Our
Approach: Office Surgery
- AAAASF accreditation standards are
often referred to as the “Gold Standard” in the industry,
Surgery performed in one of AAAASF accredited facilities
is at least as safe -- if not safer -- than comparable
procedures performed in a hospital setting. AAAASF
has published
three reports in the scientific literature (in 1997 and
2004, with a third published in 2009) documenting the
safety of surgery at their accredited facilities with
over 1.5 million consecutive patients.
- Nurse anesthetists and OR nursing personnel are appropriately
credentialed by the State of Texas and have hospital
privileges.
- Surgeons are certified by the American Board
of Plastic Surgery and have hospital privileges to perform
all procedures done in the office. (Presbyterian Hospital
of Dallas, Presbyterian Hospital of Allen).
- Equipment, staffing, procedures and maintenance meet
AAAASF standards (similar to hospital standards).
- All intravenous sedation and patient monitoring are
provided by a certified registered nurse anesthetist
(CRNA).
- Most patients are able to leave the office within 30-60
minutes recovery.
Aftercare is provided for selected procedures
(for example, facelifts).
The office has an extremely low incidence of complications
related to surgery, anesthesia and surgical facility. (More
than 5000 cases have been done in our facility without
a significant anesthetic complication.)
Cosmetic Surgery/Office Surgery: ACCREDITATION IS THE KEY TO SAFETY
Cosmetic Surgery: Promises and Pitfalls™
PROMISES
 |
Appropriate
surgical procedures, carried out by a qualified surgeon
in an ACCREDITED, well-run and maintained office
surgical facility can be:
- A positive, non-threatening experience for
the patient
- In an effective surgical environment
- A completely private experience
- More economical for the patient
- More convenient for patient
and surgeon alike
But, most importantly: SAFE
|
PITFALLS
-
Surgery once restricted to the hospital operating
room is now being done more and more frequently
in the physicians’ offices. This is particularly
true of cosmetic surgery since the patients, not
insurance companies, pay for it. What’s the
difference about where it is done?
Just as there is no regulation of who can
call themselves cosmetic or plastic surgeons, (see Promises
and Pitfalls: Credentials - The Importance of Credentials ») there
is little regulation of what surgery can
and can’t be done in an office. Unfortunately,
there is an alarming indication that the public's
safety is being compromised by this lack of regulation.
Several states, including New York and Florida
has passed legislation regulating office surgery
that is done with sedation or general anesthesia. How
can a patient protect his/her safety in regard
to surgical facilities recommended for a cosmetic
procedure?
- Most critical is the choice of a surgeon, because
the patient must trust in the surgeon's judgment
in regard to all aspects of care - the facility
being only one of those aspects (see Promises
and Pitfalls: Credentials »).
- If office surgery is recommended:
- Is the facility accredited? By what authority?
There are three recognized accreditation agencies:
AAAASF, AAAHC, and JCAHO.
- Does the surgeon have hospital privileges
to perform the same procedure in the hospital?
Since accreditation organizations certify facilities,
knowing that the surgeon is privileged by a
major hospital assures the patient that he/she
has been approved by the hospital to perform
a particular procedure.
- What type of anesthesia is planned and who will administer it?
(See Promises
and Pitfalls: Anesthesia - Gain without Pain » and Promises
and Pitfalls: Plastic Surgery with Only Local Anesthesia)
- What are the recovery arrangements? And aftercare
arrangements? Anesthetic and surgical complications
are independent of the facility, and can occur
when least expected. While accreditation is
not a guarantee, it means that the facility
has met national safety standards. Having surgery
in a non-accredited facility provides no objective
assurance of safety.
Our
Procedures Page »
More
Promises and Pitfalls Information »
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