Bid-for-Surgery Web Site to Launch (11/30) MITCH RUSTAD c.1999 Medical Tribune News Service Internet-savvy consumers seeking elective, non-emergency surgery may be no more than a mouse click away from finding a qualified surgeon willing to do the procedure at a negotiated price.       The new auction service will be available February 1, 2000 at the Web site Medicine Online, Inc. (http://www.medicineonline.com/ based in Huntington Beach, Calif.       Through Medicine Online, consumers can post a request for surgery including face lifts, corrective laser eye surgery and podiatric surgery. The postings will then be made available to qualified surgeons, who may respond by listing their credentials and professional fees.       ``Bid-For-Surgery will operate similarly to a medical eBay,'' said Kevin Moshayedi, chief executive officer of Medicine Online (MOL). ``By using the power of the internet, Bid-For-Surgery will offer consumers the opportunity to exercise freedom of choice and one-stop access to qualified surgeons, each having proven training, experience and credentials in various specialties.''       Consumers seeking services can log on to MOL, click on the Auction section and post a description of the desired surgical procedure, such as cosmetic surgery. They will also be required to provide health and background information. The surgery request is then posted on the Web site in an encrypted and confidential section. MOL processes the bids from affiliated surgeons. The surgeons have 72 hours to bid.       At any time during or after the bidding process, the prospective patient may log on to MOL and monitor bids, as well as review the surgeon's background, including board certifications/qualifications, licensure, years in practice and number of surgeries performed of the type requested during the previous two years. The surgeon's range of fees for the desired services will also be posted.       But don't expect bidding to be available anytime soon on any serious, life-threatening illnesses, said Mike Sussman, chief operating officer, Medicine Online.       ``We're limiting our bidding to elective, non-emergency surgical procedures in several categories,'' said Sussman. Those areas include podiatric medicine, cosmetic and plastic surgery, including facelifts, lyposuction, hair restoration, dermatology and cosmetic dentistry. ``These are categories where discretionary decisions are made outside of insurance coverage, where consumers shop around for a qualified provider and the best price.''       ``We are going to provide consumers with appropriate tools to compare and judge the qualifications of the physicians,'' said Sussman. ``We have confidence that the medical community will embrace this and be able to deal honestly with the information they submit. These are questions most consumers don't ask when they walk into a doctor's office.''       Before any surgery takes place, one face-to-face consultation is required. ``At the consultation, it's up to the consumer and physician to agree upon the procedure, price and any disclosure of additional fees, and whether the consumer feels comfortable with that physician,'' said Sussman.       Bidding for medical services online is sure to create some controversy, but Sussman said it's simply another tool for consumers to utilize. ``It's unconventional if you think its unconventional,'' he said. ``But if you look at the various services people currently use, the Yellow Pages for example, I think this will just become a conventional referral source.''       Not everyone in the medical community is surprised by the Bid-For-Surgery concept.       ``I guess it was just a matter of time before this would come along,'' said Dr. Devinder Mangat, president of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in Washington, D.C. ``The crucial thing here is protecting the consumer. When you have a concept like this, you could have people who would be bidding for a procedure that may or may not be adequately trained or credentialed. The unknowing public would go to that individual based on some slick marketing brochures or claims of expertise. I see this concept working to the benefit of the consumer only if the participating physicians are properly credentialed. If somebody makes sure that physician is board certified and has the experience, then it's not a problem.''       The only obstacle according to Sussman, other than the prospect that a bidding doctor may be in a different geographical location than the consumer, lies with the physicians themselves.       ``The key is for the physicians to be honest and forthright in the way they present their credentials and prices,'' said Sussman. ``The patients are empowered now to be more informed, so if physicians want to use the Web as another referral source, they are going to have to cooperate and be ethical and honest.''       -----       (The Medical Tribune Web site is at http://www.medtrib.com/