William O'Malley Bariatric Surgeon M.D., F.A.C.S.

The first time I met with Dr. O'Malley, I thought "Damn, he doesn't look old enough to be someone DR." I knew I was wrong the minute he opened his mouth. I was impressed to say the least. When I met with him for my one on one, he was very nice and I believed him to be a genuine person. He is all about the business at hand. I wouldn't have it any other way. Dr. O'Malley knows his stuff. I figure if Oprah could interview him for her show, then he must be highly credible!! So far I would rate Dr. O'Malley 8 out of 10. I feel very strongly that I will be able to make that a 10 very soon. The support staff in his office is very nice as well. There was one young lady that when I spoke to over the phone the dat before and told her I left my paperwork at my apartment which was over two hours away, she told me that she would give me new one and to just come a little earlier thatn requested. I got there and opened my mouth and before I could really say much she said oh I know Erica. I asked her how did she know who I was and she said I remember your voice. Is that cool or what.

I met with Dr. O'Malley on August 19th, 2004 for my personal consultation, as well as in a group format, with about twelve fellow Canadians.

I will tell you that I researched this procedure and the different surgeons for almost four years. I ended up choosing Dr. O'Malley because of his sterling reputation and statistics as a surgeon. Notwithstanding the foregoing, I was TERRIFIED of this surgery, partly because of having a previous routine surgery go very wrong.

After having met Dr. O'Malley, my apprehension and fear have eased considerably. I have had the good fortune to have been cared for and surrounded by some excellent doctors for most of my life and feel that I am a reasonable sophisticated "medical consumer". Dr. O'Malley was all that he has been reported to be...intelligent and articulate, with a wealth of experience.

I had read that some people felt that he lacked a certain bedside manner and seemed "rushed" in appointments. That certainly was not my experience. I found him to be very engaging and personable and filled with compassion and empathy for his patients. He welcomed my questions and listened to them carefully and answered thoughtfully, making sure that I understood his responses. I was impressed with his attention to detail and personally felt very comfortable with him.

I could not have been more impressed with him and I feel that I could not be in better hands. Frankly, if there was another surgeon out there that I felt would do a better job, I would have gone to them. I looked at other top surgeons in California and New York City and finally decided on Dr. O'Malley. After meeting him, my opinion, that had formerly been based on research, statistics and references, is now based on all of that, PLUS a very good personal impression and a very strong "gut instinct" that this is the best surgeon for me.

I also liked his assistant, Diane Loper. She attended part of the group meeting and she answered so many questions and made you feel very comfortable. I was amazed at how smoothly she had everything arranged for us Canadians. After the group consult, we were all seen in a timely manner by Dr. O'Malley. I also felt that the instructions that she sends out via e-mail were very clear and helpful and easy to follow.

I have been thinking about what negatives that I can share about this surgeon and I can honestly say that I have not thought of a thing. From my perspective, this is a first class surgeon with a terrific support staff. If it means that have to wait a little longer to get into see this man...do so...he is worth it!

I had read that Dr. O'Malley, although a superior surgeon, did not have the greatest bedside manner, that he was stoic and rushed patients thru appointments,I could not disagree more. I found him to be extremely caring, patient and thorough. I did not feel rushed in the least during my one on one. Although my appointment started 45 minutes late, he spent quite a bit of time with me. After an exam we sat and talked and he encouraged me to ask all the questions I needed, I felt very comfortable meeting with him and feel very confident and glad I chose him to be my surgeon. His staff are very nice, caring and efficient. The group info meeting is mandatory to attend and lasted suprisingly almost 3 hours. During the meeting I met one of his office staff, his nutritionist and of course Dr. O'Malley. To say he was thorough in his explanation of the surgery, it's benefits, risks, the aftercare etc. would be an understatement. I really had very few questions to ask afterwards as he had already covered them. One thing that surprised me was that he said he would cancel the surgery the day of, if a patient had gained weight. He said if someone in preparation for the surgery gains weight it shows they are not ready, and have not been able to start making the changes necessary for their new lifestyle and way of eating. This made more sense to me when I met the nutritionist. Even though there was almost 4 months until the surgery at the time of that appointment, I was instructed to start making changes right away, following a meal plan, making a food diary, and many more changes specific to me after a very thorough discussion about my eating habits and lifestyle. I only have 2 criticisms. First is the wait, the unbelievable wait. It was a 8 month wait just for the first visit and it will be a full year between my first phone call and the surgery. Not that he can do anything about that, he is so in demand. Secondly, it is extremely difficult and frustrating to reach anyone at the office and they do not have voicemail. It took me calling several times a day for over a week before I could speak to someone to schedule my first appointment.They are expanding the office though and getting more office staff.
Overall I would give Dr. O'Malley and his practice the highest of ratings. They all truly care and are only so busy because the doctor is so skilled at what he does.

William O'Malley, M.D.,F.A.C.S.
1000 South Avenue, Box 20 (Highland Hospital),
Rochester N.Y. 14620.
phone-585-341-6543.
Dr. O'Malley was very concerned about obesity and health in general of all his patients. He took time to explain everything that was about to happen and what needed to be done to get the surgery. The first thing was the large consultation that consisted of about 100 other potential patients.
My impression only got better as the time went on. My brother was very impressed also. I'm a nurse, so I come in contact with alot of physicans and he is one of the best. He is very thourgh and answered all questions with patience.
The office staff was efficient and answered all my questions. They were very patient and understanding. The person in charge of billing and insurance knew exactly what was expected of her to have the insurance approve the claim in a matter of weeks.
After the surgery he has his P.A. do the follow ups. I suppose if I had a major problem he would see me. Some people wouldn't like a doctor that "throws no punches" and he is one of those. You have to be dedicated to this surgery and be willing to do what is required, and he will help you all the way.
Aftercare is very structured and is required. He has the "regular" post op visits for the first year (1 week, 5 weeks, 9 weeks, 6 months and 1 year), then yearly visits, so he can monitor the progress of all his patients. This is done by the P.A..
The risks of surgery are the very first thing he addresses. He doen't want anyone to think that this surgery is a "walk in the park" but he also tells you about his success rate (which makes you feel as though you are in very good hands).
He is a 9 with 10 being the best.
He has both, a great bedside manner and an excellent surgeon. He has done thousands of these surgeries and has had no deaths on the operating table. He also works in conjunction with another doctor, so there is more medical knowledge around. His office is on the same floor as the surgical unit you stay on when surgery is over (a very comforting thought).
These are my personal thoughts and impressions and I am making no statements about what other people have experienced. I would still pick Dr. O'Malley as the doctor to do my surgery if I had to do it over again.

Dr. O'Malley was great. I would have this surgery again if I had to . His office staff was great in every way.

After being on the waiting game for five years I finally bite the bullet and went USA side thank god I did I met the angel with the surgical hands and couldn't have been happier with the results so far. Read on and see the progress in a very short time. Remember this is a tool and you need to have the strength to make it work.
Office staff very supportive and the hospital was so respectful of a super morbid women. amen for great care.

I have had a good experience. I am only 10 weeks out of surgery. I feel that the meetings etc, that were required before the surgery helped me.

My only negative comment so far is that I have not seen the dr. since the surgery. I have met with a physicians assistant during each of my post op visits.

I would rate Dr. O'Malley high. He is an excellent surgeon.

Dr. O'Malley???? Oh my gosh, he is my saint and my hero! What can I say. He is a technical genius. And is doing a great service to humanity. Very very low incidenece of "leaks" or complications. and no deaths that I am aware of. (ALMOST 2000 surgeries)
Not much of a bedside manner, but skilled in the only way that really matters!!!!!
God bless you, Dr. O.
Great two hour information, question, answer meeting prior to even getting started.
Long, long wait for his surgery nowadays, although I only had to wait about 6 months. the wait now is over a year for him.

my first impression was how young he was but he seemed very knowledgable and answered all our questions in his group meeting. he has a very good reputation and has done many surgeries and his pts have a very low complication rate. office staff are pleasent. what i like least is that he really does not see us again after surgery. he has a nurse practitioner kim who is very nice and competent but i would liked to have seen him on my first post op visit and would like to see him at my one year visit. i would like future pts to know that they are really in good hands. i think he does stress after care but there is no structed aftercare program but i hear now he is recomending people to ourn local support group which i think is very important and has been a GOD SENT TO ME. he does address the risks. i would rate him over all as excellent. i think bedside manner and surgical competence are both important since this is such a big step for us. the only problen i had was i had my gallbladder out in may and he did not see me before or after surgery. when i addressed this with him he was very appologetic , tried to explain why and saw me twice in the office after that and was excellent.

Dr. Omalley was very professional and answered all of my questions.

2 Weeks Post op, I would now have to say that Dr. O'malley is AMAZING! thank you Dr. O'malley.

The office staff is always very helpful and always friendly when i call. Not something you get at every doctor's office.

One bad thing is that there is a a few months wait to get in to see Dr. O'malley, so if anyone is planning on going in to see him, make appointments now and if you do more research and change your mind you can cancel the appointments...once you get started in the process it is hard to wait for time to pass.

Aftercare is HUGE. They help you every step of teh way.

There was a very detailed group meeting as one of the requirements for surgery with Dr. O malley, it was VERY CLEAR about what could happen and what will happen.

Overall i would rate Dr. O Malley EXCELLENT.

Dr. O Malley is Both are great...Dr. O malley has both! he came to my room at least once a day and checked on me, sat & talked to me for a few minutes to anwser any questions I had. I will tell you what though I am 2 weeks out of surgery and I feel GREAT. Obviously Dr. O malley is a great surgeon.