Question:
I need your opinions regarding surgery and plastic surgeons

I have been researching the very few surgeons i have to choose from on my plan, I am down to 2 left to choose from one of which I havent even bothered to make a consult with cuz they want a referal from my dr and I already have a consult with another surgeon which i had to get a referal for and im not sure my insurance will allow me to go seek two surgeons. This is the deal I was approved for abdominalplasty and most the surgeons want money up from so my choices are soo limited its not even funny. I went ahead and called the medical board to check on the stats of the surgeon i have a consult with, here is his info, he has been doing plastic surgery for over 20 yrs, he is board cert in plastic surgery but has had one malpractice suit which was settled in 1997? i beleive, and has a good records since. Should I be concerned about this? Should it be a determining factor? Since my choices are this, either I go to him or i save up 7500 bucks to pay for surgery, what would you do? I will find out more about his work and ethics and such when i have my consult but right now Im stressed as I dont have much of a choice unless I pay out of pocket and I just cannot afford to do that, please give me your opinions thanx Deanna    — Deanna Wise (posted on May 1, 2003)

May 1, 2003
If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be too worried about one malpractice claim. Many competent surgeons have malpracitce claims. It is a risky business. I would go to the appointment and see how you feel about him. If that goes well, I would call some reference patients who had a similar procedure. That should give you the information you need to make a decision. It is also ok, to tell him that you know about the claim and ask him what he can tell you about it. (He may not be able to say much for legal reasons, but it is worth asking.)
   — Amber L.

May 1, 2003
I wouldn't worry about one law suit. These days people sue for any reason and a lot of people just have unreal expectations when it comes to plastic surgery. I would look into it though. Also, you might want to call some of his patients and see what they say about him. $7,500.00 is a lot of money and if you are going to have to have other plastic surgery in the future that insurance may not cover then that $7,500.00 will come in handy.
   — Lisa N M.