In today's day and age, when looking your best is important for your professional image, more and more people are turning to plastic surgery.

How should someone who is considering plastic surgery go about choosing the right cosmetic surgeon for their needs?

The most important thing, when selecting your plastic surgeon, is to make sure the doctor is board certified IN plastic surgery. Many doctors are board certified, but they don't always advertise what they are board certified in. you should only trust those plastic surgeons which have been certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and are recognized by the American board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). The AMBS is the only board recognized by the American Medical Association to certify people in over 24 medical specialties, one in which is plastic surgery.

The easiest way to check any doctor's credentials is to go to www.abms.org (American Board of Medical SpecialtiesÆ). Be sure to check to see what they are board certified in. You can also call 866-275-2267 to find out what your doctor is certified in.

OFFICE SURGERY

Should i be concerned about where the surgery is performed - in a "private setting" vs. a "hospital"?

Many people prefer to have their plastic surgery performed in a surgeon's private office for the same reason you might prefer flying on a private jet vs. flying commercial. If you have your surgery in the doctor's private facility, you don't have to worry if you are running a few minutes late, or need to spend a little more time recuperating. However, you should always ask the doctor if they have privileges to perform the procedures in a hospital as this will ensure that the doctor has undergone peer review and is eligible to perform surgeries in a hospital's operating room.

Appropriate office surgery, carried out by a qualified surgeon in an ACCREDITED, well-run and maintained office surgical facility can be:

• A positive, non-threatening experience for the patient
• An effective surgical environment
• Private
• Economical for the patient
• Convenient for patient and surgeon alike
• Most importantly SAFE

Surgery once restricted to the hospital operating room is now being done more and more frequently in the physicians' offices. This is particularly true of cosmetic surgery, with self-pay. What's the difference where it is done?

Just as there is no regulation of who can call themselves cosmetic or plastic surgeons, there is little regulation of what surgery can and can't be done in an office. Unfortunately, there is an alarming indication that the public's safety is being compromised by this lack of regulation. The State of Florida Board of Medicine recently placed a moratorium on office surgery performed under general anesthesia and heavy sedation due to a high incidence of hospital admissions from complications of office procedures. And along with numerous other states, Florida has passed legislation regulating office surgery.

How can a patient protect his/her safety in regard to surgical facilities recommended for a cosmetic procedure?

OUR APPROACH

• Our office surgical facility is accredited by the Florida Academy of Cosmetic Surgery (FLACS).
• Surgeons are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and have hospital privileges to perform all procedures done in the office (Aventura Hospital).
• Equipment, staffing, procedures and maintenance are regularly checked and cleaned by biomedical engineers. (similar to hospital standards).
• All intravenous sedation and patient monitoring are provided by a Board Certified Anesthesiologist.
• Most patients are able to leave the office within 30-60 minutes recovery.
• Aftercare is provided for selected procedures (for example, facelifts).
  

CREDENTIALS: The Importance of Credentials

PROMISES

One should expect that a physician has the proper training, credentials and experience to provide the service you are seeking. One would expect a board-certified plastic surgeon to have gone through a broad and rigorous training program, to have adequate surgical experience, and to have passed both written and oral objective testing. Further, one would expect that the surgeon has met certain ethical standards as required by the particular specialty.

PITFALLS

• Any physician may call himself/herself a plastic surgeon or cosmetic surgeon with training.
• Physician may perform any procedure in his/her office without peer scrutiny. There are no training requirements. And, in fact, there is no requirement that the physician is a trained surgeon.
• A physician may claim to be board-certified simply by joining a sound-a-like organization.

OUR APPROACH

Doctor Hochstein is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Hochstein has privileges at Aventura hospital to perform all of the procedures that are offered in our accredited office surgical suite.

We feel that obtaining information about credentials and hospital privileges must be part of your decision to select a particular surgeon. Other factors that one should consider are the surgeon's reputation, referrals by physicians or friends and most importantly one's comfort level and confidence in the surgeon. One can only determine this after a consultation with the physician personally. It is our firm belief that any surgeon performing office surgery should have hospital privileges to perform that procedure. Additionally, one should always consider a second opinion.

OVERVIEW: BOARD CERTIFICATION EXPLAINED

The one medical board-certifying agency that you can rely upon is the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) and its sub-boards. This is the board that OVERSEES the certification of physicians in all specialties.

"The intent of the certification of physicians is to provide assurance to the public that a physician specialist certified by a member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) has successfully completed an appro ved educational program and an evaluation process which includes an examination designed to assess the knowledge, skills, and experience required to provide quality patient care in that specialty." Quoted from the ABMS Assembly

The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) is the specialty board accredited by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) that certifies plastic surgeons. The ABPS is the only one of the 24 boards approved by the ABMS that certifies surgeons in plastic surgery of the face and all areas of the body. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) requires ABPS certification for membership. ASPS oversees continuing medical education, practice standards and ethics.

Medical specialty certification must be differentiated from a physician's ability to designate a special area of interest. This practice, used by the American Medical Association and many local medical societies, is known as a "self-designated specialty."

How do you find out which doctor is board certified?

You can check on specific physicians through the American Board of Medical Specialties Website at http://www.abms.org/ and then click on "Who's Certified." Verbal verification is available through the ABMS toll-free telephone service by calling 866 ASK-ABMS (275-2267). Verification is available in The Official ABMS Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialists, published annually. The directory can be found in many medical and public libraries. Written verification is available by contacting the individual specialty board in the physician's field of practice.

To see if your doctor has any Mal Practice suits filed against him/her please check here: http://www.fldfs.com/Data/Liability/byName.asp

Hospital Privileges

Major hospitals are very diligent in credentialing surgeons for privileges to perform specific procedures. Furthermore, in a hospital setting, surgeons are subject to peer review (case reviews), which enforces acceptable standards. Any hospital medical staff office can provide this information.