DHMR Clinics Organization

I was well prepared for my first consult with Dr. Halmi. I went to his office and found the staff to be friendly and helpful. The chairs are also sized for larger people. I was impressed by that. Dr. Halmi is on the quiet side, but is pretty straightforward and to the point. The office submitted my paperwork in a reasonable amount of time to the insurance company. Veronica called me right away to let me know I had been approved. My surgery was scheduled in a reasonable amount of time. The office had notebooks already ready to give me w/ all my pre-op testing information easy to access. Deana was very helpful and informative about the after surgery food and supplement plan. I would recommend Dr. Halmi!

Dr. Halmi is absolutely wonderful. He is a gentle caring person. His knowledge and skills are unsurpassed. He is not a Doctor that does the surgery and then sends you on your way - he is right there beside you the whole way. I am almost 2 years post gastric bypass and can honestly say that I couldn't have found a better doctor that I trust anymore than Dr. Halmi. He sits down with you and explains everything in great detail and answers any questions or concerns you may have. He is excellent with the surgical procedure - you can't even tell that I had it, and his bedside manner is wonderful - he actually listens to you.

Dr. Halmi was wonderful. He was always very thorough and caring. Because the proceedure was very popular and he was a very popular surgeon, his office was always filled to capacity. This was a little inconvenient at times (when your appointment was at a certain time and you were not seen until much later) but, on the bright side, I did get to talk to many of his patients and learned a great deal about the surgery. Dr. Halmi's staff were helpful and friendly...especially his nutritionists.
I must confess that I did not invest in the aftercare program...I went back for a visit - but did seem to slip through the cracks after that. However, this was as much my fault as anyones. The aftercare program was a couple of scheduled visits over a number of weeks/months post-op...but I was doing very well and relied on my regular doctor in Fredericksburg for any problems.
Dr. Halmi was very thorough in his introduction to the surgery. He addressed all of the possible risks/side affects...even helped to calm my mothers fears about the proceedure. He was a great doctor - I'd rate him at least an 8 out of 10. Because he was split between two practices it was sometimes hard to get appointments or to reach him - this was my only complaint. He is a very skilled surgeon - the doctor that later removed my gall blader comented on his good work! 2 and a 1/2 years later I have had minimal complications whick I acredit to his skill.

Dr. Halmi listened attentively and concernedly, was thorough in going over my health history, as well as highly knowledgeable and informative about weight loss surgery.

As I got to know him better, Dr. Halmi felt more like a good friend who happened to have the skills to help his friend be healthier. I still feel this way about him.

His office staff was fast, efficient, cheerful and friendly. It was the staff who were most helpful in my getting insurance coverage the first time. They stayed on top of everything.

There is nothing "least" about Dr. Halmi. My wish for anyone with obesity problems would be to have a doctor with all his qualities and personality to help them.

Future patients, bring in a list of questions with you at each visit. Dr. Halmi will either answer himself, or direct you to the most knowledgeable source, such as his dietician, etc. Never be afraid to ask him anything.

Also, follow whatever aftercare rules or recommendations he lays before you. He will remind you, so don't put him off. This is vital to long-term success!! This is NOT an "easy way out" by a longshot! It takes hard work, dedication to detail, and a commitment to change your lifestyle forever to be at the weight and health point you desire.

Dr. Halmi is very upfront about the risks of surgery and what to expect from scarring, etc. Every patient is an individual and he treats you like one. For instance, I showed evidence of prior surgeries with sutures and with staples. My skin does very poorly with staples (very thin, not very elastic) so I asked and Dr. Halmi agreed to use sutures on my skin (staples used for the RNYGBP).

I can't imagine a more competent or more caring surgeon than Dr. Halmi. He isn't gushy with bedside manner...he is quiet and a little reserved with excellent manners. Don't let his quiet way put you off if you are effervescent...his his personal care is genuinely from his heart and his desire to see your overall health improve.

If someone told me I would have to go through this all again (another life??), I would not hesitate for a moment. The joys of life without hauling an extra person around my body for the rest of my life far outweigh those initial two weeks of discomfort.

Almost two years out and I still feel the same way about Dr Halmi, Deanna,Lisa and Veronica. They are all nothing but WONDERFUL! There are not enough words to say about Dr. Halmi. He is an extraordinary Dr and must love what he does because it really shows. They are above and beyond in my book!

When I first met with Dr.Halmi I decided he was very quiet. He asked if I had questions and explained to me what he would do for me. I saw him 2 more times before going to the hospital. At the hospital I did not realize he is not a large man until my husband 6'3" 175 lbs stood near him. His hands are small and his stature is medium. This made things all the better for me. Small hands easier surgery I always heard. Anyway, he was wonderful. Came to see me after surgery on saturday and again on monday to dismiss me. He has been doing this for 15 years and is very good at it. I would thus far recommend him to anyone.

An after thought..I am a year out now and doing beautifully...He has been with me and all of us through this whole ordeal. What a wonderful doctor...he is so good at his craft. If you can get him before he becomes too famous..do it.! It is SOOOO worth it.

I found Dr. Halmi to be pleasant and caring. I had researched (I thought) and spoken with some people who had had the surgery, so I did not have a lot of questions initially, but any questions I had were answered completely. His office staff was helpful, but I found scheduling of the pre-op doctor visits and tests to be daunting. I could have used more guidance in this area. Specifically Veronica was a big help to me, regarding insurance blips and questions. And like everyone else, I found Deanna, the nutritionist extremely informative and helpful. She handles the side of things that most confuses and interests me - "How do I eat correctly after the surgery".

Overall I rate Dr. Halmi and his staff very highly. Knowing what you want and asking for it is always a good policy with doctors and care-givers. Plus the help/support group "The Staple Club" is invaluable.

Both competence, and good bedside manner are extremely important to me and I imagine to all. Taking such a dramatic step in helping yourself needs support and encouragement as much as it requires competence.

I met for the first time with Dr. Halmi yesterday, and I thought he was one of the nicest and caring doctors I've ever had. He made sure to explain everything and made me feel confident about the operation, and he assured me that I would be in good hands. I feel very comfortable going into the operation under his care. His office staff was also very helpful and caring as well. From what I have experienced so far, I would give Dr. Halmi a 10.

6/16/04... I have my first appt. with Dr. Halmi on Tuesday 6/22/04. Everything that I have read and heard have been very positive. I am just praying that he and I will "click". I am a nurse and I usually trust my 1st impressions. Being the patient this time will definitely be a switch but for the nurses out there that will be taking care of me... I am a good patient. I do my own I&O's!!! I come to you for requests rather than you come to me. I see it as therapeutic excercise! lol. I will update next week on my visit. At this point though, I don't care if he keeps pigs in his back room and shovels the poo in the lobby as long as he is capable and can help me he is the man for the job!!! (lol)
6/22/04... Just got home from my first appt. w/ Dr.Halmi and I just love him. Very mild mannered, quiet,polite and professional. I was at ease immediately. And NO PIGS in the office!!!!
His office staff were very professional.My only encounter was with the young lady at the window. She was very efficient and didn't make me feel like "Ok, I'm repeating this for the 500th time... now listen close" She was delightful. I can't say there was anything negative at all about my first visit. That Dr. Halmi is very quiet and mild mannered. Maybe its a cultural thing, maybe just the way he was raised, maybe just his personality. But for that few minutes, I was the only thing that mattered. Being a nurse, he did not assume that I knew everything. He did assume that I knew common surgical complications...(I am a post surgical nurse)and that was ok. He did not get ruffled when I asked him questions directly relating to his practice and complications he had seen in folks under his care. Some docs get a little defensive and a little hot under the collar. Not Dr. Halmi. He explained the complications, what was the cause for it, the treatment of it, his role in preventing it, my role in monitoring, and sticking with therapy to either prevent or aid in improving the complication. He was all about aftercare. The importance of excercise in preventing complications, adhereing to dietary guidelines to ensure adequate nutrition and to ensure minimal hair loss.(This is a biggy for me!) It was all about, do what we tell you and it will make everything so much easier on you. He does indeed have a structured aftercare program.The risks of surgery were discussed. He assumed I knew the common ones only because I am a nurse. The other ones,... not so common in gen'l surgery, he took the pictures and showed me exactly what was what and why and how to prevent it. I would rate Dr. Halmi a 10. He is a kind and compassionate Dr. that cares about what he is doing and cares about his patients. Both, bedside manner and competence go a long way but I think competence is much more important. I have had jerks for docs in the past, but wouldn't trade their expertise for all the gold in the world. Its like measuring apples and oranges.
We also talked about my insurance, and I believe that at this point, everything will be ok. He said Anthem is generally pretty good about approvals especially if the criteria are met... and boy did I meet them. I asked him about the Anthem pulling the plug on paying for some procedures. He said that it was his understanding that on July 1, they would stop paying for the Lap RNY due to cost and increasing complications, and hospital stays. Said he had heard nothing about them no longer paying for open RNY's.Hope this helps... glad to be on this side of the page now...
07/15/04 I love Dr. Halmi and his staff are very nice and helpful BUT trying to contact them by phone has been a huge issue!!! I tried for 4 days... calling every hour on the hour and got thru to a real person one time and was put on hold for 40 mins. They never picked up... I hung up. Their message says they do not check their messages daily (that's comforting) and most of the time you get "mailbox full". Not sure how to over come this hurdle. Have my next follow up appt. next week and will discuss with doc. Ended up driving the 35 miles thru Northern Va morning commute to get to the office to find out the info I needed. It all paid off though... got my date moved up one day earlier!!! YIPPEE!!!

Dr. Halmi is awesome! At first he is kind of quite and doesn't smile or say much. I guess he wants to make sure you understand everything and wants to make sure you are serious about sticking with the rules of the surgery. After surgery he is very understanding and caring. I had a couple of problems with my scare and he was there every time to help me and reassure me that everything was okay! I would highly recommend him to anyone. I interviewed many suregens before I chose him. I would consider him to be the best in his field! The only negative thing that I can really say is that I had to deal with his partner once and did not nor would I ever reccomend him for surgery.