Reply To: Dr. Wright, Triple Neurectomies, K. Petersen

[Good intentions]

Thanks for replying. Dr. Petersen’s noinsurance site is one the first that shows up on Google if you search mesh removal. I had been considering him, and had actually talked to one of his assistants. It was tempting.

It’s surprising that there is no mechanism to track and grade the performance of surgeons. They all seem to be free to do whatever they like. Overall, the field is probably full of well-meaning professionals but there is no way to tell who’s good and who’s not. It’s a lot like the police force, where the members just look the other way when bad things happen. It takes some really egregious misbehavior to even get noticed, and even then the surgeon can keep practicing.

Dr. Jayant Patel practiced for 25 years, killing many patients along the way. You’d think that fellow surgeons would have done something to protect their profession. It really does seem like a roll of the dice, and word of mouth through web sites like this one, to avoid major problems. Imagine what it was like before the internet was big.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-no…ortland-a.html

Thanks again and good look.