How to Check on Your Gastric Bypass Surgeon's Record

Choosing your surgeon is one of the most important decisions in having a gastric bypass surgery. You should be utmost cautious and check all his possible records and credentials before your surgery. Here is how to check your gastric bypass surgeon’s record:

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Make sure that your surgeon has received his or her MD or DO from an accredited school of medicines. Confirm that he has passed a national licensure examination set by your state to practice general medicine and surgery. You can do so by finding if they have been displayed in the surgeon’s office wall.
2. Check your surgeon’s name figures in the annual directory published by ABMS (American Board of Medical Specialties). You can find it hospital libraries or medical school libraries. You can also call your local medical association to confirm your surgeon's qualifications.
3. See whether your surgeon suffixes the alphabets FACS (Fellow of American College of Surgeons) with the name. Also check whether your surgeon is a member of ASBS (American Society for Bariatric Surgery). This will support the qualifications and competence as a gastric bypass surgeon.
4. Contact the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) for hospitals to know whether your surgeon has the approval of practice in accredited hospitals.
5. Inquire about the gastric bypass surgeries your surgeon has performed. This information will be available on the hospital’s website or with the local medical association.
6. Take opinion of other surgeons in your neighborhood. Ensure that your surgeon has a good reputation among health specialists in your city.

Tips & Warnings

• Speak with some patients of your surgeon if possible to get accurate information about your surgeon.
• Do not depend solely on the advertisements of the surgeon. Advertisements do not always tell you the authentic facts.