So I don't know if it's me and the apprehension of this surgery but I was looking for a doctor in the Ventura area to perform LAP-BAND® surgery (and it seems that in Ventura and all of LA there are very few!!) Maybe it's me but something seems off to me having a seminar with multiple people, and what seems to be such a revolving door and sales pitch for the surgery...and this seems common with weight loss surgery for ANY doctor I've found. Granted, my first in person consult is with Feiz.

I am wondering if anyone can provide me with info on Dr Feiz, good or bad. I have a consultation later this month and have had some preliminary conversations with his Thousand Oaks office. So far I am not impressed. It feels like a sales pitch, they seem to provide these template type answers to all my questions , etc. Tonight I was reviewing an email I got from them last week titled "FW: Anthem Blue Cross COE explanation" or something or other and it had some poor strangers email about LAP-BAND® surgery and her insurance in the bottom of the email thread. Seriously, WTF. This is SOO not professional. And this seems to be their template email of information as it's been retitled from the original email and the poor girls email was from March 09. If that were my email, with my personal story, work email, contact info being circulated, I would be PISSED... So it just seems like this place does not have it's stuff together. Yet I did get one good referral to them.....but for something as major as surgery, I want more. Especially now that I just can't help but doubt their credibility as a doctors office. I mean their staff seems incompetent. I sure hope I feel more comfortable after meeting Feiz. Well thanks for letting me vent out my frustrations on this whole process. If I could only find a doctor with strong referrals that from the get go treated this as a private personal matter, and not one to air at a seminar full of strangers I'd probably feel a lot better.

If anyone has a doctor recommendation for Ventura or hell, all of LA, let me know!

Edited January 13, 201016 yr by pmommy

So I don't know if it's me and the apprehension of this surgery but I was looking for a doctor in the Ventura area to perform LAP-BAND® surgery (and it seems that in Ventura and all of LA there are very few!!) Maybe it's me but something seems off to me having a seminar with multiple people, and what seems to be such a revolving door and sales pitch for the surgery...and this seems common with weight loss surgery for ANY doctor I've found. Granted, my first in person consult is with Feiz.

I am wondering if anyone can provide me with info on Dr Feiz, good or bad. I have a consultation later this month and have had some preliminary conversations with his Thousand Oaks office. So far I am not impressed. It feels like a sales pitch, they seem to provide these template type answers to all my questions , etc. Tonight I was reviewing an email I got from them last week titled "FW: Anthem Blue Cross COE explanation" or something or other and it had some poor strangers email about LAP-BAND® surgery and her insurance in the bottom of the email thread. Seriously, WTF. This is SOO not professional. And this seems to be their template email of information as it's been retitled from the original email and the poor girls email was from March 09. If that were my email, with my personal story, work email, contact info being circulated, I would be PISSED... So it just seems like this place does not have it's stuff together. Yet I did get one good referral to them.....but for something as major as surgery, I want more. Especially now that I just can't help but doubt their credibility as a doctors office. I mean their staff seems incompetent. I sure hope I feel more comfortable after meeting Feiz. Well thanks for letting me vent out my frustrations on this whole process. If I could only find a doctor with strong referrals that from the get go treated this as a private personal matter, and not one to air at a seminar full of strangers I'd probably feel a lot better.

If anyone has a doctor recommendation for Ventura or hell, all of LA, let me know!

Dear Pmommy,

This is Dr. Feiz, it is a pleasure to meet you cybertronicly for now anyway...

First of all, an relation to Pdaddy :-)?

I am sorry for the lack of attention to detail that you have received thus far. I assure you that you are correct and that it is not a reflection of the medical care you will be receiving from me or my program.

You mentioned having to air concerns at the seminar.

Let me set your mind at ease regarding that. The reason I start our encounter as a group seminar is to allow you to benefit from other peoples questions. In one of my first consultations a Pilot of a commercial carrier, asked me if the Band would change while he was in the air... The answer is slightly due to altitude change... not important really unless your eating a big meal while flying... but the more important point was that there was a of Flight attendant in the group that had never thought of asking this question even though she may fly as much as the pilot...

the point is that different people have different amounts of information regarding the Band. Different people have friends or family members that have had one type of surgery or another.

When you hear other people's question it may trigger other thoughts or concerns for you.

The Seminar is not meant to replace a private meeting with me that will take place after the seminar where we can talk privately and get to know each other more personally.

I look forward to meeting with you personally and setting your mind at ease.

Respectfully,

Dr. Feiz

Well I am a patient of Dr. Feiz and my surgery is scheduled for feb 12th. I agree with the Dr...it was actually fun and I befriended the other person I had my consultation with. Plus you also get a 1 on 1 talk with the Dr. afterward and you get to discuss things that pertain personally to your situation. The staff at the Beverly Hills office is great. They actually call me before I even get a chance to call them to keep me in the loop. I got approved within 4 days with my insurance co and everything has been going smoothly and they answer all my questions when I have one. Dr Feiz seemed pretty cool and caring. Maybe the office you went to just has a couple of bad employees I dont really know but that shouldn't affect your oppinion about the Dr. himself. I think he's great and wouldn't go anywhere else. Things go fast with them because they are experienced with the whole process.

I two was in your situation a few months ago. I visited different doctors and my experience made me feel like it was a meat marked. After doing some research I decided to go with Dr. Feiz. Although my experience with some of his office staff was less than satisfactory I felt he was highly recommended.

Dr. Feiz performed my surgery last friday and I must say that im extremely happy. I was able to leave the hospital the same day with minimal pain. I did not even need to take my pain medication. So if your looking for a highly qualified surgeon you cant go wrong with Feiz. He seems to me as though he cares about his patients but is extremely busy. Although if it's truly him answering questions on this site he cares enough to respond. Well good luck and hope you find someone who works for you.

I two was in your situation a few months ago. I visited different doctors and my experience made me feel like it was a meat marked. After doing some research I decided to go with Dr. Feiz. Although my experience with some of his office staff was less than satisfactory I felt he was highly recommended.

Dr. Feiz performed my surgery last friday and I must say that im extremely happy. I was able to leave the hospital the same day with minimal pain. I did not even need to take my pain medication. So if your looking for a highly qualified surgeon you cant go wrong with Feiz. He seems to me as though he cares about his patients but is extremely busy. Although if it's truly him answering questions on this site he cares enough to respond. Well good luck and hope you find someone who works for you.

Yes, it is truly me... Dr. Feiz...

Edited February 10, 201016 yr by Dr. MichaelFeiz
spaced wrong...

why are do the 2 above people write the same exact thing?

pmommy....i understand ur frustration and insecurity...been there done that. i had my surgery Nov. 5, 2009 by Dr. Feiz... what can i say about dr. feiz....in a nutshell he is a GOD SEND!!!! wonderful doctor...wish i could go to him for all my medical needs. took the time to put me at ease with all of my dorky questions no matter how dumb. can't say enough good things about him. don't judge his professionalism by his staffs, mistakes happen. i am grateful to him everyday for giving me a life back. love him!!!

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Hi pmommy, Just wondering if you used Dr Feiz? His Beverly Hills office completely screwed up my insurance and it now looks like another 6 month wait. My insurance company told me that they rarely refuse the lap band surgery when it is submitted correctly - two denial letters. Can't believe it.

Dr Feiz, I had a consultation with you almost 8 months ago and started the insurance prosess with your staff. I am so disappointed that after two letters of denial I have come to find out, through my provider, that the paper work was not submitted correctly by your staff. I made the assumption that the girls in your office knew how the requirements worked. Unfortunately they did not. When I finally got involved, I was told that my plan rarely denies the lap band when done correctly. Not only am I completely frustrated ,I'm so disappointed not to be able to use you as my doctor.

Dear Monroe33,

I am sorry for the frustration my office has caused you. I understand how much of a let down you have felt after waiting for so long. I will look into it right away. Can you also please call my central office @ 310-855-8058 so I can get some more details to get things remedied faster.

Hi Dr Feiz, Thank you for such a quick response. I sent you a lengthy email to the address on your card explaining everything in detail. I hope we might be able to speak.

I just wanted to make sure I posted an update for anyone reading this thread. I sent Doctor Feiz a very detailed letter about my concerns. It was basically regarding my frustaion over being 8 months into a process that I was initially told was a 3 month process. I really couldn't believe he replyed so quickly, both on here and to me personally. Dr Feiz sent me an email and than followed up with a call. He will actually be having a peer to peer review with my insurance. I don't know what will happen. My insurance is telling me something very different from Dr. Feiz's office, but I have to say The quickness with which the doctor responded is reassuring and says a lot about him. He was the third doctor I saw and the only one I felt truly inspired to go through this process with. He really is a nice man. We'll see what happens.

Dear Doctor Feiz,

My BMI is 30, which is considered low for insurance covering the cost of the surgery. However I am on appetite suppressant and as soon as I stop taking them, I gain all the weight back. I have sever joint and back pain because of being over weight and sleep apnea. Is there a surgeon in northern or southern California that can help me have Lap Band procedure done?

I'm starting to very much question my selecting Dr Feiz....I've had a few things happen...

1) I selected Dr Feiz as my surgeon based on a recommendation I had from an in-law...When I set up a consult to meet the physician, I ended up meeting his assistant, Larry, instead. I wasn't told that my consult wouldn't be with the surgeon and had thought I made it clear that my intent was to meet him. I thought Larry was very informative and liked him well enough, so I let it go.

2) On the day of the surgery I looked down at my wrist band and saw that it said 'Misra' instead of 'Feiz'. This surprised me since I had selected Feiz as my surgeon and my approval was for him. When I questioned it, the staff disappeared for a bit and then came back to tell me that something was wrong with Dr Feiz' hands that day so Misra was handling the surgeries. I had met Misra when she did my upper GI and liked her a lot, so I again let it go.

3) I've had 3 adjustments now and really still have no restriction. I can eat/drink pretty much anything and don't ever really get 'full'. I'm making a conscious effort to not eat as much, but I'm expecting the lap band to give me certain 'discomfort signals' if I start to overeat. Doesn't seem to be happening. I have read that sometimes it takes 4-5 fills, so maybe that's the case for me...I hope...but I'm starting to seriously wonder if something is wrong and my port is leaking or something. My surgery was 7/30 and as of 10/13 I've only lost about 10 lbs.

4) During 2 of my 3 fills, the persons doing them referenced the REALIZE band...I corrected them and said that I have the lap band...I'm starting to wonder if I actually ended up with the REALIZE band instead...It just seems odd that two different people (Larry & Feiz) would tell me I have the REALIZE band after doing the fill and then correct themselves once I said something.

5) EVERY time I make an appt for the Thousand Oaks office, I receive a call a few days later asking me to change the time, day or location. I had an appt for Monday, 10/11 and rec'd a call from Suzy on Fri, 10/8, asking if I could go to Oxnard or Pasadena. I said that I needed TO, so then she scheduled me for tomorrow (Thu, 10/14) at noon. I had a feeling that something would be amiss, so a bit ago I called to confirm and was told by Lupe that they had tried to schedule me for Oxnard at 10:00...so a different time AND a different location then I was told. I'm really frusterated at this point and wasn't all that friendly when I explained that I need to use the TO office and that every time I tried to make an appt, something gets screwed up. I asked her when someone would be in the TO office and she told me to call back and talk to Suzy.

So that's been my experience so far.

Mind you, all of the staff is very friendly, but I'm becoming less and less impressed with my decision to go with Feiz as time goes on...I'm HOPING that this is just taking time and that my restriction/loss starts to kick in soon and that I have no more problems with the office, but I'm not super optimistic.

Dear KLisa,

First and foremost, let me reassure you that if something is amiss, my staff and I will not stop caring for you until your weight loss journey is successful and complete.

That said, let me try to address some of your concerns.

Firstly, I did slow down my surgeries as a result of elbow tendonitis. I am well and back to 100%.

I’m glad to hear that you’ve had a good experience with my partner, Dr. Misra. I am blessed to have a partner as kind and gifted a surgeon as Dr. Misra. She and I have had the same surgical training culminating in a specialized Fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. Except that she is better looking than I am, we are interchangeable and do everything exactly the same.

Rather than delay your surgery, we thought it best to continue with Dr. Misra on the day of your surgery. It is our policy to notify patients as soon as these types of emergencies arise. I am sorry if my office did not notify you sooner. I will look into this and make every effort to prevent this in the future. Our mission is to provide the best compassionate healthcare possible. I appreciate this chance to better my practice.

In regards to inconsistent office visits, please accept my apologies. I hope you understand that surgery is not completely predictable. Some surgeries take longer, some are more complicated than anticipated, and emergency surgeries deffinatly throws a wrench in everyone’s plans.

The concerns you have about your progress are very common with both the LAPBAND and the Realize Band. In fact, there is almost no difference with the bands, except that our anecdotal experience has shown that patients with the Realize band sense restriction a little later. We think this is because the Realize band is slightly softer and holds a little more saline. This may explain why we may have assumed that you have the Realize band. The aftercare is the same for both bands. Regardless, please don’t rush to think that there is a defect with the system. It commonly takes up to five (some times even more) adjustments before patients find their sweet spot.

My email address is DrFeiz@DrFeiz.com. Please reach out to me so that I can arrange a visit. I’m in Thousand Oaks every Monday. Again, be reassured that we will not stop supporting you until your weight loss is successful.

Dr. Feiz