Choosing the right doctor
Ways to check on skills, knowledge, and quality of care
A friend may have given you the name of a doctor who does weight-loss surgery. You may have found a name from a website. Or, your primary care provider may have recommended a surgeon.
Recommendations from friends or your provider are important. They may have personal knowledge about the surgeon and the care team and know how patients did after surgery. But there are other ways to check on the skills, knowledge, and quality of care that different doctors provide. You can also learn about doctors and the quality of their care from:
- Websites
- Consumer groups
- Other organizations
These ratings can often be helpful when choosing a doctor. Just be sure to find out if they are reliable before using them to make a decision.
Is your doctor a board-certified surgeon?
"Certified" means that the doctor has completed a training program in a specialty. Surgery is a specialty. After medical school, a doctor will receive 3 to 5 years (or more) of extra training in their specialty.
To become board certified, the doctor must pass a set of exams. These exams assesses the doctor's knowledge, skills, and experience in that specialty. Surgeons are certified by the American Board of Surgery.
Is your doctor trained and experienced in performing weight-loss surgery?
Weight-loss surgeries require a lot of skill and training. To perform them, a surgeon must receive extra training in:
- Surgery of the digestive and biliary tract
- Advanced laparoscopic surgery
- Weight-loss surgery procedures, including stapling or dividing parts of the stomach or small intestine
To perform any surgery at a hospital, a surgeon must be credentialed. This means that the hospital has made sure that the surgeon is trained and experienced to perform the surgery.
Make sure your surgeon has had training in any newer procedure, if that is what you will have. Some newer techniques require special skills.
Ask your doctor how often their patients have had:
- Failure to lose much weight
- Second weight-loss surgeries
- Complications, such as blood clots or infections
- Problems with wounds, such as infections or poor healing
Does your doctor work as part of a bariatric program?
Is the hospital where your doctor performs surgery accredited by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP)?
Find out if your doctor is part of a complete program that provides services to very obese patients. These services should include:
- Specialized nursing care
- Diet instructions and counseling
- Support groups or referrals to them
- Psychological or mental health evaluation and help
Make sure the program provides ongoing, easy-to-access, follow-up care:
- By the bariatric surgeon or other health care staff who are trained to manage patients before, during, and after weight-loss surgery.
- To watch for and treat complications, both those that occur soon after surgery as well as long-term.
- Your surgical team should be willing to see and take care of you for many years after surgery.
Reviewed By: John E. Meilahn, MD, Bariatric Surgery, Chestnut Hill Surgical Associates, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
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