For a long while I have emphasized that cosmetic surgery patients need to screen their prospective surgeons. I have presented you some simple internet-based Medical board sites that you can use to do exactly that.

My upcoming Hack Report series will serve to illustrate this once again. In this series I have not used the doctor’s names, such as to make the screening process generic.

To my simple online board screening we might add one more reasonable test: Google your prospective doctor. Why would I say this? Read on.

Try Goggling: Efrain Diego Gonzalez.

This is a man who has been the subject of an investigative journalism report and in that report a number of patient complaints have been found:

Dr. Efrain Diego Gonzalez started his Rocklin-based Advanced Medical Spa in 2007, where his low prices advertised online caught the attention of Northern California patients.

Learning to write by hand all over again, Rose now lives with a paralyzed right hand. Now she struggles to tie shoes, pick up keys or even sign her own name, she said. Rose said Gonzalez carelessly cut through two critical nerves during a breast augmentation — leaving part of her right hand completely numb and a noticeably different color than her left hand.

Another woman lost her nipple after a breast augmentation.

“It got infected and fell off,” Jenni said. According to Jenni, none of these patients knew Gonzalez’ background is in gynecology.

While Gonzalez claims on his resume to have taken numerous medical courses in cosmetic surgery, he was never formally trained in plastic surgery during his residency, which he admits in a deposition

Source: sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/11/01/call-kurtis-investigates-
cosmetic-surgeon-accused-of-leaving-patients-deformed/

Multiple damaged prior surgical patients? Kinda concerning.

So let’s check for medical board issues as I have suggested before:

In this case, the news reporter has beaten the boards to the punch in reporting on this doctor. His California Medical Board sheet reveals only:

Accusation Filed

Medical board actions do take time to become complete and therefore to be recorded.

Demanding American Board of Medical Specialists Certification might have helped the wise patient however as Dr Gonzalez claims training in Gynecology, but according to the ABMS web site has no board certification.

Something that the news reporter discovered that is not on these Medical Board web sites is that:

he was stripped off his medical license to practice in his native Puerto Rico in 2006.
Source: dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2228392/Cosmetic-surgeon-offers-
Mommy-Makeovers-accused-leaving-dozen-patients-deformed-paralyzed-
botched-surgery.html

These reports quote a 12 patient lawsuit and pretty severe injuries. You need to screen your surgeons everybody so you find what you need before you choose poorly.

Is Dr Gonzalez a worthy candidate for the Hack Report? We won’t know until these cases are complete, but would you allow him to operate on you?

Best Regards,

John Di Saia MD