Welcome to my blog. I am a retired plastic surgeon in Seattle and was in private practice since 1991. I've seen more than a few interesting faces and cases through my years spent in the exam room, the operating room and the emergency room. And I have an opinion on just about everything relating to plastic surgery (and a lot of unrelated stuff). If you like my blog, let me know. Thanks for reading! Lisa
I participate in a few doctor only on line message boards and forums. A topic that has been front and center the past few months has been the #METOO movement and some of the challenges women in medicine face. I’d like to share a few of my own stories. Fortunately none of them include HarveyContinue reading…
General Health, Government and Politics, It's All About Me., Plastic Surgery, Surgical Eductaion
Today, October 1, 2015, is the day that doctors have to switch from ICD-9 to ICD-10 diagnosis codes. Up until today, we doctors had to rely on a mere 18,000 ICD-9 codes to describe patient diagnoses. Doctors rely on these mandatory codes for reimbursement from insurance companies. Years ago, when I was doing a lot of insurance work,Continue reading…
Financial Issues, Government and Politics, This Makes Me Cranky.
This is an article from the May/June 2015 King County Medical Society Bulletin. It’s a little long and technical but just hang onto that attention span and read it! Packing a Sunscreen Souvenir Tourists Grab UVA Treatments Common Elsewhere, Illegal Here By Barbara K. Gehrett, M.D. Some international travelers are returning with pharmaceutical souvenirsContinue reading…
General Health, Government and Politics, Skin Cancer, Skin Care, This Makes Me Cranky.
Seattle Plastic Surgeon is off to Spokane to inspect an in-office operating for the American Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgery Facilities, Inc. (AAAASF) I am off to my hometown, Spokane, this weekend both to visit family but also to inspect the in-office operating room of one of Spokane’s plastic surgeons for AAAASF. I’ll be snooping aroundContinue reading…
Government and Politics, Patient Beware, Patient Safety, Plastic Surgery
Seattle Plastic Surgeon blogs about how much surgery has changed in just a few decades. Sometimes it just astounds me how much surgery has changed since my days as a medical student. There was a time when hernia patients spent an entire week in the hospital following surgery. They were admitted the night before, a bazillionContinue reading…
General Health, Government and Politics, New Technology, Postoperative Care, Preoperative Care
Seattle Plastic Surgeon is delighted with the new rules regarding the use of tanning beds. She just wonders what took so long???????? Check out this article in the New York Times. Thanks for reading and don’t forget your sunscreen this summer. Dr. Lisa Lynn Sowder
Aging Issues, General Health, Government and Politics, Skin Cancer, sun damage
Seattle Plastic Surgeon discusses how Obamacare will affect (or not) her practice. There was a time about 10 years ago when I would have been totally stressing out over the changes coming with the Affordable Care Act a.k.a. Obamacare. But that was then and this is now and I’m not stressing out because I don’tContinue reading…
Financial Issues, Government and Politics, Health Care Costs
The FDA’s approval of Botox for the treatment of crows feet makes Seattle Plastic Surgeon smile. I’ve been using Botox for the treatment of crows feet (both my patients’ and my own!) for well over ten years. But I had been using Botox off lable which means that the FDA had not yet approved BotoxContinue reading…
Seattle Plastic Surgeon shares an essay about the crazy alternative universe of health insurance by dermatologist, Dr. Alan Rockoff. The Wizard of Insurance by Alan Rockoff, M.D. Thirty years ago, many college patients I saw were covered by a school health policy written by a company I will call James S. Fred Insurance. Because thisContinue reading…
Seattle Plastic Surgeon is a little bit offended by the Physician Payment Sunshine Act but then again she is quite the Girl Scout and not easily bribed. And where is the Congressional Payment Sunshine Act? The Physican Payment Sunshine Act is a nearly 300 page document about to land on the desk of doctors. ItContinue reading…
@lisalynnsowder
