Patient Questions

I assume that you are asking as to the qualifications of the physician & the facility where this being done.

A) Are you a board certified physician in Gastroenterology or board certified colorectal surgeon? The physician preferably should a board certified Gastroenterologist as she/he is the only specialty physician who is specifically trained for this purpose exclusively for 3 years or more after previously having completed training & then board certified in Internal Medicine for an extra 3 years. Not infrequently, there are other physicians who undergo short courses of training to do colonoscopy & after few years in practice they may become capable of detecting precancerous polyps & removing during colon cancer screening (i.e colonoscopy) but their expertise is very much variable. Some are excellent & others are not so. Board certified Gastroenterologists/ colorectal surgeons maintain a certain degree of standard & are up to date on colon cancer screening/colonoscopy across the board.

You may also want to ask the physician about their complication rates, years of experience & how many colonoscopies they do per year but these are subjective & may not help you to make up your mind.

B) What Facility? If it is a hospital, the safety/quality is not a big issue as hospitals undergo rigorous quality control & inspection by accrediting agencies like Joint commission on a regular basis. If done in a free standing centers or doctors office, please ensure that this facility is accredited by proper agencies, licensed by CMS (Medicare) & local department of community health of that state. Complication rates are high in non accredited/licensed facilities. They are not required report/document any complications to any authorities unless investigated by complaints.

C) Are you & Facility in network with my Insurance company? Most (please note, most & not all!) commercial insurance companies & Medicare cover the screening colonoscopy if you are 50 years or older without any deductible & co pay if the the physician & the facility are in their network (i.e "in network"). Please verify this prior to booking the appointment so that you do not incur any unwarranted expenditures.

These are basic questions one should ask when meeting with the physician, but there can be many more questions like type of anesthesia etc. too based on how sophisticate you want to be! I assume that you are asking as to the qualifications of the physician & the facility where this being done.

A) Are you a board certified physician in Gastroenterology or board certified colorectal surgeon? The physician preferably should a board certified Gastroenterologist as she/he is the only specialty physician who is specifically trained for this purpose exclusively for 3 years or more after previously having completed training & then board certified in Internal Medicine for an extra 3 years. Not infrequently, there are other physicians who undergo short courses of training to do colonoscopy & after few years in practice they may become capable of detecting precancerous polyps & removing during colon cancer screening (i.e colonoscopy) but their expertise is very much variable. Some are excellent & others are not so. Board certified Gastroenterologists/ colorectal surgeons maintain a certain degree of standard & are up to date on colon cancer screening/colonoscopy across the board.

You may also want to ask the physician about their complication rates, years of experience & how many colonoscopies they do per year but these are subjective & may not help you to make up your mind.

B) What Facility? If it is a hospital, the safety/quality is not a big issue as hospitals undergo rigorous quality control & inspection by accrediting agencies like Joint commission on a regular basis. If done in a free standing centers or doctors office, please ensure that this facility is accredited by proper agencies, licensed by CMS (Medicare) & local department of community health of that state. Complication rates are high in non accredited/licensed facilities. They are not required report/document any complications to any authorities unless investigated by complaints.

C) Are you & Facility in network with my Insurance company? Most (please note, most & not all!) commercial insurance companies & Medicare cover the screening colonoscopy if you are 50 years or older without any deductible & co pay if the the physician & the facility are in their network (i.e "in network"). Please verify this prior to booking the appointment so that you do not incur any unwarranted expenditures.

These are basic questions one should ask when meeting with the physician, but there can be many more questions like type of anesthesia etc. too based on how sophisticate you want to be!

Absolutely need to take along an advocate. Clear thinking is almost impossible when your defenses are down and fear takes over. A family member with experience is great; if not, a cancer coach can be quite helpful to ensure the questions are asked and the patient heard. Too often patients leave with many unresolved questions and feel pushed into a treatment they are not comfortable with or do not completely understand.

It is important that patients receive educational materials specific to their problem so that they can fully understand their disease and treatment options. Patient can record the conversation during their visit so that they can listen again to the discussion. Providing the opportunity for patients to speak with “experienced” patients is extremely helpful to be certain that all questions are answered. Open access via email so that additional questions can be answered is also valuable.