Why refer patients to another doctor?
Dr. Jeff Popp says there are two reasons you would refer someone to another doctor, “Either you don’t do that particular procedure or you don’t feel you do enough of it or are maybe as competent with it as another person who has more specialty in the area.”
He explains that in cosmetic surgery there are a lot of different training backgrounds that come into play. So for instance, a cosmetic surgeon can be an oral maxillofacial surgeon, a general surgeon, an OB/GYN, an ENT, etc.
“We all specialized in something first before we became cosmetic surgeons,” says Dr. Popp.
He says Dr. Perry Johnson and Dr. Steve Denenberg both trained as ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat) specialists first.
“So if I had someone who had a complicated nose or a nose issue you would refer to one of them,” he says.
Why is that so important?
“When you have someone who spends the vast majority of their training on a certain part of the body, they know how it functions, its physiology and anatomy. All of which all have to be taken into consideration when doing something to it cosmetically,” says Dr. Popp.
In other words, you can’t ignore the nose and say, ‘we will just fix it. We don’t care if you can breathe through it or not. We just want it to look good.’
Dr. Johnson’s partners, Dr. Jason Miller and Dr. Ron Hollins both trained in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. According to Dr. Popp, these are the doctors he would refer to if you had a child born with a small jaw or had issues like that.
“Dr. Miller is also a Craniofacial Surgeon and works on a lot of kids whose skulls are deformed. He basically takes the bones of the face and rearranges them,” explains Dr. Popp.
He said Dr. John Edney is well known in the Omaha community for breast reconstruction after cancer (mastectomies).
Dr. Popp is quick to point out that doesn’t mean other people can’t do the work but everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. One of his biggest strengths is his expertise working with eyelids.
While he admits it’s nice to be known for having a specialty, it can come with a down side as well.
“We may be experts and points of referral, but that doesn’t mean we are pleased to get a job that’s so messed up there’s not much we can do with it. And then you have to just say, ‘sorry, there’s nothing else we can do.’”
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