Today’s post is for our self-appointed media watchdogs around the blogosphere. Don’t forget you can check out a publication’s advertisers, too.
After years of cajoling, my wife’s convinced me to get my wretched, non-functioning nose fixed. (Stay with me, I’m not changing the topic. Really.) But before I picked a surgeon, I did some online research to confirm that he was board-certified.
Here’s the story idea: Your readers might be surprised to discover the number of plastic surgeons advertising on billboards and in newspapers and magazines in your town who are not board-certified in their field. Why not grab the local paper and look up the status of the physicians advertising there?
Check those names against the list of diplomates of the American Board of Plastic Surgery, which you can find on the American Board of Medical Specialties website at http://www.abms.org/login.asp, or the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, at http://www.abfprs.org/certified/index.cfm. (A physician need not belong to both to be board-certified. One’s good enough.) A couple minutes on these sites revealed that a very prominent local physician in my hometown of Pasadena, Calif., one who’s had billboards up all over town, is not board-certified. Funny how that detail isn’t mentioned in any of his ads.
(And if you’re looking for a graphic take on why patients should choose a board-certified surgeon, allow me to recommend “Skin Tight,” by the Miami Herald’s Carl Hiaasen.)
Take it up a level and check out the physicians’ state medical license status, too. You can look those up at http://www.docboard.org/docfinder.html. Are there any advertisers who’ve been in trouble with the state medical board before?
The same concept works with other types of physicians and state-licensed professionals, too, including dentists and attorneys. If you try this story on your blog or website, let me know and I’ll link back to it. Good luck!
About Robert Niles
