How to check out your surgeon

Does your Bariatric Surgeon have a Medical Malpractice History?

Medical malpractice and negligence is becoming increasingly common these days. Malpractice in case of bariatric surgeries is on a rise. The main reason is inexperienced surgeons conducting surgeries.

Morbid obesity is a widespread problem and a rightly done bariatric surgery is its only proper treatment. This surgery is difficult to perform and can lead to several severe complications if not done correctly. Unfortunately, more and more surgeons are jumping into this field without adequate training. Even some of the reputed and expensive hospitals allow their surgeons to perform these surgeries after attending merely weekend seminar training classes on bariatric surgery. Furthermore, the insurance companies that cover this surgery most often contract inexperienced surgeons to drive down their costs.

Before going for a weight loss surgery, it is crucial to check for past malpractice records of your potential bariatric surgeon. There are various sources to get this information. Conduct an extensive research review about the surgeon. Asking a few important questions may also help you decide if the surgeon is right for you.

Sources of Information on past Gastric Bypass Malpractice

You can visit various websites for new accounts of malpractice suits, visit chat rooms, discuss with your family doctor and previous patients of potential surgeons to get information on his past malpractice, if any.

Helpful internet sources

Some of the important websites to find out malpractice history of a surgeon include:

www.questionabledoctors.org

www.choicetrust.com

www.healthgrades.com

http://consumerlaw.com/medical.html

http://www.medicalmalpractice.com/

http://www.gastricbypassmalpractice.com/

Procedure to Investigate your Bariatric Surgeon

• Get information on the present license status of the surgeon.

• Investigate if they have any record of complaints against then.

• Investigate their history of punitive procedures, if any. Find out if they were ever suspended or has paid fines or has had a license revocation.

• Probe into criminal record, if any

• Investigate their history of medical malpractice.

• Investigate your potential surgeon for lost lawsuits or to see if they have ever paid judgments for negligence.

Top Questions to Ask a Potential Bariatric Surgeon

• Is the surgeon well qualified and have above peer average experience of bariatric surgery?

• Ask your surgeon their credentials are and how they became a bariatric surgeon. There are some weekend seminars held to educated surgeons about bariatric surgery. While these courses are meant for investigation of bariatric medicine, some surgeons might claim to have been trained in bariatric surgery and so take to performing these procedures on patients.

• Ask how many surgeries they has done so far.

• Is the surgeon a member of the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons? It is compulsory for all the bariatric surgeons to be a member of this society. An answer to this question would tell you if they are a true bariatric surgeon.

• Has all previous patients been satisfied with their work? This is something you will have to find out from the patients. Be on the lookout for previous patients of your potential surgeon and ask if they are satisfied by his service.

• What are the complication rates in surgeries done by them surgeon? It may be hard to get information on this. The best way you can do this is to ask the surgeon directly. A sincere surgeon will provide you an honest answer and would not lie on these issues.

• Are they offering just a surgery or a program? Some surgeons merely perform the surgery and send away the patients to follow up with their family doctors. The patients do not get enough follow up from surgical perspective in this way, which may lead to complications. Ask your potential surgeon if he will provide you with a lifelong follow up. Also, ask if the nutritionists and support groups are present in the staff.