What Does It Mean if Your Surgeon is Not a Member of the American Medical Association?

Hi! Thank you for your question,


I am Dr. Speron, a proud member of both the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS).  I am also certified with the American Board of Plastic Surgery.


Not all doctors are members of the American Medical Association. Some are not eligible based on not having a license while others just do not think the AMA supports doctors so they refuse to pay membership fees.  If they are well respected members of their societies and board certified, chances are it is the latter.


You can research if your surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, or a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. This also states that your surgeon is adequate with the major plastic surgery organization in the US. This certification will ensure you that the surgeon has done his or her training in plastic surgery and has passed the oral and written exam. Membership in ASPS assures you of board certification which is a prerequisite for membership.


If you have any further questions, please feel free to call us at 847.696.9900.
Best of luck and have a great day!


Regards,
Dr. Speron

HI,

Membership in the AMA is not at all a sign of physician competance.The AMA is a general advocacy organization.  I personally find that the AMA is a conservative group and is not necessarily devoted to true patient advocacy. Look at the specialty of the physician that you are interested in. If he or she is a plastic surgeon, then membership in the American Society of Plastic Surgery is a valid indicator of a physician in good standing who has passed his or her board requirements.

 

Regards,

Daniel Medalie MD

 

Not every doctor is a member of every medical organization.  The AMA is more of a political group and a lot of doctors simply don't want to join.  More importantly from your perspective would be a doctor who is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) and has a lot of experience with breast surgery.

Do not be concerned. I think less than 30% of doctors belong to the AMA. The AMA is a fairly liberal group, and surgeons are often very conservative. It is a political thing, not related to knowledge or ability. If you are having fat transfer, I think it is more important that your surgeon be a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, and board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

The AMA is a national society composed of various medical specialties that helps to advocate for, and set forth an agenda for medical policy in our country.  Not all doctors are members, and membership is not a measure of core competence in their specialty.  Board certification, however, is.  It is also worth noting that the certification should be in a specialty recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties.  Not all specialties are recognized.

I also am not a member of the AMA as I dropped my membership once the AMA supported health care that I feel is contradictory to the welfare of most. It was all political. Make sure your plastic surgeon is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery (ASPS) and more specifically the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS) as these physicians have achieved even greater certification in cosmetic and aesthetic training.  

The key credentials to look far are board certification by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Most plastic surgeons will belong to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, or the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, however the AMA is low on our list.

The most important credential when investigating your plastic surgeon is whether he is Board Certified.  The majority of Board Certified plastic surgeons belong to ASAPS and ASPS.  These two organizations are specific to plastic surgeons.  The AMA is a more general organization for physician of various specialities.

 

You should not be concerned at all that your doctor is not a member of the American Medical Association (AMA), as only 17% of doctors are, and membership is steadily declining.  There are many reasons why most doctors do not feel that the AMA represents their or their patients' best interests, but this is well beyond the scope of this forum.  You should however, make sure your plastic surgeon is a member of the American Board of Plastic Surgeons.  Your plastic surgeon should also be a member in good standing of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Many aesthetic plastic surgeons are also members of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.  Look for these memberships and ignore the AMA.

Good job on researching your surgeon. However, AMA membership does not in any way provide anything about the surgeon's qualifications (and most surgeons do not join the AMA).

The best places to check on a plastic surgeons qualifications are:


The American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS)

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS)

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS)


Your surgeon should be listed as Board Certified by the ABPS and a member of at least ASPS or ASAPS. Do not accept other board certification for this type of breast surgery.