Robin P. Blackstone Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

I went to Dr. Blackstone's orientation on 12/15/02--I was taken by her outgoing personality and her presentation of the program--I knew that she was the Dr. that I wanted for surgery. Usually when someone is wearing a Santa hat it is hard to take them seriously-but I knew that she knew her stuff and was so impressed. There was a minor set back but that was squared away and after April 10th visit I was on my way getting every test that I needed and finally the outcome of surgery for 11/11 I am so excited to have Dr. Blackstone after attending 2 other seminars I felt at home with her and that was the feeling that I wanted taking such a serious step in life to start a new and happy beginning.

I attended Dr. Blackstone's orientation on July 13, 2003. With the exception of a friend of mine who is a surgeon, I've never met a surgeon I liked. She blows me away. She is warm, so intelligent, incredibly funny, extremely compassionate, very detailed. I'm stunned at how well she has orchestrated her program of care. I learned more about the actual risks of surgery than I have anywhere, including the realization that the .05 mortality rate is spread across the nation, across all categories of patients. Some people have more like a .0005 mortality rate. Others have a 5%. I learned things that made me weep during her talk. I learned about Ghrelin. Go learn about it. It's why we can't stop eating after we lose weight. I also learned that she is at the top of the list of qualified bariatric surgeons, and I'm absolutely thrilled that she is my surgeon. I'd been despondent because I couldn't go to The WISH center. She made me glad I could go to her. Pre-care and aftercare and support are strongly emphasized in her orientation. She wants 100% weight loss for us, and knows how to help us get that. I absolutely loved her!

I'm sorry, I can't find anything negative to say. I'll let you know more after I have my initial appointment, but I am truly relieved having had the orientation.

I feel she is a very dedicated and caring surgeon. I have had no bad reports about her and have talked to a number of her patients, both pre- and post-op.

As a post-op patient now, I can assure you that not only is Dr. Blackstone a dedicated and caring surgeon, she is a dedicated and caring PERSON. She and her office and medical staff are wonderful as is the hospital she uses and the nursing staff. She deserves the recognition she receives from her peers.

Dr. B has a structured aftercare program which she emphasizes and strongly encourages her patients to follow. This includes both on-line and in-person support groups, a structured eating plan and regular office visits until you reach your goal weight. She has recently added a nutritionist to her staff.

Of course these are my personal experience and cannot make statements about what others may experience, but I would never hesitate to recommend Dr. Blackstone to anyone considering this surgery.

My first inpression of Dr. Blackstone was that she is very straight forward. I have only met her at the seminar that is required prior to surgery. The thing that I really like about her was that she had her husband there as assistance and support. She appears very honest and personable.

I was still nervous about the surgery. The whole 'being cut on' thing. There was a little advertisement for her clinic but most of the seminar was educational. I realized that about half way thru the seminar I began to feel much more comfortable with the aspect of having surgery. Dr. Blackstone explined the different types of surgery and by the time she got finished expalining the Lap RNY I was feeling much less nervous. I felt a kind of rightness with the whole thing. I think that it has to do with 2 things. Dr. blackstone herself and gaining knowledge about the surgery itself. Also she explained all the things that could go wrong and what they do in prep to make sure nothing happens.

The program has a very extensive aftercare program. She gave us time frames and some info about the actual program. There will be more info forth coming about the aftercare program the closer to surgery I get.

So far I really like her. More info to come as I get further in the program.

*********************Post Op *************
I am currently 5 days post op and know that Dr. Blackstone and her surgical team are the best in the valley and anywhere else that I know of. They put great effort into making my surgery the best experience possible. She and her team worked on me for and extra hour and a half to allow me to have LAP as I desired and gave me their best energy to have that be what I got. And that is what I got. I am so happy. The recovery so far has been great. I begin the aftercare program soon and believe that it will be put together with the same focus and intent that everything else has. There are sometimes problems with her staff and some major switches in staff due the quickness of how fast her business has grown but my understanding of the changes she has made will fix the problems that have cropped up.

As I said Dr. Balckstone and her surgical team are the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I attended Dr. Blackstone's informational seminar on June 8th. The seminar was informative and interesting. I drug my thin sister who has ulcerative colitis along and on the way she was questioning my decision to have surgery. By the time Dr. Blackstone was done talking, not only was my sister a strong proponent of WLS, she was trying to talk Dr. Blackstone into performing her own colon surgery.

Dr. Blackstone was very pleasant and humorous. I feel that she really wants you to succeed.

My first impression of Dr. Blackstone was from her presentation at the informational seminar in Scottsdale, Arizona. In this setting, Dr. Blackstone was quite poised, proved to be an excellent public speaker, and seemed genuine in her respect for, and care of, people. I was also impressed at the ease with which she handled the electronic gadgets she used in the presentation. I noticed this because I understand she uses an imaging system in surgeries, and that would require someone extremely comfortable with electronics.
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I chose Dr. Blackstone for three reasons. First, is the excellent referrals I have read on this board. The second reason is her emphasis on the total health of the patient (pre-op, post-op, physical and emotional.) The third (and probably biggest) reason I chose Dr. Blackstone is the program she has developed with the hospital where she does surgery. This program is built around allowing extreme cohesion within the WLS surgery team. From the anesthesiologist to nurses, the crew is usually made up of the same people, day in and day out. I have seen the advantage of this sort of teamwork in my work life, so I trust it in this surgical setting.
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My consultation was a few days ago, and I was a little disappointed that I didn&#8217;t get to meet with Dr. Blackstone. I saw instead, her PA, Randy. No biggie really, I just wasn&#8217;t expecting Randy, so it was a small disappointment. Of course I can certainly understand Dr. Blackstone delegating what she can!
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So far, Dr. Blackstone&#8217;s office is terrific. Even though they are swamped with patients, they are always cheerful and responsive. The reception person, Jamie, is especially a sweetie. She is on the front lines but never makes you feel like a burden.
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05/27/03 Okay, now I am getting a bit frustrated. I had my consult on March 31st, and still they have not submitted my paperwork to insurance. They tell me that they have had an entire staff change-out, and I do understand how that could hold up things, but 8 weeks is a bit much. To make matters worse, on three different occasions, they told me the file had already been submitted to insurance. Finally, last week, Becky (who seems competent and informed) said that my file was "back from dictation" and that it should go out to Cigna within a few days If Cigna gets it within the next week, then I am going to chalk all this up to the staff change-out and bad luck. If it goes on much longer than that, I am afraid I will lose faith.
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5/18/03: My entire experience with Dr. Blackstone has been great. She has a great before and aftercare program, which is a little stricter than others I have seen but the results are worth it! She is truly a lifesaver, and I am so glad she became my doctor!

The office staff has changed, my first visit after the changes the visit went very smoothly.


1/03:I started out with another Doctor, however was told when we went for a referral was told that Doctor Blackstone was the only doctor that Cigna approved, so I switched to her. I am so glad I did! She's a little tough on the smokers, which is understandable, but thanks to her I quit smoking almost 6 months ago to prepare for surgery! She is a great doctor, the office staff is incredible, and the facilities are very nice.

Dr. Blackstone is very thorough and takes the time to answer all questions. She has implemented the premier weight loss surgical center in Scottsdale, and she has a very strong emphasis on aftercare with a very comprehensive aftercare program and support system. I feel very confident in the choice I have made to have her perform the lap RNY on me. I can't wait to move forward with a surgery date!

She seems like a very caring woman.
Her office staff was polite and seem efficient.
Dr. Blackstone emphasizes the importance of before and aftercare. They have support meeting that must be attended before surgery and is strongly advised after surgery.
I give Dr. Blackstone a 10!!

I have been very impressed with Dr. Blackstone and in fact that has been the main reason I did not loose patience about the time involved is because I know she is the best!