The phrase board certified takes up two words on a surgeon’s website and carries a specific meaning. A physician with board certification has completed the required training for a specialty, passed its examinations and gone through peer assessment. The phrase still leaves out the detail patients need most, which is the name of the board.
The patient guide published by Leo Lapuerta, MD, Plastic Surgery, a Houston-area practice, puts board certification at the top of its checklist for choosing a surgeon. The questions below follow that guide and cover the points patients raise most often.
Is board certification the same as a medical license?
No. A state medical license allows a physician to practice medicine. Board certification is a separate credential tied to one specialty, and a physician earns it by meeting that specialty board’s training and testing requirements. A licensed doctor can hold certification in one field and offer procedures from another.
The practice’s guide warns about that gap. It states that some physicians, dermatologists and even dentists present themselves as qualified to perform plastic surgery, and it calls that kind of promotion deceptive and dangerous for patients.
Does it matter which board?
The guide argues that it matters a great deal. It identifies the American Board of Plastic Surgery as the only board recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties as qualified in cosmetic, plastic and reconstructive surgery of the face and body. In the guide’s words, board certification in any other specialty does not ensure the same standards for training, experience and testing.
The guide also ties certification to professional membership. It states that all members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons have been certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
Does the certificate say anything about training?
The practice’s checklist spells out the training a qualified plastic surgeon should have:
- Graduation from an accredited medical school
- At least 6 years of surgical training in an accredited, university-based program, with at least 3 of those years devoted to plastic and reconstructive surgery
The same checklist adds requirements beyond the certificate. It asks that the surgeon operate only in facilities accredited by AAAASF, AAAHC, JCAHO or Medicare, hold privileges at area hospitals for the procedures being considered, and have experience performing the specific procedure the patient wants.
Does triple certification change the picture?
Some surgeons hold more than one certification. Dr. Leo Lapuerta is certified by three: the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the American Board of Surgery, and in Surgery of the Hand. The first covers his specialty, plastic surgery. The second reflects his training in general surgery, which he completed at St. John’s Hospital in Detroit before a plastic and reconstructive surgery fellowship at St. Joseph Hospital in Houston. The third is a certification in hand surgery.
Dr. Lapuerta, who has practiced for more than 30 years, is also a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the Texas Society of Plastic Surgeons. He is a past President of the Houston Society of Plastic Surgeons and Chairman of Plastic Surgery at St. Joseph Hospital.
Multiple certifications add breadth. For a cosmetic procedure, the certification that answers the patient’s question is the one in plastic surgery, and the practice’s guide treats it as the first requirement.
Can a patient check a surgeon’s certification?
Yes. The check takes two steps and no special access:
- Ask the surgeon. Request the full name of each certifying board, along with the specialty it covers. A qualified surgeon can give a direct answer. Be wary of a reply that claims certification without naming the board.
- Confirm with the board. Contact the certifying board and verify that the surgeon’s certification is current and in the specialty claimed.
While you have the surgeon’s attention, ask how many times he or she has performed your procedure. The practice’s checklist lists that experience as its own requirement, separate from certification, and Dr. Lapuerta’s view is that the two together offer the best guide to an outcome patients are happy with.
Board certification does not remove the risks of surgery, and no credential guarantees a result. It does confirm that a surgeon met a defined standard, and it takes one phone call or one direct question to find out which standard that was.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Results vary from patient to patient. Consult a board-certified plastic surgeon or your physician about your own situation. Written in partnership with Joseph Lambert, a publicist working with Leo Lapuerta, MD Plastic Surgery.