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When Doctors Talk Bad About Other Doctors.

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Surgeons are no different than other people in society.  There are good ones, there are bad ones and there are jealous ones.  Since many specialties are involved in cosmetic surgery, there is certainly competition.  Realizing this, there will be some surgeons that are very successful and there will be surgeons that are barely making it.  The busy surgeons are obviously doing something right and probably have a good bedside manner, probably do good work and probably are ethical.  The ones that are not busy may have a problem with one of the above.  It is simply low class to berate a competitor in the presence of a patient.  Some doctors are known for this, they simply talk bad about competitors, somehow thinking it makes them look good.  In fact, it is a dead giveaway about their true personalities and possibly about their skills and outcomes.  Busy and fulfilled surgeons don’t have time to gossip because they are succesful in their profession.  Doctors that badmouth competitors are obviously hurting and/or  jealous.  The apparently don’t realize how petty this makes them look and they don’t realize that the patients see right through this behavior.  There are a few surgeons in my hometown that take great lengths to say negative things about me , my profession, my outcomes, etc.  What they don’t realize is that they have become good referral sources for my practice.  They actually embarrass  patients as no patient feels comfortable seeing childish and jealous behavior.  I have had a number of patients come to my office for surgery after having consults with some of these surgeons and they related their conversations and told me that they were so uncomfortable with that behavior that would never go back.  Thanks guys!I have recently had several patients come to the office and tell me that one of the local negative surgeons told them that I dilute my Botox and not to come to me.  I, and the patient, got a good laugh out of that.  First of all, everyone dilutes their Botox….it comes as a powder, it has to be diluted!  I am the only Platinum Plus Botox provider in my city and the surrounding area, and that includes a number of group practices and doctors of any specialty.  Obviously, I did not get that distinction by ripping off patients.  My Botox preparation is well within the accepted norms and the unkind works of my detractors underline their lack of knowledge about Botox, as it is the number of units that are given that makes the difference. Using 1 cc or 4 cc’s of saline has no bearing on the outcome.  Again, this doctor has referred me several patients by his grumpy nontruths and inaccuracies.  Doesn’t Dr. Badmouth realize that  patients are smart and informed?  Jealousy is a terrible thing.Another common means of berating a surgeon is for the detractor to say that “they fix all the problems from Dr. X”.  Again, how stupid do they think patients are?  If Dr. X is really that bad, how does he or she stay in business?Gossip is a very destructive force.  Gossip is a situation where one person says something about another person when they are not around to defend themselves.  Gossip is done by idle people.  Busy people don’t have time to gossip.  Do you think there is much gossip in the front lines in Iraq?  In my experience, busy, competent surgeons don’t gossip.  They are too busy and too successful.  Doctors who do gossip or go out of their way to be negative obviously have personal problems and problems with their own identity or ability.  Their false words are self serving and thinly-veiled admissions that things aren’t going well for them.  The best way for a surgeon to counter act these childish doctors is simply to succeed.  It just kills them!One of the patients that ended up coming to me for a large and successful surgery told me that after leaving the office of Dr. Badmouth, they wondered if a doctor would disparage another doctor in the privacy of his office, what does he say about his patients in the privacy of his other life?The funny thing is that we will all, from time to time, see complications from competitors and they will see some of ours.  When I see unhappy patients from Dr. Badmouth (and believe me I have seen some), I simply tell the patient that these things can happen to anyone and they should go back to that doctor to give them the opportunity to make things right.Big people say big things and little people say little things.  Any patient that hears such unprofessional gossip about a competitor should think long and hard about if they really want to deal with a doctor who is so insecure, as this can boil over into other parts of their care.Like your mom told you when you were young….”if you can’t say something nice about someone, don’t say anything at all”.  A few basic rules to consider when seeing any surgeon are:·         If they badmouth other surgeons, something is not right·         Can they show you many pictures of their work?  If they cannot, what kind of work do they do?·         Do they fear or talk you out of a second opinion?  This may indicate problem.·         Do they teach, publish in medical journals and lecture in their profession.  This is usually the sign of an accomplished and respected surgeon.·         Do they have a fully accredited facility in their office?  This is a task of awesome proportions and not having this type of accreditation may say something about their meeting these standards.·         Do they tell you that only surgeons in their profession are qualified to do cosmetic surgery?  Educated patients know that this is a myth as there are very successful and qualified surgeons form many specialties.  There is no proof that any specialty has better safety or better outcomes than any other specialty.·         Are they board certified?  Board certification in any specialty is important and means that the surgeon has met rigorous testing standards.·         Are they available if you need them?  Concierge care is not a new concept.  Caring surgeons make themselves very available to their patients.·         Finally, does the surgeon seem like a good guy or a good lady?  You want to trust your life and surgical outcome on a surgeon that you can feel good about.

 

Joe Niamtu, III DMDCosmetic Facial SurgeryRichmond, Virginia

Office Address

Joe Niamtu III, DMD
11319 Polo Place
Midlothian, VA 23113

Office Hours

Monday - Friday
8:00am - 5:00pm

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