The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), has established a task force to promote safety in office-based surgery facilities. Former ASPS President Ronald Iverson, MD, is chair of the ASPS Task Force on Patient Safety in Office-based Surgery Facilities.

"This is the first comprehensive study of the issues surrounding office-based surgical facilities," said Iverson. "The ASPS hopes to fully examine the benefits of choosing a board-certified plastic surgeon who works in an accredited facility."

"Patient safety has always been of paramount importance to our members," said Walter Erhardt, Jr., MD, president of ASPS. "By creating a task force to evaluate safety, the ASPS will continue its leadership position as the ‘gold standard’ for safety in plastic surgery."

The ASPS task force will develop guidelines for the office-based surgery setting and review current standards of accrediting organizations, state laws and medical boards. It will also collect data for office-based surgery safety. A preliminary report will be submitted to the ASPS Board of Directors in February, 2001.

The ASPS patient safety initiative has been developed in conjunction with the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities (AAAASF). The ASPS last month voted to change its by-laws to require members who perform surgery under anesthesia, other than minor local anesthesia and/or minimal oral tranquilization, to do so in an accredited facility by July 1, 2002.

"The ASPS bylaw change was simply the right thing to do for our patients," said Dr. Erhardt. "It’s a very positive step for our specialty, giving the public peace of mind and confidence when they have surgery performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon."

The ASPS reminds anyone considering plastic surgery that the most important step in planning a procedure is choosing a qualified plastic surgeon, as no surgical procedure is risk-free. To maximize safety:

• Determine that the surgeon is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, the only board that certifies physicians in plastic surgery of the face and all areas of the body. Board-certified plastic surgeons have graduated from an accredited medical school and completed five or more years of additional surgical residency training;
• Ensure that the surgical facility meets one of the following criteria: accredited by a national or state recognized accrediting agency; certified to participate in the Medicare program under Title XVIII; licensed by the state in which the facility is located;
• Ask the surgeon questions regarding the risks of the procedure, the recovery period and his or her previous experience with the procedure.

ASPS, founded in 1931, is the largest plastic surgery organization in the world. It represents physicians certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS) or the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. To find an ABPS-certified plastic surgeon in your area or to learn more about cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, call the Plastic Surgery Information Service at 1-888-4-PLASTIC (1-888-475-2784).