Secrets of a Beverly Hills Cosmetic Surgeon

After Cosmetic Surgery, Shouldn’t You Have Your Doctor’s Home Phone and Cell Phone?

samantha celera
/ CC BY-ND 2.0

It has long been our practice to provide our patients with my home phone and cell phone numbers. We give that information to the patient when they schedule their surgery so that even before surgery, should any question arise, I can be contacted.

We think it is wise to be as accessible to the patient as possible. After all, what good is the doctor to a patient if he or she is not available? While very few true emergencies arise, there are issues that can come up.

For example, just this weekend one of our patients found that she couldn’t tolerate the pain medication that we had given her because she was becoming a bit nauseous with it. She was able to reach me on my cell phone and I immediately phoned in a prescription to her pharmacy for a replacement pain medicine. Incidentally, we also have the patient’s pharmacy in our office records, so that we can very quickly phone in a prescription.

Occasionally questions arise, ranging from how often patients have to change their nasal dressing after the rhinoplasty plus nasal septoplasty and turbinate resection to improve the breathing. Any question should have an answer because the last thing we want is an anxious patient. Sometimes even administrative issues arise, such as patients forgetting the time of their next appointment.

Even when I am out of town, as long as I am within the United States, I can be reached by cell phone. Patients appreciate this. How great are cell phones! Technology helps us deliver the best possible care.

- Robert Kotler, MD, FACS

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