Kansas City avoid Dr. Niazy Selim at KU Med

[Froggie D 1]

Just a warning to anyone looking for a doctor in the Kansas City area. I went to the seminar and waited months to see Dr. Niazy Selim at University of Kansas Medical Center. I had one appointment and was told all my paperwork looked in good order. Dr. Selim's comment was, "I wish all my patients had things as well organized as you do. It should take about a week to get everything sent in to your insurance." I waited two weeks and heard nothing so I contacted my insurance and was told they had received nothing. I asked them to contact my surgeon and find out what was wrong. They tried for weeks without satisfactory results. I called and emailed several times trying to find out what the hold up was. Once I was told to let them handle it and relax. Twice I was told all had been sent in.

Last week (nearly 3 months after my appointment), they told my insurance nurse that my case had been closed. I called the Patient Advocate at the hospital and was told, "They decided they could not develop a theraputic relationship with you, so they closed your case." I had two questions - Why? and - Why wasn't I informed? I was told (1) that my insurance was too difficult to deal with, (2) that they could not finish the paperwork as they did not have a psych eval (the insurance already had it and no one asked me for it or I would have provided it) or a dietician eval (I hand carried that in and gave it directly to the doc along with the other paper work he was so pleased with), and (3) that I was not a trusting person as I kept calling to find out why they had not sent in my paperwork. They could not explain why I was not informed.

The Patient Advocate referred me to the Administrator who after talking to me a long time, told me I seemed really rational and logical, not at all what the surgeon's office described when he investigated, but there was nothing I could do.

So I have filed a complaint with the Blue Cross/Blue Shield folks as KU Med Center is a Blue Distinction Center. I am sure it will not really result in anything concrete, but it made me feel better to take some action.

So if you want a compassionate doctor with a responsive caring staff, DON'T LOOK AT KU MED CENTER OR DR. NIAZY SELIM!

Debra :thumbup:

[rcruz 0]

O.M.G. I had went into KU over the weekend due to a gall bladder attack! So when I called the WLS Center to ask for a surgeon that can deal withthe Lapband and the gallbladder and experienced they first said this doctor since I was at KU already when I called this morning I got voicemail I got inpatient and called back she answered and I admited to her that I left a voicemail so she could disregard and I explained to her what was going on and who referred me she said that is fine, however we get 100's of calls a day next time you need to wait for me to call you back I SAID ON HELL no I am not going to be talked to like that I hung UP!!!!! Do you know she called me bakc my boss answered and I told her to hang up on that woman I have no time to delaing with ignorance I do now however have an appointment for next monday with a QUALIFIED surgeon and am so glad that I had that experience to let me know this is not a doctor I want to deal with! HIS OFFICE SUCKS AND IS GROSS people to deal with I will find out a way to give him bad points on his office staff watch me!!!!

[boybanded 1]

Dr. Selim was my lap-band surgeon.

Dr. Selim is a great surgeon. Its a shame that you are all judging his ability, on his office staff. His office staff didn't go to medical school. He did.

So because his office staff is less than stellar, doesnt mean that the surgeon is as well. He came to KU, he didn't bring staff with him. Those people were in place long before he arrived.

Give the guy break.

have you sat down and talked to him and asked him questions?

do you know how many lapband procedures hes done?

have you found out how qualified he is?

or did you just encounter his rude office?

Now I admit... The lady that answers the phone can come off as being very rude.

I know. I have dealt with her on MANY occasions.

My first visit was in June... It took them... well... I was going to say until Sept to send my insurance Co the correct information...

But when it all boiled down to it. between my insurance company and I and other Dr. we got in the right info they needed just before my 45 day appeal was up. It originally was denied because they (the office staff) didnt send in the right forms

so on appeal and after talking to BCBS they confirmed they had my phyc eval, and my nutritional eval. but they didnt have this ONE piece of paper... it was a simple form. asked my basic info then asked the basic questions qualifying me for surgery, (height weight BMI and comorbidities etc) And a Dr signature...

here is a little trick i learned from BCBS your surgeon doesnt have to be the one that fills this out and sends it in. you PCP can, if he/she has been treating/seeing you for weight issues and agrees u need this surgery!

that is something most any surgeons office wont tell you!

But you cant blame Dr Selim. Trust me he's not sitting around all day long sorting thru papers of obese patients trying to get lapband. He does other surgeries, has other appoints, does fills, etc etc. It certainly is not because of HIM specifically that someones paperwork didnt get turned in on time, and that certainly doesnt make him any less capable of performing the surgery.

Now as far as LaTasha is concerned. I have had my run ins with her... She can and does come across as very rude over the phone.

She is a VERY busy person. she is the ONLY staff doing her job. She answers 100's of calls a day, most people on the other are bitching about insurance and when will they have their surgery.

So amongst trying to get my, your, his, her, case taken care of, shes being bitched at in the meantime.

I filed a formal complaint against her to her top person, and from that day on shes been extremely nice to me.

I heard I was not the only one to make a complaint.

She does need a little attitude adjustment for sure. and she doesnt/can't always process things in a timely manner.

I had an early appointment one day (11am) and by the time I was ready to leave she already had a stack folder about 15 or so of people that had already been seen that morning. so imagine her case load at the end of the day.

YES Shes needs help, YES there needs to be more staff, YES YES YES - No one person can be and should be responsible to do all of what she does daily basis.

I also want to make it clear to anyone starting this process no matter what surgeon U see... THE SQUEEKY WHEEL GETS THE GREASE... I waited 6 weeks before i decided to call and check on the status of my insurance/approval... from that point on, I was on it like white on rice. and finally got approved on sept 22 and was banded Oct 9th

Dr. Selim is well qualified. I have had NO - NONE- ZERO- ZILCH complications

and am down 60 pounds since then.

I would recommend him time and time again.

The office staff... Needs work. But stay on her. and stay on your insurance company.

you have to! Insurance companies will drag their feet...

demand copies of your phyc and nut. evals, and such (they are your records u are welcome to them anytime) and whenever possible make copies and send them in yourself to your insurance, should u have to? NO! but u know the saying. if u want something done right do it yourself!

ask your insurance co what the exact form for approval is, and if your surgeon has to be the one that fills it out...

keep up on it. don't just assume everything will taken care of by anyone, or any office, or any insurance company.

If you don't follow thru, you have no one to blame but yourself!

[kujhawkrulz 0]

I'm in the medical field and you are paying them, you shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get them to send information to your insurance company.

As for the staff that is rude, they should be turned in to KUMC and fired. As for being too busy to talk to customers, well lets just put it this way....she is the first line to the doctor and if you can't get passed her then what the hell!!!

The surgeon should know that his staff is rude and there is no way in hell that he would keep someone in a position like this that is costing him money.

[smileatjen 0]

I love LOVE Selim. I had my surgery in March 2009 and am down 161lbs. I don't know what happened with your situation, but I always followed up consistently, because it was my responsibility. I didn't have surgery at KU Med, but at the weight loss surgical center. However, never had any complaints with the staff there.

If you think there is a problem with the surgeon, you are absolutely crazy!!!!!

In fact, you only see him twice (pre-surgery appt and surgery day) and if you have issues post-surgery. I only have seen him twice and maybe soon again as I am getting a Tummy Tuck and looking to get my port moved.

[Froggie D 1]

I'm in the medical field and you are paying them, you shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get them to send information to your insurance company.

As for the staff that is rude, they should be turned in to KUMC and fired. As for being too busy to talk to customers, well lets just put it this way....she is the first line to the doctor and if you can't get passed her then what the hell!!!

The surgeon should know that his staff is rude and there is no way in hell that he would keepeone in a position like this that is costing him money.

I totally agree! I work in the medical field so I know the score. LaTosha's rudeness and gate keeping is not professional or called for. I was never rude to her and I paid for service I never got. In addition, my insurance paid nearly $500 for my wasted visit. I am sorry I never got to know if Dr. Selim is a good surgeon or not. He should demand more from his staff or terminate them. He is the person who makes or breaks his practice there.

I have since gone to Dr. Hoehn at Shawnee Mission. I saw him the end of January, had a surgery date set by March 8, was banded April 7, and have now lost 37 pounds. Dr. Hoehn's staff has been wonderful and treated me with respect and kindness.

No one should put up with the kind of treatment I received at KUMed. You are the consumer and are buying their services. As long as you tolerate that sort of treatment, you will just get more of it.

Sorry if I offended you.

[Beth Maupin 0]

I had my surgery in GA but have since moved to KCMO and have had fills with Dr. John Price at the St. Lukes Medical Center. I absolutely love him, his staff is very involved.

I agree with what everybody has said, you cannot have a rude staff. It ultimately discredits the doctor and that is the whole picture. It is not and should not be necessary to deal with rude staff on your way to a good doc because you'll simply have to continue working with that rude staff throughout the ENTIRE process. It is not worth it.

[♥Amy♥ 5]

I love LOVE Selim. I had my surgery in March 2009 and am down 161lbs. I don't know what happened with your situation, but I always followed up consistently, because it was my responsibility. I didn't have surgery at KU Med, but at the weight loss surgical center. However, never had any complaints with the staff there.

If you think there is a problem with the surgeon, you are absolutely crazy!!!!!

In fact, you only see him twice (pre-surgery appt and surgery day) and if you have issues post-surgery. I only have seen him twice and maybe soon again as I am getting a Tummy Tuck and looking to get my port moved.

There's really no need for name calling. No one said anything negative about the surgeon specifically but if his staff is going to treat people the way they treated Debra and rcruz then they'll never even get in to see the surgeon so to avoid the entire practice completely makes sense to me. If I had those same experiences I would also recommend that people steer clear of that surgeon because of his staff. Theyre the ones who make the 1st impression and if it's not a good one then who wants to even wonder what the surgeon will be like? You shouldn't have to be on top of them to do the job they get paid for. I wish everyone who goes through this could have the same experience with their surgeons and their staff like I did with mine. I had my initial consult on January 7th and I had surgery on March 24th. I didnt have to bug anyone do to anything for me. I did my part and they did theirs quickly and efficiently. It really isn't too much to ask for.

I'm glad you had a good experience with him but obviously you didn't have to deal with the same staff that debra and rcruz did so you really shouldn't put them down for being upset. Dr. Selim should really hear about the people who they had to deal with and how they were treated because he could be losing many patients due to their incompetence.

Edited May 22, 2010 by ♥Amy♥

[Froggie D 1]

There's really no need for name calling. No one said anything negative about the surgeon specifically but if his staff is going to treat people the way they treated Debra and rcruz then they'll never even get in to see the surgeon so to avoid the entire practice completely makes sense to me. If I had those same experiences I would also recommend that people steer clear of that surgeon because of his staff. Theyre the ones who make the 1st impression and if it's not a good one then who wants to even wonder what the surgeon will be like? You shouldn't have to be on top of them to do the job they get paid for. I wish everyone who goes through this could have the same experience with their surgeons and their staff like I did with mine. I had my initial consult on January 7th and I had surgery on March 24th. I didnt have to bug anyone do to anything for me. I did my part and they did theirs quickly and efficiently. It really isn't too much to ask for.

I'm glad you had a good experience with him but obviously you didn't have to deal with the same staff that debra and rcruz did so you really shouldn't put them down for being upset. Dr. Selim should really hear about the people who they had to deal with and how they were treated because he could be losing many patients due to their incompetence.

I actually spoke with the Patient Relations person and the Chief Operations Officer at KUMed about my treatment there and was not really supported. I was told they have the right to reject anyone they choose to since it was an elective procedure. I also filled a complaint through BC/BS as KUMed is a designated Blue Distinction Center. I was never able to talk with Dr. Selim as my calls were not put through.

I think it is a shame that it has been allowed to go on.

I am glad I found Dr. Hoehn. His staff is wonderful!

[Chatty Cathy 0]

I LOVE DR SELIM!!! I truly believe that you get out of life what you GIVE to life. I researched and did all my homework prior to surgery. Attended all the support meetings offered by KU that I could, even before my first appointment was even scheduled. I was given so much information at those meetings and asked lots of questions. I learned from post op patients and headed their advise. I read, searched the internet and sought the advise of other WLS friends. My total experience has been the most wonderful, life changing experience I have ever had; next to giving birth. DR SELIM and his staff and everyone that dealt with me at KU were knowledgable and professional. The day of my surgery was wonderful. Every single person I encountered from early morning registration to post op recovery room was excellent. I was so impressed with the respect I was given from the healthcare team that day.

As for the office and staff, all my calls were answered, my emails answered and every visit has been more than I expected. I have been treated with the utmost respect and have given respect to those also. Like I said before, you get out of live what you GIVE to life!

Maybe those who are so willing to blame others should take a long hard look at themselves. Anyone who has been through the WLS process and has been successful has to admit that the responsibility falls squarely on themselves. You are the reason you gained the weight and you will be the ultimate reason that you loose the weight. WLS is only the tool. My WLS was a gift and I am thankful for that each and every day. By GRACE I was given a wonderful, supportive physician, staff and facility to assist my journey to success. I praise their committment to their jobs for it is not easy dealing with patients to refuse to accept their part in this journey. I can only assume they have not learned from their repeated negative experiences that the one common denominator in all that negativity is themselves.

I have been very successful and will continue to be with their support and understanding. My first weigh in at my surgeons office was 279. I now weigh 165. I lost 34 pounds prior to surgery as a goal for myself and to Dr. Selim to show him that I was taking full responsibility for my actions. That much of a weight loss was not required, but I meant business. Again this is a gift that was given to me and I treasure it.

I feel sorry for those who feel the need to post such negative accounts. Does it actually make them feel better to do such a thing? If it does then I really wonder if anything would please them to their expectations. There is always more than meets the eye. There are circumstances around such happenings that we are not aware of; there is always another side of the story.

I also believe that for every patient there is a physician/surgeon to match their personality. Such is true in life also. That's how we choose our mates and our friends. My choice in hospitals, physicians, surgeons and my healthcare team have been the right choices for me and a great fit. Together we have been very successful. But, again let me say that I truly believe that you get out of life what you GIVE to life.

Good Luck to all those seeking WLS. I am and will continue to support and mentor anyone who asks.

Thank you KU for your choice of physicians, surgeons, healthcare professions and all thos envolved for you have given me back my life!

[oldoneyoungagain 200]

Chatty Cathy-So glad to read your post about Dr. Selim. I was an employee at KU until I moved to SW Missouri (have since moved back). When I was considering LB I made an appointment to go to a seminar with him but because I could get into Malley faster went there. I have now had my LB, but shortly after having it done my company changed insurance companies and Malley isn't on their list but Dr. Selim is. Now I have to pay big $$$s for fills. So my question to you, do you happen to know if they do fills for people who didn't get their band through them?

Edited August 28, 2010 by oldoneyoungagain
editing