Know Your Surgeon
The most important step a person considering plastic surgery can take to make sure the surgeon he or she chooses is the training and experience. A good plastic surgeon should have operating and admitting privileges at a major hospital that is near the surgeons office. It is important to remember to be cautious of those surgeons who will only offer procedures performed in an office-based surgery center.
There are two very important reasons for this. Hospitals have already thoroughly researched a doctor’s qualifications and requires a strict set of qualifications and advanced training to allow a plastic surgeon to operate at the hospitals’ facilities. Thus, a surgeon who only operates in an office-based facility probably has less than adequate qualifications, training and experience to operate in a Major metropolitan Hospital. Secondly, anyone considering a plastic or cosmetic procedure should remember that cosmetic surgery is still surgery, and like any surgery, complications can happen.
A lack of hospital admitting privileges should be seriously considered when choosing your surgeon. One question you should ask yourself is: “If a serious complication occurs during or after my plastic surgery procedure, how will I be admitted to a hospital, and who is responsible for my care?” If the surgeon you choose does not have privileges at a nearby hospital, he or she will not be allowed to care for you in the hospital’s emergency room.