FAQs

I love my primary care doctor! Should I trust their advice on which surgeon I should see?

While your primary care doctor is a trusted advisor and has your best interest in mind, you should not rely solely on him or her to select your surgeon. Primary care doctors are generalists and do not have in-depth knowledge of a surgeon’s specific outcomes with your particular procedure. Their surgeon recommendations may be based on factors like convenience and in-network status or professional relationships. By utilizing SurgeonCheck’s objective and outcomes-driven recommendations, you can feel confident in your selection.

If I choose a surgeon that SurgeonCheck recommends, will my surgery be guaranteed successful?

How does SurgeonCheck evaluate surgeons and how do I know the recommendations are legitimate?

SurgeonCheck is a resource designed to help you find high-performing surgeons for elective procedures. Here’s how it works and why you can trust our recommendations:

How SurgeonCheck Evaluates Surgeons:

a. Focus on Outcomes: SurgeonCheck goes beyond simply looking at a surgeon’s credentials. We use nearly 300 outcome-focused measures – developed and reviewed by a team of board-certified and fellowship-trained surgical specialists – to evaluate surgeon quality.

b. Tailored Approach: Our measures consider various aspects, including complications, appropriateness, operative method, and diagnostic method, among other factors. Importantly, the metrics are customized for each procedure, recognizing the unique nature of each surgery.

c. Benchmarking: SurgeonCheck compares each surgeon’s performance against national benchmarks established by peer-reviewed medical literature and validated or adjusted via SurgeonCheck’s machine learning algorithms and binning. National benchmarks ensure that all patients are directed to surgeons with the best outcomes and they allow us to identify “Surgeons of Excellence” locally.

Why You Can Trust SurgeonCheck Recommendations:

a. Rigorous Development: Our team dedicated over six years to developing and rigorously testing the evaluation logic and quality measures before entering the marketplace. 

b. Advanced Data Analysis: SurgeonCheck utilizes machine learning to address potential biases in data sets due to varying case volumes among surgeons. This further strengthens the validity of our ratings.

c. Commitment to Improvement: Our team continuously refines the platform and measures to maintain its position as the leading resource for surgical recommendations.

Aren’t all surgeons equally skilled?

Can surgeons pay to be on this site?

How are surgeons chosen to be recommended on your site?

Surgeons must meet the criteria below to be included on our site:

1. National Registry Listing: A surgeon must be listed with the National Provider Identifier Registry (NPIR).

2. Procedure Focus: A surgeon must perform one of the procedures we evaluate.

3. Minimum Case Volume: A surgeon must have performed a statistically significant minimum number of cases for one of the procedures we evaluate. The minimum case volume varies by procedure.

4. High-Quality Rating: Ultimately – and most importantly – only surgeons who receive a high-quality rating through SurgeonCheck’s evaluation process are recommended on this site.

How do I leave a review for my surgeon?

How is SurgeonCheck different from other surgeon recommendation platforms?

SurgeonCheck stands out from other surgeon recommendation platforms in several key ways:

1. Focus on Outcomes: SurgeonCheck prioritizes objective data on a surgeon’s success rates and complication rates. This outcome-based approach goes beyond other platforms, which often rely on process measures, reference pricing, and/or subjective reviews.

2. Tailored Metrics: SurgeonCheck uses a customized set of measures for each surgical procedure because surgery is not “one size fits all.” This delivers a more nuanced picture of a surgeon’s performance compared to generic metrics applied wholesale across all procedures.

3. Objectivity: SurgeonCheck does not accept payments from surgeons or hospitals or patient reviews to avoid bias. This ensures our evaluations are based solely on objective data.

4. Focus on Individuals: SurgeonCheck evaluates each surgeon individually, for every procedure that he or she performs, rather than aggregating the data at the specialty (e.g., orthopedics), practice group, or facility level as a whole.

Does SurgeonCheck use the same evaluation criteria for all surgical procedures?

No, SurgeonCheck recognizes that “one size does not fit all” in surgery.

1. Procedure-Specific Focus: We use distinct sets of quality measures for each procedure we evaluate. This ensures the measures are relevant and capture the nuances of success for each particular surgery.

2. Data-Driven Approach: All of our measures are objective and based on medical literature. This ensures a standardized and reliable evaluation process.

3. Expert Review: A medical board comprised of board certified and fellowship-trained surgical sub-specialists reviews the measures to guarantee their relevance and effectiveness.

4. Focus on Fairness: We actively exclude measures susceptible to manipulation by surgeons, ensuring a fair evaluation.

Do I need to go to a Center of Excellence to receive good care?

Does SurgeonCheck evaluate emergency surgeries?

Can I rely on my health plan’s Find a Doctor tool to help me select a high-quality surgeon for my procedure?

Health Plan “Find A Doctor” tools can be a resource, but they do not provide all the information you need to select a high-quality surgeon. These tools typically focus on basic details like location, insurance participation, education, specialties, credentials, and sometimes even patient reviews. While there are times this can be helpful, they lack information on a surgeon’s experience or objective quality.

Does SurgeonCheck evaluate all surgeons?

How do I find a specific surgeon on your site?

Where does your surgeon data come from?

How do I contact customer service?

Can I schedule an appointment with my surgeon through this site?

Surgery is a team effort, so doesn’t that make surgeon ratings less important?

You’re right, surgery is a complex procedure that involves a skilled team. Here’s why surgeon expertise still matters:

1. The Surgeon Leads: While nurses, anesthesiologists, and others play vital roles, the surgeon is the leader of the operating team and is responsible for your outcome. They make critical decisions throughout the procedure, ensuring clear communication and well-defined roles for everyone involved.

2. Skill Matters: A surgeon’s experience and technical skills significantly impact the outcome. Their expertise in performing the specific procedure, along with their ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances, can influence success rates and patient recovery.

I’m a surgeon. Can I purchase a detailed report on my performance?

We were a cause long before we were a company.