Jefferson Health System Hospital

Doctor Balsama is great. I have had no issues since being released from the hospital. However, I did have severely low blood pressure and he and his team ran every test under the sun to make sure I would be ok.

An amazing surgeon. He has a wonderful bedside manner & follow thru with his patients. He and the rest of the staff at his office are always willing to help even when you feel likt the biggest thorn in their side!

i consider myself very lucky for finding kennedy health system and Dr Balsama to do my vertical sleeve surgery. I, originally coming from a large city, felt that if i ever did decide to do something about my weight problem i would have to travel into philadelphia to get the patient care and expertise that i wanted and needed. I went to many seminars and many different dr's, but i never felt comfortable enough to make the "biggest decision" of my life. That all changed the day i walked into Dr Balsama's office. I not only felt comfortable with the Dr and his vast knowledge, but when i heard about the whole kennedy program, it became a " no brainer". That was 14 months ago and close to 200 lbs. The kennedy program is truly unsurpassed. everyone from the Dr's to the bariatric coordinator, to the nutritionists, and the entire nursing staff is there for us 24/7, for as long as we need them. i still attend every support group that is held each month. I get so much out of them, and i try to give back to all those who are thinking about having the surgery. I thank god that i did not go to the "big city" to have my surgery, i truly believe in my heart that i would not have done as well as i have without the Kennedy Group. Please do not hesitate to use kenndy healthsystem for your bariatric needs, you will not regret it!!'

I found Dr. Neff knowledgeable, profession and amazingly caring. He performed my vertical sleeve gastrectomy on 1/3/11. I had previous weight loss surgery (Lap Band) with another doctor and it was a nightmare. Dr. Neff answered all my questions and he strives to be "the best." He attends the monthly support group meeting and is always available to his patients. I have never met a more skilled, professional and amazing doctor. His head bariatric nurse, Lisa Shaw is incredible. I actually had her cell phone and could text her (day or night) with questions/concerns after surgery. No matter if it was day, night. or weekend, she texted me back. I never felt alone in this journey.
I highly recommend Dr. Neff. You will never come by a doctor who strives to be the "best" like he does.

Dr. Goldstein is a really nice and polite guy but he only does LapBand surgeries and thats it. For example say your looking for a Nissan he will sell you a Honda because thats all he sells.

10-11-10

Wonderful experience with Dr. Neff. The office staff is great. He is a very caring, skilled doctor who is seeking to improve the quality of life for the morbidly obese population in Southern NJ. He is Penn-trained (HUP med school). He is seeking to improve the program and he is in constant search for feedback on how to improve. He has a structured aftercare program that includes visits and weigh-ins. Both surgical competence and bedside manner are, in my view, excellent.

I feel very comfortable with Dr. Goldstein. He's done over 400 Lap-Band operations and used to do a lot of gastric bypasses too, so I know he's got the experience I'm looking for. Apparently there used to be a requirement to join Virtua's New Beginnings program, but now there are other options as well, and insurance may actually cover some of them. The Virtua program used to cost over $1700 but now it looks like it only costs about $499. I've met with him in the office. He's very thorough and provides a pre surgery checklist so you know exactly what you have to do to get ready for surgery. He does all of his fills (adjustments) himself, and he uses x-ray to do it, so he knows how tight the band is every time and can check for any problems. Overall, he's the right guy for me. He gives free lectures at night so you can check him out for yourself. His website is drgoldstein.com.

My first impression of Dr. Neff was excellent. I attended his support seminar and he stayed long after it was over to answer all of my questions. Afterwards I visited his office and he was just as patient as he was the first time we met. He took as much time as needed to answer all of my questions. I never felt rushed. He is very kind and sweet. His personality puts you at ease immediately and his bedside manner is wonderful. He is very knowlegable and he has excellent credentials. He had enough experience for me to select him. This was very important to me because I did not want to be anyone's first few practice patients. He has a structured aftercare plan but is flexible if possible. The risks of surgery were addressed and takes every step necessary to avoid complications. Surgical competence and bedside manner are equally important to me and Dr. Neff has both. His staff was very kind and helpful. They moved the process along and I was approved the very first time! This was also important to me because although I met the BMI, I did not have the comorbidities that would have made approval faster. The only negative thing I have to say was that I was disappointed in a referral to a specialist who delayed my surgery date because I was not given the proper clearance letter and it took a little while to clear it up. In all fairness they said they will not refer anyone to that particular office again and they rescheduled my surgery date as soon as possible. Because I am a few days post-op RNY and will be able to offer more of my experience as time passes I would say that overall the experience and care so far was very very good.

Marc A. Neff MD
Marc A. Neff, MD., F.A.C.S
Board Certified General Surgery
2201 Chapel Ave West
Suite 100
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
856-665-2017
Fax 856-488-6769

He is very nice and answered any questions I had. He has the cutest smile and his eyes kind of light up when he talks about the surgery...like he is so excited for me. It is comforting to know he really believes in this surgery and wants to do it for me...I honestly believe he wants to help me find me!

I go back in 10 days to set my date...I'm so excited...I'll update this as I have more interaction with him.

December 7, 2008
Okay so I can officially tell everyone that Dr Marc Neff is the best surgeon. He is extremely compassionate, kind and understanding. He always has a warm handshake and smile, makes you feel right at ease. He will answer any questions and spends as much time with me as I need.

He came to see me everyday in the hospital and when I can out of the anesthesia he was standing next to my bed and told me, "It's official your insides are as pretty as your outsides!" Although I am pretty sure he says that to all his patiences it was very sweet and made me smile.

I can't say enough about him....if anyone in the Southern New Jersey/ Philadelphia area is looking for a great surgeon for WLS I highly recommend Dr. Marc Neff.