Talk To Past Patients
Selecting the best surgeons is easiest when you can talk to the surgeon’s previous patients. Past patients are a great source of motivation and tips on what to expect.
You must be comfortable going on this weight loss journey with a medical specialist partner who fits your needs.
This is also an important indicator that a surgeon has a high patient satisfaction rate.
Surgeon's Training
Look at your surgeon’s training both in duration and quality. Consider the types of institutions where the surgeon trained.
Bariatric and Upper Gi surgery is a competitive speciality. If your surgeon has trained at:
- Non-Primary level national and international centre, then this usually indicates their experience levels,
- If they have done multiple subspecialty fellowships then this indicates further training and their familiarity with all possible treatment options.
Surgeon's Experience
Look at their individual practice and your surgeon’s experience
- How many years of surgery have they performed as a consultant?
- How many Bariatric procedures have they performed?
- How many specific operation types have they done?
- What are their results including their postoperative complication rates?
Surgeon's Qualifications
Check what qualifications your surgeon has, and whether they are reviewed within a Surgical Registry. In Australia, surgeons should be submitting data to the Bariatric Surgical Registry (BSR) to ensure quality care.
Hospital Privileges
Having hospital privileges at highly respected medical institutions is important on two levels.
First, because bariatric surgery is performed in a hospital setting, it is important that the bariatric surgeon has to admit privileges at the leading hospitals in the area.
Second, earning hospital privileges indicates that a hospital review committee composed of medical professionals has reviewed the surgeon’s body of work and has granted him or her operating privileges at their establishment.
Comprehensive Support
Aside from providing surgical expertise, your doctor needs to provide detailed information about the weight loss process
- before bariatric surgery, and
- thorough follow-up care after weight loss surgery
to help each patient achieve the best weight loss results possible.
Committed Team
Losing the excess weight and keeping it off in the long term, benefits from a team approach. Each patient needs to learn how to make healthier lifestyle choices for the rest of their lives.
To help patients achieve their long-term weight loss goals, our team schedules follow up appointments at agreed intervals.
In addition, to scheduled medical check-ups a team of weight loss specialists should include counselling, exercise and psychological services where required.
A committed support team is designed to help patients get and stay on the right track by providing advice, both before and after bariatric surgery.
