how do i find the backround of a dr. who is going to do surgery on me?

Question

I am going to have a knee scope done, but want to check this dr. out first, to see if he has any cases against him, etc.. any one suing him. how long he has been in practice, etc.... what website can i go to and find this info. I would like it FREE, but am willing to pay, after all , he is going to cut me open!

Answer 1

If his name is Sassler run like hell.
He's an ENT and he's the worst.

Answer 2

Hi There! I am in the medical field and have a few suggestions for you. Whichever state you live in... google their medical board. I live in AZ so I would use the google phrase 'Arizona Medical Board' and a goverment website should be on the listing of results. Upon finding the website there should be an area to enter the physician's name. It should provide you with his educational background along with his legal information/malpractice suits, letters of concern from the state medical board, etc. You can often times view the official documents which reveal the nature of the conflict. You can also identify if your physician is board certified or not. I strongly suggest, as a health care professional, that you see a board certified doctor. There is no reason a doctor shouldn't be board certified (unless they are fresh from residency and not yet eligible for certification). The medical board website should give you his info on the following: the medical school they attended with graduation date, residency/fellowship completed with finishing date, and professional board certifications, which in this case I think would be orthopaedic surgery. There should also be a section on the individual's criminal and malpractice history and it will provide an external link to a descriptive document, if any actions have been taken. The great thing about all of this informative info is it is FREE as a service to the public. BEWARE of sites where you can purchase doctor "report cards" because they claim to include things like patient surveys and info, but rarely do. The medical board is the exclusive, government, accurate information source you need. For surgery it is also a good idea to try and find out who your anesthesiologist is prior to surgery date so you can do a comprehensive medical board check on him too! Good luck on your surgery and let me know if you need further assistance. Good for you for being an informed patient!

Answer 3

Actually the best way is to ask friends or relatives who have been patients of this physician how they were treated. Also, your primary care physician can be very helpful in choosing a surgeon. Personal experiences can tell you more about the physician than a web site can. I think that how a physician treats and interacts with patients is more telling than lawsuits.

You need to keep in mind that you need a surgeon who is in your insurance plan or you will be responsible for the bill, which can be quite extensive.

When you have a consultation with a physician trust your instincts if for what ever reason you do not feel comfortable find a different physician!!

Answer 4

I have been working in a health-care industry for more than a decade and hence will be able to explain one simple truth that doctors are dealing with human beings with feelings and not automobiles or machineries. Obviously doctors err many a times since the human beings are a product not created by them. Its plain truth that surgeries are a team work involving a lot of people; assistants, anesthetists, OT nurses, Para medics et al. The success of the surgery depends on all these factors and the quality of OT, its aseptic conditions, competencies of his assistants, instruments used and the sheer luck of the patients themselves. I have seen several perfectly simple surgeries beings done very well and also bungled.

I don't want you to get discouraged. Please get the opinions from the earlier patients, their post operative condition as well as their present health. Get the opinions discretely from his colleagues or people who know him well about his clinical and surgical outcomes.

You may get the background & competency verified from the state medical board but the information will be filled with the details of litigations and things not good. Very rarely you find good things.

Have confidence with yourself, tell your doctor that you have full faith in him, do not show your nervousness and have faith in the almighty lord.

I hope you will get well soon.

Answer 5

You may verify the license of the doctor by going to the state they are practicing in. On the licensing website in those states, you can check to see if they have complaints, investigations, and if they have settled malpractice claims. For the most part, talk to other doctors. Just keep this in the back of your mind, even if they do have a case against them, we are a "sue" happy nation anymore, so perhaps if they have a pending settlement, it's easier and cheaper to settle out then to go to court....even if its not truly legit. Good Luck on the surgery.

Answer 6

On average because of the society we live in every Dr gets sued at least twice (ON AVERAGE) in their career. So unfortunately I am not sure this will yield you any info. I was once sued because a pt was nauseated post-op.....true story. However if you are really interested you can visit the medical board of your states website and they will almost definetly have a weblink for pending cases.

Answer 7

Agree with the MOM, I had the same procedure done on a Friday, went home within 24 hours, and went to work on Monday. In a knee brace, but very little pain(only used pain meds first 48 hours) and felt so much better than the knee locking and pain from before the surgery.

Vote MOM best answer.

Answer 8

Well first of all if it were me i would do the following.
Check his name and credentials Thu the American Medical Association also Thu the Board Of Surgeon's in the field of his specialty. And then contact the Better Business Bureau
if he is not good he will be listed as a unfit Dr.

Good Luck and God Bless

Answer 9

The surgery that your going to have is quite common, I have had it done twice. Expect some pain and swelling, but the painkillers will do wonders, just don't wait to long before you can not stand the pain. Take it easy for the next 10 days or so. The best advise I had after the surgery, sit in a hot tub, and then swim laps in the pool, less stress on your body. Best of wishes to ya! Found a link to check on doctors, placed it below...

Answer 10

Check with the state medical licensing board; they will not give nonpublic details but you can see if there were complaints and if so what kind if htey were sustained. I wouldn't worry about falling behind on continuing education that's easy to do but anything else explore. Keep in mind that EVERYONE including doctors are not perfect and can make mistakes; its the kind of mistake and how they dealt with it that matters. Also remember that if a client is angry they can file a groundless complaint. And docs who treat tougher problems or sicker people are more likely 1. to have problems not because of skill issues but because it was more problematic case and 2. people who are frustrated and more likely to sue. Less than 40% of lawsuits have true grounds to them on malpractice and many are unrelated to doctor skill. However, some are bad and you should check. Do not assume a settlement means the doc was guilty: settling can be cheaper than the legal fees to defend oneself. More important is whether they are in good standing with their board and association. State board records and association membership is free public info. Go to your state's website.

In addition check to see how much of the condition the hospital or clinic serves. If the doc works in more than one place for this procedure go to the one with more experience and a lower infection rate. The more knee surguries they have done the better. Research shows that you want to check 1. Their hospital acquired infection rate and 2. How much experience they have with this. The more experience and more similar procedures the better.

, go to "google scholar" and see if he or she has written medical research articles on your or related conditions. Google their name on the internet. Don't take any one patient's report as an indicator of skill....no one is liked by everyone no matter how good they are.

See if they are a member in good standing with the American Medical association and state medical association. The military docs....see if there are records.

Finally ask yourself: do you like this doc? Do you trust him or her? Have they appropriately suggested conservative treatment first or is it a rush to surgery? WebMD has good info for patients.

Answer 11

You can contact the medical board in the state you leave in. Also, you can go on the internet and type under search for example if you reside in maryland you can type 'Maryland board of medical doctors' it will bring up different sites. Go the sites that talked about licensing. On the otherhand you can call the hospital where you are scheduled to do the surgery and inquire about the doctor. hope this anwer was helpful. Goodluck