Hi

I'd like to know if anyone knows why Dr. Kuri is not affiliated with BeLiteWeight.com anymore? I was considering having surgery with him but now I'm not so sure.

Thanks!

I just found out about that. I clicked on a BeLiteWeight ad and it said nothing about Dr Kuri. I went to the KuriGrads yahoo group and apparently, JoAnne Nayaran (sp?) and all of the US Patient reps (Sylvia, Ishi, etc) have set up shop in the US and no longer work for Dr Kuri. Dr Kuri has enough business without the US reps. *shrug* I dunno. Maybe Kuri wants to slow down a bit? There didn't appear to be any discord, but one never knows.

I do know that Kuri is working out of a nice new hospital in TJ and seems to be doing well. I would FOR SURE invistigate further before scheduling, but I love Dr Kuri and have no regrets about seeing him for my band surgery. I have been banded over 2 years with no problems. Except that I quit smoking and gained 25 of the 70 pounds I had lost...my bad, not his. The band goes around your stomach, not your head, unfortunately. Maybe I need a lobotomy? :nod:

Anyhow, good luck. Check out the Kuri boards on yahoo and see what you can find. Also, Obesity Help may have some folks who know the scoop, if there is one. Good luck!

best me: Congratulations on the quitting smoking!!! So important for good health. You are now on your way to an eve healthier you!!!! I understand how that is and I, too, gained the wieght after quitting, but I did it before lapband. Doesn't matter, still gotta take it off before or after (LOL). I salute you!!!!

Dr. Kuri is know set in the Hospital Angeles which is a top of a line hospital I don't know exactly why he no longer works with Beliteweight but he still has the same great service and he still does my fills every time I need one. He is a great doctor.

Hi

I'd like to know if anyone knows why Dr. Kuri is not affiliated with BeLiteWeight.com anymore? I was considering having surgery with him but now I'm not so sure.

Thanks!

BeLiteWeight is now affiliated with Dr. Valencia in TJ. It could be as simple as a higher commission, or it could suggest a problem with Dr. Kuri. I found JoAnn Narayan to be extremely direct and forthcoming when I spoke with her. I would suggest just calling her and asking. I was debating between Valencia and Ortiz when I spoke with her, and although she did recommend Valencia (her client), she was very proper about not bad-mouthing Ortiz.

I called Dr. Kuri when i found out about this over a month ago. He stated that he wasn't interested in working with any coordinators anylonger. I then called JoAnne's team who quickly told me that i should be talking to JoAnne, came back to tell me she was busy and would return my call, but never did.

I then called JoAnne's team who quickly told me that i should be talking to JoAnne, came back to tell me she was busy and would return my call, but never did.

One of the reasons why I chose Ortiz over Valencia, was that JoAnne was fairly sloppy about communication. When she was 'on', she overwhelmed me with emails, calls and data. When she was 'off', I heard nothing back at all. That behavior made me insecure and I started leaning the other way. Who knows? Perhaps Kuri became about this and decided it didn't serve his organization. I'm just totally guessing here, though.

BeLiteWeight is now affiliated with Dr. Valencia in TJ. It could be as simple as a higher commission, or it could suggest a problem with Dr. Kuri. I found JoAnn Narayan to be extremely direct and forthcoming when I spoke with her. I would suggest just calling her and asking. I was debating between Valencia and Ortiz when I spoke with her, and although she did recommend Valencia (her client), she was very proper about not bad-mouthing Ortiz.

Actually, JoAnn is NOT affiliated with Dr. Valencia nor is he her client. I am Dr. Valencia’s patient care coordinator. JoAnn works directly for Hospital Angeles. Since Dr. Valencia does cases at this hospital, he occasionally performs surgeries for patients booking directly with the hospital. What's bad about JoAnn's business practices, is that her group is perpetuating the “rent a doc” scam that occurs in some smaller surgery centers in Mexico and taking it larger scale. They put a doctor with impressive credentials and great a reputation (Dr. Valencia) in the forefront so it’s easy to sell you. However, he will only do your surgery if he is on the schedule at the hospital that day and not busy with his own patients. If not, you’ll have someone else do your surgery and you won’t find that out until you get there. Additionally, you will need to go through the hospital or the hospital’s coordinator for follow up. You will not be in direct contact with the surgeon.

I believe this is an unethical way of doing business and is nothing more than bait and switch. Potential patients should insist on booking directly with the coordinators of that doctor. Once you pick a surgeon, you should ask to speak directly with the doctor and tell him that you want to book only with his coordinator and not with the facility’s coordinator. This is the only way you will be assured that he will be your surgeon and you will have direct contact with him for aftercare.

For a lack of a better term, JoAnn threw Dr. Kuri and any integrity she may have had, right under a bus in exchange for a bigger and better $$$$ deal!

Actually, JoAnn is NOT affiliated with Dr. Valencia nor is he her client. I am Dr. Valencia’s patient care coordinator. JoAnn works directly for Hospital Angeles. Since Dr. Valencia does cases at this hospital, he occasionally performs surgeries for patients booking directly with the hospital. What's bad about JoAnn's business practices, is that her group is perpetuating the “rent a doc” scam that occurs in some smaller surgery centers in Mexico and taking it larger scale. They put a doctor with impressive credentials and great a reputation (Dr. Valencia) in the forefront so it’s easy to sell you. However, he will only do your surgery if he is on the schedule at the hospital that day and not busy with his own patients. If not, you’ll have someone else do your surgery and you won’t find that out until you get there. Additionally, you will need to go through the hospital or the hospital’s coordinator for follow up. You will not be in direct contact with the surgeon.

I believe this is an unethical way of doing business and is nothing more than bait and switch. Potential patients should insist on booking directly with the coordinators of that doctor. Once you pick a surgeon, you should ask to speak directly with the doctor and tell him that you want to book only with his coordinator and not with the facility’s coordinator. This is the only way you will be assured that he will be your surgeon and you will have direct contact with him for aftercare.

For a lack of a better term, JoAnn threw Dr. Kuri and any integrity she may have had, right under a bus in exchange for a bigger and better $$$$ deal!

Hi Sandy,

Thanks so much for clearing this up. I had a sense that all was not right with JoAnne and BeLiteWeight. Although she was one of the my final contenders for the surgery, it was based largely on Dr. Valencia's credentials.

I now feel even more validated that I chose not to go forward with her.

Sanjay

best me: Congratulations on the quitting smoking!!! So important for good health. You are now on your way to an eve healthier you!!!! I understand how that is and I, too, gained the wieght after quitting, but I did it before lapband. Doesn't matter, still gotta take it off before or after (LOL). I salute you!!!!

Thank you so much. I'm very proud and happy with quitting. It has been very difficult for me to find new ways of coping. It's been 6 months? (since Thanksgiving 2006) and I'm still finding my way. It isn't hard to stay quit, it's just hard not to eat, or want to eat, as a way of coping in the absence of the cigs. That's another thread I suppose, but thank you all the same!

For a lack of a better term, JoAnn threw Dr. Kuri and any integrity she may have had, right under a bus in exchange for a bigger and better $$$$ deal!

That's what I was afraid of. It seems odd she would do that, but it appears to be the case. That is unfortunate. I'm going hunting for Dr Kuri's website, if he has one up and running again. I suppose if someone wanted Kuri to perform their band surgery, they'd call the hospital?

Thanks for clearing that up, flower. Your pics look Fab!

Dr. Pedro Kuri Santiago: Lap Band Surgery Website

Here is the Dr Kuri I know and love, and his team. All of them are still there, in case anyone is interested. Good luck JennyJen.

I have been involved from the Dr. Kuri end of this dissolusion. Suffice it to say that greed got in the way. It was not a good break in any way.

I am scheduleing plastic surgery for sometime in September and I am making it clear to whatever surgeon that I choose that I will not pay a dime for the involvement of Belite in any way, shape, or form. It is my opinion that the reason these surgeries have gone up so in price is that you are paying for a middleman that in my case did nothing but collect their portion. I have no interest in their ethics nor their help, using the term loosely, at all.

There comes a time when you have to stand up for what you believe in and in my book what they did to Dr. Kuri was wrong.

You can reach Dr. Kuri @ lapbandsurgery.com he has a current internet special.

I have been involved from the Dr. Kuri end of this dissolusion. Suffice it to say that greed got in the way. It was not a good break in any way.

I am scheduleing plastic surgery for sometime in September and I am making it clear to whatever surgeon that I choose that I will not pay a dime for the involvement of Belite in any way, shape, or form. It is my opinion that the reason these surgeries have gone up so in price is that you are paying for a middleman that in my case did nothing but collect their portion. I have no interest in their ethics nor their help, using the term loosely, at all.

There comes a time when you have to stand up for what you believe in and in my book what they did to Dr. Kuri was wrong.

JEEZ-LOUISE!!!!!!!!!!!

Here I am one day, simple chunky me, I sez to myself "calvin, why don't you go out on the internet and find that cheap lap-band surgeon in tee-a-juana everyone is raving about????????

Well I got on this here internet and BAM!!!!!!!!!!!

As sure as I live and breathe I run across a friken soap opera!! (no disrespect to the real posters and people who fight the real fight against obesity)

I started readin' and this is what i got so far: (PLEASE CORRECT ME IF IM WRONG)

Some chick named mya whos 18 years old wants a lap band, ok, but wait there's more, her bmi is 18!!!!!!!!.....some sleezy doctor in tee-a-juana is willing to do it ( some bttencurt fella), shes all paid up in advance even!!!!!!mind you shes 18 and shes got 8500 big ones on hand!!!! (????)

Theres a bunch of people on the forum saying: no mya please!!!!!please don't do it!!!!!!!!!!! the mya chick sez: im doing it!!!!! i wanna be a model!!!!!(shes short). Next thing you know: her tee-a-juana doctor backs out!!!!!

My take on the above: the sleezy doc sez: i need skinny teenagers to sell more bands, ill get a skinny patient to lure more skinny patients!!!!!

Unplanned response: forum participants rise in an uproar,.......sleezy doc response: you need a psych evaluation and a prescription for a lap band???Baloney I sez,Baloney!!!!!They couln't figure out an 18 year old with a bmi of 18 and 8500 big ones (ON HAND) needed a psych evaluation before scheduling her???!!!Baloney!!!!

Someone named joanne sells lapbands for a surgoen named kuri, does it out of a nice hospital.....the hospital sez: wait, she sells a lot of these, why doesnt she sell lap bands for us??????we can pay her more than this guy kuri, so joanne after years of praising the living daylights out of kuri (for several years), sez whoa!!!this hospital will give me more mula than kuri!!!!and bammmmmm just like that, pull a Brutus (hes the guy that stabbed caesar in the back) on kuri.

this chick joanne starts filling the hospital with patients.......muchou mula!!! But wait ,A kink in the plan......her top doc's closet door flys right open and the truth comes out, hes got tons of come backs!!!!!!! infections, slips etc etc (bet she wishes she would have stayd with kuri). Plan "B": shes got another doc waiting in the wings to take her top guy's place.........smaaaaaart, very smart!!!! THESE FACILITATORS TELL YOU: to always deal directly with them BEFORE THE SURGERY (till you pay). Do they tell you to deal with them when you start having problems????no baby, you are on your own!!!!ridin'solo! not even the surgeon is around to help you! (ask legallyblonde2) But for how long will there be unsuspecting patients willing to be a part of this whole little charade, I ask, for how long???!!!

lets raise our voices in protest I say!!!!!!enoough!!!!or do i alone stand against the wind????????

I thought this post was appropriate for this thread too, to help clarify recent questions.

I just received a copy of this thread from one of my clients. I want to clarify the differences between Dr. Valencia's own practice that that of Hospital Angeles and "BeLite Weight". Dr. Martin Salvador Valencia FACS has opened a practice in Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico. Previously, Dr. Valencia finished his surgical residency in 1998. He was then appointed as Associate Professor of the Advanced Laparoscopy Fellowship at ABC Medical Center (One of the most prestigious medical schools in Mexico). He was then invited as a visiting professor of minimally invasive and bariatric surgery at UCLA in Los Angeles, CA. He was a full time professor there. When not doing surgeries as part of the UCLA bariatric team, he traveled all over the world proctoring other surgeons in minimally invasive bariatric surgical techniques. He continues to teach at UCLA part time while building his own practice in Tijuana and Ensenada, Mexico. All this information is not meant as a commercial, just an explanation in my attempt to clear up the confusion.

Dr. Valencia was invited to be part of the staff at Hospital Angeles in Tijuana, one of the finest hospitals in Mexico. He began to perform Lap Band surgeries for the hospital. However, he additionally has his own patients. Dr. Lopez is also on the staff of Hospital Angeles. Belite Weight represents Hospital Angeles. Belite does NOT represent Dr. Valencia's in any way. I am Dr. Valencia's coordinator for his practice. Dr. Valencia is NOT part Dr. Lopez’s nor is he “partners” with Dr. Lopez. Dr. Valencia has his own team.

I personally do not agree with the practices of Belite. I believe Belite is deliberately using Dr. Valencia's credentials and expertise in the forefront of all their advertising to further there own business rather than doing what they should be doing, selling the lap band services of Hospital Angeles. I believe them to be unethical in their business practices and I would not recommend using their services. I'm sure not every one would agree, but that is my opinion.

For various reasons, Dr. Valencia very recently decided to stop doing surgeries for Hospital Angeles. He will concentrate on his own patients and building his practice in Tijuana and Ensenada.

If anyone has any questions regarding Dr. Valencia's status, affiliations, etc., I would be happy to answer any and all questions.

My best to everyone here and I wish all of you a healthy successful weight loss journey!

Let me get this straight. Are you picking a sales representative or a surgeon to do your surgery? I'm not sure this post isn't a plant or done in gest because I find it incredulous that one would pick a surgeon this way.