Robin P. Blackstone Bariatric Surgeon MD, FACS, FASMBS

Wow! I really can't say enough good things about Dr. Blackstone. From day 1 she and her staff have just been amazing. I am so happy that I decided to go with her as my surgeon. The support that I have received from SBC has just been outstanding. I would truly advise anyone who is considering Weight Loss Surgery to meet with Dr. Blackstone. From the moment you attend her seminar, to your surgery date and beyond you will be nothing but impressed. I truly couldn't have asked for a better doctor or surgical team.

I was very pleased with Scottsdale Bariatric. But now I am disappointed with that place because the Dr. stopped contracting with medicare so I am without insurance coverage for my band care and fills. rnrnI have been treated very well. My pre op visits were all smoothe as silk except for meeting with blackstone which I was kept waiting for hours and hours and postponed until another day to be left waiting for hours again. Dr. B is somewhat arrogant which most surgeons seem to be some worse than others and this is one of the worse than others Dr.rnrn My insurance approval was swift after my 6 month medically supervised weight loss with Dr. Emmershad who is terrific. My surgery was excellent and the after care has been equally impressive. rnrnDr. Blackstone is extremely busy and not the warm fuzzy type. More like the bristly and better than anyone else type. Sometimes the office is backed up however that said with all the times I have been to appointments there the three times I had problems with a cancelled appointment or having to wait for 6.5 hours to see the doctor I would still fo there because their expertise is relevant. rnrnI am not sure I would refer to this doctor anymore however because they are short handed in the fill department and they seem to drop their contracts with insurance companies quite often. I think the more fat celebraties Blackstone operates on the less us regular folks she wants in her practice. rnrnThey do need more help especially since the doctor they added to the staff is not there anymore.

1. First impression is that she was friendly, professional, courteous, and knowledge, great Doctor.rn2. It hasn't changed since I've only met her once, but she was very encouraging and very nice.rn3. The medical staff is WONDERFUL, administrative staff leaves something to be desired...rn4. I've only met the surgeon once, but I was very impressedrn5. She emphasizes aftercare extremely well, I have to schedule a day off so I can attend a post-op education classrn6. Her aftercare program is very structured and available at the hospitalrn7. She addressed the risks and got me on some pills because of my H. Pylori test and talked about some things that could happen, very informativern8. I'd give her and her office an 8.5 out of 10rn9. Surgical competence is the most important. if I want someone to be nice to me I'll talk to my kids

My first impression was that she was extremely knowledgable about her specialty.rnrnMy impression hasn't changed about Dr Robin overtime as a matter of fact I admire her much more now that I've sat and talked with her one-on-one.She is very friendly, funny and yet stays very goal oriented.rnrnDr. Robin's office staff are very nice.I think that thier record keeping routines can be brushed up (I had to keep resending records that had been sent prior) but all in all they are very nice and knowledgable.rnrnThere were many classes before and after surgery to make sure ALL patients understood what was to be expected of them and what they needed to do in order to ensure perfect results. rnrnrnThe risks of surgery were very plainly layed out for me.The possibility of death during and even after the surgery was something that was stressed many,many times to patients.rnrnI would Rate Dr. Robin a 10 + in GBS knowledge, Bedside manner and overall care of her patients. Both are extremely important in making sure the patient heals right and is a successful patient after surgery.rn

Dr. Blackstone is a highly soughtafter bariatric surgeon. She has been doing this work for many years and has developed an all-inclusive program to make sure her patients are knowledgable and have the best chance of achieving great results. New patents should definitely be aware that she is very busy and your appointments will be lengthy at times. Waiting 2+ hours to see her is not uncommon. Her bedside manner is OK, but her staff is great. The hostpital she works out of, Scottsdale Shea, is a not for profit center with excellent nurses, doctors and staff. The hospital has a floor especially dedicated for the bariatric patients. All rooms are private and the nurses work specifially with her patients which makes healing so much easier. I was very well educated about the process before undergoing the procedure and that was due mostly in part to the classes/materials presented prior to the surgery. I would recommend her to anyone.

I was nervous about going to her at first, since she had only been doing the G-Bypass for six months and I was her 97th patient. My opinion changed right away. She was well informed, well trained, and had all the answers. Her staff, at the time was very small and they were extremely helpful. I can not think of one negative thing to say about Dr. Blackstone or her staff. There was great pre-op assistance, wonderful care in the hospital, and fantastic follow up! I believe that both surgical competence and bedside manner are both very important, especially for a procedure like G-Bypass, which it significantly changes your life.

Nothing but positive things to say about this practice. They took, and continue to take, really good care of me. After consulting with many other practices in Phoenix, it's obvious why Blackstone's group is the Center of Excellence.

What was your first impression of him/her? rn - I didn't meet her until a week before my surgery, but she was such a kind and sympathtic doctor, very kind, she gave me a hug at the end of our discussion. She made me feel like a person.rnrnHow did your impression change over time? rn - With more respectrnrnHow would you describe his/her office staff? rn - There are some that are just as nice as her but than there are others who need to work on their attitudes.rnrnWhat did you like least about him/her? rn - Nothing, I did wish I met her throughout my journey on getting approved, but she is so busy (because she is the best).rnrnWhat should future patients know about him/her? rn - You are getting the best out there.rnrnHow much does he/she emphasize aftercare? rn - It is the key to success, you must remember that this is only a tool to help get you where you need to be.rnrnDoes he/she have a structured aftercare program? rn - Yes, you are a lifelong patient with her.rnHow did he/she address the risks of surgery? rn - She went over all the details and the risks, and she asks you if you have any questions or concerns, with me she took the time to go over everything and explained to me what was going to happen and also the aftercare in the hospital.rnrnHow would you rate him/her overall? rn - EXCELLENTrnrnWhich is better, surgical competence, bedside manner, or are both great?rn - I had the best of both worlds, not only is she the best out there but she knows what she is doing and makes you feel like a person again.

I am overall satisfied with my experience and communications with Dr. Blackstone. I was a little discouraged in the beginning because I didn't meet Dr. Blackstone until my pre-op appointment, the week before my surgery. After meeting her though I knew she was a great lady and she makes her patients feel really comfortable. As far as her staff goes there are a ton of GREAT people that work under Dr. Blackstone. Melissa one of her NP's is an absolutely awesome person. I also really enjoyed speaking and emailing with Terry a patient liason and Joanne who works in scheduling. That of course is just naming a few, she really does have a lot of great people working for her. There are a couple of people on Dr. Blackstone's staff that are less then pleasant on any given day but the other great people make up for them. One think that I have come to expect from the office and doctor appointments is the wait time. That is definitely one thing a person should be prepared for. This is an extreme example but this still happened. My preop appointment was scheduled for 4:00pm and I was told to arrive at 3:45pm. I wasn't seen until 6:15pm that same day. Another example, less extreme, is my first appointment I was kept in the waiting area for over an hour between seeing one person to another. I guess the thing to keep in mind is Dr Blackstone is a great doctor. With that comes a lot of people that want Dr Blackstone to help them. She is very popular. You can expect surgery dates scheduled out about 4-6 mon's. They do have a lot of cancellations though, so don't get discouraged. I don't think anyone would be disappointed with Dr. Blackstone.

I first met Dr. Blackstone almost 4 years ago at one of her seminars. (I have since been to 2 more!) She is very warm and interested in each person she speaks with. Her seminar is very detailed, but is explained so that everyone can understand. She also takes all questions.rnrnAfter speaking with Dr. Blackstone, it quickly becomes obvious that she is doing Bariatric Surgery because she truly wants to change the lives of her patients. She is demanding about the quality of her surgery, the information given to her patients, and the office staff who she employs. Her program is structured and very comprehensive. Her patients receive a notebook at the pre-op visit detailing every step of the process, as well as mandatory classes, pre- and post-op.rnShe has Psychologists, Exercise Physiologists, a Licensed Dietician, and two Nurse Practitioners who work with her patients, as well as a Fellow in Bariatric Surgery who is training with her. Her program and the hospital program at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea is a Center of Excellence for Bariatric Surgery. rnrnI would tell any prospective patient to check out her program, and that she is one of the best!rnrnShe emphasizes after-care, and follows her patients regularly for a year, and annually thereafter. She has seminars in Scottsdale that are also on-line for patients from out of the area or state. There are support groups in Scottsdale, Tuscan and Albuquerque, as well as on-line support groups and a message board that is monitored by her Practice Administrator.rnrnDr. Blackstone is very detailed in addressing risks of surgery, as well as her patient statistics, and how they compare with the nation. Her complication rate is very low.rnrnI could not recommend a warmer, more competent surgeon, and have decided to pay for my own surgery just to have her do it!rnAnd, no, I am not employed by her or a member of her family!!! I just think there is no better person to be doing my surgery!rn