Tufts Medical Center Hospital

I actually met Dr. Tarnoff after the surgery. He was very nice and sincere. The office staff at New England Medical Center were excellent. I can't say enough about them. The psychiatrists, medical internists, and nutritionists are very open to any questions I had even if they were stupid. Never did I feel inadequate or stupid. There are group meetings every month that the staff push you to go to. I need to meet with my doctor in 3 months and then every six months after. This is a great program and I can't say enough good things about it. I knew everything to expect before even going in to surgery and I knew what to expect after at home also. Two great big thumbs up!!

Today I feel very confident writing my comments about Dr. Tarnoff. I have heard him during a large group meeting that they hold every month at the hospital. My first time at that meeting I was so impressed the way he explained the process to us.
Today I had my personal appt. with him. My earlier impression of him was quite correct.My husband and I thought he was very personable and very informative. We feel very confident that I am in the best care that we could wish for. He made sure to informe us that this surgery is a "tool"and not a magic bullet.He emphasize the importance of follow ups, support group and always make the best food choices.
I am very much looking forward to have the surgery and be on my way to a much better life.

Doctor Taranoff, has help to reshape my life. I had gone to other surgeons and had backed out of the surgery. I met him in October of 2000, and through luck (and some cancellations) I was able to get up the ladder rather quickly and I had the surgery on April 1st. He was kind and his staff is outstanding. He not only answered all my questions he was supportive of the possibility that I may have backed out. I went into my meeting with him well informed about the procedure and felt even more informed after. He recommended (though initially I did not follow through with) support groups. I now know the importance, he address all my concerns and suggested the meetings to support his discussion. I personally can never thank him enough I have been very successful with this surgery and I hope that when I go to my meetings I am helping someone else past that hump! Your right Dr. Taranoff, the meetings are VERY helpful... :)

I first saw Dr. Shikora on a web page at a hospital I was working at. i read with interest about WLS and thought that Iwould check it out. He is as wonderful as I heard he is. The office staff is wonderful. I have known one of the secretaries Brenda for years and so had and even higher level of comfort going to NEMC. Dr. Shikora is very involved in Obesity surgery and attends most monthly meetings held for both pre and post-op patients. He is very aggressive in his promotion of continued attendance in the support programs. The more you attend the group that more likely you are to have success is the idea he emphasizes. Dr. Shikora pulls not punches about the risks and problems that could arise due to complications but is also very dedicated to going above and beyond to prevent anything that can be forseen. No advertisement is needed for this program as it is always full and has very long waiting lists but the wait is well worth it for the above average care that you recieve. Because of a scheduling conflict I will now be having Dr. Tarnoff for surgery instead but in my opinion he is just as adept at the surgery as is Dr. Shikora. He is a cutie too. LOL

The most negative parts of all this is the wait to get in the program and the size of the hosptial means that it is very easy for paperwork to get lost or not put through from one department to another. There is also a lot of walking to get from one area to another so if anyone is having walking difficulties may have difficulties

I chose The Obesity Consult Center at New England Medical Center after doing research on this website - while other Boston area hospitals were well recommended, this one is also located on the MBTA line that I take to and from work. It's a long process to get an appointment (I waited 9 months) and then another long process to get a surgery date - but I think the investment they make in terms of physical and emotional preparation will be worthwhile in the long run. The office staff has been great (I don't know how they deal with the workload and remain so cheerful and professional). Dr. Tarnoff explained the surgery and the surgical risks clearly - he was personable and did not rush me. I believe that the number of surgeries they've performed at the OCC make this the safest possible choice. There is a huge emphasis on aftercare, although sadly, Dr. Vogel, the therapist who was so incredibly supportive and caring, just passed away very suddenly, and that is a huge loss to the program. From what I understand the groups will continue and a replacement will be found. I won't be able to comment on surgical competence until post-op, but I feel very confident in his ability, and I was pleased to find that he was so easy to talk to as well. Highly recommended!

Dr. Tarnoff is a very professional and caring surgeon. He has been completely honest throughout the process.
He is always willing to answer any questions. He
clearly explained all the risks and benefits
of surgery (about 2 months before). He used
visual aids to explain both open and lap surgery.
After my first meeting with him, I felt very prepared.

The morning of surgery he checked
in on me before surgery and came in to post op to update me
right after surgery. I felt well taken care of.

After my release from the hospital, I needed to be
readmitted for dehydration and nausea. Dr.
Tarnoff showed great concern for my case and
ran many tests to rule out surgical complications.
He kept me informed every step of the way.

I would rate him highly and recommend him to others.

Dr.Tarnoff is very professional but my first impression left me feeling like he was very rushed. This has since changed! The entire staff at the OCC are wonderful and extremely helpful. Aftercare was not really a huge topic of conversation with me. Dr.Tarnoff is very much into "take it as it comes, everyone's different". Don't get me wrong, he does as well as the entire OCC team give a thorough run down of the guidelines to follow and some of the possibilities to expect. Dr.Tarnoff did address the possible risks with surgery. Overall I would rate Dr.Tarnoff very high. I definitely would rate Dr.Tarnoff's surgical competence better than his bedside manner! I have no regrets with working with both him and the team at OCC.

Dr. Tarnoff was very pleasant and extremely informative. I didn't feel like I was being rushed when I sat with him to discuss my surgery, it's risks and benefits. The staff is very busy but extremely pleasant. I met someone local who had Dr. Tarnoff for her surgeon and she had nothing but glowing reports about him. He was always available after surgery. Called her to check on her. I have yet to have the surgery (scheduled 4/19/02) but I am looking forward to it. I have heard/read nothing but wonderful things about the nursing staff at NEMC. It took me FOREVER to get my first appointment at NEMC, but once in things moved right along. I would have had the surgery by now, but a left knee injury/surgery took precedence at the time. I will update once I have had the surgery, however I doubt anything I have said will change.