A new breed of cosmetic surgery chains, some backed by private equity investors, are competing for a slice of the nation\u2019s growing body-contouring market.<\/p>\n
The chains sell an array of body-reshaping operations, such as \u201cMommy Makeovers<\/a>\u201d and liposuction, targeting customers willing to pay up to $20,000 out-of-pocket for a new figure.<\/p>\n A joint investigation<\/a> by KFF Health News and NBC News found that cosmetic surgery chains have been the target of scores of medical malpractice and negligence lawsuits alleging disfiguring injuries \u2014 including 12 wrongful death cases filed over the past seven years.<\/p>\n Injured patients have accused the chains of hiring doctors with minimal cosmetic surgery training, of failing to recognize and treat life-threatening infections and other dangerous surgical complications, and of using high-pressure sales tactics that minimized safety risks, court records show. The companies have denied the allegations in court.<\/p>\n \u201cThese people promise to turn you into the fairest person in the land, and the risks aren\u2019t often worth the reality,\u201d said Sean Domnick, a Florida attorney who heads the American Association for Justice, a trial lawyers\u2019 group.<\/p>\n Robert Centeno, a medical director for Sono Bello, the largest of the chains, disagrees. He said the company\u2019s mission is to \u201chelp each and every one of our patients live their best lives now.\u201d Sono Bello offers \u201clife-changing transformations\u201d that enhance a person\u2019s \u201cappearance as well as their quality of life,\u201d said Centeno, a surgeon at the company\u2019s Troy, Michigan, office. Sono Bello<\/a> boasts it is \u201cAmerica\u2019s top cosmetic surgery specialist.\u201d<\/p>\n But many established plastic surgeons worry that chain surgery groups may be inclined to spend more effort on marketing and sales than on making sure their doctors are properly credentialed and capable of handling any complications that arise.<\/p>\n Medical practices owned by private equity or investment firms have more money to spend drawing in patients and \u201cthe ability to operate and provide quality patient care is now less important,\u201d said Mark Domanski, a plastic surgeon in Northern Virginia.<\/p>\n Erin Schaeffer, 37, spent a week in a Florida hospital battling a severe infection after having a type of tummy tuck and liposuction at the Jacksonville branch of Sono Bello.<\/p>\n More than a year later, scars remain on her lower body. And in a lawsuit, she is accusing Sono Bello of using an obstetrician-gynecologist who was inadequately trained to remove her excess skin and fat, a procedure she says caused excruciating pain. Sono Bello and the doctor denied the allegations in a joint court filing.<\/p>\n \u201cI literally felt like I was skinned alive,\u201d Schaeffer said.<\/p>\n KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\nUSE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n