprises....what can I say,some people were complaining about bed side manners when he visits you in the hospital,I disagree,he was friendly and very professional..a 10 on scale of 1 to 10....Even now when I visit his office for routine blood work readings,zero complaints..well the waiting,yah the waiting is long,thats it...Still no biggy,considering the amazing work he did with zero complications and very good results...