Just as I'm becoming comfortable with my decision to get the sleeve I find negative comments on my Surgeon, One including DEATH and the family won the lawsuit!

I looked for reviews before and couldn't find anything, So i worded my question different tonight in Google and I came up with a pretty significant list of negative reviews that make me really nervous.I mean should I be concerned about reviews from online?, Don't most Drs and Surgeons have negative reviews and malpractice claims?

I don't know what to do guy's. I thought I had this all figured out and now I'm not too sure...

http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Alexander_Abkin/reviews

Ugh - it doesn't look so good! I hope you can find someone else...

Please remember that they never state all the facts in a review, I would discuss my concerns with him, and see how you feel, keep in mind everyone is not perfect and issues arise but as you know accidents do happen , trust your feelings and if you feel comfortable make a decision that's best for you good luck .

@@Jersrose43 my insurance is bcbs and the surgeon I have is who they chose and he is a center of excellence.

Halloween Baby,

Sounds like there are a lot of barriers in place between you and your surgeon already -- all of them erected by him.

So if you can't talk to him, can you talk to his ex-partner, Dr. Bertha?

If not Dr. Bertha, then can you talk to someone who has worked with your surgeon, e.g., a shrink, a nutritionist, etc., who isn't "in" his clinic, but has worked with his patients before?

Not to obsess about this thread, but ...

If you look at the surgeon's reviews at http://www.obesityhelp.com/profiles/bariatric-surgeon/dr-alexander-abkin/reviews you will notice that many of those written in the last few years may have been written by someone who has a recognizable "writing voice" and merrily capitalizes nouns, waxes ALL CAPS enthusiastic, and is fond of ... ellipses.

@@VSGAnn2014, you are spot on. It's also a little weird, meaning contrived, that someone would come back to a site 3, 4, 12 years after having an elective surgery to post a review about their experience and the doctor.

@@Jersrose43 my insurance is bcbs and the surgeon I have is who they chose and he is a center of excellence.

I am sure that a company as large as that provides multiple surgeon options. CALL THEM. And get yourself a list.

Only one and they choose ? That's hogwash and. If they stick to that i highly recommend you seek assistance from the insurance commissioner of New Jersey and if you need the links to that pm me

@@HalloweenBaby24, after following the link enter the surgeon's name in the search bar. Two doctors with that last name will appear, then select yours. Navigate the search areas beneath his name and open "malpractice."

I would take everyone's advice and simply ask what the circumstances were for the lawsuit. As I figured, it was settled out of court (for 1 million dollars); this is a very common occurrence though, and there isn't a practicing doctor who has never been sued.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=8&ved=0CCEQFjAH&url=http%3A%2F%2F12.150.185.184%2F&ei=1C3mU4KiBYPjsASPpYDgAQ&usg=AFQjCNGJOgOtCD_FD0WExSO1N2kLWRGYcg

I also have BCBS and am having mine done at HUMC which is a BCBS center of excellence. There are four bariatric surgeons in my doctors practice. They are all highly experienced and highly rated. I know several of their patients who have had excellent results.

Why don't you look up Advanced Laparoscopic in Paramus. Hackensack isn't far, it's a teaching hospital and it is within driving distance from you.

I found that most surgeons doing bariatrics dont have black marks on their record. The surgical group I used has been in operation for over 10 years. Completes about 500 sleeves a year and has only had one leaker.

The other thing that would worry me (like you don't already have enough on your mind) is that if you can't get an appointment to see him pre-surgery will you be able to get an appointment post-surgery if you have problems?

I hope you get everything sorted out so that you are confident in your decision. Good luck! I wish you the best.

Summer

Ok, let's not play games here. I Googled my clinic which has three doctors that perform the surgery. The one that presented at my information session seem knowledgeable but something didn't quite feel right about him but he was all that I knew, so I was gonna choose him....until I searched him up and read some reviews. No deaths or anything like that, but they said that he was very sterile and lacked compassion. Not good for me going through something like that. The other doctors had great reviews and I selected the best. Do the same for yourself. This is your life and your body your dealing with. I personally would not move forward with one that has such disparaging reviews.

Good luck on your decision!

I have to agree with those that say it's time to press your insurance on this issue and get another doc. Hello you are in NJ, not out in the middle of nowhere.

I know there are other options for you. Even putting the malpractice suit aside, which as bittersweet mentioned can happen to any doctor, there are all the other bad reviews plus the obviously fake reviews, the difficulty you are already having in getting in to see him, etc etc.

Good luck to you. Oh and fyi, switching doctors is not that hard, I did it myself (due to a move) and it was fine and didn't delay things too much.

Edited August 9, 201412 yr by woo woo

I'm in central Jersey and had my surgery at RWJ Hamilton which is a center of excellence. I think the big RWJ hospital (in Rahway?) is also a COE. My surgeon, Dr. Prokurat and his partner, Dr. Nyoyen are both wonderful. They are both kind and patient, always willing to answer questions. One day I stopped in the office to drop off some paperwork and mentioned I had a question for the doctor and she sent me back to his office and he stopped in between appointments just to answer my question.

If you can't get in to see the doctor in less than a month's time, that would be a concern for me. And, both of the surgeons in my office have very positive reviews -- especially about bedside manner. Dr. N came to see me in the hospital when I was readmitted and walked in on a particularly difficult IV stick. He came over and held my hand and comforted me. He and the other doctor are also very courteous and kind with their office staff. Those kinds of things make a big difference to how comfortable I feel.

I also have BCBS and the surgery was covered at RWJ.

Best wishes!

Just as I'm becoming comfortable with my decision to get the sleeve I find negative comments on my Surgeon,

One including DEATH and the family won the lawsuit!

I looked for reviews before and couldn't find anything, So i worded my question different tonight in Google and I came up with a pretty significant list of negative reviews that make me really nervous.I mean should I be concerned about reviews from online?, Don't most Drs and Surgeons have negative reviews and malpractice claims?

I don't know what to do guy's. I thought I had this all figured out and now I'm not too sure...

http://www.vitals.com/doctors/Dr_Alexander_Abkin/reviews

Hello. I can imagine how you feel. When I was first searching and researching to find a bariatric surgeon, I had a couple of references that were given, but I also wanted to search for myself. Well, a particular doctor's name (I will call him Dr. W) was given to me by a patient who had him as a surgeon, but also one of my doctors mentioned Dr. W. as a good reference.

Well, while I was researching online, I used vitals but also used healthgrades, and though there were many good references listed for Dr. W. I also looked at the specific info other than patient reviews. On healthgrades, they have an area that shows sanctions, malpractice, and disciplinary actions too... and long story short it showed that Dr. W. had disciplinary actions in his file 3 years in a row and they were recent years. That was all I needed to hear and I immediately knew I was not comfortable with meeting him for an eval.

Now, please know I am not saying this to make it more scary or upsetting... I just wanted to share a similar experience but also wanted to say that you will know the right choice and decision for you (whether to go with the doctor you referenced),

I would say to go with your gut (no pun intended)... I usually go with whether I have peace about it, but I know that in general the beginning stages of this process can cloud those peaceful feelings just because of nerves in general about having this surgery (as it is a major one)

Also, I would say if you sense or have any feelings of "a red flag" or "hesitant warning" .... continue to think through whether or not to change from this doctor to another doctor you will feel comfortable with and confident in.

Bottom line is you will know deep down what the right decision and choice should be for you..

I hope that helps a bit, (sorry it was such a lengthy reply)

Best wishes, sincerely,

Angi