A Florida plastic surgeon thinks anonymous comments made by a former patient on a physician rating website crossed the line between opinion and malicious intent, and he's fighting back with a defamation lawsuit.

Armando Soto, MD, reacted strongly to postings made on RateMDs.com about a botched breast augmentation procedure he allegedly performed in 2011, according to a published report. He wants the comments removed and is seeking $49,000 in damages.

His defamation lawsuit was originally filed in Virginia because that's where he and his attorney, Domingo Rivera, thought the complaints originated. However, he plans to drop that suit and file in Florida since subsequently discovering a schoolteacher in his home state might have posted the negative comments. He believes the teacher posed as several unhappy patients, adding numerous damning remarks on the site.

Mr. Rivera says his client's lawsuit addresses the difference between opinion and defamatory speech. For example, a post stating that Dr. Soto did "a poor job" is opinion, he says, while comments about breast unevenness or extra scarring are defamatory if they are not true. He believes unhappy patients should return to their physicians to have post-op issues fixed, and accuses the patient in this case of conducting a vendetta against Dr. Soto's reputation, which the lawsuit is angling to repair and protect.

David Muraskin, a Public Citizen attorney representing the patient, said in the news report that the lawsuit could squelch freedom of speech. He could not be reached for additional comment.

Daniel Cook

Patients who watch an online instructional video before colonoscopy are more likely to show up as scheduled and be prepared for the procedure, according to University of Chicago Medicine research.

The study of 1,740 patients found that patients aged 50 to 65 who had watched a 30-minute Web-based interactive video were 40% less likely to cancel their colonoscopy appointments. The video (watch an excerpt) explains to patients how colonoscopy is performed and why they must prepare beforehand, and also lets viewers pause the video to review information and type questions to send to surgeons and their staffs.

Among patients in the 50-to-65 age group, the no-show rate for colonoscopies dropped from 12% for those without access to the video to 7% among patients who watched the interactive program before their scheduled appointment.

"This appears to be an effective and inexpensive way to improve compliance," says study co-author Archita P. Desai, MD, a fellow in the university's gastroenterology section. "Our next steps will be to track the outcomes of patients who did not watch the video after being assigned to do so, as this group has the highest cancellation and poor-preparation rates. It will be important to identify how to successfully screen this group of patients."

Mark McGraw

Next Monday, June 4, is the new deadline for participating in Outpatient Surgery Magazine's OR Excellence 2012 Early Bird Contest. There's no time like the present to secure your spot for the conference's uniquely interactive education while also locking in savings and entering into the running for more than $13,500 in great prizes.

Early-bird registrants receive a $100 discount off the conference's full registration fee, guarantee their reservation at the meeting and secure discounted rooms at the spectacular Harbor Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, the center of the conference's action.

In addition, all attendees who are paid in full by June 4 will be entered into a drawing for prizes that include free Oceanview Terrace dinners, 2 free nights at the resort that can turn OR Excellence into your mini-vacation and the grand prize: an upgrade to the Presidential Suite at the Marriott plus an extra 2 nights - a $12,500 value.

Sound appealing? Visit the OR Excellence website for more information and to register.

Steve Archibald

Turnover time is one of the key indicators of operating room efficiency. Obviously, the faster you turn a room over, the more OR time is available, which translates into greater surgeon satisfaction and more revenue. Get out your stopwatch and tell us in this week's InstaPoll what your average turnover time is.

When it comes to attending a surgical converence, it's all about the quality of the educational program. Nearly 7 out of 10 (68%) of the 268 of you who took last week's poll rated the sessions and the speakers the most important factors when choosing a conference to attend. The results: