"Dr Pilcher comes highly recommended from many doctors here in San Antonio. From what I was told and later found out for myself after meeting with him, is that he is one of the best bariatric doctors in the country. He is very well mannered, well educated doctor that holds high standards for himself, his surgical team and his patients.rnrnThough contact with him is somewhat limited throughout the 3 month weigh ins required by insurance, I did receive alot of information from him and his staff during this timeframe.rnrnDr Pilcher requires his patients to strictly adhere to and meet all criteria and goals he sets prior to surgery. He does this for the benefit of the patient. He has emphasized that meeting these goals will help me in my recovery process as well as with the actual surgery.rnrnNow I have to say this about New Dimensions Weight Loss...The staff is extrremely freindly and outgoing, but unfortunatly I must admit, at least in my case, they were completely unorganized and out of sync with my entire process. There seemed to be a lack of competence and communication with my account.rnrnIn Feb 2008 I was told by a patient advocate that I was all done and we just needed to submit everything to insurance. Two days later, I' told I need another weigh in for March and be cleared by a phsychologist. rnrnI was floored and very upset. Their in house mental health person gave me a thumbs up in Dec 2007, but she made one small note in my file that sent up a red flag. The problem was nobody told about this until March 2008. I fought them hard on this and finally, their new shrink agreed to meet me on the spot and gave me the all clear.rnrnAll told, they put just about every roadblock that the insurance hadn't already done. I was suprised that a doctor with this standing hand this kind of staff supporting his patients. Great people, just not great at what they were doing.rnrnBut on the other hand, when I brought an issue they overlooked they did a pretty good job and trying to fix it. It just happened too often. rnrnAt our final pre op meeting April 10, 2008 Dr Pilcher directed me to his top office person and she was extremely apologetic and understanding of my frustration level. We talked in a very calm, personal tone meant to give me a forum to vent my disatisfaction with the whole process and for her to gather information she could use to better train the entire staff on providing a more acceptable patient experience.rnrnOverall, I'd give the staff a generous C-. As for the Dr Pilcher, well, if I post here post op he gets an A+, if you never hear from me again, I gotta go with a D-, with a heavy grading curve.rnrnI'd rather have a top notch doctor while I'm on the table, than the best receptionist in town.rnrnAnd as advised, these are just my personal impressions based on my personal experience and in no advising anyone to seek out this center or doctor nor am I advising anyone to avoid this center or doctor."
