Horacio Asbun Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I'm very pleased with Dr. Asbun. He has always been very thorough and sensitive every time I'm met with him. My surgery went perfectly, no surprises or problems.

I first met Dr. Asbun in June '04, two months after my first weight loss surgery with a different surgeon. My original surgeon had left the practice so Dr. Asbun agreed to perform my follow-up care. I quickly found Dr. Asbun to be very knowledgible, experienced and a man of integrity. He was also willing to take some risk with performing my RNY procedure.

My first impression was WOW! He is very straight forward and no holds barred. He is obviously very knowledgeable about what he is doing and cares about the affect he will have on his paients lives. The only thing that changed over time is a greater respect for his genius and caring.
The office staff is very understanding and supportive every step of the way.
I liked Dr. Asbuns's straightforward manner best of all perhaps.
Future patients should know that he understands as best he possibly can what they are going through but also knows what it takes for both of you to succeed.
There is a large emphasis on after care from dietician classes to support groups
The whole staff is very realistic about the possible complications and risks involved in the surgery.
I would give the whole staff an excellent rating.
I am a fan of both. If you don't have a great surgeon, it doesn't matter what their bedside manner is like however, if you have a brilliant surgeon that is so aloof and full of the own genious that you can't ask questions, you are no better off.

I have nothing but praise at the way the whole process has been handled at the Mt. Diablo weight loss center. Anne and Shirley have been very helpful in working through the authorization process - thankfully an easy task compared to many. Karol was a wonderful help as a dietician. My initial meeting with Dr. Asbun was very informative. He answered all questions thoroughly and made sure my husband and I were comfortable with the process. As a surgical nurse I was somewhat knowledgeable about the procedure (even tho we do not perform this type of surgery at my facility) and he answered my questions with enough detail to satisfy me. There is a support group in place for both pre and post op patients. I am looking forward to my surgery in just a couple of weeks.

Dr Asbun is a pioneer in the field and a skilled surgeon with a warm and professional manner. He accomplished just what he said he would and was totally honest with me about the issues around my surgery. So far my impression has not changed. The Staff is very friendly and knowledable. The think I liked least was that the doctor and staff are very busy and that does cut into personal contact time. I would say if you want the best Asbun is a great choice but he is not all warm and fuzzy.

The emphasize after care even more than before and have it structured very clearly both with written instructions, classes, and advise nurses.

The risks were spelled out percisely and clearly and the doctor took his time to go every one of them so there were no surprises. SInce I did have complications, I was not taken off gaurd by what happened.

I rate Dr. Asbum at the top of his field.

Surgical was better than bed side.

Consult completed!
Dr. Asbun was "the unknown" to me as I ran around getting all the prerequisites completed, so I was a bit scared... but, he was WONDERFUL! He took time to meet with me and my husband. He discussed not only the physical, but the emotional changes that will take place after surgery. I was very impressed with his warm personality and patience in explaining every detail of the procedure, as well as the risks. Please see my journal for more info.

Dr Asbun is a very knowledgable, well informed surgeon. He is polite, considerate and is very detailed when it comes to the treatment of his patient's. I have heard very good things about him from my PCP and another of his patient's in the waiting room. To quote her, "Dr. Asbun is god to me". She explained to me that her mother is a physician and highly recommended Dr Asbun to do her surgery. She also asked her PCP who she would recommend to preform the G-Bypass surgery if her daughter were to have the surgery and her PCP said Dr Asbun with out a doubt.

I have had my consultation and can see Dr Asbun exceeds his reputation. I feel very comfortable having Dr Asbun as my surgeon.

I cannot say enough about how great Dr. Asbun is. From my first meeting with him I have been very impressed with him. He is very open and honest with patients about the risks involved with the surgery and about whether they are a good candidate for it. The aftercare program he and his partners have is excellent. You see your surgeon at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year after surgery. The staff in the office are very helpful, if you have concerns or questions call or e-mail them and they get you your answer quickly. I would rate the entire staff at the weight loss center of Mt. Diablo Hospital excellent.

I have nothing but good things to say about Dr. Asbun. I felt from the first visit that not only was he competent but also compassionate. His office staff is wonderful and his partners, Dr. Chu and Dr. Otero were also great. I honestly cannot think of anything negative about my experience with any of them. They have a structured aftercare program including a support group. I went into surgery well aware of the risks and well informed. As for surgical competence vs. bedside manner-Dr. Asbun, Dr. Otero, and Dr. Chu all scored well in both areas. I had complications due to my own mismanagement of my post-op care and can say without a doubt, having spent more than my share of time in the hospital and having to go in for surgery a second time for repairs to the original surgery, that I was in excellent hands with this wonderful group of surgeons.

12/02 I really liked Dr. Asbun and felt extremely comfortable with him. I met his staff a few days before meeting him and really enjoyed them. Karrel the nutritionist is likeable and has a good sense of humor. Anne Timberlake, the nurse manager, has an outstanding reputation in Northern California and is warm, knowledgeable and caring. I liked Anne immediately but waited until meeting DrAsbun before making my decision to use this group. I had consults scheduled with other surgeons so that I didn't feel pigeon-holed into using one group.

I felt it was very important to have a knowledgeable and qualifed surgeon that I would feel comfortable with. It was important to me that we achieve a rapport and we did. He is very personable and I felt very relaxed around him. He went over all possible risks and complications, he talked about the lifestyle changes. He said it is not about doing "assembly line" surgeries, it's about the right surgery at the right time for the right person. He helped me to feel important and that he really cared about my satisfaction with him, the staff, the hospital and the procedure. As I move through I'll post again, but right now I'm very impressed with Dr. Asbun and feel very confident in his abilities. Additiionally, I like him and he made me feel very much at ease. I am very happy to have decided to use this group. They are so close to home and that is even better!


1/03 Now that I am postop I can honestly say that all of my initial feelings about Dr. Asbun and Anne and the clinic were right on the nose! He is an excellent surgeon and a real gem of a person. I am glad that I put myself in his hands. I am so happy to have found him. They brought me a bari bear when I was in the hospital and when I had my first postop appt, they were so excited that I was doing so well. I have joined a support group for postops at the clinic and will keep everyone posted on that as well.
9/03 I had my six month appt a bit late. I was thinking that Dr. Asbun would be disappointed because I'm losing so slowly but he was very happy with my progress. Most importantly he's happy that my comorbidities have been cured! In the past 8 months I had a stricture, a major car accident, graduated from law school and studied for and took the bar exam, and now as I begin life as an attorney I have more energy and feel better than I have in a long time! I continue to be grateful for Dr. Asbun, Anne and Shirley! They're the best!