information To Consider When Researching Cosmetic Surgeons

information To Consider When Choosing a Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeon

As baby boomers move into middle-age and more physicians are available to perform a variety of cosmetic surgery procedures, and more people are having cosmetic surgery then ever before.  Following are some guidelines to use when choosing a plastic or cosmetic surgeon to perform treatments like breast implants, face lifts, liposuction, fat transfers or fat injections, hair restoration or hair transplants, laser resurfacing, nasal or nose surgery, scar revision or tattoo removal, chemical peels, neck lifts, tummy tucks, thigh and buttock lifts, vein treatments and vision correction like lasik.

Gather names.  Because most health insurance plans will not cover procedures that are strictly cosmetic, you are not limited to physicians participating in your plan, as you would be for coverage for usual medical care.  So a good place to start is to ask for "word-of-mouth" referrals from friends who have had a positive experience with the procedure you want.  Also, ask your family doctor for names of cosmetic surgeons he or she knows professionally or by reputation.  Other health care professionals, such as nurses, may also be able to provide good referrals.  Your local medical society may give referrals to physician-members.  Finally, you may call hospitals in your area and ask for doctors who have admitting privileges and who perform cosmetic procedures.
 

     Questions to consider when choosing a surgeon:

• If a person is licensed as a physician in California

• What date was the physician's license issued, and the date it will expire if not renewed

• What medical school did you graduated from, and year of graduation

• How long have you been practicing in this location?

• How often do you have complications from this procedure?

• What precautions do you take to minimize complications?

• What is the worst complication that you have ever had?

• Are you prepared to deal with potential complications?

• Do you operate from your office or a hospital?

• Do you have hospital privileges for this procedure?

• Do you employ a nurse or use a board certified anesthesiologist?

• Is your office operating room accredited and by whom?

• Are you board certified and by what board?

• Where did you receive your residency training?

• Do you have patients that I may speak with?

• Have you ever had your hospital privileges revoked or suspended?

• Have you ever had your medical license revoked or suspended?

• How Many times have you performed this procedure?

• The status of a physician's license, e.g., valid, revoked, retired, etc.

• If a physician has been formally accused of wrongdoing by the Medical board.

• If a physician has been disciplined by the California Medical Board or the medical board of another state.

• If a physician has been convicted of a felony.

• Any malpractice judgments or arbitration awards reported to the Board after January 1, 1993 (judgments of less than $30,000 only have to be reported after January 1, 1998).

• Any hospital disciplinary actions that resulted in the termination or revocation of a physician's hospital staff privileges for a medical disciplinary cause or reason reported to the Board after January 1, 1995.

Accusations, Decisions, and other disciplinary documents are public record.  You may order copies by calling the Medical Board's Legal Desk at (916) 263-2525

   3.  Check court records.  To learn if any malpractice lawsuits have been filed against a physician, you may check the county's "civil index."  This index generally is maintained in the county Clerk's Office, but may be at the Superior Court office of your county.  If you find recent malpractice suits, ask the physician for an explanation.  Keep in mind that anyone can file a lawsuit at any time.  The existence of a suite does not automatically indicate the physician practices medicine badly; it may mean a patient was unhappy about the outcome of treatment received, without any fault of the physician.  A pattern of legal actions, however, may be cause for concern.

  4.   Check the physician's training.  An important indicator of a physician's training is board certification.  This means that he/she has had voluntary, additional training in a specialty, and passes comprehensive written and oral exams, usually from a specialty board of the American Board of Medical Specialties. (ABMS).  In the case of cosmetic/plastic surgery, look for board certification from the American Board of Plastic Surgery as evidence of a physician's extra commitment to that area of practice.

Additionally, the Medical Board of California has determined that the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery provides an equivalent level of professional training to that required by the ABMS.  In California, to advertise as being "board certified" in the area of plastic/cosmetic surgery, a physician must be certified by one of the two above boards.  To see if a physician is board-certified by ABMS, call (800) 776-2378, or contact them on the internet  www.abms.org. You may contact the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at (703) 549-3223.

  5.   Make an appointment with two or three surgeons.   Ask each doctor a lot of questions:  How much experience have you had in this field?  How many of (the procedures you want) have you performed?  When did you last perform this procedure?  May I have as a reference any names and telephone numbers of other patients of yours who have had this procedure?  Where would the procedure be performed?  If it is an outpatient setting and you will be giving a general anesthetic, is the facility accredited by a California Medical Board-approved organization?  Do you belong to any professional societies?  If yes, contact those organizations and find out what the requirements for membership are.

  6.   Making a decision.  The physician you choose should have answered all of your questions to your satisfaction, in terms you understand.   You should agree about the anticipated outcome of your surgery; the physician and you should concur about your expectations of the results.  You should have discussed alternatives and thoroughly understand the risks of the procedure.   Remember the final decision is yours; you have options and the time to choose carefully.  Make the most of the information available to you.