"My first impression of Dr. Q. was that he was confident. I really liked his down to earth, yet honest, attitude. The patient information session was very good and informative. I appreciated that this program (The N.E.W. Program) allowed you to meet the surgeon at the beginning of the process rather than at the end which is how so many programs are run. I also appreciated that the information we were being given was directly from the surgeon and not someone else. His assistant, Dr. Braverman was much the same and maybe slightly more personable (though I liked them both very much). In this practice, both surgeons are present for your surgery which is something I prefer. Other practices I investigated used a phantom assistant who may or may not be a full fledged and fully competent bariatric surgeon. rnrnAt the conclusion of the information seminar, I was able to see Dr. Q alone for my consultation. Again, he was so confident and assured of my candidacy that I left feeling validated. I also met with the psychologist on the same day and appreciated getting that taken care of right away. The psychologist, Dr. Joliffe, was wonderful and gave me some things to really think about. rnrnAs I left the information day, I had my pre-op orders and all my other appointments. It was nice to have a clear direction and not be wondering what all the next steps were. rnrnFrom there, the insurance process was handled by the office. I must say that they moved quickly to get approval. I think my insurance is pretty good about approving this procedure, because that part was absolutely painless. I did end up needing to see a nutritionist, but that was a good thing!rnrnI had to have lots of blood work, an abdominal ultrasound, echocardiogram, etc... which was based on my personal health history. All of this was to be completed before my 3 week appointment. Speaking of that 3 week appointment, it was fantastic. I met with the internist who will follow me afterward. Her name is Dr. Zigfried. She was direct, kind, confident, and clearly interested in ME! I would recommend her to anyone and am thrilled that she will be following me post-operatively. rnrnBy the way, Dr. Q's practice is called \"The New Program\". I would say the only thing they need to improve on is their office staff. The new receptionist is not a good fit for the rest of the practice, but once you get past him, things seem to be relatively smooth and organized. rnrnThere is a structured aftercare program and I am truly looking forward to it. It is run by the same psychologist that I met with on my orientation day. I am really happy to have this available and plan to utilize it fully. rnrnTime will tell on the actual surgical experience, but I have high expectations for sure."
