Cosmetic Surgeon 411 Directory

Posts Tagged ‘Sure’

Besides finding a surgeon that is certified and compliant on all of the safety standards, you should also be sure that your surgeon’s surgical facility is safe. To make the analogy that you would never consider having an appendectomy in your kitchen sounds far-fetched, but face it, there are many surgeons that are operating in substandard facilities.

It is entirely possible to have your plastic surgery performed in an accredited hospital but you can incur higher plastic surgery costs than if you choose a surgical facility. Regardless of whether you are having facial cosmetic surgery or reconstructive surgery, there are a number of criteria a facility should meet and much of the information is at your fingertips.

Certification and Accreditation

Before having plastic surgery you should know which kinds of certifications and accreditation the facility should have. There are numerous certifications and accreditation a facility needs in order to be considered a safe facility. Among the certifications a facility can receive is a certification to practice in the Medicare program. Other accreditations include the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF) or the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC). These Associations continually monitor, inspect, and report on Surgical Facilities across the United States. Their primary function is to ensure that each facility listed with them has gone through the proper channels to be a top-notch facility for plastic surgery care. Much of this information can be located on the Internet through the association’s website or contacting them by phone.

Conduct an Interview

Besides looking certifications up on the Internet, you can schedule either a face to face interview with the Facility Director, or a phone interview. Either way, the director should be able to answer some questions. The most common questions include:

*Is the facility accredited or certified?

*Is the doctor board certified and accredited as well?

*What types of anesthesia is the facility certified to use?

*Are the other personnel in the operating room certified in their field?

You will also want to know note during your discussion with the director his or her licensing and certification as well. The director should also be a certified board plastic surgeon, and be able to provide their certification information if requested. Any director who cannot answer those questions or willingly give the information you requested, including dates of last inspections is considered to be a red flag and should further be investigated at the state level before choosing that plastic surgery facility.

Safety in the Surgical Facility

The safety and ease of your procedure should be your number one concern. The plastic surgery facility should not only be licensed by the state but there are strict safety standards which it must adhere to in order to stay licensed at the local, state and federal levels. As anyone knows, sanitation is an important factor in maintaining a safe surgical environment. However, the state and federal regulations also require the building itself to be current on building codes, OSHA standards, hazardous waste standards and fire safety.