El Camino Hospital Hospital

I would like to Thank Dr. Zare, his staff and all the hospital staff for the excellant care I received when I had my surgery on July 18th, 2011.

They all made my decision to have this surgery very easy. Their support and care made my recovery VERY easy.

Thank all of you again.

Elsa

El Camino hospital is gorgeous. All the staff, and nurses were absolutely Fantastic! The hospital and staff are an "A" class outfit. My room was new, huge, private and I had what looked like a 50" tv with cable and Internet. From the time I walked into the hospital, to the time I left, every stage of my surgery was run like a well oiled machine. This is a hospital that has really done it's homework. They take not only their professionalism seriously, but their patients needs and concerns too. If I had to do it all over again, it's going to be El Camino hospital hands down all the way. I Highly recommend this hospital to any and everyone. Thanks for EVERYTHING!!!

Dr. Foster is the best!!! Like the other reviewers, you have to be honest with Dr. Foster and follow her plan. You also need to be committed to this new lifestyle. Dr. Foster does not sugar coat anything! She is a straight shooter, and firm. Her bedside manner is very caring, sweet and comforting. She was right there by my side. She is my Angel. Thank you Dr. Foster, you saved my life. I would HIGHLY recommend her to everyone. You rock Dr. Foster as a beautiful person with great communication, and as a Rockstar Surgeon!

great Dr. put me at ease on day of surgery, very cordial, i will recomend everybody with him, i am very please, his asst Ben, great guy will help you in any way.

Dr. Feng did my Vertical Sleeve on 3/29/11. Dr. Feng was a great surgeon from start to finish. My surgery went flawlessly. My before and after care has been very good. Dr. Feng takes the time to answer all questions.

Dr Zare was the best! Ben, in his office made everything easy peasy. I called, I talked to the doc on the phone the same day. I made an appointment for the informational seminar, was there a couple hours, saw the doc, got lots of info, and a pre-surgery weight loss goal, left with my optifast shakes. I wanted to have surgery at the end of April because I had several obligations, traveling and things in the month of April. I got a phone call mid- April from Ben, who told me everything was approved and how 'bout May 2? I saw the doc one more time the week before my surgery, and then it was upon me. Surgery itself, of course I don't remember but Dr Zare was in to see me bright and early the next morning and told me everything went great. Hospital stay wassn't so bad, and the doc came by again the next morning and disconnected me from everything and said I was good to go, as soon as I tried the things on my bariatric lunch tray. I was on my way home by noon. Never once did I have to deal with/ fight with my insurance, Ben handled it all and it was so fast! I hear a LOT of horror stories and it sounds totally strange to me, after having such a good, easy experience myself. Dr Zare is very quiet and soft spoken but where he lacks in gregariousness, he makes up in excellence in what he does.

Dr. Zare was excellent. My surgery went great without any complications. I'm very happy with the outcome and would recommend him to everyone.

Many people had mentioned that Dr. Rabkin was the best. Several people I know who had bariatric surgery with him and my professional psychologist (who works with Dr. Rabkin regularly) all said that you could be in no better hands. Knowing that so many people trusted him, made me feel very comfortable, and I kept going back to that whenever I felt unsure. I probably would have been a lot more uneasy had his reputation not preceded him.

Dr. Rabkin himself is wonderful. He is very friendly and I think really cares about his patients and wants them to do well. My procedure went off without a hitch and I'm recovering well. I also appreciate Dr. Rabkin's while I'm in there I might as well poke around approach. He took biopsies of my liver and removed my gallbladder during surgery after feeling some suspect lumps. Everything was fine, but if it hadn't been, I'd be thanking Dr. Rabkin for more than weight loss right now.

Dr. Rabkin is super busy, so you won't spend a ton of time with him, and when you do it is very deliberate. This didn't bother me however, because he spent enough time with us to answer all of our questions and was very nice. He also is available during the monthly meetings PACLAP hosts, so you can speak to him in a more relaxed setting. He answers the many (often redundant) questions nervous would be patients have patiently and with a smile. Many surgeons don't roll that way. I also saw Dr. Rabkin twice after my surgery and he called me my second day home to make sure all was well. That's a pretty awesome doctor in my mind.

Dr. Rabkin's staff is stellar. Maria, his assistant, is very responsive to questions and friendly. My memory is cloudy, but I think she visited me a few times post surgery as well. During my first follow up she very casually told me to call her if I had any problems. I liked that. It made me feel like I could call her without worrying that I was overreacting.

Some medical practices are like bad landlords. They only want you to call when the roof is falling in. PACLAP is best-in-class. Not only are they a Center of Excellence, they have a great day-to-day operation going on.

The office staff, I had direct contact with Ernesto and Matt, are friendly and great about answering all those logistic questions you have to answer. Matt will do his best to get something out of your insurance company, and Ernesto has filled out last minute paper work I didn't know I needed within hours. They are both great and make the stressful time before and after your surgery easier because you don't have to worry as much about all the other stuff. The nurse who weighs you and takes all you signs is also very sweet.

I wouldn't have gone anywhere else for my surgery.

There are only a few things that could improve at PACLAP, and these are minimal.

1. The informational videos/presentations/materials are kind of confusing. I think that is because they were originally created for the duodenal switch and adapted for the sleeve. As a patient, I would have liked to have been able to read them without thinking, okay, so this is for the duodenal switch not me.
2. This is the designer/communicator in me. The videos/presentations are not great quality and could be condensed to communicate the messages quicker and clearer. PACLAPs website represents the professional, best-in-class medical practice that they are. These materials don't carry that brand across.

Otherwise wonderful place, wonderful people and wonderful results so far!

Also, the St. Mary's nursing staff was great!

When I came across Dr. John Rabkin for my surgery the DS, I was so blessed to meet such a wonderful person. I had been threw so many office's a nd hospital programs to try other surgeons for about 5+ years and never could understand why I didn't just go with one of them until I met Dr. Rabkin and his amazing staff. Friendly, always willing to help and just over all the best is how he made me feel. The office was always there for me to call and they would take my issue or concern onto their own hands and deal with it for me. It was such a relife to have someone else want to help me instead of making me do all the work AND pay all the money. I couldn't ask for more from the Dr. or his staff. On surgery day Dr. Rabkin was the most amazing man, he stood by my side made sure I wasen't scared. He made sure he answered any and ALL questions and concerns that I might have had all the way up to the table :) He was always there. I didn't feel at all like he was doing this for me just to make a buck or two. Which is how other surgeons had made me feel. He made me feel like I was his family, his number one priority. Almost like a daughter. If I was ever able to repay Dr. Rabkin for his skill in what he did for me. I would do anything. I recommend him 100% and not just because he was my surgeon because to this day 1 year out, he still see's me and treats me like I am #1 to him and again like his family. Not to mention he had amazing numbers :)

Dr. Zare and his assistant Ben have been great throughout the weight loss process. On several occasions, Dr. Zare has taken time out of his schedule to contact/see me to ask how things were proceeding. Ben has a friendly personality and is always there to answer any questions. I have always been a person that was fortunate to be in good health and always avoided doctors, but was always overweight. I was almost 11 lbs at birth. As I got older, my weight slowly increased, the pain in my legs and my knees increased year to year. Dr. Zare said my health was good, but because of my excessive weight, that within 2-5 years I would likely experience some significant health issues, such as diabiates, heart issues, etc. that ran in my family. I opted for the surgery and have lost 120 lbs in 8 months. Hoping to reach my goal of 200 lbs lost in 12 months. I have no regrets of having the surgery or selecting Dr. Zare as my doctor. He has been the best and I owe so much to him for his expertise and his attention to details. I do not crave food and it has been very easy for me to eat small portions, take my vitamins, and drink lots of water throughout the day. Thank you Dr. Zare and Ben!