Tufts Medical Center Hospital
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She was very open and honest about the procedure and put me very much at ease. I had asked her why she has selected this type of surgery as her specialty. She spoke of how weight tends to be more of a woman's issue and she feels by performing this type of procedure she is helping many woman. She also teaches at Harvard and brings this disease more to the forefront then it has been in the past.
Although Dr. Kim is the surgeon I have interacted with many staff members at the Obesity Consult Center, the dietician, pscholgists and the internist. All have been helpful and informative. I have had 2 prior surgery's and knew much less about them then I do the Lap Band.
As this is a total program there are support groups after the surgery and lecture on physical activity as well.
My opinion of the overall program as of now is excellent. I am very confident and comfortable going into this surgery.
The only negative thing I can say is that I wish the behavioral group classes were longer- we were required to take 6 hours and it was very helpful.
Dr. Tarnoff seemed like a smart, young doctor who was confident he could help me lose weight safely through surgery.
The group at Tufts/NEMC is highly professional, and really get patients prepared mentally, physically and emotionally for the journey before during and after weight loss surgery.
Dr. Tarnoff is wonderful, a truly caring surgeon with an excellent bed side manner.
The staff at NEMC is wonderful. I love them all. They stress after care very much and have a great after care program. There is really an opendoor policy with them. You are welcome to call or come in any time with questions or if you need help.
SinceI am an RN, I am highly judgemental of doctors, especially surgeons having worked with many while I worked in the hospital. I found Julie Kim to be extremely warm and kind not condescending in the least. More importantly I felt right off the bat that she was very knowledgeable and answered all my questions to my satisfaction. I felt that all in all the staff at the OCC at NEMC were very caring and concerned about me and the whole process I was going to endure in the months and years ahead. I did feel that the office staff although very friendly were very rushed because of the high volume of people they treat. Ifound the whole team from the psychcologist to the general physician to the dietician to be very knowledgeable and concerned especially that I receive follow up care. Unfortunately, due to my work schedule and the fact that I have a two year old and that Boston is over an hour away I haven't been very good about follow-up. I do see my internist locally every six months now for bloodwork.I have also attended a local support group meeting a few times and have been to counseling but I do feel that if I could, I would go to Boston more often for the ongoing support.
Dr. Julie Kim is a wonderful caring surgeon. I look forward to seeing her each month.(surgery lap band date was 1/20/04). Everyone on the team at NEMC Boston is dedicated to getting all their patients healthy. There has not been one negative experience since starting this journey last September. The team which consists of total care from the start.I see the nutritionist every couple of months as well as my psychologist to help handle all the changes that may come up. After care is stressed from the very first visit. This is a life long commitment by us as patients and our caregivers. Yes there is a structured after care program as well as a monthly support group for both gastric bypass patients and lap band patients. Every aspect of our surgery and aftercare are discussed at every visit. Every aspect of surgery complications were discussed at length. I was very impressed and continue to be impressed by Dr. Kim's overall care of me. I could not give her any rating less than A+. She is the total package. I would recommend the program at NEMC for anyone even slightly thinking of weight loss surgery.
I met with Dr Tarnoff today. I was very impressed with him and his office staff.
Dr Tarnoff is a very well spoken, knowledgable surgeon. He explained the program at NEMC and what to expect during and after surgery. Dr Tarnoff answered all questions thoroughly and reviewed the possible complications and risks.
I feel very comfortable having him perform this surgery. He discussed aftercare and what I need to do for continued success after the surgery. This surgery is a tool that he is giving me to assist me in my lifestyle goals. It is not a cure-all.
I would rate Dr Tarnoff very high among surgeons. I have had surgeries before but never had a surgeon sit with me and explain the risks and complications beforehand. I feel that the NEMC program is the best around.
It is more important for me to have a surgeon that is surgically competent than for he or she to have a good bedside manner. However, Dr Tarnoff seems to possess both, so I am very lucky.
Dr. Julie Kim is young, energetic, and very personable. Not only does she have an excellent repoir with patients, she is also able to quickly and easily describe difficult medical terminology and procedures without using excessive medical jargon. She's easily approachable and accessible , and she is an excellent complement to the entire Obesity Consult team at Tufts-New England Medical Center.
Before surgery, I met with her one-on-one only one time, however, I already felt like I knew her a bit because she is at the large group post-op meetings each month. At our appointment, she answered all my questions thoroughly and coherently, and provided me with a means by which I could contact her if I had additional questions or concerns.
After my surgery, she visited me in my hospital room three times (and the other bariatric surgeons in the program visited me too!), and she took the time to explain how the surgery had gone, etc.
At all times she was very professional and very friendly.
The ONLY caveat to my experience was the secretary/admin assistant, Lynne Fine, who, throughout the pre-op procedures and even AFTER surgery, has been the bane of my existence and has screwed with countless people. She's grossly incompetent and either needs some help so she can be efficient and capable in her job, or she needs to be retasked to a less critical area of the hospital. As a result of her disorganization, not only was my surgery date rescheduled, but I didn't even know the results of my ultrasound (which indicated that I had gall stones and that my gall bladder would need to be removed) until AFTER surgery, because there wasn't time. Pre-op blood tests, breathing tests, X-rays, and more were not scheduled, and when things were scheduled, she told me the wrong times -- IF she told me at all. She has accused ME of lying, of being a malcontent, and generally has been outrageously rude to me several times. Unfortunately, Lynne does all pre-op and post-op scheduling for the surgeons, so it's impossible to avoid her completely. My advice to anyone when dealing with her is to check, double-check, triple-check, and continue to follow-up to make sure that you have all the appointments you need when you need them.
