Surgeon

The letters F.A.C.S. (Fellow of the American College of Surgeons) after a surgeon's name indicate the surgeon is board-certified and has passed an evaluation of professional and ethical competence. ACS offers an online database with information on its members, such as their education background, certifications and society memberships.

Make sure your doctor is board-certified in a surgical specialty approved by the American Board of Medical Specialties . ABMS offers an online database that allows patients to search by specialty, region or physician.

If you are unsure of a surgeon's qualifications, call your state's medical board. They also can provide information on disciplinary actions and malpractice judgements.

Choose a doctor whom you feel comfortable talking to about your health and treatment.

Hospital

Make sure the hospital where your procedure will be performed is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organization (JCAHO).

Check out your hospital's performance report on the JCAHO Web site. The Quality Check function lists hospital ratings and any areas the commission recommends for improvement.

If you have a choice, choose a hospital where your procedure is performed often. Research shows that patients tend to have better results when they are treated in hospitals that have a great deal of experience with their condition.

Other Steps

If you don't feel confident that a surgical procedure is the best treatment for your condition, you may want to get a second opinion from someone with expertise in treating your condition.

Be sure to tell the surgeon, anesthesiologist and nurses if you have allergies or have ever had a bad reaction to anesthesia.

Ask you doctor to mark the surgical site. Sometimes referred to as "signing your site," doctors are urged to place their initials on the surgical site with a permanent marking pen in a way that cannot be overlooked and then actually operate through or next to the initials.

Be an active participant in your own health care. Understand what is happening. You, your doctor and surgeon should all agree on exactly what will be done during the operation. Ask questions about the specifics.