Lately, it seems the “topic du jour” within the realm of weight loss surgery is the notion of low cost bariatric surgery. And why wouldn’t it be? We are a nation of bargain shoppers, are we not?

I’m not here to tell you that you shouldn’t try to save money in this life. Instead, I’m here to tell you that saving money should not be your number-one criteria when choosing a bariatric surgeon. In other words, low cost bariatric surgery should not be your primary focus. The quality of the surgery (and the surgeon providing it) should be your focus.

There are certain things in life that we want to get for cheap — electronics, cars, houses, etc. When shopping for these things, we usually weight the quality against the price. Sometimes, if we are on a budget, we will put more emphasis on the cost side of things, seeking low cost items instead.

But when it comes to our health, it’s wise to put more emphasis on quality of care than the cost associated with it. Sure, you should be financially responsible when considering surgery. You should also do your research to find out how much of the procedure your insurance will cover.

But you shouldn’t be so focused on finances that low cost bariatric surgery becomes your number-one goal.  When that happens, you tend to forget about the need for quality care.

So here’s my advice:

When planning your surgery and performing your due diligence with regard to a surgeon or surgery center, put the surgeon’s experience first and the cost last. It’s better to receive quality care from an experience surgeon that costs a little more, than low cost bariatric surgery from a surgeon with questionable credentials.

I hate to use the expression “you get what you pay for,” because it’s such a cliche. But it does apply to healthcare in many cases. So put experience at the top of your surgeon checklist, and put cost somewhere down near the bottom. After all, if there’s one thing worth investing in … it’s your own body!