Guest guest Posted August 28, 2001 Report Share Posted August 28, 2001 Shirly, Both of these Dr's have done a comparable number of surgeries (a little more than 100). Dr. K is newer at the lap (just started), so that could be a consideration if you want it done laprascopically. Check if Dr. W has a " program fee " , Dr K's is $2000 (this is not covered by insurance). Also, are they both in network? Dr. K and his wife Dawn have been very helpful in swapping journal papers with me for my " letter to Aetna " . They are both very kind. They have setup a brand new wing in Delano with all single occupancy rooms that are the size of double rooms. Dawn says that the hospital has purchased all of the modern Bariatric equipment that Dr. K has requested. Dr K's statistics are good, though he has not yet published them. I know less about Dr. Welker, but am anxious to find out. If he is reponsive to my e-mail today than that will be a good sign. He has a great reputation; however, one of the members on this list did die after having surgery with Dr. W - I think it was a PE. He was a very high risk patient. I think that both of these suregons are top notch on patient care and bedside manner, and have moderate experience. If you are a revision or a super high risk patient then I think you might want to consider more experienced suregons such as Anthone, Rabkin, or Hess. If you are moderate risk then either of these surgeons would make an excellent choice. Read my posts on " The California Surgeons " a couple of weeks back. I will update this post as soon as I learn more about Dr. Welker. Being in Eugene he is practically in California, so I think a comparison would be interesting. Hull > HELP ME DECIDE WHAT TO DO!!!!!!!!!! > > QUICKLY. Talk to me. I am trying to decide what to do. I have narrowed my > choice of surgeons down to two: Dr. Welker in Eugene, Oregon and Dr. > Kisheshian in Delano, CA. I really need all the GOOD STUFF and the BAD > STUFF about both. > > I already have an appointment (I fly out on Thursday) with one but the other > seems like a good bet, also. Please let me know if you have specifics. I > already know they are both wonderful, nice men and talented surgeons. > Anything else??? > THANKS! > > ~Shirley in Arcata, CA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 28, 2001 Report Share Posted August 28, 2001 > Anything else??? Hi Shirley: I can't give you much info on either of the docs you're looking at, BUT I have something you can use at your consultations to help evaluate each one. It's my " Guide to Choosing a Surgeon, " which I'm pasting in below. Just print a couple copies, take them along to the consults, and ask each doc about each item. HTH, Tom ======================================== Many pre-ops are befuddled by the question of how to choose a surgeon. To help out, I've written down my thoughts on the process I went through to choose my surgeon. (Incidentally, my surgeon is Dr. Anthone at the University of Southern California.) I've also made sort of a form out of it. Feel free to use it as is, change it in anyway you like, give it away, etc. I hope you find this helpful. Tom LaRussa --------------------------------------- 1. MEDICAL SCHOOL ATTENDED: ________________________________________ I look for docs who attended medical school either in the US or at a well-respected school in western Europe or Australia/New Zealand. Rationale: These are the best schools, and they therefore are hardest to get into, and thus get the best students. (An argument can be made for schools in former British Commonwealth countries, but none of the surgeons I looked at attended such a school, so I didn't have to deal with that issue.) 2. CHIEF RESIDENT? YES NO (circle one) I give preference to those surgeons who had been appointed as Chief Resident during their residencies. Rationale: Cream rises to the top. The chief resident is chosen by the faculty as the best among that resident group. I want the best working on me. 3. POST-RESIDENCY FELLOWSHIPS, ETC. ________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Rationale: Again, the cream rises to the top, so winning a competitive appointment to a post-residency fellowship is another big plus. In particular, I like to see a surgical fellowship after the residency because it indicates just that much more training and practice under the eye of experts. 4. PROFESSIONAL CREDENTIALS a. Is the surgeon certified by the American Board of Surgeons (or its British equivalent)? <http://www.absurgery.org/home.html> (NOTE: This is an absolute requirement! If the answer is NO, go no further!) YES NO (circle one) Rationale: This is the basic, bottom line certification that says, " You are now a surgeon. " b. Is the surgeon a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (or one of the Royal Colleges of Surgeons in Commonwealth countries)? <http://www.facs.org/index.html> YES NO (circle one) Rationale: Membership in the ACS, (denoted by the initials F.A.C.S. after " MD " ), is voluntary, and requires recommendations from fellow members, plus what amounts to an investigation of the surgeon's practice history. c. Is the surgeon a member of the American Society of Bariatric Surgery? YES NO (circle one) Rationale: This is a professional/educational organization for bariatric surgeons. If a bariatric surgeon were not a member, I would certainly wonder why not. Don't they care about keeping up on new developments? 5. SURGICAL PRACTICE Comments: _____________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ I prefer a surgeon who has practiced as a general surgeon for at least a few years before starting to do bariatric surgery. Rationale: I want a surgeon who is prepared to deal with any eventuality, both in the OR and in the post-op period. I figure that a few years practicing as a general surgeon gives them more exposure to all the different kinds of problems that can crop up. 6. BARIATRIC PRACTICE a. When, Where, and from Whom did they learn to perform the DS? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Rationale: I don't want a surgeon who learned how to do the DS by watching a videotape. (NOTE: All of the DS surgeons I have ever looked closely at learned the surgery from someone quite qualified to teach it, so this isn't a big concern. On the other hand, this kind of thing does on all the time in cosmetic surgery, so it's not out of the question as more and more docs move into this field in the future.) b. How long has he/she been performing the DS? ____________________ Rationale: I don't want to be one of their early DS patients, while they are still learning how to do the procedure really well. c. How many of his/her patients have died? When and under what circumstances? _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Rationale: If the doc is uncomfortable giving me this information, I would get worried about why he/she was uncomfortable. 7. RESEARCH AND OTHER STUDY OF OBESITY? YES NO (circle one) Comments: __________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ I look at whether the surgeon has researched/studied the root causes of obesity, as well as whether the surgeon has studied the digestive tract in detail. Rationale: As much as possible, I'd like to have a surgeon who understands what obesity is all about, and WHY the surgery works (or does not work) and not just the technical aspects of how to perform our surgery. 8. AWARDS/OTHER _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ I also give points if a surgeon has won awards for excellence, as well as any other signs that the surgeon works very hard to continue learning and improving as a surgeon. Rationale: Awards for excellence are, hopefully, further indicia of just that -- excellence. And, learning is a life-long process, not just something one does once. 9. ACCESSIBILITY _____________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________ Am I going to be able to get in touch with my doc in an emergency? Also, when I go to an appointment, with whom do I meet, the surgeon or some underling? Rationale: The world's best nurse hasn't been to medical school, let alone received advanced training in complex surgical techniques. I want to know that the person in whose hands I have placed my life with be there when I need him/her. 10. PERSONALITY _____________________________________________________________________ Once I've found a truly excellent surgeon, it's time to consider whether I can get along with this person. Truthfully though, if the surgeon rated excellent in the categories above, I wouldn't reject her based on personality unless he were really an ogre or completely unapproachable. 11. OFFICE STAFF ___________________________________________________ Is the staff at least minimally competent in doing what they do, i.e., pushing paper around and scheduling stuff. Rationale: I'm not entrusting my health and safety to the office staff, so who cares if they are morons and/or jerks as long as I get my appointments when I need them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 28, 2001 Report Share Posted August 28, 2001 Shirley......go with your gut instinct!!!!! Hugs, Judie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.