Gary Anthone, MD, FACS Organization

My impression of Dr. Anthone was that he totally cares about his patients. He is very professional as well as his nurse Julie. All of the staff were awsome. Kristi the receptionist was so friendly. My mom and I went to the seminar he had in december and it was so informative. He made sure eveyone's ???'s were answered before the meeting concluded. I did kind of wonder why he was so inquisitive about my marriage, but then I realized his concern was for me and me knowing about the divorce rates of those who have had WLS. I think people be prepared to meet him. He will discuss in depth everything, and his most concern is for his patients, not just pysically but emotionally. He wants to make sure that you are aware of everything and have the skills to cope with the stress of the surgery. His aftercare is strongly emphasized. Actually, strongly is and understatment. He gives a packet of info that has case studies, aftercare instructions, and procedures, as well as much info about him and his practice. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate him as a 100.

Dr. Gary Anthone just recently moved to Omaha, Nebraska and has opened an office there. (He was in LA, California) He will be doing surgeries at Methodist Hospital. I had my initial consultation with him on Dec. 22nd and was very pleased with our visit! He has agreed to do my "revision" surgery. We talked about all the possible complications and he was very clear as to what I was to expect during the surgery and after. I will have the RNY surgery, and he plans on putting me on a ventilator for a day or 2 after the surgery in ICU as a precautionary measure. Because I am a higher risk for bleeding as a revision patient, (revision meaning I had a similar gastric bypass done 20 years ago), we talked about the possibility of blood transfusions. He was very open and clear about every aspect of the surgery as we talked, he took a thorough history regarding my comorbidities, and I am confident that he can do what is necessary in meeting my needs for the surgery. The next step is surance "approval" and then I have a list of preop tests he wants me to have, and then the surgery date!!! Yippie!!!

I felt very assured after meeting with him. He was the third surgeon I consulted with and the most pleased with afterwards. I went to his info session and that is what won me over. He was very informative and specializes in just Bariatric Surgery. He knows his work and has been first in line in many things. He is definetly sure of himself, and that is what appealed to me most. I felt he was very secure. I hope to be one of his beginning bunch here is Omaha. Since he just moved from L.A. I think we were blessed to have such an experienced surgeon come to Methodist Health Systems.

Dr. Anthone was WONDERFUL!! I coudln't of asked for a better surgeon. From the beginning he made me feel I had a health issue I was dealing with, not that I am "fat" because I am lazy, or like to over eat. He feel obesity is a real issue medically, he even stopped his regular practice years ago and has deticated his life to helping overweight people. I ended up going back into the hospital a week after surgery because I had a leak in my stomach and needed to be admitted into ICU. He saw me everyday and when I was finally released home again he called me every other day to see how I was doing and gave me his personal phone number and said to call at anytime. I was just given a clean bill of health on 8/4/03 and was released back to work. He let me know he and his family were going on vacation to visit family back East for two weeks and gave me the numbers he would be at in case of any questions or emergencies that should arise. He is a wonderful Dr. and human being!! I was VERY lucky when I found him and his staff!!!

My first impression of Doctor Antone was not great, but because it was not very easy for me to travel to find another doctor that would take Medicare I decided to go ahead and have the surgery with Dr. Anthone. Dr. Anthone was very responsive after the surgery when I returned home which was some 400 miles away. He was very supportive and called me back or took a call from me immediately if I needed help. This is very important. I was not well after the surgery and need some support. I was not at all impressed with Maria who never saw me post surgery. This felt a bit disconcerting I thought that things would change with her after surgery, but she was even more distant that before. This could be because they are overwhelmingly busy. Living 400 miles away from Dr. Anthone might be why I have not received any information about aftercare from his office and I have inquired and have received nothing.

I believe that surgical competence is more important than bedside manner. I did not see Dr. Anthone much immediately after surgery, I mainly saw his associates or whoever they were. Dr. Anthone's bedside manner was very good, but I did not find the other Drs. as sensitive. I would rate the Drs. as very good overall with some reservations. Seeing USC is a teaching school, a lot of things go on that are quite different than any hospital I've been in. I found my overall experience in the hospital quite unpleasant both because of the degree of my pain and some confusion with nursing staff. Once I got into a second room after intensive care, the nursing care was Excellent and they were quite experienced with Dr. Anthone's patients needs. Good Blessed me with the most sensitive nurses!!!

I first met with Dr. Gary Anthone in his office for an initial consult. First, in dealing with his staff I found them to be friendly and cooperative. Although you have to wait several months to get an appointment with Dr. Anthone, once you are there, your wait time in the office is very minimal.
I was interviewed by his nurse Maria, then a few moments later Dr. Anthone arrived. I found him to be very pleasant and knowledgeable. He was happy to answer any questions I had and explain any concerns. Most important for me, is that I did not get any "negative vibes" from him. It may sound silly to some, but I have always relied on my sense of people and it has never steered me in the wrong direction.
Also, I have to say I was delighted by Dr. Anthone's enthusiasm for what he does. He seemed genuinely "jazzed" about helping me make a major change in my life.
He also took time with me to discuss the points of surgery he felt were most important.
Finally, I attended a seminar he holds for all of his patients. In this seminar he clearly addresses what patients can expect pre op and post op, the risks associated with this surgery including morbidity and mortalities that he has experienced in his practice.
Overall I had a very good impression of Dr. Anthone and feel comfortable with my choice of surgeon.

Dr. Anthone made me so comfortable that both he and I were convinced we'd known each other before! He's a lovely man, calm, gentle and with a real sense of the injustice of inherited obesity. As he said "It's just not fair, is it?!"
The program at USC seems to be well structured, very responsible and professional. I did feel that they are very busy and I didn't get much time with him. I also felt that the requirement for the seminar, combined with some problems over when the seminars were going to be, was a problem. There were WAY too many people at the seminar, and not enough room for them all, after we had traveled all the way to Southern California from San Francisco. I've had trouble getting through to the office as well, but they've always apologized.

He is really funny and made me feel very relaxed.

I really think Dr. A is an excellant surgeon. He is a warm caring person also.

I have not had the chance to meet Dr. Anthone yet but I am looking forward to that day. I have heard nothing but wonderful things about him on here as well as from two people I personally know that had the surgery through him. And they have nothing but outstanding kind words to say about Maria. As soon as I hear from my medical group regarding my referral I am calling Dr. Anthone's office back to get my appointment. Wish me luck!