New Jersey Plastic Surgeon focuses on Patient Safety

Parker Center for Plastic Surgery, New Jersey, Focuses on Your Safety with Their Culture of Safety

It is important for individuals considering an elective cosmetic surgery to consider issues of safety prior to proceeding with surgery. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) was founded in 1967 and is the leading professional organization of plastic surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery who specialize in cosmetic plastic surgery. Its main goal is to provide patients considering cosmetic surgery information so they can make informed decisions before proceeding with any procedure. They offer the guidelines discussed below on their website, surgery.org, for patients contemplating plastic surgery. Dr. Paul M. Parker, and the team at the Parker Center for Plastic Surgery, has followed their guidelines for several years.

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon –

One of the items stressed by the ASAPS is the importance of ensuring that the plastic surgeon performing the operation is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (ABPS). All members of the ASAPS are ABPS certified.

Dr. Paul M. Parker is the Medical Director of the Parker Center for Plastic Surgery and Surgiplex, LLC, its 2300 square foot onsite ambulatory surgical facility. He is a member of the ASAPS, the American Society for Plastic Surgery, the Northeastern Society of Plastic Surgeons, and the New Jersey Society for Plastic Surgery as well as several other professional medical organizations. Dr. Parker is well-trained, very experienced, operates in Surgiplex, LLC with the same team every day, and oversees the pre-operative, intra-operative and post-operative care of his patients.

State-of-the Art Surgery Facility –

The ASAPS recommends all surgical procedures be performed in an appropriately certified surgical facility.

Dr. Parker performs all of his surgical procedures in Surgiplex, LLC, which has been certified by JCAHO, AAAASF and Medicare. This facility duplicates the safety of a hospital in a more relaxed, comfortable, calming environment. All equipment is state-of-the-art, allowing Dr. Parker to employ cutting-edge surgical techniques.

The Team –

Dr. Parker leads a team of highly trained professionals who work together every day with him in Surgiplex, LLC. His team of anesthesiologists is all board-certified and members of the full-time attending staff at Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, NY. In addition, the surgical team consists of Registered Nurses and surgical technicians. Like any team that works together day in and day out, Dr. Parker’s team has learned to perform these procedures efficiently and safely on a consistent basis.

Your Medical History –

In operating under a Culture of Safety, the individual’s medical history is of great importance. All patients undergoing surgery with Dr. Parker fill out a detailed medical health questionnaire. These are carefully evaluated by his team. Medical clearance is requested from the patient’s primary care physician for patients with any significant medical concerns.

Patient Education –

All patients scheduled for cosmetic surgery with Dr. Parker undergo a detailed Pre-operative visit with his Nurse Educator, within two weeks of the procedure. This visit permits a detailed discussion of the procedure, pre and post-operative care and an in depth informed consent review.

Mark out –

On the day of surgery, Dr. Parker draws his surgical plan on the patient’s face or body with a Sharpi marker. He carefully reviews the operative plan one more time with the patient in front of a full length mirror before proceeding to the Operating Room.

Follow up care –

Dr. Parker’s nurses review post-operative instructions with the patient and their caregiver prior to leaving Surgiplex, LLC. A follow up phone call from Dr. Parker’s staff is made later that day or the next day. Patients are routinely seen back in the office by Dr. Parker within several days of surgery for a routine postoperative visit in order to check on swelling and bruising. Subsequent routine follow- up visits occur at increasing intervals over the course of the first postoperative year.

Summary –

The surgical team at the Parker Center for Plastic Surgery agrees with the ASAPS that patient safety is paramount. We have reviewed a checklist of safety items recommended by the ASAPS and adhered to by Dr. Parker’s team over the past several years. Utilizing this system, patient safety at the Parker Center has been excellent with no mortality and no hospital transfers over the past 15 years. Patient satisfaction has also been gratifying, with a greater than 90% patient satisfaction rate of good to excellent.