The NEW Program

I wish there were 0 stars available, they don’t even deserve one! I had lap band surgery in 2007. I was told at that time that there were no further costs to me as far as fills, or check ups. I went to the new office the other day for check up. I was told that they are no longer honoring the package that I purchased. I would have to pay 250.00 for visit. I had a 1:30 appointment. After sitting there for two hours watching other patients being seen who walked in after I did, I decided to get a refund on my credit card and get the hell out of this cheesy facility! I have NEVER in my life paid upfront for a Dr. visit. That to me speaks volumes about their integrity. I’ve made several phone calls to the office for an explanation… Their response is that this has been sent over to Dr Quibbeman. I guess he’s the head honcho… It’s been a week and I’ve heard nothing. I guess they don’t care. I feel scammed! They other half of the story is that I paid cash for this surgery, and they continued to bill my insurance for additional money. I think this is insurance fraud!!!

I have been a patient since 2009, at my last visit I was VERY disappointed in the staff. The medical assistance that help me was not up to the normal professional level that I accept from this office. She told Dr. Braverman that I didn’t want a particular procedure, which was a lie. I never said anything to her about my appointment.
Checking out, the front office had gone to lunch so I was unable to make an appointment plus I had to reminder them about my co-​pay.
Not sure what has/​is happening with the office but I am VERY disappointed. Dr. Braverman Rocks, the office staff. .. hmmmm.

******************UPDATE*****
***UPDATE TO MY REVIEW***Since I have seen these what appeared to be money hungry Drs/​surgeons, I have since lost 70 pounds, all on my own. Gym every day and dieting. I have NOT had one episode or an ounce of pain from the GALLSTONES they insisted MUST be removed immediately. I am soooo glad I didn’t put myself through unnecessary surgery (s) and had enough faith and motivation to do it on my own. I really wanted to like that place and have them help me because as I mentioned they came highly recommended. BUT THEY ARE ALL ABOUT THE MONEY AND NOT HELPING PEOPLE. (UNLESS OF COURSE YOU DO AS THEY SAY AND HAVE UNNECESSARY SURGERY)
I SO badly wanted to write a positive review about this practice. I was referred to them by my primary care physician as well as my endocrinologist. They came highly referred and I was happy as MY INSURANCE can be utilized there. (NOT SO MUCH ANYMORE… you will find out why below). I was so hopeful and excited to find a genuine and good weight loss Dr. My first meeting went pretty well. I spoke with Dr. Siegfried. She was very knowledgeable, helpful, and personable. I explained to her that I was not interested in any type of surgery at this time. I have a consistent workout schedule, I know what I need to eat and all I wanted was a little bit of assistance with medication. I had previously lost 65lbs on my own (before having thyroid cancer) and I know I can do it again WITHOUT surgery. She said ok, ran some tests and told me to come back in a few weeks. I also had to pay $ 125 (for one week) of food. It was a diet that needed to be followed before I could get any medication. I also had to meet with a nutritionist which honestly, was of NO assistance what so ever.
Skip to my second appointment with another Dr. First, the MA tells me surgery is the best way to go, etc… he may have been correct, however I was in unstoppable tears. Any surgery I have had resulted in a complication and again, I stated I can do it on my own. Then, the Dr. walked in, didn’t seem to care I was frazzled or upset one bit. She proceeded to tell me I had a gallstone and needed surgery immediately, even though I have never ever experienced any type of symptom. (I confirmed with my primary doctor that this is not necessary. He said sometimes people wait until 2 or 3 flare ups before going the surgery route). Then she proceeded to tell me surgery for weight loss is the best way to go. She eventually did give me an RX (which didn’t help one bit), but I left feeling extremely disheartened and felt like surgery was being pushed at me from all ends. Began to feel like THEY WERE IN IT FOR THE MONEY MORE THAN ANYTHING.
About two weeks later, I got a letter stating they were changing the way they work their program, and all participants are REQUIRED TO PAY A LARGE AMOUNT OF CASH if they wanted to continue. I went their based on the fact I can use my insurance for visits and get monitored on medication. NOT THE CASE. I called about the letter and one of the staff members said the Dr. would explain the new program. I had on appointment on Tuesday and received a confirmation call on Friday explain the new program. I told this person I was told I could speak with the Dr. and continue medication. She stated that is not the case. She states that all patients have to join the program. She stated that insurance is not paying. I told her that is not the case as I have seen and reviewed all of my eobs. They were getting paid VERY NICELY for office visits. I said that’s extremely unfair and poor practice and she said she would have the Dr. call me NEEDLESS to say the Dr. NEVER RESPONDED TO ME. MOST LIKELY BECAUSE THEY KNEW I WASN’T INTERESTED IN THE SURGERY OR $ 2,000 PROGRAM.
Bottom line, this place seems to push, push, push surgery and only seem to be in it for the money. I understand it’s a business, but come on, we are dealing with peoples’ lives’ and health. I was so completely disheartened by this «practice». I will definitely be telling my Drs. About this.
I really liked Dr. Siegfriend, and Monica was pretty helpful. But other than that, that is the only positive I can say about my experience.
VERY DISHEARTENED.

These people are scam artists. Proceed with caution. Their procedures are risky and prone to fail. The lack of respect for patients and corrupt business practices are deliberate, deceitful and a plague on the medical profession.

I had my revision surgery with Dr. Braverman and I was told all went well, I was able to eat normal and never lost weight, I was told that there is nothing more they can do for me. So after going through a major surgery and having my insurance pay for it, I get no benefit and they get paid! Its not like I can get the insurance to pay for it again. I feel like they should have offered to do something without asking me to pay for it. They are in for it for the money and its sad.

Well, where do I start? I give this 1 star only. I did have a good experience with Dr. Braverman, but, that’s about it. The former office manager, Paula, was great at no follow-​up or making up that she never received messages. My first EGD pre-​op, was scheduled, then canceled due to an emergency. Okay, fine, that’s understandable. However, here is where the pattern of no follow-​up continues. Paula was supposed to reschedule my EGD and here I was 3 – 4 weeks before surgery. It was supposed to be at a facility that I would only pay 20%. So, I had an appt with one of the docs who was afraid to put an EGD on the schedule for fear she, «would get in trouble.» What? So, I got it rescheduled 3 weeks prior to my surgery at Chapman Medical Center, unbeknownst to me. was a 2^nd tier provider. If Paula had thoroughly checked my insurance coverage for that procedure, she would have known this. I should have checked, too. So, my portion was $ 855.75. That’s a big co-​pay! I have tried and tried and tried to contact the New Program via letters and no one has responded, even Dr. Braverman or Quebbemann. A few months after my surgery I started having a strange feeling and left a message for Dr. Braverman to call me. He was rather irritated that I bothered him, so, I decided to go see a gastroenterologist nearby to my work. He did an EGD and I had 2 ulcers. So, not only did I get a piss poor response from Dr. Braverman, I had to go see someone else. I followed up with Dr. B about 3 months later and he said we could schedule the EGD follow-​up at the sister hospital of the facility I work for. This was scheduled with their new staff members (Paula was moved to a different position), at Orange Coast. A few weeks later, lo and behold, the f/​u EGD was canceled and they would get back to me. I waited 2 weeks, then called them, then waited over a week for them to call me back. This time they rescheduled the procedure, but, in Newport Beach, which isn’t even close to me. They would not scheduled Orange Coast because they said, «they won’t give us any rooms.» I was about fit to be tied! This is their pattern, no follow-​up, lack of follow-​up, scheduling me places that aren’t even convenient to my locale. I was so frustrated, I could have cried. I was trying to follow-​up to see if my ulcers were healed, not a small deal, at least I think so. So, once again, I contacted the gastroenterologist and he did the 3 month follow-​up and thankfully, because of his treatment plan, my ulcers were healed. Here is the kicker — Orange Coast sent me a letter to confirm my EGD with them, that was canceled by the New Program and Dr. Braverman still had me on the schedule. Oh well, too bad, so sad. I decided not to follow-​up with them any longer. I’m at my 9 months and doing fine, but, not because of them. They aren’t going to get another penny from me. Funny thing is, when I canceled my 9mo follow-​up, they sure kept calling. If you are considering bariatric surgery, choose wisely. The surgeons are great, but, the other docs and some staff aren’t. It is a frustrating bunch and unless you have the patience of a Saint, stay away.

I have had nothing but a positive experience with this group. The surgeons are extremely knowledgable and are highly respected in their area of expertise!

I am becoming more and more disenchanted with this organization –even though I am pretty impressed with the physician. It is impossible to get any sort of confirmation regarding The cancellation ofmy procedure — those who are in the department of scheduling are virtually inaccessible. I’ve had to contact the hospital directly to tell them of my decision and toreceive confirmation that my procedure is canceled because no one in the office is willing to do so it seems. at this point if I were ever talking to a friend I would highly recommend that they consider this first before coming here. The hospital has said that I would receive a follow-​up from those in this office and I still have not received it! It just feels like once they have successfully marketed the surgery to you and you signed on the dotted line that you become a non entity. I am needing to send registered letters now to the office to make sure that they know I’ve chosen not to have the procedure because of certain personal medical concerns. …i’ve been trying since last week

I first went to the NEW Program more than 5 years ago. I was just over 400 lbs. Dr. Braverman did my gastric bypass and I lost 175 lbs. in the first year without a single complication.
Last year I suddenly started gaining weight rapidly and found out my opening had stretched out to the point where food was draining immediately from my pouch and I never felt full. Based on my options, I elected for a BOB (Band Over Bypass). It has now been over a year and I’ve lost over 50 lbs. since having my band out in. I have had no issues with the band either.
Dr. Braverman recently performed gall bladder removal surgery on me and I was back to work within a couple of days.
I have seen other Bariatric doctors and no one compares to Dr. Braverman and the NEW Program. Dr. Braverman is an incredibly gifted surgeon who truly cares about his patients and their success. The staff is also amazing. My experience with them have been nothing but positive and I would personally recommend the NEW Program to anyone considering weight loss surgery. My only regret is waiting so long to finally decide to have weight loss surgery. I am now 45 years old and honestly believe that Dr. Braverman saved my life 3 times now.
Id be happy to discuss my experiences and recommendation for the NEW Program so don’t hesitate to contact me:

Dr. Braverman and the Staff at the New Program are top notch. I spent over a year with them for surgery preparation and they were extremely attentive and helpful. My surgery went well and although I have now moved across the Country, they are still willing to assist me in finding another surgeon for follow up and help with the insurance hassles. Much Thanks!

I agree with some of the other reviewers for the NEW Program… stay far away! Things started out well and Dr. Braverman performed my surgery (and i’m quite happy with the results). However, after that, things went down hill with followup and appts. Every single appt that i had after that, i would have to wait for more than an hour. Finally, i had enough of that when after a one and a half hour wait to see the doctor, i walked out! And when their manager commented that it’s a rare occurrence when they’re running behind, that is absolutely not the truth. They always seem to be behind schedule! And i see here on Unilocal that Julian R. claims to be the «manager» of the office… hmm! I just called the office «again» to try to get my medical records transferred to another doctor and when i asked to speak with a manager, the receptionist who answered the phone claimed that The New Program doesn’t have a manager because it’s a doctor’s office… WTH??? Don’t doctor’s offices have managers??? I know they have a manager! I can’t even get them to release my records in a timely manner. Always getting the run around and excuses for a poorly run office.

I have nothing but the best to say about The New Program it seems that other people are nitpicky in their reviews and forget to say the things that matter … Such as how the program actually works. I can speak from a place of losing 200+pounds and keeping it off going on more than five years. This is all thanks to the amazing hands of Dr. Braverman and Dr. Q and yes their staff. granted nobody’s staff can always be on a hundred percent of the time BUT the point of this is … The New Program does exactly what they say they’re going to do… they help change your life! Period !! I have had the most amazing experience with my entire journey with them. I continue to go there for love and support with all of my follow-​up care they are top-​notch and I would never refer to anyone else. In fact Dr. Braverman even met me at the office after hours late one night to help me out, doctors don’t do that if they don’t care. And after losing 200+ pounds I think I come from a place to be able to refer and review with confidence. Dr. B thank you for helping me change my life!

I was referred to the «New Program» back in January 2014 by a co-​worker that had so many good things to say about the staff and program. I was very impressed with all the nice things she had to say about the company and I reach out to them to see what they could do for me. When I called in to inquiry I spoke with Becky Wright she was very helpful and arranged my consult, After meeting with the Doctor to discuss my options my husband and I decided not to move forward with the process. When I did my consultation to go over what the new program had to offer I was under the impression that the consult was free of charge. This consult lasted for no more than 15 – 20 minutes I was in and out. Now I am receiving a bill for over $ 300.00 billing me for the consult and training services that was never received. I contacted the billing analyst to discuss my issues and to go over there billing I explained to her that I was under the impression that the consult was «FREE» the lady I spoke with Shana was very rude an unprofessional. She wasn’t trying to let me get a word in and from speaking with my co-​worker she did the same exact thing to her. They performed her procedure got the money from the insurance and now they are billing her for services that never been rendered. After two emails addressing the issues that I am having with their billing department I finally received a call today letting me know that Dr. Quebbemann will be giving me a call to discuss further. I feel that this company isn’t upfront and it is a scam to get money from people insurance and when called out they try to get crazy with you. «BEWARE» I don’t recommend this company to anyone. Especially when you trust people with your information and they go behind your back and try to get money from your insurance «SHADY» I will also recommend that you report there fraudulent behavior and make a complaint with your insurance company this will show as a negative and the insurance company can opt not to renew their contract so they won’t be in-​network. I will also recommend that you report them to the BBB (Better Business Bureau) these type of companies need to be accountable for your their actions.

Stay away! I was referred to the New Program and initially it was great. I wish I had reviewed Unilocal though before going there because all the comments regarding being dropped after surgery and incompetent staff and billing nightmares, that has ALL happened to me. It’s very sad too because they suck you in telling you they care about your health but in the end, they clearly don’t and it’s all a ploy. They got paid for my surgery and I was dropped like a bad habit. My aftercare means nothing to them. I’m left to find a new doctor who can give me the care I need and now I have to waste my time calling the insurance company to file complaints and the BBB because they are ripping off me and the insurance co. Take my advice, find another doctor! And don’t bother talking to Paula, the «Manager», she never responded. Dr. Braverman is great and there are staff that are very kind but that’s it. Shanna in billing is the WORST! Don’t bother speaking to her. She went so far as to hang up on me. It’s really a shame!
And, FYI, they are no longer in Newport. Their office has moved next door to Chapman Medical Center.

Dr Braverman did a wonderful job leading up to and the surgery process. The after care with the doctors is horrible. They never can seem to answer questions yet they specialize in Bariatrics and they are disorganized with scheduling and lab work. For all the money I pay I expect better after care services. The staff is always friendly.

N.E.W. Program surgeons and the team of professionals are always there and available for support both short-​term and long-​term. From seminars on effective exercise, nutrition, and many other related issues offers ongoing support that helps you stay on the path to achieve success and maintain weight loss.
Thank you to all, especially Dr. Braverman, Dr Siegfried, Julian, Anthony and Jose, you guys rock!

This is becoming my WORST nightmare! I’ve been left in the waiting room for over an hour, for scheduled appointments. One occasion they actually took another client in before me, who had an appointment AFTER me. I spoke with the office manager and cancelled all future appointments and am now getting bills for no-​shows. Shouldn’t they be paying me for the appointments I’ve had to miss because of their inability to be time sensitive to their patients? I don’t understand this type of poor customer services. They received thousands of dollars from me and yet are charging me appointments I cancelled? What the heck? Isn’t this an episode out of Curb Your Enthusiasm?

Skilled surgeons, totally incompetent scheduling department. I have to agree with the other review, they drop you after you’ve had the surgery. Try Saddleback Memorial, I hear they are much better. At the New Program, great sales pitch, highly qualified doctors, and wonderful care and education for the patient, all BEFORE your procedure. Post-​procedure, it is extremely difficult to get the care you MUST have in order to succeed. Sad to say, because I really did like the main doctors… except for the internist, she was a little full of herself.

Stay far away. Incompetent office staff members. The only doctors worth talking to are the surgeons and they drop you once you’ve had the surgery. Stay away!!!