I just wanted to give a heads up to the folks in Northern Virginia /So Md that Dr Robert Pinnar split from his son Eric. They used to have a practice together. Eric (son), sold his half of the practice to a big corporation and has moved to an office next door. Robert, stayed on his own and kept his long time PA Paul Marino (fill guy). Paul rocks! Both are good doc's.

I am a patient of Dr. Robert who is in his 60's. OUTSTANDING SERVICE, great people and after care. I highly recommend him. The procedure at Reston hospital was fantastic. I stayed overnight and my 2 nurses were top notch and very caring.

Before Dr. Robert Pinnar did not take insurance and all was submited after the fact. I found out today that he now is in-network for BCBS, so cha-ching I just saved approx. 5K!

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HIM AND HIS STAFF! Excellent all around care to include nutritionist and physical therapist. I can't say enough good things.

Link below.

Pinnar Surgical Associates, Ltd.

I had surgery with Eric Pinnar on September 11th, and had wonderful experience as well. Eric is a great guy and a good Doctor and apparently a chip off the ole block.

Did you do any research concerning the up front program fee that Dr. Pinnar charges? My understanding is that this is due 10 days prior to your surgery.

I think the program fee was due at your first appointment. Actually I am sure it was. That was $450.00 I think. The Surgical Fee for Eric is due 7-10 days prior to surgery. I was done on an outpatient basis at Reston Surgery Center, and the Balance of the Surgery was due to them on the day of surgery. So it was 3 payments basically. Oh, and I paid the Anesthesiologist the week before the surgery - they send you a bill and ask that you pay it before the surgery...

:wink2: I got my surgery date today and was wondering if I should know anything before the adventure begins- any words of wisdom would be appreciated since I am one of the youngest getting it done and I am ready to get my life back-

Any new friends would be great- and I cant wait to meet other people!

Bearcatgirl, you might want to check out the subforum just for Teens in the Lap band by age forums.

Good luck!

Hi All:

I am a personal trainer and currently do the Activity Assessments for Dr. Eric Pinnar. Before they split, I had a chance to work with the dad. They are both good surgeons; it really comes down to a matter of comfort level. Anyway, I have started a post called Herndon/ Reston Maximize Your Band Group. Come join us when you can. Good luck to all of you no matter who you choose. Woody

Edited March 22, 200818 yr by SequoiaHealth

I met Dr. Eric Pinnar last night at his seminar. I have to say I felt a bit... um... off as far as he was concerned. The first ten minutes of the loong seminar (all good info) was spent showing pictures of his kids. Okay, one or two I can understand, but it was THREE YEARS' worth of pics of both his kids. A bit of overkill, but whatever...

Anyway, that wasn't where I felt the hink. He just seemed a bit conceited for me. His administrative fee is a JOKE! He is charging $420 for simply processing your paperwork. Thankfully I did my homework; I didn't realize father and son did not work together, and son is not in my plan but dad is. When I brought that up last night, it was glossed over and they made an appointement for me to come in -- WITH my $420, mind you.

So... I called today to find out what my out-of-pocket would exactly be. Long story short, I would pay in the neighborhood of $4200 for his service alone, before any co-pays or other costs not covered. :eek: So I start inquiring about the dad and the lady hemmed and hawed (still, I didn't realize he wasn't in the same office as they work out of the same address, just different suites). This woman tried to get me off the subject of dad and then finally admitted he didn't work with son. However, they have this "great payment plan," no interest, yada yada. I asked what makes that so great since dad is IN my program and my cost is far less. Then they said cuz son teaches it. I figured, heck, if father and son both do this, likely sonny boy learned from dad.

This woman did all she could to keep me interested in Eric. I said I would call Robert and see what I was looking at there and hung up. Needless to say, I got a warm greeting from Dr. Robert's staff and I will go in on Tuesday for my consult. When I asked about how much I had to come to the office with, they said, "Just your normal co-pay." I asked about an administrative fee, and the woman just laughed and said that was one of the things that split father and son. Son says he takes all insurance, gets you in, charges this hefty non-refundable fee, then once you're in there he tells you whether or not he is in your plan. So... had I not done my homework, I would have been schnookered. I don't like that. That's not looking out for the patient, imo. That's being greedy and sneaky. :tongue:

Maybe if he hadn't spent so much time on showing us pics of his kids, I wouldn't have felt so rushed when it came time to ask questions. Staff was a bit impatient and ready to go. :tongue:

Wow! He almost sounds as if he may be having some ethical issues. I wonder how much his dad knows about this, especially about questions about his dad's practice.

Makes me wonder how honest and above board he would be with you as his patient as well as his surgical competency, follow-up visits, and infection rate. Run, run, run!

Good for you for doing your research! Best of luck!

To be fair, I haven't heard anything BAD about him -- what little I have read. But I just got this hinky feeling last night... like he was not sincere or kinda like I was being sold a bill of goods. Not with the product, mind you, but himself. You really had to clue into it as it wasn't right "out there," if you know what I mean. I got more of a sense of egoitsm than I did a true caring about the patient.

Yes, his dad does know about his practices as what I found out came from his dad's receptionist after vocalizing my issues. I told her how I felt about meeting the son and some of the concerns I had, and she said that is why he broke free from dad -- they didn't see eye-to-eye on how to run the practice, and he chose to do this sort of thing instead. That makes me all the more excited to meet the father.

What was sadly funny is that the receptionist said that you raise your kids the best you can, but you have no say over what they choose to do when they become adults. She claims she used to work for the son but didn't really fit in there so moved next door to the dad's practice. She says the son relies on people not doing their homework so that he can assure you're financially invested with that outrageous admin fee!

I went to the free seminar with Dr. Pinnar on 4/6/09 - it was fantastic! The staff is very pleasant and I instantly felt at ease.

They do have a program fee now for post op - $1500 is due 10 days before surgery, and then 1000 more in $100 installments each month. This pays for all the aftercare you receive for a year - they will not bill your insurance. Unlimited visits, fills, etc.

Anyway, I am looking to see if I can sign up for the flex spending program with my health insurance, because they say you can use that to pay for the fee. Also, these expenses are tax deductible.

I'd love to hear from anyone else and their experience with Dr. Pinnar. :sad:

Since there are posts here about both Dr. Eric Pinnar and Robert Pinnar (related but different practices) I want to post something about how great Dr. Eric Pinnar and his staff are, and my recent experience:

I had some severe belly button area pain a couple weeks ago and thought it might be my Port. Went to the emergency room. The staff there contacted Eric. He and his AMAZING PA Phil dropped everything they were doing (it was a Saturday and they were involved in family events) and came to the hospital.

Eric realized it was my appendix and removed the offending organ (unfortunately the damn thing didn't weight 40 pounds!)

Then he dropped everything Sunday Night to help me out with getting an early discharge. He is amazing. And I don't have insurance and he has been remarkable in putting my mind at ease about that, and that we will work it out.

Here is what I also love about their practice... They spare NO expense in offering the best technology in the practice. They have an exray machine there to do barium swallows immediately when indicated which is so important and they CHARGE ME NOTHING FOR IT. Nor is there ever a charge for a fill. Also, I had a band slip, the early barium swallow caught it, and they were able to correct it by unfilling, very successfully contrary to what often happens where it is caught long after.

Also, they have two FANTASTIC PA's, Phil and Kellie, so I can get an appointment almost any day I need to come in.

They also have this cool body picture scanner (looks like a tanning booth), that scans your body silhouette periodically and actually see the progress you are making - this is GREAT especially when we get discouraged.

This equipment cost a fortune. Eric is also organizing a bicycling group for us, has a clothing exchange program and all kinds of other stuff. I get that he cares deeply, feeling incredibly supported and never like a pest.

Highly recommend: Advanced Weight Loss Solutions :: Home

I went to the free seminar with Dr. Pinnar on 4/6/09 - it was fantastic! The staff is very pleasant and I instantly felt at ease.

They do have a program fee now for post op - $1500 is due 10 days before surgery, and then 1000 more in $100 installments each month. This pays for all the aftercare you receive for a year - they will not bill your insurance. Unlimited visits, fills, etc.

Anyway, I am looking to see if I can sign up for the flex spending program with my health insurance, because they say you can use that to pay for the fee. Also, these expenses are tax deductible.

I'd love to hear from anyone else and their experience with Dr. Pinnar. :sad:

Just a clarification: It does not cover unlimited fills after the first three months after surgery. I know this because I clarified today due to an insurance change.

Since there are posts here about both Dr. Eric Pinnar and Robert Pinnar (related but different practices) I want to post something about how great Dr. Eric Pinnar and his staff are, and my recent experience:

I had some severe belly button area pain a couple weeks ago and thought it might be my Port. Went to the emergency room. The staff there contacted Eric. He and his AMAZING PA Phil dropped everything they were doing (it was a Saturday and they were involved in family events) and came to the hospital.

Eric realized it was my appendix and removed the offending organ (unfortunately the damn thing didn't weight 40 pounds!)

Then he dropped everything Sunday Night to help me out with getting an early discharge. He is amazing. And I don't have insurance and he has been remarkable in putting my mind at ease about that, and that we will work it out.

Here is what I also love about their practice... They spare NO expense in offering the best technology in the practice. They have an exray machine there to do barium swallows immediately when indicated which is so important and they CHARGE ME NOTHING FOR IT. Nor is there ever a charge for a fill. Also, I had a band slip, the early barium swallow caught it, and they were able to correct it by unfilling, very successfully contrary to what often happens where it is caught long after.

Also, they have two FANTASTIC PA's, Phil and Kellie, so I can get an appointment almost any day I need to come in.

They also have this cool body picture scanner (looks like a tanning booth), that scans your body silhouette periodically and actually see the progress you are making - this is GREAT especially when we get discouraged.

This equipment cost a fortune. Eric is also organizing a bicycling group for us, has a clothing exchange program and all kinds of other stuff. I get that he cares deeply, feeling incredibly supported and never like a pest.

Highly recommend: Advanced Weight Loss Solutions :: Home

I actually went to Eric's seminar. I thought he was good, but... and I preface by saying this is MY experience and others may not see it as an issue like I did.

First and foremost, the seminar, while informative, was filled with WAAAY to many kids' pictures -- about 15 minutes' worth. It was very overboard, in my book. We are there, nervous, wanting to find out about the band, and we sit through that, yet when it came time to answer questions at the end, I felt a couple people there were a bit rushed while the staff packed up their stuff while answering one man's questions. It could be that they only have so long for the room, but if so, they should quit with the family album.

Okay, that's nothing more than a pet peeve. But what really bothered me is when I went to schedule an appointment to talk to him and get the ball rolling, it was going to cost me about $450 or $475 for them to "process my paperwork." :sad: I was a bit taken aback, but I made an appointment anyway, thinking maybe this was normal.

Before I ever made it there, though, I LUCKILY called to see how much I would be out based on what my insurance covered. That was when I fould out they don't accept ANY insurance at all. They don't tell you this in the seminar OR when you are signing up. I also believe the "processing fee" is a way to financially obligate you so that when you find out they don't accept the insurance, you are already into it a big chunk of change.

While I was talking to the receptionist about these concerns and said that his father was listed as a provider on my insurance, she tried a song and dance about setting up a payment plan, etc., to make it easier on me. I asked why on earth I would want to set up a payment plan when I could go with a doctor who was a provider? Then she tried to tell me how Eric had whatever certification he has after his name, some decal that says he teaches how to do Lap-Band or has done "x" amount over the years, but I said to her, "Yeah, but he must have learned something from his father, who has been doing it longer."

It just started to feel like a shuck and jive to me. However, in his defense, I WILL say that those who have used his office have nothing but nice things to say about him. It's just that for me, I felt like I was talking to a used-car salesman, and I walked away not feeling very comfortable with him.

Just want to echo all of the positive comments re Dr. Eric Pinnar and his staff. His care during pre and post op was very professional and attentive, and I certainly can't argue with the outcome so far (see WL/BMI ticker below). From the front desk to the finance person, his staff are uniformly knowledgable and pleasant. They could not have treated me better. Fills with his PA Phil (or Kellie) are particularly easy. Dr. Pinnar also did my DW's lapband surgery. Both of us highly recommend.

Oh, he does need to improve the magazine selection in the waiting area.

I agree the pictures were a bit weird and over the top. I will give him that feedback. But they DO take insurance. My girlfriend just had it done and her insurance covered most of it. I don't know why you got that information.