How to vet breast surgeons?

Posted by elliejk @elliejk, Mar 6, 2023

What is the appropriate process? Can you ask for prior patients as references? How do you know if a doctor has a successful track record especially in DIEP flap which is complex microsurgery?

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I cannot say that I really know how to answer this. There is something called health grades, I have no idea how reliable this is.
If a doctor is recommended by my doctor that I trust, I feel like that is a good start, then I take a list of questions with me to the appointment and meet them. You might ask; have you done many of this particular surgery? Do you feel it is the right choice for me? Why or why not?
In having a good dialogue, I think you can get a pretty good feel for a doctor and their attitudes about care and the patient.
You can also look online or in the office for any credentials related to breast surgery.
Without asking for patient references, can you think of other questions you might ask?

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Gut feeling. And I'm not kidding about this. I interviewed two surgeons before my surgery. The first one was too happy clappy about the surgery. I knew better than that. I mean, every time I had a scan, they were finding something else. This surgeon was an osteopathic physician. The second surgeon was very serious about the case in her demeanor from the get go. No joking, no smiling, just a PET scan. Miraculously, even with what turned out to be a Stage IIIc (10/16 nodes) diagnosis, the PET scan was clean. She removed the 5 tumors with clear margins. She has been practicing for over 25 years and is a Yale med graduate. I imagine in some fashion "reviews" are like how they are done in the business world. Remember, they can be solicited. Try to read your surgeon's face and demeanor, and write down the same questions for anyone you talk to, and see comparitively how they respond when they answer them.

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I read reviews online. Best I can do. Dana Farber has videos for some docs. I also read their own blurbs about education, research interests etc.

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@mdr3

Gut feeling. And I'm not kidding about this. I interviewed two surgeons before my surgery. The first one was too happy clappy about the surgery. I knew better than that. I mean, every time I had a scan, they were finding something else. This surgeon was an osteopathic physician. The second surgeon was very serious about the case in her demeanor from the get go. No joking, no smiling, just a PET scan. Miraculously, even with what turned out to be a Stage IIIc (10/16 nodes) diagnosis, the PET scan was clean. She removed the 5 tumors with clear margins. She has been practicing for over 25 years and is a Yale med graduate. I imagine in some fashion "reviews" are like how they are done in the business world. Remember, they can be solicited. Try to read your surgeon's face and demeanor, and write down the same questions for anyone you talk to, and see comparitively how they respond when they answer them.

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Dear mdr3, may I have your surgeon's information? Thanks!

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I actually put the name of the doctor in the yahoo search bar and look for reviews and go from there. Another good site is Vitals.com. Good luck

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