When you or your loved one undergoes any medical procedure, it's important that you find the right specialist so you can benefit from the expertise that comes from performing a procedure every day, as only a specialist does. Just because a physician provides colonoscopies, for example, doesn't mean that practice is the best place to have a scope performed. While this may seem like common sense, there is limited data to support this idea.

A current U.K. study is comparing performance between expert gastroenterologists and surgeons or primary care physicians who provide colonoscopies and endoscopic services. After evaluating 129 operators, the authors concluded that the U.K.'s Joint Advisory Group on Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (JAG) should raise standards for credentialing to 120 procedures a year.   

Dr. Carl Jones has performed more than 25,000 endoscopic procedures since 1996 — performing at a level higher than 10 times the annual credentialing rate suggested by JAG. He and his expert team use the latest advances and technology and Dr. Jones has earned national recognition and awards for his work.

Source: Douglas K. Rex, MD. reviewing Verma AM et al. How Many Annual Colonoscopies to Maintain Credentialing? Frontline Gastroenterology. 2014 July. NEJM Journal Watch. 2014 July 18.