Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

• Who are the experts working with Surgical Excellence, LLC?

• Can I purchase separate services?

• Who do I contact if I want more information about Surgical Excellence, LLC and its services?

• What should hospital directors be asking themselves?

• If our program or practice is already a COE, are there services of Surgical Excellence, LLC that would be applicable to our program?

• What are the goals of Surgical Excellence, LLC? Why was it created?

• What is COE "plus"?

• I am all for moving forward with quality and safety improvements, however, how can I be sure that the information obtained during this process and provided to us is kept confidential so it cannot be used against us in any way?

• Surgical Excellence, LLC has such great leaders in the bariatric and general surgery fields. Will those leaders really be involved with the services provided to me should we engage in Surgical Excellence, LLC?

• Why are Surgical Excellence, LLC services relevant to me?

General Questions

• Who are the experts working with Surgical Excellence, LLC?

  The Surgical Excellence team combines the talents of leading bariatric and general surgeons with the knowledge and expertise of legal and risk management professionals. The team’s board is:

  Philip R. Schauer, M.D.
  Known nationally and internationally for his clinical interests in surgery for severe obesitiy; laparoscopic surgery & gastrointestinal surgery. Dr Schauer has performed over 4000 operations for severe obesity.

  Neil E. Hutcher, M.D., F.A.C.S.
  His clinical expertise is in bariatric surgery as well as general and laparoscopic surgery. Dr Hutcher is well known for his efforts in educating the public and lobbying at both State and Federal levels.

  T. Karl Byrne, M.D.
  Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons and well known bariatric surgeon. Dr Byrne enjoys educating and has won several teaching awards.

  Adrian E. Park, M.D., F.R.C.S., F.A.C.S.
  A leading authority in the field of minimally invasive surgery, surgical education, and advanced operating room technology, Dr Park is actively involved in research on minimally invasive surgical techniques and is working on developing and applying new approaches and technologies in endoscopic surgery.

  Peter C. LePort, M.D.
  A general surgeon with special training and more than 20 years of experience as a gastric bypass and adjustable laparoscopic gastric band surgeon. Dr LePort shares his expertise both nationally and internationally.

  James W. Saxton, Esq.
  An active trial lawyer representing healthcare professionals in state and federal courts and administrative proceedings for nearly 30 years. He uses his extensive experience as a litigator to research, write about and advise healthcare professionals in connection with understanding and reducing their professional liability risk.

  Finally, a team of legal and risk management professionals includes Stevens & Lee’s risk management group:

  • Maggie M. Finkelstein, Esq.
  • Peter A. Schwartz, M.D.
  • Susan Gallagher, Ph.D., RN, MA, MSN, CNS, CWON
  • Lynn Swisher, Ph.D., MBA, NHA, RN, CHCQM
  • Judi L. Olnick, CPHQ
  • Elizabeth J. Pearsall, RN

  Click here board and team member biographies.

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• Can I purchase separate services?

  Yes, each of the services provided by Surgical Excellence, LLC is designed to be a stand-alone purchase. In other words, it is a menu of services so that each bariatric or general surgery program or surgeon may purchase the services that specifically addresses its needs.

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• Who do I contact if I want more information about Surgical Excellence, LLC and its services?

  Please contact us at:
  (888) 782-5580 or info@surgicalexcellencellc.com

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• What should hospital directors be asking themselves?

  Hospital directors should be asking themselves:

  • How do we compare to our peers?
  • What is an acceptable level of risk?
  • Could we prevent errors?
  • Why are we being sued more?
  • Why are we losing quality doctors?
  • Why did our OB department close?

  Surgical Excellence, LLC can help hospitals determine the answers to these questions. For more information on our services, please click here.

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• If our program or practice is already a COE, are there services of Surgical Excellence, LLC that would be applicable to our program?

  Yes. The services of Surgical Excellence, LLC are designed to fill a void in the bariatric and general surgery fields. Services do include helping programs become a COE, but there is much more – COE “plus”. Beyond the quality and safety parameters essential for attaining COE status, Surgical Excellence, LLC can help a COE also minimize liability risk and increase patient satisfaction through its bariatric surgery risk management assessment process. Click here for more information on the assessment services.

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• What are the goals of Surgical Excellence, LLC? Why was it created?

  Surgical Excellence, LLC was created to provide support to bariatric and general surgery programs and surgeons who want to continue to improve upon patient safety, quality, and liability risk reduction. Surgical Excellence, LLC combines the talents of leaders in these fields with a passion for safety and quality. So much has been learned about bariatric surgery and safety and quality over the years, and Surgical Excellence, LLC is designed to share this information.

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• What is COE "plus"?

  While Surgical Excellence, LLC can help programs become a COE, it can do more. That is because Surgical Excellence also offers services that are different than requirements mandated by COE organizations. For example, in our COE “plus” services, we may provide an organization with sensitivity and communication training for bariatric program staff, provide a surgeon’s practice with a baseline bariatric surgery risk management assessment, or provide a hospital with a baseline general surgery risk management assessment. They are different services attacking risk in efforts to support enhanced patient safety and quality of care. For more information, click here.

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• I am all for moving forward with quality and safety improvements, however, how can I be sure that the information obtained during this process and provided to us is kept confidential so it cannot be used against us in any way?

  Surgical Excellence, LLC has partnered with a national, leading legal risk management organization whose focus is on providing legal risk management services to the healthcare industry (Stevens & Lee). Stevens & Lee’s legal risk management team includes lawyers and other healthcare professionals dedicated to supporting healthcare professionals in their efforts at improving quality and safety. Many of the services provided include involvement by the Stevens & Lee legal professionals, providing, to the greatest extent possible under specific state laws, attorney-client privileged protections. Should you have concerns about this issue specific to your state, please discuss with one of our representatives.

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• Surgical Excellence, LLC has such great leaders in the bariatric and general surgery fields. Will those leaders really be involved with the services provided to me should we engage in Surgical Excellence, LLC?

  Absolutely! Our physician leaders are passionate about quality and safety. It is why they are a part of this organization. As relevant, the entire Board or specific Board members are involved with Surgical Excellence, LLC services. Click here for more information about our Board.

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• Why are Surgical Excellence, LLC services relevant to me?

  Surgical Excellence, LLC's services are relevant to a wide variey to health care professionals, including:

  • Hospitals (CEO's, Administration, Risk Managers, general and bariatric surgery departments)
  • Surgeons (general and bariatric)
  • Physician Practices (general and bariatric)
  • Peer review and quality assurance committees

  In today's environment of transparency and increased focus on quality and safety measures tied to reimbursement, Surgical Excellence's services are relevant to every healthcare professional.

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