About Us - New Image Bariatric Surgical Associates - John Coon

Dr. Coon and the staff at New Image Bariatric Surgical Associates are pleased that you have chosen to consider us for your bariatric evaluation and possible surgery. We have an excellent weight loss surgery program and are confident that you will find us capable and caring.

At our practice, we strongly believe that education is key to deciding whether bariatric surgery is right for you. We advise all of our patients to talk to as many gastric bypass patients as possible and ask about their experiences. Our support group is an excellent venue in which to accomplish this. All prospective patients are welcome to attend at any time - no reservations necessary. In addition, potential bariatric surgery candidates are strongly advised to seek weight loss surgery reference materials.

We understand that the choice to undergo weight loss surgery involves a major decision; we also realize that the lifestyle adjustments that must be made after surgery can be trying, even to the most dedicated weight loss surgery patient. If you make the decision to undergo weight loss surgery with New Image Bariatric Surgical Associates, we will do our best to ensure that your surgery and recovery go as safely and smoothly as possible.

Our Mission Statement

New Image Bariatric Surgical Associates is dedicated to providing the best surgical care possible to help morbidly obese patients obtain health and longevity by freedom from the scourge of morbid obesity. We do this with enthusiasm, knowledge, attention to detail, and concern for our patients’ desires.

Our Surgeon

John L. Coon, MD, FACS

Dr. John L Coon, MD is fully certified by the American Board of Surgery and recognized as a Fellow in the American College of Surgeons. He graduated from the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago and completed an Internship at the Saginaw Affiliated Hospitals. He then served two years as a physician in the U.S. Army before completing a surgery residency at the University of New Mexico Medical Center Hospitals in Albuquerque. Following residency, Dr Coon completed a fellowship in Burn and Trauma at the University of Southern California and then took a position as Assistant Director of the University of Southern California Burn Unit at Los Angeles County Hospital for one year. Dr. Coon then entered private practice in Albuquerque, New Mexico and was a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of New Mexico. In 1994, he and his wife Mary moved to Lake County, Montana to practice surgery and to open programs in laparoscopic surgery and gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Dr. Coon became very interested in obesity surgery in 2000, and took numerous courses on bariatric surgery. In 2002, after substantial effort, training and preceptorships with recognized bariatric surgeons, he began offering bariatric surgery to his patients in Montana. After performing a few cases, Dr. Coon realized that he needed a larger medical center. He also came to believe that anyone performing weight loss surgery should do so full time and not as part of a general surgery practice. As such, Dr. Coon began looking for a new place to practice where he could perform bariatric surgery exclusively. After looking at several opportunities, he chose his current practice in Riverside, California.

Dr. Coon began practicing in Riverside in 2003 and treated his first year like a fellowship. He accompanied his colleague on daily rounds, assisted him with bariatric operations, and saw almost all of his patients. During this year of practice, Dr. Coon gained considerable experience in performing obesity surgery. This fellowship, coupled with his substantial background in general surgery and advanced laparoscopic surgery, afforded him the extra experience necessary to practice laparoscopic, open, and revisional bariatric surgery.

Our Staff

The staff at New Image Bariatric helps to keep our office running smoothly and ensures that our patients are as comfortable as possible. When you visit our office, the first person you meet will likely be our front desk person, Teri . We depend on Teri to start your appointment with efficiency, attention, and consideration. Evelyn, another member of our team, is responsible for getting the insurance approvals our patients need. Evelyn works with your insurance to be sure all criteria are met so that any needed authorization from your insurance plan can be obtained for weight loss surgery. Evelyn is also available to discuss and assist patients who wish to apply for health care financing. You will meet Danielle and Linda , our office nursing staff. They help you with your pre-operative visits and also with any surgical problem you may have after surgery. Danielle and Linda assist the surgeon with actual hand-on activities in the examining room and handle some of the phone calls and the prescription refill requests. Olivia is our Program Coordinator. She is concerned with such areas as practice efficiency, office policies and protocol that are necessary for our Center of Excellence designation and patient satisfaction. Olivia has extensive experience in these areas and brings energy and expertise to our practice. As Program Coordinator, Olivia, is also involved with our Support Group. Joy and Laura are the dietitians who provide the nutritional evaluations required by some insurance plans. You will meet them at one of the pre-op teaching sessions we offer. Joy and Laura are available for nutritional counseling before and after surgery. Mary. is our Web Site and Patient Coordinator and responsible for practice marketing. She is the first person to whom you will speak when you call New Image Bariatric from our toll free number of 951-760-0169 . Mary will answer your questions regarding our program and assist you in scheduling a consultation. She is the editor of our newsletter New Image News

Our Commitment to Safety

Center of Excellence

Dr. John L. Coon and Parkview Center for Surgical Weight Loss are designated as a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Parkview and Dr. Coon earned the designation following an extensive application and site review by the Surgical Review Corporation, a nonprofit group dedicated to promoting safe and effective bariatric surgery throughout the U.S. The review found that Dr. Coon and Parkview Center for Surgical Weight Loss' bariatric surgery program meets or exceeds national standards for equipment, staffing, training, safety and patient outcomes.

What does this mean? It means a lot of work by a large number of people to prove that Dr. Coon and Parkview Center For Surgical Weight Loss is an excellent program for your bariatric surgery.

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) established in 2004 a program called the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence (BSCOE) to ensure consistency and safety in bariatric surgery. To receive the designation of an ASMBS BSCOE, a Center must participate in a rigorous application process including a thorough site inspection. Both the hospital and surgeon must satisfactorily meet the 10 requirements of the program. Among these requirements are volume criteria that must be met (125 surgeries per year for hospitals and 50 per year for surgeons with a minimum lifetime experience of 125 cases) to prove a successful experience in bariatric surgery. At the closing conference of that inspection, attended by department heads from the hospital and key members of our bariatric program, we were told by their review team leader that she saw “no concerns in any of the ten areas of review.” Needless to say, we were ecstatic!

Those Centers that satisfactorily complete this arduous process find themselves among the top-tier institutions for bariatric surgery in the country; they have better outcomes, excellent facilities and the most experienced surgeons. Published data has shown that hospitals and surgeons performing these volumes have the most successful outcomes, with the lowest number of reoperations, complications and mortalities.

An ASMBS Center of Excellence offers the consumer reassurance that both the hospital and surgeon have been rigorously evaluated and their care is exceptional.

Certification by the American Board of Surgery

Board Certification is an effort by reputable surgeons to demonstrate to their patients that they have the qualifications and ethics needed to perform surgery to the highest standards. Not every surgeon can pass the extensive examination and review process that Certification requires.

Fellowship in the American College of Surgeons

Following Board Certification, a surgeon must practice two years and then have this experience reviewed by his or her peers. If a surgeon’s morals, work ethic, and surgical results are satisfactory, then he or she is admitted as a “Fellow in the American College of Surgeons” (FACS). This is the most important surgical society in the world and those who belong to it have passed a very rigorous process.

Accreditation by the Joint Committee of Accreditation of Hospital Organizations (JCAHO)

The JCAHO is the main review organization in the United States responsible for overseeing and approving private hospitals. The review process that a JCAHO-approved hospital undergoes every two to three years is exhaustive. The value to patients is that they can be assured that the hospital practices with the highest regard for patient safety, medical and surgical outcomes, and ethics. As you might imagine, Parkview Community Hospital Medical Center is certified by the JCAHO.

For more information about New Image Bariatric Surgical Associates, please contact our practice today.