Keith Beiermeister, M.D.

Qualifications

Keith A. Beiermeister, MD, is a board-certified colon and rectal surgeon at San Diego Colon and Rectal Surgeons in La Jolla, California. Dr. Beiermeister is a native East Coaster and was born and raised in New Jersey. After attending boarding school at Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, he received his undergraduate degree at Hamilton College in upstate New York. He then went on to receive a master’s degree in biology from Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before undertaking his formal medical training.

From 2002-2012 he completed his medical training and surgical residency at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, where in his final year of general surgery residency, he was selected as Administrative Chief Resident. He then went on to complete a colon and rectal surgery fellowship at The Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania. In July of 2013, he settled in La Jolla, California, to join Dr. Worsey in private practice at San Diego Colon and Rectal Surgeons.

Dr. Beiermeister is board certified in both general surgery and colon and rectal surgery. He has been bestowed the honor of being a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS) and a fellow of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons (FASCRS) by his peers. Since joining the medical staff at Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, he has served three consecutive terms as the chief of general surgery and has also been named a member of the system-wide robotic surgery joint operating committee, serving as the general surgery representative.

In addition to these accolades, he also serves as the Scripps medical director for the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Program, tasked with developing standardized protocols aimed at reducing the physiologic stress of surgery and supporting an early return to function. In this role, Dr. Beiermeister has collaborated with countless surgeons throughout the system, developing a protocol not only in colon and rectal surgery but also in facilitating the development of similar protocols in multiple surgical subspecialties. This philosophical shift from a traditional clinician-focused system stresses early and active participation by you, the patient, making you an active member of the care team. In addition to an overall improvement in patient satisfaction, the ERAS program at Scripps has led to decreased hospital stays after surgery, decreased requirements for opioid pain medications, and decreased incidence of surgical infections.

Dr. Beiermeister’s interests and expertise cover all aspects of colon and rectal surgery, but he has a particular interest in maintaining a minimally invasive approach to both benign and malignant diseases of the colon and rectum, with many of these procedures now being performed robotically. His practice spans a wide range of colorectal disorders, including cancer of the colon, rectum, and anus, inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s), diverticulitis, complex anal and rectal procedures (hemorrhoids, fissure, and fistula), constipation, and fecal incontinence. He also performs both screening and diagnostic colonoscopies.

Dr. Beiermeister is married to a native Californian, and since moving to San Diego in 2013, they have become the proud parents of a beautiful little girl who aspires to someday become Dad’s surgical resident. In addition to spending time with family, his other interests include ice hockey (true to his northeast roots), home improvement, and golf.