NewStart at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center Hospital
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Ok, first off - I didn't go to the Pt. Neches office, I was at his Houston office. I am driving from north of the Austin area and so when my consult was scheduled for 10am, I left my house at 6:30 to make sure I made it to my appt on time. My consult was in the middle of 1/05. His parking lot was an absolute terror!! There were tons of people and therefore, way too many cars! I was worried about being there on time and he didn't even start the 'consult' until almost 11am! At first I was pretty upset about the group consult thing (seemed more like an informational seminar), however, it was nice to hear other people's questions. I never would have thought of those! After the group thing, I got about a 5 minute consult w/ Dr. S. in a private room to discuss my weight & BMI & if he felt I was a candidate. I explained to Melissa (my angel!) that we had just moved and changed insurance companies as well as doctors so I didn't have my previous medical information here - it was back in California. She said she might need it, but that she would try to submit the paperwork on just what she had. Melissa told me to call her with any questions and said she would be in touch. Not even a full 2 weeks later, I got a letter from UHC stating that my request had been approved!! I was thrilled! I was expecting so much red tape! Melissa called the next day and told me that my insurance would not cover the surgery center (go figure - I would think it is cheaper!) and I would have to be banded at Twelve Oaks Hosp. She asked if I was free the following week! Well, I was scheduled on 2/9. Melissa was so awesome! Since she new I was from out of town, rather than me drive all the way to Houston to get my pre-op testing done, she faxed the necessary paperwork that I needed to sign, along with the tests she needed to my PCP. The only negative thing about my actual surgery was that I was scheduled for 7am surgery. Drove to Houston that morning and was at the hospital 2 minutes late (6:02) and didn't actually get operated on until almost 1:00pm! So much for getting in and out of Houston in one day! By the time I came out of it and could have been discharged, it was 6pm and Dr. Speigel was making last rounds. He said he would prefer I stay and so I did. I wasn't in too much pain - more discomfort than anything. Dr. Spiegel didn't really address any aftercare instructions - just the paperwork that he had faxed over to me w/ my pre-op stuff. But he didn't personally talk to me about anything. His bedside manner definitely could use some improvement! :) Melissa however, she truly is my mentor! That woman is absolutely wonderful!! I only wish the office was in Austin so that I could have more interaction with her. She definitely goes above and beyond for her patients!! I rate Dr. S. with an 8 (really needs to treat each patient a bit better, however, surgical competence is definitely a 10!) and Melissa with an 11!
i like dr spiegel that is what i have seen of him i seen him on my consaltation didnt see him the day of my surgrey didnot see him on my 1 week follow up app. as for as his staff they are not helpful not in the ins. part they will not fax they will not call the company and dont bother them with an question about after care i went with dr spiegel becuase he has done so lapband
Dr. Spiegel is a very nice man who makes you feel very comfortable on your visit. He definitely gives you the impression that he knows what he's doing! I am very much looking forward to my procedure.
The office staff was great, always very friendly. Melissa is a God-send! Once I needed scheduling, she made sure everything was taken care of and she contacted the surgery center right after she got off the phone with me. They called within about 30 minutes!
The one thing that threw me off was the group approach that is taken in the presentation. However, it does make sense to present the ins and outs of the procedure to a group so he doesn't have to repeat it 30 times a day and some people may have questions that others hadn't thought to ask. By the time mine was over, I didn't have any more questions of my own!
Dr. Spiegel's aftercare is very simply laid out and easy to follow. There is a recommended progression, but he knows that we will know best when the time comes whether to proceed to the next step or to even go back a step.
All risks regarding the surgery were discussed and he explained in detail the issues that came up with his previous patients (slippages/removals/etc).
I think Dr. Spiegel is a 10/10.
I loved this hospital and most of the staff. All the nurses on the 5th floor were so friendly and made me feel very comfortable. There was a gentleman from Oklahoma who came in at night to check my blood pressure and temperature who was very kind too. A lot of people came and checked on me fairly frequently, but its better to be checked on than ignored. Also, a lady from the WLS support group came to visit me while I was in the hospital and she shared her story with me -- I found that to be extremely helpful. I think this is a great hospital to have bariatric surgery.
My first impression of Dr. Spiegel was that he is very handsome and has a great accent. He made himself accessable to answer any questions I might have and went over the procedure and showed me the actual band. I was not at all impressed with his office staff. They are hurried and not very compassionate or informative. They were not at all willing to assist me in trying to get approval from my insurance company. I thought about looking for another surgeon because of how I felt about his staff but I felt really confident in Dr. Spiegel's abilities. Detailed aftercare was not and has not been addressed by Dr. Spiegel or his staff. The risks of surgery were not addressed until the day prior to surgery, in a consent form I had to sign. Overall I would give Dr. Spiegel an 8 and his staff a 3. I belive Dr. Spiegel's surgical competence outweighs his bedside manner (what little I know about his bedside manner, I only saw him for about 2 minutes the entire time I was in the hospital).
He was very nice. My problem with his office staff with the exception of Melissa is they SUCKED.
They dropped my insurance company in the middle of this whole thing. His staff did not tell me they were under contract until September of 2004. They did not fax any paperwork to Aetna and I had to fax all information my self.
I would not recommed him to anyone based on his staff and his wife the office manager. They were even cussing out Aetna telling them they would never approve me. I was approved right away for RNY but because he does lap band I had to meet the additional criteria, I did but his office refused to write the additional letter. Melissa my angel wrote the letter and on July 5, (my independece day) I was approved.
He explained all of the risks and I fully understand them.
My surgery was scheduled on 10/1/03 when they opened the new tower which was designed for bariatric patients, so it was awesome! Recommend it highly, staff was wonderful.
