Elmer Valin Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I have found Dr. Valin to be a man of few words but at the same time a very caring surgeon. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to do the LAP RNY as I had a scar from having my gall bladder removed in 1982. He said he's do his best and he did it. He and his staff, led by his wife, Debbie, have been everything I could have asked for. They made the whole process swift to get to my surgery and I have no doubt they'll be there if I have any questions from now on. I can't think of a single thing I felt negative about or questions I have had that weren't answered. The few times I have called, I have never felt that I was inconveniencing anyone I have spoken with.

Just had my surgery after months of preparing. Dr. Valin is a good surgeon. Knows what he has to do and does it well. A quiet man of not many words. Office staff could be much better. Many,many,mis-communications between us. I started back in June and had done all the required steps by Nov 05 with plans on having the surgery before year end. Support groups are great and informative. Dr Valin explained the risks. Because I had met all my deductables for the year 2005, my insurance would have paid 100% of the bill. Not including Dr. Valin's fee as he is out of network, but I would have only had to pay the difference in his fee. Spoke to Debbie his wife, she said that could be done. Saw Chris L, for eval and asked the office if they had rec'd his report. No. So I called Chris twice and asked him to fax a copy again. I had to have a 3rd party approval for surgery and the office sent out for pre-auth but never followed up. I had received a copy of the 3rd party approval 12/05/05 and spoke to the ins co and they said I was approved. I called the office to see what was taking so long. They said they were waiting for approval from insurance. A lot of :" he said, she said" took place and long story short, end of year came and went with no surgery. Just a very upsetting thing to go through and now much more money than I had planned. Next day after surgery, just prior to GI xray, Dr. Valin came in and asked if Debbie had called about my pre-op chest xray. I say "No,why do you ask". Seems there was a spot on my lung and now, after surgery, he wanted a CT scan. Again lack of communication. So in the matter of 1/2 hour, I was down at the GI xray room and then to CT scan. Talk about a scare! Came back to my room and waited about an hour later. So far is all ok, but I will have my primary check it out. If everything was done as I was told, I would be paying less. This is just my experience. I do think Dr. Valin is a competent surgeon and would recommend him.

My first impression was fine. I didn't think much about it. He was dressed like a doctor and looked good. He made a good first impression.
Over time he confirmed my first impression. He was great, professional and so far it seems that he was a skilled surgeon.
The office staff has been very good. I have not asked anything of them other than the normal office stuff and they have been great.
There is nothing that I would really say I did not like about him or his staff.
Future patients should know that he does not talk much and he is busy so you will not see him often. His wife who works in the office can answer any question that you have and probable knows more than he does about the surgery. I don't mean that literally but she is very knowlegable.
They have support group meetings that I have yet to due to the distance. It was stressed that people who attend support group meetings have a better chance for success.
The risks of surgery were explained during my consoltation.
Overall, I would rate him and his staff highly. I have nothing nagitive to report. Like I said earlier he is quiet so when he visited me in the recovery room, there was not much interaction other than the obvious Doctor - patient questions. I can't subtract points for that.

Dr. Valin isn't actually a plastic surgeon. He is a bariatric surgeon and does not perform abdominoplasties the way a plastic surgeon would. He routinely sacrifices the belly button! He is a great bariatric surgeon, but I would seek other opinions on body contouring from real plastic surgeons.

Met Dr Valin yesterday at a seminar. He is the surgeon for me. He answered all of the questions asked and both the nutritionist and the psychiatrist he works with were present as well. They spoke and answered any questions specifically for them. All in all Great staff. His Wife Debbie also works in the practice and is wonderful. It is a two hour drive for me and they recognized that and I was able to get my first appt in shortly after the seminar even though the office was closed. The nutritionist and the psychiatrist have Saturday hours and will try to schedule both appts on the same day if possible for those of us who have a drive. I can not say enough good things about this staff so far.

I chose Dr. Valin because of his experience and reputation. So far, I have not been disappointed! The office is accomodating, friendly, informative, patient - everything you'd want when making a major life decision like this. The same extends to Nutritionist Diana Rosa and Psychologist Chris Lodi.

The first time I met Dr. Valin was when I was having my endoscopic prcedure. I really didn't know what to think of him at the time. After that I thought "oh boy hes gonna be a hard ass with me" but it wasn't the case. Dr. Valin and hisstaff were so sweet to me and knew where I was coming from with my FAT dilema.
Dr. Valin's office staff was the best, they never made me feel uncomfortable, they made feel like I matter not like other offices that make you fell crappy and worthless. They all made me laugh at one piont or another. I never felt uncomfortable. Thank you.
There is nothing I can say bad about him or his staff they have been the best with me.
Dr. Valins future patients should he and his staff are very heart felt and compassionate with allhis patients and they make you feel at home.
I know after care is very important and it is mentioned all the after your procedure and appointments after that. I know I have to go soon for another follow up.

The first time I met Dr.Valin was when I had my endoscopy and he was spraying the stuff to make my throat numb and he said.."did anyone realize this young lady has a tongue ring in her mouth" I got tickled by this because I had heard that he doesn't even have a sense of humor.. but I knew that had to be wrong. Dr.Valin and his staff are very professional and a very competent team of individuals. I was very pleased with them everytime I came for an office visit or had to call the office for anything. If anyone is in the New Haven area considering WLS they should definatly go with Dr. Valin he's a great surgeon.

Dr. Valin was excellent. He made me feel very comfortable with my choice. I was kind of nervous about how he would be after reading some of the other posting about him. He made sure all of my questions during my pre-op visit were answered. I did not feel rushed. He mae sure I understood everything that would happen or that could go wrong.Dr. Valin's wife Debbie is a sweetheart. His staff is awesome. The aftercare program is so structed that it woul dmake it very hard for anyone to fail WLS.

Like everyone else, I found Dr. Valin to be a man of few words. He is, however, an AMAZING surgeon. He and his wife, Debby, are on top of their game. I felt very comfortable with the care that I received from them. They are both young, but that shouldn't dissuade you from taking them seriously, in that they are excellent.

Both took the time to answer questions and inform me about what should be expected with WLS. I would rate them both A+.

The office staff are kind, considerate, and friendly.

It is important to note that there is not as structured an aftercare program as some would like to see. There is no structured visits with the psychiatrist or nutritionist post-op. They are both, however, available post-op.