CHECKLIST FOR SURGEONS
Print one copy for each MD office you call to compare what each surgeon has to offer.

• Surgeon's Name:
• City:
• Distance from US border:
• Coordinator:
• Agency name (if booking agency is used):
• Does the doctor have his own email list/message board for his patients?
• If so, what is the address?
• Total fees:
• Are fills included?
• If fills are included, how many and for how long?
• Airport you will be flying to?
• Is transportation included?
• If included, what kind of transportation is it?
• Who answers the phone during off business hours? (Call in the middle of the night to verify this.)
• Will I need to do a pre op diet?
• If so, what does it consist of?
• Will I need to do a post-op diet?
• If so, what does it consist of?
• Is surgery performed in a hospital or clinic?
• Will I stay in a hotel the night before surgery?
• Is the price of the hotel included?
• How many hours will I be in the hospital/clinic after surgery?
• Will I go to a hotel after surgery?
• Is that price included?
• If I go to a hotel after surgery, how long will I be there?
• How many visits from the surgeon or nurse will I receive after surgery?
• Specifically, which pre-op testing will be done? (Testing should be done before surgery, not during, and should include the following tests: CBC, chem. panel, UA, chest x-ray, and EKG.)

• Specifically, what post-op testing will be done? (Should be at least a barium swallow. A US facility cannot be a Center of Excellence without this test after surgery, and it is considered routine for most doctors.)

• Will I be given all my pre-op and post-op test results to take home to give to my doctor? (Should be surgical report, band serial number, all labs, EKG, and films from barium swallow.)

• Does the surgeon open me, place the band, and close me, or does the assistant surgeon do most of this? Will my surgeon be in the operating room during the entire procedure?

• Is all staff in the operating room licensed?
• How many licensed doctors?
• How many licensed nurses?
• How long has the doctor been placing bands? (Not performing bariatric surgery, RNY, or laparoscopic procedures, but actual bands.)

• What brands does the surgeon use?
• Is the doctor Inamed or Johnson & Johnson certified?
• Is the doctor certified in bariatric surgery in Mexico? (You MUST verify this, do not rely on their response.)

• How many bands has the doctor placed as the lead surgeon? (If this is an unknown number that usually means the stats are combined with someone else's or he was the assistant surgeon and stood there while the actual surgeon placed the bands.)

• How many bands of each brand has the surgeon placed? (If the doctor claims they have placed 2500 Inamed bands yet have only purchased 200 bands from Inamed, you know they are inflating their statistics.)

• Statistics : (Don't let them combine stats for a total "complication" figure as that artificially lowers one of the stats and means they are hiding something. Demand specific numbers for each complication.)

• • What are their infection statistics? (Should be less than 1% .)

• • What are their slip statistics? (Should be less than 3% .)

• • What are their erosion statistics? (Should be less than 1.3% .)

• How many Gastric Bypass procedures has the doctor done? (Goes to show skill level with tricky procedures.)

• How many Gastric Sleeve procedures has the doctor done? (Again, shows skill level with tricky procedures.)

• How many revisions from bypass to band has the doctor done? (Again, shows skill level with tricky procedures.)