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Top Doctors List - Does It Really Matter?
asked 1 year ago by Sophiane in Kirkland WA
Latest answer by Sugene Kim, MD
Question viewed 540 times
Tags: credentials, doctor referral
Hi there! I hope you are having a good day. I am interested in a Breast Augmentation and I am looking around for surgeons in my area (Seattle WA or King County). How important is it that the doctor gets mentioned in one those "Top Doctors" lists? (Seattle Mag, Customer's Choice Awards, etc.) Is there one list that is more, or less, reliable than others? Should this have any weight in my decision making, in addition to verifying board certification? Do you have any recommendations? Thank you!
18 answers to Top Doctors List - Does It Really Matter?
+1
Top Docs List
Thanks for the question.
The best way to find a qualified plastic surgeon is to make sure they are diplomates of the american board of plastic surgery and / or members of the american society of plastic surgery. These bodies set the standard for training requirements, appropriate qualifications and credentialing.
Warmest Regards,
Glenn Vallecillos, M.D., F.A.C.S.
+3
Top Doctors List
The single most important thing to look for when searching for a doctor to perform a breast augmentation is that he is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Some "top doctors" lists are good, others are not. It is difficult to know how some lists are made. From El Paso.
+2
Top doctor's lists
Depends on the source. These lists are highly variable in their quality and accuracy. Some are paid advertisements while others are peer-recommendations. Find an ASAPS or ASPS member, interview them, review their before and after pictures, and do your research. Take your time. Don't make a selection based solely on price. And always have your surgery in an accredited facility with an MD anesthesiologist or CRNA in attendance.
+2
Top Doctors List - Does It Really Matter?
There are two important thing to look for when searching for a plastic surgeon. The first is whether the surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. There are many boards out there, but the ABPS is the only one recognized by the Board of Medical Specialties for Plastic and Reconstructive surgeons. The second is referrals from other patients. Word of mouth advertising is still the best way to get a sense of the quality of work.
As for top doctor lists, some...
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Babak Dadvand, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+2
How is the Top Doc List compiled?
I think the most important criteria in choosing your plastic surgeon is board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery and recommendations from previous patients. A great question to ask your surgeon is what percentage of your business is from patient or doctor referrals?
In regards to Top Doc Lists, I recommend that you be very skeptical. Very rarely are these lists compiled based on patient or peer review. They tend to be viewed more as a...
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+2
Picking Your Plastic Surgeon
I concur with my colleagues here. More important than any top docs list is the surgeon's credentials/experience: it is imperative you visit with an American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) member plastic surgeon who is certified specifically by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Ultimately you need to feel confident & comfortable with your surgeon and his staff. Best of luck.
+2
Board Certification
I agree. It is of utmost importance that you are seen by a surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Once that is established, it is important that you find a doctor that you feel comfortable with. Talk to some of their patients to see if they were happy with their results.
+2
Top Doc's for a price
The best way to tell a doctor's qualifications is to look at board certification in a real ABMS board, society memberships and hospital privileges. Is his facility safe and accredited? Top Doc lists are just marketing.
Thomas R. Walek, MD
Providence Plastic Surgeon
Providence Plastic Surgeon
+2
Value of Top Doc Lists
In reality, you will find many different responses on this topic depending on whether or not the individual physician has been named in a Top Doc list. In my town, there is a particular list that is compiled every year that, unfortunately, is an absolute joke. There have been ophthalmologists in the Plastic Surgeon category, etc. Now that issue has been fixed but the doctors who are named are named because they are on specific hospital staff and not specifically for...
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+2
"Top Docs" Lists
At least in Houston, we have a number of lists that contain well-qualified surgeons and also some less experienced individuals.
I lost faith in those, however, when they placed a Dermatologist under the "Top Plastic and Reconstructive Doctors" list !
+2
Top Doctors Lists
Talking about the "Top Doctor's Lists" is a difficult subject. If you are on them it sounds as if you are bragging and if you are not it sounds as if you are envdious. The problem is that there is no definitive list with an proven method of reassuring quality.
Otto Joseph Placik, MD
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
Chicago Plastic Surgeon
+2
Choosing a surgeon
I would ignore those lists as most are marketing ploys. If the doctor pays he/she gets listed. It's really just another type of advertising. What you really want to know is how to find the right doctor for you and your surgery.
It is a 4 step process that involves:
1. getting names of plastic surgeons from friends, doctors, hospitals or the professional society ASPS
2. checking their credentials i.e. where and in what the doctor trained it
3. the consultation – know...
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Aaron Stone, MD
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon
+2
Top Doctors listing
Unfortunately the Top pr Best doctors listing have been diluted out. i am on a number of them and have been "invited" to be ona number of others that I have refused. Some are just clever ways to have a win-win situation whereby a company or magazine receives a fee form the participating doctor and the doctor gets a title and exposure. It is not inherent bad at all times but it does distort or confuses the truth. And the truth is that there is not such thing as best. The lists may...
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+2
It depends on which list you are reviewing....
These "Top Doctor" lists come in many different forms. It is important to read the article to see how the "Top Doc" description was determined. Often they are based on surveys of other doctors asking who they would send patients to. Sometimes they ask nurses who you would send patients to. Sometimes there are online polls such as "reader's choice" polls where magazines take votes of the public to see who they like. Since each...
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+2
Top Doctors lists - do they matter?
The Top Doctors lists can assist you in searching for your best surgeon but they are not everything. You need to set up consultations, find out how much of your kind of surgery they do, what the results look like in many patients, and how you react to them and their staff. This is a relationship of trust you are developing and this cannot be found just by the Top Doctors lists alone. At least, the lists eliminate the "pretenders" who claim to be plastic surgeons...
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+2
Top Doctor's List
The top doctor's lists are great marketing tools. There are plenty of excellent doctors that do not make these lists which can be politically and economically driven by many different enitties. A friend who is an excellent surgeon wrote an editorial once that he said he never made those lists, but at least he was on his Mother's best of list!
+1
Top Doctors' List
Hello, thanks for your question. I know that there are lots of "Top Doctors' list" out there. I think the best way to find the right plastic surgeon should be 1) patient referral, 2) credentials, and 3) experience. You want to see whether your plastic surgeon is board-certified by American Board of Plastic surgery and that she/he is a memeber of ASPS. Talk to her/his patients. See her/his pre and postop photos. In addition, you have to feel...
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+1
Top doctors lists are usually a joke
Unfortunately, most "top doctors lists" are not based on reality, but economics, advertise in a certain magazine and PRESTO! when their "top doctors"list comes out _ there you are. I am often disgusted at the way these lists are manipulated - it is not at all uncommon to find a plastic surgeon right out of residency listed as a top doc in a large city. This is quite honestly, a joke and a disservice to patients and those who participate in this ruse...
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W. Tracy Hankins, MD
Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon
Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon
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