Leslie D.
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Erik Simchuk
"Dr. Simchuk and the office at North Valley Surgical Associates have been great. My only complaint is about the "program fees", but I guess most practices have them now to cover their costs that insurance does not reimburse them for. The first visit to his office I was having a metabolic test which meant sitting quietly for about 15 minutes. During this time I overheard the Dr. on the phone in an adjoining office; he was arguing assertively with an insurance company who was stalling on approving a patient's surgery. At one point he asked the person if their daughter or son needed this surgery, would they work this hard to prevent them from getting the procedure they needed? Although I was not meant to hear this conversation, it won me over, he really cares for his patients and will advocate for their needs. That said, Dr. Simchuk has a very gentle caring demeanor. He's happy to explain and answer questions, was thorough in explaining the process, the choices, their program-especially the importance of aftercare. The office recently went through some staffing changes, including new office manager and nutritionist (who is also a mental health counselor) -these changes occurred in early-Spring 2011. There are a lot of steps and staff members who are assigned certain tasks in the process and figuring them all out took a little while, but I've been very impressed with the coordination and thoroughness overall. My very first phone contact with the office was a little cold, because of the issue of the program fee, which was $3500.00 at the time, period. They have since made changes to the fees and given options for a much lower fee (the amount is now related to the length of time for their aftercare program, a minimum of 6 months, up to 5 years, I think). I have to say that I'm still not really sure what all this "fee" really covers that a person at another center wouldn't get anyway. The letter states it's for 24-hour access to the office & surgeons as needed, photodocumentation of your process, newsletter, food & exercise journal, nutritional counseling, surgeon involvement in support groups, informational seminar, the binder of information, and protein supplement & vitamin starter kit. It also states that you get access to online chat group, website access and information- these two do not exist at this time (7/30/2011) but I have been told they are "working on it". The binder, the journal, the supplement & vitamin samples, and the informational seminar have been valuable. -I'm not sure if you would get that good a quality elsewhere for these. ***What this fee meant for ME ==> The next nearest surgeon my insurance would approve was in Sacramento, about 2 hours away. I wanted a reputable, thorough, personable surgeon that was local. I wanted my surgery locally. And I wanted aftercare to be convenient so that I will actually follow through. Although I had to scramble for the $$, it has already been worth it in so many ways. One thing I wish I'd known but didn't, and it was probably because the nutritionist/counselor was brand new- was that she, Kathy, can do both the nutritional counseling and the psych assessment required by insurance companies. They may have information in place to inform patients of that now. They offer a lot of protein supplements and vitamins for sale at their office, but as of July 2011 their price list & description of what they offer was, well, very basic. I wanted brands, description, quantity, and price, maybe an internet address for more info - The list I got had mostly the type of item with a price & no other info. Some didn't even have prices. I think this may be a new venture for the office. A great thing they provide is "the binder" - it has gobs of information about them, the practice, the different types of surgeries, risks, diet pre & post surgery, activity/exercise info, contact info, what to expect in the hospital, all kinds of stuff-very thorough, I use it and have added to it. The hospital/surgical care at Enloe was great; Dr. Simchuk checked on me each day and seemed to really care about how I was doing. The hospital liaison met with me there on my second day regarding aftercare diet and recovery and then called to follow up the following Tuesday as well. Obviously these are just my opinions based on my experiences, but I've tried to be thorough. As with any surgery, be sure to check out all your options, get referrals on providers, and TAKE YOUR TIME in making these decisions. I'm glad that I did."
About Me
CA
Location
32.8
BMI
RNY
Surgery
07/18/2011
Surgery Date
Mar 11, 2011
Member Since
Friends 12
Latest Blog 6
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