"My surgeon was not actually my first choice. I had gone through the process with another surgeon and his office in NYC, only to find out at the 12th hour that they were not in my network and no amount of begging, sobbing or offering of my firstborn male child would allow the surgeon or his office to let me pay on terms.rnSo I researched again and decided to try NY Hospital of Queens because I had grown up in the area and my family was close by.rnI called and had to go through the seminar again (I had gone through it with the first surgeon). Despite the fact that I really didn't want to go through it again, figuring I basically knew what I wanted and what I was up against, I was pleasantly surprised that I found out additional information the second time around.rnMy impression of Dr. Merola was very good. He was a good speaker and took the time to answer any questions thrown out by our small group. rnI promptly scheduled an appointment for my first one to one with Dr. Merola which took a few weeks and again, I liked the fact that he answered all questions, spoke respectfully and did not rush through things. He was very explicit each time, listing what appointments I still had to make (thankfully he accepted all the testing I had had done with the other surgeon's office so I didn't have to start from square one), what the pros and cons were etc.rnHis office staff is great. Carline was the person who handled the insurance approval for me and she was great, despite my annoying calls and questions.rnI think Dr. Merola and his staff are great and I would fully recommend them to anyone thinking of gastric bypass.rnI don't really have anything negative to say. I had complications about a month out from the surgery, but they were always addressed pretty promptly."
