Choosing a Doctor with Experience

[Pat Walter]

Hi,

I am currently investigating doctors in my health care plan who do 
hip resurfacing. I have gotten to the point where I can no longer 
walk very far without pain and wake up at night in pain. Because of 
my health care plan I am limited by the doctors who are part of the 
plan and their experience level doing the procedure. These doctors 
have fewer than 50 surgeries under their belts. I would like to know 
if any athletes have had surgery recently with a doctor with fewer 
surgeries.  I live in Northern California and am considering a doctor 
Lannin. Has anyone had their hip resurfaced by him? He is out of Palo 
Alto Medical Center.

I am contemplating putting off the surgery until these doctors have 
more experience, but am also afraid my hip will get much worse in the 
meantime.

Any ideas as to where I can find this information?

Thanks,

Robin

[Pat Walter]

Hi Robin

Thanks for writing to me.  You will notice that many of the serious athletes
used Dr. Bose  http://www.surfacehippy.info/hipstories.php   James Roxburg
used Dr. Schmalzeried.

I personally felt my hip was more important than any other purchase in my
lifetime - car, used car, house, plasma TV, etc.   I did not have health
insurance and could not afford surgery in the US.  Even if I had health
insurance, I would have still choosen Dr. De Smet.  He has done over 2500
hip resurfacings and over 3000 THRs.  All of Dr. Bose patients say the same
thing.  We all wanted experience and only a handful of the US doctors have
that.  Here is my list    http://www.surfacehippy.info/doctorstatistics.php
I don't know about Dr. Lannin, but there are so many anymore it is difficult
to keep up with them.

When we talk of experience, we are talking many hundreds - not 50 or 100. As
an athlete, you realize that it is the experience factor that makes you
great.  Everyone can learn the plays on the football team and have the
skills - yet it is the very best pros that get the job because of
experience.  They know what to do almost instinctively.  You can't buy
experience - you earn it.  Hip resurfacing is as much an art as a skill.
Even my Dr. De Smet told me personally that he would always recommend a
person use a doctor that has done at least 100 hip resurfacings. He said
that even with his experience, he has many difficult times in surgery.

I wrote article about choosing a doctor
http://www.surfacehippy.info/pcselectingsurgeon.php

I personally felt the $16,000 I spent to go to Belgium with my hubby for 14
days was the best money I ever spent in my life.  I invested in my life and
health.  I had to use credit cards and do not regret it.  I am 62 and we
were very deep in debt since my husband lost his job, but I would not have
done it any other way.  I will take what is left of my life and pay off the
debt - but I can walk without pain and without any restrictions.  You can go
to India to Dr. Bose for $12,000 or even a little less.

So I am saying that if you are in great pain and your life is on hold,
considering just paying for your surgery using some of the best doctors in
the world. Don't worry about the insurance.  Quite a few people did get
their insurance to pay for Dr. De Smet with a lot of letter writing and
appeals.    http://www.surfacehippy.info/insuranceappealinfo.php

Don't know it that helped any, but I am a firm believer in experience.  I
did not want to have my hip resurfaced, then have something go wrong and
spend the rest of my life thinking - what if I had only used one of the
really experienced doctors?

Let me know if I can help in any other way.

Pat