There is an interesting post from the Scalpel or Sword blog regarding the dangers of operating on celebrities such as Tiger Woods:
When a 32 year old soon-to-be billionaire superstar seeks medical treatment, I doubt he has to get a referral from his PCP or approval from an HMO pencil-pusher. But as the John Ritter case revealed, when a rich celebrity suffers a disastrous medical outcome, the potential liability far exceeds any insurance coverage or assets of the treating physicians.
Sure, the Orthopedist will get to prominently display a signed picture in his office waiting room of Tiger shaking his hand, and he will likely benefit from the prestige of having such a high-profile patient. And I'm sure Tiger will pay his bill in full. But what is a reasonable fee for taking on the enormous liability risk of treating such a patient?
This is even more true when the surgery being performed on the celebrity is plastic surgery. The Donda West case is an excellent example of that. Sure, her surgeon may have gotten some kudos for doing a nice job had things gone well, but since the situation ended poorly, his practice has now been devastated. Obviously other factors are in play in that situation as well. That being said, would I operate on celebrities? Yes.
Story credit: scalpelorsword.blogspot.com by way of KevinMD.com
Photo credit: prphotos.com
Thanks for reading,
Michigan-based Plastic Surgeon
Anthony Youn, M.D.:
Sure, the liability of operating on a celebrity can be monumental, but there can also be some huge benefits. For one, if the celebrity is open about their procedure(s) and the results were good, then they certainly can add some instant PR gold to their surgeon's portfolio.
ReplyDeleteEven if the celebrity isn't open about their surgery, there are those in the public that can easily spot that work was done and that can open the public's eyes to what is possible. For instance: Matthew McConaughey's hair transplantation - although he denies that he's had a hair transplant, the results of his full head of perfect hair speak against what is possible with non-surgical treatments alone, but they also illuminate what hair transplants are today. Hair transplantation has changed quite a bit since the pluggy, doll-hair punch-grafts of the eighties. With FUE and a quality surgeon, a lucky man could be able to achieve a better head of hair than he had before the loss began (although, he's better off - as with most procedures - shooting for a positive change in his appearance instead of perfection).
On a different note, Dr. Youn, your blog is excellent. It's a great source of information regarding the media and plastic surgery and you have a way of cutting through some of the hype the media can produce.
Would you mind if I linked to your blog from my own at Super-Fantastic Plastic?
Thanks for your nice comments Shaun. Best wishes on your new blog. Link away...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link; I've been a lurky fan of your blog for quite a while.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work.
i bet the people in charge of marketing the pro golf want Tiger Woods to return ASAP; he seems to have a huge effect on the level of viewership
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