Keith Kim Bariatric Surgeon M.D.

I have not met him in person yet, only heard him speak at the bariatric surgery information session. He seems like a nice person. Only time will tell.

My fist impression of Dr. Kim was that he was a very quiet individual. This is still somewhat true. He is not the typical surgeon type who has a 'God complex'. He is very down to earth, a very humble man. My impression of Dr. Kim has not really changed, only grown into a deep respect. He is willing to do anything for his patients. He is always available to you, in different formats (phone, email, support groups) and always willing to answer any and all questions. Even knowing you won't like the answers!

I started out with his office staff in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. They are truly a great group of people to deal with. South Mississippi Surgeons is very lucky to have such a group working together for them. All calls, emails and questions were answered VERY promptly and the help they provided was priceless. Dr. Kim is now in Celebration, Florida in a new office with US Bariatrics. I have dealt with two of his new nurses and they are just as helpful. He is truly a blessed man to have such good people surround him.

There really isn't anything that I DON'T like about Dr. Kim. He knows his stuff and he's always, ALWAYS right.

If you are considering Dr. Kim as your surgeon, you should be prepared for him to be straight forward with you, he doesn't appease you or tell you what you WANT to hear. He expects you to be compliant with the regime after surgery and won't hesitate to tell you if you are doing something wrong. He expects to follow you THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. If you are not ready for this, he may not be the surgeon for you. I actually look upon this as a Godsend. What more could you really ask for?

He is a real stickler with the follow up care. He does his part to get you to the point where you are healthier and he expects you to hold up your end of the deal in taking care of yourself. He orders the labs through your PCP if you are out of area and then follows up on them with you, and them if necessary. I know that he was not happy with my B12, it was normal, but in the low normal range. He wanted me on injections so we spoke with my PCP and viola! I'm on B12 injections! He will interact with your other physcians with no problem whatsoever.

His aftercare program is a good one, but it also takes effort from the patient. He has organized support groups in both Celebration and Jacksonville. He has alot of patients in Jax that traveled to Mississippi to for him and he's made the committment to come up for a support meeting every month until the end of the year when we will continue them alone (hopefully, with him coming when he can). He has a time table for labs, and adjusts accordingly. He expects to know if there are any problems with you, regardless as to if you're in the area or not. He wants to know.

He addressed all surgical risks very directly. He showed me the complication risk statistics and went over them carefully with me so I was informed about everything that might happen. Unfortunately, I contributed to that complication list after surgery, but it was no fault of his. It did help to know that beforehand it was discussed with me. I just didn't like it that I happened to add to it!

I have the greatest regard for Dr. Kim in before, during and after care. When I was in the hospital for the surgery, I never saw another soul in his office. He was the only one. For three weeks he came, even on his non-call days and weekends. A very dedicated man. I have the utmost confidence in him and would not hesitate to have him operate on me again if it came to that.

I think his surgical skills are excellent and his bedside manner awesome. Every time I see him I hug him and he doesn't seem to mind, alot of doctors in general are not that way. He's a nice man and a good person in addition to being a great surgeon.

I know that no one's experience is 100% wonderful all of the time. But honestly, I can not remember ever having a bad thought about him or his staff in the way he handled me or any situation that arose. When I was hospitalized for the leak a few weeks after surgery he was on the phone with the physicians where I was hospitalized. And I don't mean just once or twice. Many times he would speak to them just to get an update. He would call me in the room, his nurses and insurance people would call, just to check up on me. It was great. I don't think there was a week that went by in my first nine months that I did not hear from him. It was very comforting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~UPDATE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's now been seven years since my surgery. Though I am still so grateful to Dr. Kim and love him to death, I had to 'fire' him as my surgeon. Getting through the red tape with his staff got to be too much. They were not very receptive to his "before" patients-those being operated on before he moved to Florida. I had tried numerous times to get in touch with him, my labs were out of whack, I really needed to talk to him. I couldn't get past the nurse. I even made an appointment to see him personally, and I live in Texas, so it wasn't cheap. When I arrived at the office I was told he was out for the day. Really? It was that hard to pick up a phone and call to tell me not to come? As a last ditch effort I wrote him a letter and mailed it in a company envelope from a hospital. I included several email address for myself, my phone number, my work number, several other contact numbers and begged him to call or get in touch. It's been two years and I haven't heard a word. I realize he's busy, but when he said once you were a patient of his you were a patient for life, I believed him. It hurt my feelings very much that he would not be in communication with me. I had a horrible complication and he was there every step with me. I never in a million years thought he would not be there for me in any situtation. He is a greatly skilled surgeon, a very compassionate, kind and loving man. I wish him the best.

My first impression of Dr. Kim was one of amazement. He wanted his staff to take all the prop's and compliments. He was just the one running the computer. His staff was dynomite and the program is top notch!

He stresses the after care and works to keep you motivated. You have all the resources that his office has, at your finger tips. He explained the risks of the surgery in great detail and it made me feel comfortable with the doctor I chose.

I would give him a rating of 8 so far only because I haven't seen him for the follow up appointment yet but I expect that to go as great as the pre-op and day of surgery did. He is really a great doctor and one that I would recommend to anyone.

During my first info session at Celebration Health, Dr. Kim was not there at the start due to an emergency. I was very impressed with the presentation and the knowledge of teh nurses and the assistant surgeons. half way through the presentation Dr. Kim joined and I was so impressed with his manner, he is both direct and kind, his knowledge, and the way he made me feel about my decision to go through the process. While my insurance wouldn't cover the surgery, I opted to self pay. I got a call about a week later and started my WLS journey.

Dr. Kim's nurses and Liz always returned my call quickly, if they were not available when I first called. They were always patient and willing to answer all my questions. I was very impressed with Dr. Ferguson teh program's psychiatrist and she was the one that first steered me into looking at the sleeve vs the lap band. She also went over all my psyche results and told me what areas I should focus on to help me be a success.

Next I visited the support group for Dr. Kim's patient. If I wasn't sure about my decision before, talking to Dr. Kim's patients and hearing them tell their stories and successes sealed the deal for me.

After reaching all my clearances I FINALLY got to meet Dr.Kim one on one, be prepared to spend the whole day there when you go for your pre-op classes and meetings. It was wonderful to meet with Dr. Kim, I found him humorous, kind, direct, and very caring.

I also got to meet Ann the nutritionist and Sandra our Nurse Coordinator. The nutrition class was wonderful, it was also wonderful to meet peers in a class setting and form bonds that have lasted now even after surgery. Ann is very patient and always quick to respond via phone or email with questions about your diet plan.

Fast forward to surgery day, Celebration Hospital was AMAZING. After being in Pre-OP and being prepped for surgery I met with Dr. Kim, the assisting surgeon, the anesthesiologist (who by the way was very patient and made me feel very comfortable with my decision, as I was having a last minute panic attack. They then brought my family in, and then I was wheeled off to surgery. My mom tells me Dr. Kim visited them immediately after my surgery was complete and gave them an update and told them I was doing great. I was in recovery for a couple of hours before being wheeled to my room. The rooms at Celebration our PRIVATE! So wonderful to be able to recuperate without strangers laying next to you. Sandra was there in the room waiting for me and got me all settled before my family came in. The nurses that took care of me the next 24 hours were incredible, patient and and very nice.

Before being discharged I met with Ann both days, saw Dr. Kim and his assisting surgeon a few more times, and met with Bill the exercise therapist to learn the exercises they need us to do to prevent clots.

Dr. Kim's program is amazing, I have no guesswork on what I am supposed to eat, or what vitamins I am supposed to take as I have a manual that was given to me during our initial nutrition class. I feel like I have a whole team behind me supporting every facet of my decision, recovery, and weight loss journey. My only complaint would be the wait during the initial consultation and office visits. Everything else has been an amazing and wonderful adventure.

Dr Kim and his team made sure that I was aware of what I would need to do to be successful, what my after care would be, and I have multiple checkups scheduled for the next 12 months.

My first impression of Dr Kim was that he was very knowledgable and committed to his patients. After meeting the doctor and his staff my concerns were apeased. His staff is very caring and helpful and the doctor is warm and approachable. Dr Kim provides all the tools you need to make this lifestyle change. He makes it very clear to you that it is in your best interest to stick to the aftercare program. He emphasises that his part is small compared to your decision to make this into a life changing experience. Dr Kim is very clear on all the risks involved as well as all the benefits of the surgery. He provides you with a life time of support. I would highly recommend Dr Kim and his staff to anyone considering WLS. Both his attention to you and his post op support is excellent.

I thought Doctor Kim was very knowledgeable. My impression just deepened as I got to know him, I found him very sensitive and concerned about just me. He called me at home on a holiday to check on me post op. He saw me several times a day at the hospital, he is really caring.rnDr Kim's program is very extensive and I have read and re-read the pre-op teaching over and over again. It helped me through every step of the sugery and recovery.rnThe after care program is continual and Dr Kim makes it plain that he wants us to call with any concerns! He teaches about all the risks involved. He makes no bones about telling you to stick to the diet plan and come to the meetings for success. He clearly tells you this is a weight loss tool, and we have to do our part in making it work.rnI would rate him at A+++++ Top notch!rnBoth his surgical competence and bedside manner are grand. As an RN I am picky, and I expect alot. I got more than I ever expected from Dr Kim and his staff. I highly recommend him, 100%!rnI don't have any thing negative to say. I did not have a bad experience in the least. If I felt that I did not receive correct information or care I would state it. I did research on my own, and had my own list of expectations. I am honestly giving you my experience.

I am having gastric bypass with Dr. Keith Kim Dec 28,2009

Dr. Kim is great! I'm glad I went to him.

I have known of Dr Kim for a few years and I have attended couple of their meetings.rn I think Dr. Kim has a general concern over obesity, and has made it his life works to help the people that are willing not to give up on life. rnrnHis staff that he has chosen to work for him are bunch of caring people do not believe there just to collect a paycheck there very caring people not to mention a little crazy at times. rnDr. Kim had explained all the options and even when my doctor disagrees with my decision on which surgery, I choose. Dr Kim sat with me and explains why they would think that. He made me feel at ease with my decision He explain all the risk and the out come.rn

Dr. Kim was and is the greatest. He is caring and I never felt the least bit intimidated. I had some serious problems not related specifically to the surgery a year after. He was great and offered my family wonderful support as I recovered. I highly recommend him to everyone I meet. The care at Celebration was wonderful. We have a reunion every year and this year Dr. Kim and his wife were seated at our table. It was great!