Station Home Page & More Local Information Consumers can now log on to the Internet and bid for doctors and surgery. Bidding online for doctors and surgery Lucky Severson Starting February first, a bold medical experiment begins on the Internet.

			Anyone considering elective surgery might just find his or her surgeon in cyberspace. Is this the future of medicine–bidding on doctors and surgery?
			An Internet company is set to find out. With the click of a mouse, consumers today can find a surgeon willing to perform cosmetic, foot or eye surgery at a negotiated price.
	‘The essence for bid for surgery is empowering the consumer.’ —Kevin Moshayedi Medicine Online		Kevin Moshayedi Medicine Online, said, “The essence for bid for surgery is empowering the consumer.”     An Internet company is launching a Website similar to a Medical E-bay. It promises consumers one stop “doctor shopping.” You post the elective procedure to be performed. Bidding surgeons have seventy-two hours to respond.     Dr. Renato Saltz, plastic surgeon, said, “I do have a problem when the main focus is attracting, grabbing you by the price.”     Steven Royall, podiatrist, said, “Are we businessmen, or are we physicians? It raises some serious ethical issues.”
	‘Are we businessmen, or are we physicians? It raises some serious ethical issues. ’ —Steven Royall Podiatrist		Indeed, the idea of bidding for surgery is not exactly winning advance praise. One plastic surgery organization issued a warning saying bidding for even elective surgery provides no guarantee of a surgeons credentials, competency or of your satisfaction.     “The surgeons are already putting ads in yellow pages. They’re already putting ads in the newspapers. We are not doing anything different than is already happening in the real life,” said Moshayedi.     But have we gone too far? The Internet arguably provides the worlds most useful tool for medical information and patient education. Perhaps in five years bidding for surgery won’t seem quite so radical, just business as usual. For now, it’s sure to spark debate around the dinner table and the surgical theater.
			Royall said, “You’re not buying a car here. You’re buying health, and you’re buying hopefully minimized pain. You’re buying a relationship with a doctor.”     Saltz, said, “I just hope, you know, people do not get hurt.”
	‘I just hope, you know, people do not get hurt.’ —Dr. Renato Saltz Plastic Surgeon		To review the pros and cons of bidding for surgery and for a list of do’s and dont’s when choosing a doctor, log onto the Internet at Healthsurfing.com. Web company officials say “bid for surgery” is not supposed to start a bidding war between surgeons, just connect patients and doctors.

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