Magee Womens Hospital of UPMC Hospital

I have chosen Dr. Shauer's group out of UPMC My surgeon will be Dr. Eid. I am very happy to be with this group and have only heard wonderful things about them. My surgeon has been changed to Dr. Ramanathan. I will be meeting with him on May 20, 2004. I am still in with the same group and am very confident with my decision.

A beautiful woman with confidence and experience.
My impression did not change.
The office staff is curteous and professional.
It took me over 6 months to get an appointment.
My surgeon didnt do the follow up care in the hospital, her partner did. But his bedside manner was good and he visited twice a day.
My office care, telephone care, and hospital care were all great.
The only thing that was negative was the time I spent in recovery, which was a much greater issue for my family because they were not allowed to see me for over 8 hrs. after the surgery was complete

I had my initial consult on 3/29/04, and though I had to wait over two hours to see the doctor, the wait was above and beyond worth it. The desk staff was very thorough and helpful, and I felt comfortable with Dr. Courcoulas right away.

She was very good at explaining the best surgical procedure for me, the complication risks, and what tests I needed. As of today (3/30/04) I was able to get all but two pre-op procedures scheduled practically right away.

I had my consultation on august 18, 04. The wait was very long, about 4 hours just to get in the room. It made for one very long day. Overall the doctor seemed great, I did however spend most of my time with an assistant. I feel very confident in Dr. Courcoulas.

She was very matter of fact. Her staff were all great. They put up with my calls every other week to find out my status and to check receipt of tests. When she told me that the surgery could kill me or worse ruin my life she laid it all on the line. I was a little taken aback but in the later weeks a friend of mine having the surgery was turned into a vegetable (another surgeon and hospital). She is basically waiting to die and is completely unresponsive. Even Dr Hamads words weren't as much a reality check as my friend. Dr Hamad's insistence on no weight gain from the consult is very difficult, especially when you read about other surgeon's patients saying goodbye to all of their food friends before the surgery. Overall I would recommend Dr Hamad and her office, so far. I haven't had the surgery yet so I can't be positive but so far they have made the process realatively painless and trouble free.

12/15/03: I have met Dr. Ramanathan once so far at the initial group visit. He answered all questions very thouroughly. He has performed at least 300 surgeries, no deaths & 3 complications (2 bleeds, 1 resolved itself, the other was a Jehovah's witness that refused blood so had to go back to surgery, The other was a PE). He is said to be an excellent surgeon. So far, so good...

2/22/04: I had my surgery on 2/16/04 & I feel great! Dr Ramanathan must be an extremly skilled surgeon at Lap RNY. My pain was minimal. I am virtually pain free and off all pain meds. I am up and about doing light house work & light shopping (no lifting). I will likely go back to work on Tuesday, only 1 week after surgery. I would highly recommend Dr. Ramanathan & his staff to anyone having WLS!

When I first met Dr. Courcoulas, I felt that she was extremely competent. She knew her stuff and had the answers to all my questions. She also was very personable.

She is an awsome surgeon!!! I weighed 551 at the time of my surgery and she is the one at UPMC who handles the 400+ patients.

She tells you like it is and lays all the cards right on the table.

My overall rating for Dr. Anita Courcoulas is 100% A++++

Surgical Competence 100%
Bedside Manner 80%

I met Dr. Ramanathan (that's a lot of "a"s) at my initial meeting down in Pittsburgh. While up until 1 week before my surgery I had been going with Dr. Schauer, I had given some consideration to switching to Dr. R. When the office called me and told me I could switch and have the surgery done in a week with Dr. R or wait several more weeks, at least, to get in with Dr. Schauer, it was a pretty easy decision. He seems very confident and friendly to me. The staff at MIS are really really professional and nice also. They can be very straightforward at times, which I like, but some may find a little abrasive. All in all if you are trying to decide between Dr. Schauer and Dr. Ramanathan, my opinion is, they are both very competent and I wouldn't hesitate with either one.

She was a blessing to talk to. Was very informative. The wait in the "Waiting Room" is very worth while! She is in demand and therefore has a long waiting list, but I feel she is worth the wait.

My first impression was that Dr. Ramanathan was nice and very caring. He came to the informational seminar and answered even the most trivial question with patience and respect. Dr. Ramanathan is soft spoken.The staff at the Minimally Invasive Surgery Center at Magee Hospital in Pittsburgh, is very professional and helpful. They have a very structured aftercare program as well as a monthly support group.
I have complete confidence in Dr. Ramanathan.