Fresno Heart and Surgical Hospital Organization

First impression?
Dr. Boone knows what he is doing.
An expert. Very confident and was professional, yet warm in his approach.
Very thorough addressing the risks/benefits.

Office staff very professional and helpful
although it was difficult to get a same day return call.


Rating?
Scale of 1-10 (having very little experience with Drs) I'd say an 8 plus.

Dr. Boone was amazing.

He is extremely informative and caring. I felt extremely comfortable with him. He has a great bedside manner and ensured that I understood everything that would and was happening, etc.

The surgery went perfectly - no complications.

I honestly do not have a negative comment regarding him or his staff. Every one of them handled me professionally and with care.

I highly recommend him to anyone looking at WLS as a tool to get their health under control.

I loved Dr. Higa when I first met him in the initial orientation. Then heard more and more about him and what a great surgeon he was.

He has a very high profile in Fresno, California.

He / and his staff are very informative prior to and after the surgery.

Aftercare is very important for him and his patients.

I was totally at peace knowing that Dr. Higa would be doing my surgery.

He was very nice and he listened to what I had to say.He made me feel very comfortable. Not like how I felt which was a big blob.His staff was great but it would take them awhile to return your calls.This really bothered me even though I knew they werebusy.Ihad questions that needed to be addressed at the moment and I was post op. They were friendly and treated you like you were someone important not just another body off the street.He is great!!!
Aftercare is very important to Dr. Boone. You must follow the rules or you can gain the weight back.He is very up front with the risks of the surgery or any other surgery.
From 0-10 I would give him a 9.I think bedside manner and surgical competence should go hand and hand.Who wants to have a surgeon who makes you feel like crap when you pretty much feel that way already at least I did.Dr. Boone was both.

Surgeon Info:
Surgeon: Kelvin D. Higa M.D.
I met Dr. Higa on April 7th 2004. I was nervous and anxious because I had to drive 2 1/2 hours to see him. My insurance company would only authorize a consult with this office. The front office staff seemed over busy and sometimes abrupt and even rude to the patients. I was questioning my options and praying that the doctor and nurse were differant then the front office staff. Once I was called back I realized my prayers were answered. Doctor Higa's nurse was so sweet and caring. She really put my anxities and nervousness at ease. Then I met Dr. Higa. He is a wonderful man!!! Very patient and kind. He answered all my questions. I know that he has many patients but when he was in the room with me I felt as though I was his only one! I've made the right choice!! I'm anxiously waiting authorization for my surgery. Christine at Dr. Higa's office is so awesome!! She is very patient and answers all my questions.

<p>First impressions were very positive. He was the one who actually did the informational seminar that I attended. Very well versed in the procedure.<p>

Seems as if we have a few common things together as he worked at the same military hospital as I had, although our paths never crossed because he was there much later than I was. I see that he drives a very nice car, not lavish, but nicer than mine (I checked out the cars when I parked at his office).<p>

He answered all my questions and was very thorough in going over everything. Everyone I checked with before making this decision, family friends, church friends, and co-workers all had high opinions of him and eased my decisions on going through WLS.<p>

Talking with others was more important to me than any other review that others have previously submitted. There were two other surgeons in this group that do WLS and Dr. Boone was my only choice when I went in for my consultation. Seemed to be very thorough in his physical examination. All-in-all, a great experience so far.

I met Dr. Higa on April 7th 2004. I was nervous and anxious because I had to drive 2 1/2 hours to see him. My insurance company would only authorize a consult with this office. The front office staff seemed over busy and sometimes abrupt and even rude to the patients. I was questioning my options and praying that the doctor and nurse were differant then the front office staff. Once I was called back I realized my prayers were answered. Doctor Higa's nurse was so sweet and caring. She really put my anxities and nervousness at ease. Then I met Dr. Higa. He is a wonderful man!!! Very patient and kind. He answered all my questions. I know that he has many patients but when he was in the room with me I felt as though I was his only one! I've made the right choice!! I'm anxiously waiting authorization for my surgery. One other note about the office staff, it takes them a long time to get back to your phone messages. I'm sure they are busy but they should try to get back to the patients within 2 to 3 days, it usually takes them about 5 to 7 days.

Dr Higa is the BEST! i traveled 2 hours from home for the surgery based on my dr's referral. i couldn't be happier with him. i also met with dr. boone from the same office and is also very nice and extremely helpful. definitley would refer him to anyone, anytime.

I liked Dr. Higa, he had a great sense of humor and maid me feel very at ease. He was very honest and wanted to make sure I understood he was giving me a tool not a cure.

His office is very busy and I have always had to wait to get in. This is probably the only area I think they need improvment in.

The staff is great and his NP Alice is awesome.

Aftercare is critical. They give you the tools and information to help yourself but they are available to you. They schedule follow-up appointments for one week one month 3 months and 6 months, one year and then once a year after that.

They have monthly meetings for post ops to go to for aftercare and learning.

He was clear about the potential risks of the surgery. I had no problems and continue to do well. I would rate him as excellent and recommend him to anyone concidering this surgery. I had a Lap RNY and can not say enough great things about Dr. Higa and his surgical staff.

I had no doubts about his competence but what sold me was his compassion and bedside manner. I think the combination made my experience all the more bearable. If you are anywhere near Fresno California I would suggest having Dr. Higa perform your surgery.

I am being honest about this I waited 5 years to have this surgery and did a great deal of research before I made my choice of surgeons. I even changed insurance companies so Dr. Higa would be covered.

Dr. Boone was the physician who gave the seminar that I attended in August of 2003. My husband and I were immediatly impressed with his presentation manner. He answered several questions that I had, and when my husband approached him after the seminar, they talked together for about 10 minutes, and I noticed that Dr. Boone was attentive and thorough with his answers. He didn't make us feel like we were keeping him from getting out of there, but was really very nice.

His office staff was wonderful!! Their follow-up is great and they are so incredibly nice, I wasn't sure I was actually dealing with a real medical office!! (No offense to anyone, but I have been places where the office and nursing staff really is pathetic.)

My impression did not change after the first consultation. He again emphasized what the procedure was about and the risks involved, explained what he was doing during my examination, and again, answered questions attentively. Of course, again, the office staff was great. Considering the amount of people they have coming through, they are very efficient! Theu have at least 5 surgeons for the WLS and more that are other specialists. They have a WLS staff called 'The Girls' and they deal with patients insurance and auth documentation. They even send you reminders on what you still need for surgery! The only thing on the not-so-great side is that since my surgery date was rescheduled, I have not received any confirmation of my new surgery date. I called 'My girl' at the office a couple of times, but no return call yet, but I am trying to remain positive but paranoid. So my opinion, so far is 'Right on!!! Groovy!!!'...as it were.