Med-Mal Lawyer Sees More Botched Plastic Surgeries; 'Board Certified' Can Be Misleading
Doctors in all but four states can call themselves “board-certified” without specifying the specialty.
That caused confusion for a woman identified as “Joan,” who got a facelift and tummy tuck in 2010 from a board-certified doctor in Beverly Hills, Calif., the New York Times reports. Joan didn’t realize the physician was certified for his ear, nose and throat expertise, not for plastic surgery. She had to go to “a real plastic surgeon” to fix scars on her temples and a wavy abdomen.
An increasing number of doctors are turning to plastic surgery to augment their incomes. “It’s now common to find gynecologists offering breast augmentation, ophthalmologists doing liposuction, even family practice physicians giving Botox injections,” the story says. As a result, more patients are getting botched procedures, according to members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.
Medical malpractice lawyer Michael Freedland of Weston, Fla., told the Times he’s seen an increase in patients killed or incapacitated by unqualified doctors doing plastic surgery. “Not only are the doctors not properly trained in plastic surgery, but they are also operating in facilities, like tanning salons and med spas, that are not equipped to handle a medical emergency,” he told the Times. “The best they can do for you if things go wrong is call 911, and sometimes they don’t even do that.”
