A must read article from KFVS12 news if anyone plans to have cosmetic surgery done ! Georgia offers little protection to cosmetic surgery patients By Adam Murphy Updated: 11/20/2013 3:40 pm CST Miami is known as a mecca of beautiful people with perfect bodies. And if you dont have one, you can buy it. Because cosmetic surgery can be pricey in south Florida, Miami resident Erica Beaubrun traveled to metro Atlanta, to the office of Dr. Nedra Dodds, for a cheaper buttocks reduction procedure. Dodds runs whats called a med spa - a cross between a typical day spa and a cosmetic surgery office. CBS Atlanta learned med spas can often be run by physicians who arent always trained or certified as plastic or cosmetic surgeons. Beaubrun went into cardiac arrest after her procedure and died. Beaubruns family attorney says they were told Erica bled to death and she was found lying in a pool of blood. In an exclusive interview with her parents, CBS Atlanta asked her mother, Elsie Albert, if Beaubrun had researched Dodds before choosing her to do the procedure. I dont think she researched it or even if she did she didnt do it thoroughly enough, Albert said. Beaubrun is just one of the victims of a booming cosmetic industry that our investigation found has very little regulation. Nationwide there are only 22 states that require licensing or accreditation of medical offices where surgery is performed. Another two require it for only certain procedures. [View the map here] What does that mean to consumers? It means the majority of states, including Georgia, may not be doing enough to protect you. The state boards are responsible for the healthcare of the citizens, Nabil El Sanadi of Floridas Medical Board said. Floridas board has recently strengthened regulations in their state to protect patients. In the state of Florida, where theyve had several of these incidents where there was patient mortality, some of the patients died and there was a moratorium or a hold on any office surgeries until the Board of Medicine for the State of Florida actually came up with rules, El Sanadi said. Today, Floridas Medical Board requires each facility to register with the state and sends out inspectors to perform routine inspections at each medical office. There are 400 registered offices that do office surgery and inspectors go out on a regular basis and they have the right to report that office to the Department of Health if theres any violations as far as sterilizing equipment, resuscitation equipment, and qualifications of the providers, El Sanadi said. In contrast, Georgias Medical Board doesnt require any formal licensing of the surgical office and doesnt double check the information physicians provide. CBS Atlanta asked the medical director of Georgias Medical Board, Dr. Jean Sumner, how consumers can trust the information on the boards website if the Board doesnt verify what the doctor provides. The physician has an obligation by law to provide accurate information, Sumner said. Yet, weve discovered information on Dodds profile lists she has hospital privileges with when in fact she doesnt. When we questioned Georgias Medical Board about the discrepancies, they wouldnt discuss it. They are the regulatory body in the state you live in and their due diligence is to protect the citizens, said El Sanadi. To protect the citizens they have to know the information, but then they cannot be defensive about individual cases. Ironically, Beaubrun left a state with higher standards for cosmetic surgery and traveled to a state with little to no regulation. Her death leaves two young children who will never really know their mother and her son Blake has been feeling the pain. He woke up in the morning and he called his daddy and said, Dad, can you call God on the phone and let me speak to my mommy? Beaubruns father, John Beaubrun, said. Thats sad.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Nov 2013 19:00:00 +0000
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